Whatâs
the difference and is one more âvalidâ than the other?
I get a lot of questions when people find out I wrote two versions
of Hunger Pangs (Phangs). To answer that second question first, the only difference
is that one contains explicit sexual content, and the other merely alludes to
it.
The Flirting with Fangs edition (red cover) contains multiple
scenes that depict sexual acts, either solo or partnered. (link)
The Fluff and Fangs edition (blue cover) is
less explicit. I say less because while the scene(s) fade to black, some
elements of physical affection are still shown, along with a fairly involved
conversation about consent and kink. This is in the latter half of Chapter 28,
and as noted on my website, you can skip this part if it makes you
uncomfortable and not miss anything important to either the plot or character
development. (link)
Both versions contain heat ratings and content warnings on my
website. I canât put it in/on the books themselves because Amazon is going
after authors for mentioning content warnings (link), so when in doubt, check
www.joydemorra.com or send me a message!
And no, one version is not more âvalidâ than the other. Both are
canon. If it helps, think of them as parallel universes running side by side
down the narrative timeline. The plot and character development remain the same;
the scenes have just been altered to accommodate reader preference.Â
Then
why do this at all?
As stated above, I wrote two different versions primarily to
accommodate reader preference. When I first started writing Hunger Pangs: TLB,
I was widely known on Tumblr for being âthat erotica editor.â (link) I used
to be a ghostwriter for my publishing house, too, so chances are some of you
have already read my work under another authorâs name*. A large chunk of my professional
life has been spent writing sexually explicit content. Itâs what I was then
known and popular for, so it never occurred to me that anyone who was sex
averse or didnât enjoy reading about sex would be interested in my work.
And then those exact people started messaging me to let me know
they were super excited about my work, couldnât wait to buy a copy and would
just skip past the sex parts that made them uncomfortable.
And that didnât sit right with me.Â
Phangs is a bit of a weird project. It was started via a Tumblr
shitpost (link) and grew from there. It was funded entirely by the support of
my Patreon, which people kept supporting even after it took me years longer to
finish it than initially planned because my health took a proverbial nose dive
into the tenth circle of hell. It is not an exaggeration to say my Patreon and
Tumblr kept me alive during that time. You kept our lights on and put what
little food I could eat into my fridge. You supported me both physically and
emotionally during one of the worst times of my life. And during that time, I
wrote the entire Phangs series, assuming it would be edited and published
posthumously**. It was both my swan song and a parting gift. A means of saying
thank you for all your support over the years and the fervent hope youâd feel
my love on every page. Because never doubt this, I wrote Phangs for you. Phangs
is a love letter to fandom from start to finish. Itâs written specifically to
appeal to fandom and all the things we love about it.
So when people told me they were going to buy it but skip parts of
it, I felt the need to make sure they were getting equal amounts of content for
their money. So the âfluffâ version of the narrative was born, replacing the sex-based
scenes with more emotional and âfluffyâ but still intimate interactions that
keep the character arcs and plot intact.
For the first book, I tried to keep the scenes as similar in theme
as possible. Thatâs why Chapter 28 still features a frank discussion around
kink and consent, as a large part of Vladâs character arc is learning that his
wants and desires matter, but more importantly, so do his boundaries. But
I also purposefully wrote it so that you can skip away after that conversation
and not miss anything in the lead-up to the fade to black/implied sex scene. As
the series progresses, the scenes may differ more as I play around having fun
with it. But the fact remains that the characterization and plot will
always stay true.
Itâs merely about what kind of reading experience you want.
Do I expect other authors to do this? Absolutely not. This is a
labor of love. The âfluffâ version being popular is merely a bonus that enables
me to keep writing. So thank you. Iâm off to keep working on the next story.
Keep reading
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