What is cozy erotica?

Note: This site is still under development - including this article which will likely undergo more edits shortly.

Rousing Comfort's cozy erotica will start being published in January 2025. Please return for more updates.

Some might wonder - can something be cozy and still sizzle the way good erotica ought?

It's a good question. Books in the "cozy" style are typically the kinder gentler - or as the haters might say boring - stories within a genre.

But cozies are very popular for a reason and their fans are devout. In fact, lovers of cozy mysteries will fiercely defend that there is little better than snuggling up with a "whodunnit" and a cup of tea - safe in the knowledge that the violence will be either off-stage or very tame, sex will be at most alluded to, and the language will much less likely to shock than if they were to be cracking open one their book's rougher tougher cousins.

Off-stage? Tame? No explicit sex?

Doesn't sound a lot like Erotica does it? Isn't Erotica supposed to put sex front and center? Isn't it known for its frank use of language and explicit storytelling?

So, can Erotica be "Cozy" and still be um erotic???

Of course it can! And Rousing Comfort is hardly the first to write this style of erotica.

In her 2023 Writer's Digest article "What is a Cozy Subgenre in Fiction"1, Moriah Richard suggests the unifying feature of cozies is not a lack of zing but rather that their common trait is that they "offer comfort to their readers; a safe escape from the realities of our daily lives."

Sounds like the raison d'être of a lot of erotic writing to me!

I was convinced even further by a discussion in the subreddit r/cozyfantasy initiated by user u/jaded_Supermarket890, suggesting that some of the defining elements of the emergent cozy fantasy genre are as follows:

Lots of rich sensory descriptions and inclusion of cozy elements (think picturesque small towns, comfy couches, knit sweaters, warm drinks, fuzzy pillows, soft blankets, etc)

"Slice of Life" not "Saving the World"

Highlights kindness and community

Readers feel safe and happy as they read

If we were to apply these conventions to erotica that would mean readers could expect safe, happy, kind, slice of life sex, with rich sensory descriptions and lots of hot drinks, chunky knit sweaters, and snuggly moments?

Sounds good to me!

Isn't "Cozy Erotica" just "Erotic Romance" or "Romantic Erotica"?

"Erotic Romance" and "Romantic Erotica" are both fairly broad sub-genres which include both cozy and less cozy writing in them - which is why I think of "cozy" as a style versus a sub-genre.

Don't worry I know the jury is still out on the whole style versus genre question! But since my works can and do span multiple sub-genres - I'm going with this one.

In my world almost anything from erotic romance to bdsm to monster erotica can be written in a way that crafts a comfy cozy experience for my beloved readers!

Psst! Scratching you head about what is the difference between Erotica and Erotica Romance? Look here!

For an really in-depth look at the difference between these two sub-genres, I recommend checking out this awesome blog post by erotica writer Chloe Alice Balkin which does an excellent job of explaining the similarities and differences between the two sub-genres: You’re Probably Wrong About the Difference Between Romance & Erotica

References:

Richard, Moriah. “What Is a Cozy Subgenre in Fiction?” Writer’s Digest, September 15, 2023. https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/what-is-a-cozy-subgenre-in-fiction.

Balkin, C. A. "You’re Probably Wrong About the Difference Between Romance & Erotica". July 15, 2021. https://chloealicebalkin.wordpress.com/2021/08/15/youre-probably-wrong-about-the-difference-between-romance-erotica/

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