Danny Rothstein, a young
casino owner, leaves his home in Las Vegas for the noir splendor of 1950s’ New Orleans. Danny, a product of the
button-down fifties, assumes he knows everything about women. Little does he
know that he will soon enter a world of strip bars and clandestine sex clubs. His
life comes apart when he meets Yvette Delacroix, a nineteen-year-old cigarette
girl who has sampled life on the wild side. After a scorching encounter in a
sex club, the two embark on a torrid romance that challenges everything Danny
believes about female sexuality and love. At the end of Danny’s passionate
journey, he learns bad girls can be very good indeed.
The New Orleans Hothouse is an explicit glimpse at the carnal underworld of
New Orleans told in the first person from a male point of view. The clash between
a powerful protagonist and liberated heroine are some of the provocative elements
in this erotic romance set in the New Orleans and the fictional universe of the
Rue de St. Marc.
Kristin Aragon's interview with LEE RENE said it all:
I recently connected with writer Lee Rene. Lee Rene is the nom de plume of a Los Angeles-based author of erotic romances and New Adult novels. Although Lee has attempted writing romances in the past, she finally found her voice in the world of erotic literature. Lee has authored the new erotic romance—The New Orleans Hothouse, and was quite enthused to talk about her maiden voyage into erotic romance, a journey that took years.
Kristin: Hi Lee, it’s
great of you to find a moment to chat about your upcoming novel, The New Orleans Hothouse. Tell us a bit about
yourself?
Lee: I’ve been writing
since I was a kid. I had a poem
published in an anthology at fourteen, but though I had the knack, I didn’t
have the discipline or the will it takes to become an author. Not only must a writer learn the rules of his
or her craft, but writers also have to be selfish with their time. I just couldn’t do it. The muse tapped me on my shoulder in New
Orleans, and I began writing in earnest, first working for a lifestyle
magazine, then writing movie reviews.
Fiction remained difficult and although I always wanted to write romances,
they eluded me until I entered the world of erotic romance, then everything
came together.
Kristin: Romance versus
erotic romance? Would you mind explaining a little about the differences?
Lee: Erotic romance
versus standard romances allows a writer to explore all elements of a romance
including the carnal. I could let me hair down without censoring myself, use
stories my friends had told me about their relationships and their erotic
lives. Since my protagonist, Danny Rothstein, was a young guy, it allowed me to
examine how men view sex as opposed to women.
Kristin: As a person who
has gotten to know you over time, I’ve learned you love to stage your novels in
the 1950s. Is there a particular reasoning behind the period?
Lee: The fifties was a turbulent
time regarding sex. Feminism had emerged, women were working outside of the
home, and sexual attitudes were changing.
Still, the concept of sexual harassment was an alien one and girls who
loved sex were still considered whores. I love New Orleans and had read a great
deal about New Orleans in the 1950s when the New Orleans went through a growth
spurt, and exotic dancers were the queens of the city. I threw in a bit of Mad Men and The New Orleans
Hothouse was born. I have another manuscript set in the 50s New Orleans
that involves gangsters and police corruption; afterward, I want to switch
focus to contemporary romance.
Kristin: You made your
protagonist a young man and rather sexist from contemporary views. Tell me about that?
Lee: I loved writing in
the male voice. I found it freeing. Not only did it allow for variety, but I
could also make the language a bit cruder than it would be from a young woman
of the same period. I found it liberating to get into a man’s head, be as
raunchy as I liked yet show the humanity underneath. Danny is at heart a
terrific guy, but he’s been spoiled by women and never heard the word
“no.” He meets a girl who uses him for
her own pleasure in the same way the way men often use women and it shocks
him. Danny isn’t ready for a truly
liberated woman, it is the 1950s after all, and immediately labels her a
slut. Later he realizes what a fabulous
girl she is and his arc as a human begins.
Writing as a male allowed me to explore the double standard
that was so prevalent during that period. I didn’t make Danny wrong for some of
his views, i.e., nice girls don’t do “that”, just misguided. It was also
important for me not to “slut shame” Yvette, my female character, or any of the
other female characters either. I wanted them to embrace their sexuality and
not be totally dependent on a man for their sexual pleasure. It’s a theme I
hope to explore more fully in the future.
Kristin: How would you
compare this with other popular erotic romances?
Lee: I really got into “pillow talk” and tried to
make it as explicit as possible. Perhaps
it’s been my own experience that dirty talk turns people on when they are
making love. I remember a friend saying she had to have a man who “talked that
talk.” Look at the success of that song,
Talk Dirty to Me. People, male and female, love it.
Kristin: I, personally, cannot think of a better place
for an erotic romp, but why did you choose New Orleans?
Lee: New Orleans is so
sexy— the music, the mystery, the history. I remember staying in the Quarter
one year and not being able to sleep from all the sexual activity around
me. It truly is Erotic City, a dark,
dangerous, and romantic place.
Thank you, Lee, for
answering some of our questions. You have given us some insight into your
experience writing your novel, which is much appreciated. Good luck with sales,
and I hope to hear more from you soon.
Need to know more about Lee? Here's what she had to say about herself.
I’m Francesca Miller, the jazz-loving author of erotic romances, Young Adult and New Adult novels. I had the good fortune of being born in one the most diverse cities in the world, sun-kissed Los Angeles. The City of the Angels is more than just palm trees, toned bodies and beaches, it’s a fusion of people, languages and cultures.
In my past literary life, I worked a lifestyle writer for magazines in Los Angeles, San Francisco, New York and Vancouver as well as entertainment journalist and movie reviewer in print, on-line, and on radio in the Los Angeles area. I’m a student of American history and my works are usually set in the past. When I’m not writing away, I spend my time watching movies from the golden era on TCM, delving into history, enjoying classical music and jazz and reading gothic literature.
My first published novel is an erotic romance written under my nom de plume, Lee Rene. My interest in writing erotic romance started percolating when I read work by J. Kenner and Sylvia Day. Although I’ve attempted to write romance novels in the past, I found my voice in the world of erotic literature. The New Orleans Hothouse is the first if other stories set on the cobbled streets of New Orleans’s Rue St. Marc. It’s my sincere wish that lovers of dark romances join me on my journey.
Buylinks for NEW ORLEANS HOTHOUSE
Publisher: Loose Id The New Orleans Hothouse, written under the nom de plume, Lee Rene. http://www.loose-id.com/authors/l-p/lee-rene.html
Her website is located at http://francescamiller.com/index2.html with a portal leading to her erotic romance writing alter-ego, Lee Rene, http://www.leerene.com/
