To read or not to read an erotic novel?

Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind when thinking of an erotic novel is the famous saga of 50 Shades of Gray, but the truth is that these types of books have attracted the attention of millions of people, especially women, around the world. The erotic novel has become a popular genre of romantic comedy and presents a challenge to write because you have to pay attention to every detail, every scene and every dialogue.

Megan Maxwell, the popular Spanish writer, is used to her books being well received by the public, and years ago she ventured to explore this genre with the saga that began with 'Ask me what you want'. As expected, this book also had a great reception among its followers.

“I've always had a lot of reception, but the truth is that with 'Ask me what you want' it was a bombshell. People loved the erotic novel. That book came out on November 12, 2012, and a day later, it was already super recognized,” Maxwell told LatinAmerican Post. “Look, on November 12  my website had 35,000 visits. On that day, in just 24 hours, I had more than 300,000 visits. That is something nobody believes.”

But in her latest installments (I am Eric Zimmerman, Volume I and II), she shows a different side of what we are used seeing in a typical erotic novel.

This time, this woman is soaked in her past books to recreate a male character. Thus, the book presents a much bigger challenge than any other one that she has written before since it is not the same to capture what a woman thinks of a man than to capture the original thoughts of a man. The same story we already knew comes now from the eyes of this charming German.

Read also: Megan Maxwell and the power of women

“All my books are characterized by having a strong female voice, but 'I am Eric Zimmerman' was the voice of a man, so it was a challenge,” says Megan. “So I wrote a couple of chapters and passed them to a friend. Asking him if he would react that way, but also considering that Eric Zimmerman is a powerful man and not everyone is like that. The fact is that he said yes and I decided to continue along that line. ”

Eric Zimmerman is a possessive man, superb and aware of his effect on women. In the past installments, the version was already known from the point of view and Judith Flores, the other protagonist, but in this, we see the thought of this man who believes he knows them all.

During the two volumes of the book, the evolution of both characters is seen. On one hand, an egocentric man who is gradually realizing that perhaps his heart belongs to the last person he thought, but still being who he is and, of course, without leaving his sexual thirst aside. Meanwhile, Judith is transformed too. As time goes by, she ceases to be the shy and distant woman she seems to be and gets carried away by the eroticism of Eric Zimmerman.

Like the other Maxwell books, this novel brings humor, charms and disappointments, and fights, many fights. As the two volumes develop, their relationship ends up becoming like every other couple, but both personalities come to light at critical points in history. What happens, then, when two people like that are going to become parents?

Read also 'Revolution Sunday': The Cuban voice from the in-xile

Megan didn't always think that an erotic novel would be her most acclaimed work, even before she started writing it she didn't think she could do it. “My editor suggested that I venture into this kind of comedy, but I said a resounding NO. I didn't know how to do it. But she insisted, and well, I gave her a chance. ”

In her previous books, Maxwell has included erotic scenes, but writing a whole novel was a much greater challenge, especially since there must be a limit between comedy/eroticism for a fluid narrative to remain.

In addition, when venturing to write from a male perspective, it is not only a challenge, but it can satisfy many wishes of women who are attracted to this genre of romantic comedy. “ I had to imagine many things, also instruct myself to be able to translate things on paper and make it seem all real,” says Maxwell.