Dodging the Caveman Lapdance: Q&A with Lynne Silver–Plus A Bonus Post on Fromance!

by Madeline Iva

Lynne Silver is my new romance writer crush.  She’s written a panopoly of steamy humorous erotic romances for Harlequin Spice and for Ellora’s Cave.  Today she’s talking with us about gettin’ funny while gettin’ it on.

MADELINE IVA: I share your love for humorous erotic romance. How does humor play a role in your romances? And why-oh-why isn’t there more humor in erotic romance?

LYNNE SILVER: I love humor in romance because sex is funny. It’s awesome and hot, but it’s also funny, because let’s face it- the human body makes weird noises, smells, etc… I think sex is better when you can laugh during it. If you’re so focused on being and looking “sexy” it’s going to be hard to relax and enjoy it.

MADELINE IVA: Are there any other erotic romance authors out there who like humor the way we do? I’ve found Victoria Dahl’s romances are pretty funny, and her tweets are hysterical.  Is there anyone else you’d recommend?

Lynne Silver hearts Kristan Higgins.

LYNNE SILVER: Kristan Higgins isn’t erotic, but she’s dang funny.

MADELINE IVA:  (frothing at the mouth with adoration) I love her work.  Adore it.  Absolutely.

LYNNE SILVER: And The Cabal of Hotness from Ellora’s Cave writes parodies called “Fondled and Gobbled”


MADELINE IVA: Actually we reviewed them once.  I think. (Here?)  Meanwhile, do you think that people who read erotic romance appreciate a romance hero with a sense of humor?

LYNNE SILVER: I think the romance hero needs to be intelligent and willing to laugh at himself. Just like a man in real life.

MADELINE IVA: Nice! You have a semi-geek hottie on one of your romance covers. Do you think that women who appreciate the funny are more into geeky guys?  Does that cover speak to what kinds of heroes you like?

LYNNE SILVER: My husband is a geek, so yes geeky guys with serious brains turn me on way more than simple male beauty. I love to look at a handsome man, but if he can’t carry on an intelligent conversation and make me laugh, the chemistry’s not there. My husband is the trifecta of hot, intelligent and funny. I’m a lucky girl.

MADELINE IVA: Geeky = brainy, while brainy = sexy.  Therefore: geeky=sexy.  Gotcha.  I too, must confess that I never cared for Ken dolls.

 On your blog you wrote about your experience at Romanticon 2013.  You said: “I am prude. Despite writing hot romance, I have no interest in getting a lapdance from a Caveman. They were adorable, but I best enjoyed them from afar.”  Lynne, I too spent my time at Romanticon dodging lapdances from those cray-cray Ellora’s Cavemen. My question is this: why can we write hawt but shy away from actual man-flesh? Is it just an allergic reaction to spray tan or what? Did you ever envision this as something that could be worked into a future comedic situation in one of your romance novels?


LYNNE SILVER: My whole Romanticon experience was kinda cray-cray. And I wish I’d found you during Bingo. We could’ve hidden under the table together!

MADELINE IVA:  I would have loved that! We’ll have to find each other next year. Thanks again for sharing your time with us. LYNNE SILVER: Thanks for having me here.

You can find Lynne’s books at www.lynnesilver.com.  Try tweeting her at @Lynnesilver and buy her books here at Ellora’s Cave.


This week we’re celebrating the bromance, m/m romance, and C. Margery Kempe’s release MAN CITY: MARTIN .  I asked Lynne if she would mind me tagging on a mini-post to her interview.  She said “I went to kindergarten–I can share!”

So here is part two of today’s post: LET’S HEAR IT FOR FRO-MANCE!

What is fro-mance you say? Is it romance + frozen yogurt? Nope.
An obsession with the ‘fro–the afro hair style?  Nah. None of the above.

This week while Kiersten blogged about the best bromances of all time– (Where’s House & Wilson on this list? Legolas & Aragorn?) —and Liz Everly lusted after 5 gay men (Why isn’t Rupert Evert in her top five? Liz are you blind???)— and Elizabeth Shore revealed the secret audience for gay porn — I perseverated on the lack of an equivalent word for a female bromance.

A…fffffff–romance. Fromance. Here are my top three FROMANCES, Bitches!

#3 Lucy Lawless as Xena Warrior Princess & her side-kick Gabrielle.  In college my bff’s wee tiny room was wall to wall Xena posters.  She is a lesbian and this show was catnip for lesbians.  Long before they had the L Word to suck on, my bff waxed poetic about Xena’s tender moments of caring for Gabrielle.  Or something like that.  I actually never watched the show.  You see, I spent many marathon study sessions in that tiny closet of a room.  And one semester after subsisting on nothing but coffee-coffee-buzz-buzz-buzz ice cream for four days while eyeball to eyeball with Xena’s breasts in  that small enclosed space I emerged on the dean’s list but also scarred for life. Yet I still believe in the power of Fromance! Moving on.

#2 Rachel & Ivy from Kim Harrison’s Hollows Series.  I’ve written before about Kim Harrison’s two characters and how riveted/obsessed I am by their dynamic.  Rachel’s a witch, Ivy’s a bi-sexual (?) self-loathing Vampire with the hots for Rachel.  Oh, and they’re housemates and biz partners in an alternative world Cleveland.  Harrison said that after writing Ivy and Rachel’s first intense scene together she stared at her computer screen, scared at what she’d done.  The rest is–cha-ching!–history.

AND THE #1 FROMANCE ISSSSSSSSS:

Romy & Michele from Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion.  Why didn’t this awesome movie spawn a ba-zillion more just like it? (thus creating some karmic balance for all the stupid buddy comedies of the 80′s)  Why didn’t anyone ever really get that Mira Sorvino is a character actress? With like, the lowest voice, like, ever. Why wasn’t there Romy & Michelle II, III, XIX, CXIVC, etc? I would have rented DVD’s of the sequel. Eventually. From the scene where they watch Pretty Women in bed and cry, to my overly strong identification with Jeanine Garafolo’s character (was sometime video-taping my entire high school experience?) this movie was — IS — is! the best best best fromance evah, and should be the fromance that all other fromances are judged by.  (Though Ghost World would be high on my personal list.)

So there you have it.  Disagree? Go ahead–feel free to fight it out in the comments section below.  And follow our blog if you haven’t already.  And buy CMK’s book by clicking here .