Newbie with question - erotic murder mystery

Just like in the real world of sex, pretty much anything you can think of +erotica is a thing. Alien/monster+erotica, definitely a thing. Death by snu-snu, also a thing. Tends to get pretty dark and graphic in a less sexy way, but that's only because the most common scenario I've come across is rape-gone-wrong. If you don't want it to be that dark, I wouldn't worry too much about that.

Detective/police-procedural erotic novels definitely get published - there's one on my bookshelves which was part of a specific crime erotica imprint from one of the big publishers, so more than just a narrow niche thing.

The fantasy element creates the challenge of getting three genres right, not just two, and finding if there is an audience keen on the intersect of all three. The first two series of the TV series 'Torchwood' edged into this space sometimes, but couldn't go fully into the erotic angles. I read erotica and mystery/crime separately, so I am happy to read in that cross-over (and I tolerate the mystery angles being competent rather than brilliant so long as the sex is good), but alien sex is not my thing, especially not alien snuff sex.

Having said that, I could be tempted to read if it was played with a comedic touch (nothing funnier than an string of corpses so long as they die amusingly) rather than as dark and brooding / too much sci-fi. Where do you see the reader finding their kicks in the story? I think you'd have to go to one extreme or the other - bemused detective sucked into a lethal sex romp, paranoid that every encounter he has might be with a brain-zapping, shape-shifting alien but unable to resist temptation, or full-on dystopia.

If you're going at it from an erotica angle -- with the sexual scenes aiming to titillate -- I imagine you might run up against noncon restrictions at various publishers and platforms.

It might actually be a safer bet from more of a horror or mystery angle.

I think it is more likely to fall under horror erotica than murder mystery genre-wise? I have read something broadly similar that I have been trying to re-find for years, it was a romance based around mysterious deaths caused by an orgasmic blob creature assimilating people.

If the erotica is not part of the crime sure, but then it seems like the sex is a tacked on elements rather than mission critical. In cross-genre erotic IMHO it is generally better when the sex is directly connected to the plot, not just part of characterization. For example, Wire in the Blood. The detective's sexuality, the killer, solving crimes, the violence, are all integrally connected. Because it was so compelling it was wildly popular in the mainstream and became a TV series despite being really rather disturbing in the depictions of sexual violence (consensual and not).

Hmm, reflecting on this further, while I think you have the bones of a story here with enough plot and complexity to turn into a novel, it's not mainstream erotica. Erotica is not the same as highly sexualised content: the sex scenes in erotica need to arouse the characters and the reader, which is why most publishers will not touch material that links the sex with violence unless it (a) doesn't risk permanent harm and (b) both partners consent.

What you are describing in your story is not informed consent, unless the alien is telling its partners upfront 'hey, have sex with me, but you should know there's a chance I'll accidentally kill you'. It's also not informed consent if they're so befuddled by pheromones that they accept the risk (any more than it would be to get consent by spiking someone's drink, or interpret consent to vanilla sex as a licence to do what you like to a sexual partner). Others here have way more expertise than me in seeking out markets but it feels like a story you'll have trouble to make work/sell as erotica unless you find the niche horror market that Veinglory refers to.

Your outline feels to me like it would work way better as a paranormal crime thriller. Lots of sex is not necessarily a problem at the hardboiled end of the genre (detectives with personal problems like sex addiction are par for the course!), you just won't be able to go so explicit on the details. The upside of writing this as hardboiled paranormal crime would be that you only have to hit the right notes for two genres, not three.

But, hey, take this with a grain of salt: like I said, the alien angle and the dark angle are not my things so others may be more inclined than me to read something like this. If you think you can write this in a way that the alien death sex aspect turns you and others on - despite the consequences - then have a go. One way might be to make the detective's experiences the erotic part of the story, and not try to make the alien sex titillating (hence my previous thought that that aspect of the story might work as high farce, which can be sexy but isn't usually erotic). You won't know until you try, and if the story's formed in your mind, get it down on paper: if worst comes to worst, it's all good writing practice!

The concept is sellable, because this is pretty much the concept of an early Torchwood episode. But while Torchwood was sold as "Doctor Who for grown-ups", it was still horror/science fantasy that happened to have a strong erotic thread, rather than the other way around. You'll have to look carefully at what genre you're marketing to, and you may find that if you're marketing as erotica it will need to be marketed to a specific niche.

deathstar008 said:

I have this hazy plot idea though and I wonder if it is a thing? I have an idea for an erotic murder mystery. Is that a subgenre? A big no-no? Is that a thing?

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It sounds like you are seeking permission to write this story. Of course, you should write it. Flush those fantasies out of your mind and get them down on paper (or disk). The fact that it straddles genres is meaningless. The story may find its own emphasis as you write.