So last week I asked if kinky was the new black. Now at the time BDSM got mixed up with kinky which is a bit of a misnomer. While BDSM tends to be kinky, kinky doesn’t always mean BDSM. Just so we’re clear on all of that!

But moving on … what’s going to be the new trend in m/m do you think? We all love this genre, we read it, write it, devour it, discuss it and take it apart in incredibly minute detail. So we must have some kind of insight in what will become the next big thing right?

Do you think it’ll be the marriage of convenience like Jenre talks about here. Or perhaps infidelity will become the new talked about taboo subject or will we see an increase in rapes in romance? Will the new favorite trend be astral projection (as I’ve read 2 books and seen a movie on it all within the same month). I’ve heard rumblings about more virgins in fiction. Will the big condom debate of last year fade away into “who cares?”

We will always have the classic favorites that never go out of style: werewolves, friends to lovers, buckets of angst, and the 1-2-3 finger sex with handy towels which will never leave. But what do you think the next “big” thing will be in gay fiction?

I read a lot of books and the same themes keep recycling over and over. This isn’t bad per se but in addition to sometimes tepid writing means books tend to blend together or be forgettable. When reading for entertainment as I think the majority of us do it doesn’t matter so much as the enjoyment WHILE reading but when looking back at the vast number of books I’ve read I sometimes can’t remember a thing about them.

So when I discover an author with a distinctive voice, one that resonates through their writing no matter what the subject or genre, I tend to cling that author. I love when I can open a book and instinctively know who the author is. This partly guarantees a good read (or strongly suggests) but I also like the familiarity; sort of like visiting an old friend who’s got some new stories to tell.

I’m not exactly sure what makes an author voice distinctive. I’m not sure I could pinpoint the exact element from author to author. Just one of those you know it when you see it. Not all authors have this elusive quality, even some massively productive authors still lack a distinctive stamp while some authors with only a few books to their credit stand out with uniqueness. It’s just one quality that I love when it comes through – even if I’m not a fan.

For example there is Cameron Dane.

I recently read a book of hers and right away at the beginning I knew I was reading Dane. Though much has been made of her continued and almost stubborn use of cringe inducing prose – I don’t think a single book can go by without a fluttering rectum or seizing chute of molten fire – her books are very distinctive. From the situations to the characters, the set up of the sex scenes and of course the prose, these books scream Cameron Dane even if her name wasn’t on the cover.

Along those lines of exaggeration is Evangeline Anderson.

She tends to polarize fans with those that adore her writing and those that can’t stand it. I tend to fall into one or the other as well as often EA’s work will get 1 star from me but also it can get a super hot 4 stars OMG MORE PLEASE too. She seems to stick to GFY tropes and a yaoi-inspired non-con with a patina of homophobia over the whole thing. Yet I don’t think anyone can argue that her books aren’t distinctive and easily recognizable.

Another great unique voice is Tamara Allen.

I recently read The Only Gold (reviewed here) and right away I was swept into her world. I knew I was reading an Allen book with her attention to detail and that melodious voice. Her style of writing is immediately evident and unique even as her characters vary wildly. Yet it’s the complexity of the story and the men themselves that shows her voice. The sheer level of complicated personalities and beautiful lyrical writing never lets me forget the author. This doesn’t detract from the story at all, in fact I like that feeling of comfort and knowing I can trust the story.

I could go on but these are just 3 examples of authors with distinctive voices to their writing, at least in my opinion.

But what do you think? Do you like a distinctive author voice or not? Who stands out to you as having one and do you immediately think of when asking about recognizable writing?