My Werewolf Erotica was Problematic, and I’d Like to Issue this Official Apology
Dear readers,
This apology letter is long overdue, and I know it. It’s difficult for me to even type this, but I’m ready to face the truth: my Werewolf Erotica was problematic.
When I self-published my Werewolf romance on sexyhotstories.com in 2003, we were living in a vastly different world. 2003 was a less progressive time, a less “woke” time, and a time when writers were less sensitive to the experiences of minorities and marginalized communities.
But this in no way excuses me for my actions. The truth is, the female characters in my Werewolf Erotica Novel were one-dimensional and based on damaging stereotypes. MistyPaw and Luna Luna had very little dialogue throughout the novel, and their stories were always secondary to the stories of the male Werewolves. How did they feel when SilverFur left the pack to find BrightFang in the Great Woods? What were their hopes, their dreams, and their erotic desires? These are all things that I failed to consider as I typed up my 800-page Werewolf Erotica on my office computer.
If I could go back and change the past, I would. I would make sure that all of my Werewolf Erotica passes the Bechdel test. I would remove the scene where MistyPaw slut-shames Luna Luna for sleeping with SilverFur. I would also edit the twenty-seven scenes of Werewolf intercourse that do not mention the characters giving explicit consent. What a terrible example this sets for young readers!
Since 2003, my eBook has gotten a whopping 64 views and thirteen comments. I am deeply thankful for my readers, and it hurts my heart to think about all the ways that I have failed them. There are actually tears in my eyes as I sit in my cubicle at work, composing this apology letter.
I have deep regrets about the depiction of female Werewolves in my eBook and I also have deep regrets about the blatant lack of racial diversity. There are no Black Werewolves, no Asian Werewolves, no Hispanic Werewolves, and no Native American Werewolves in my Werewolf Erotica. In fact, every Werewolf explicitly mentioned in the text is Caucasian!
Moreover, the graphic illustrations of Werewolf intercourse that I included with every chapter only depict Werewolves with thin body types engaged in heterosexual sex. This paints a narrow picture of Werewolf intercourse that is just not healthy for my readers to digest. Over time I have realized how damaging this lack of representation is.
Readers, you deserve better. The 64 of you, (assuming that no one clicked on the link twice), deserve Werewolf Erotica that accurately reflects the diverse society we live in. When wolf_luver6969 commented in 2006 that my eBook was a “total cringe-fest” I was initially very annoyed. But now I realize that this was a justifiable reaction to the problematic tropes within my writing.
It is for this reason that I will be delaying the self-publication of my newest Werewolf Erotica novel until 2020. I need to learn how to create diverse narratives, and until I learn how to do that I will not be sharing my work on sexyhotstories.com
I may have made mistakes in my past, but I can assure that all of my erotica moving forward will be woke af. That is my sincere promise as a writer and I hope that you can find it in your hearts to forgive me.
Your favorite Werewolf romance novelist,
Octavia MoonHeart
