Meet Tori Hamlin, the brains behind the Erotikinks website & writer of dark erotica, which explore taboo acts such as family relations, dub-con, and non-con.
What inspired you to write dark erotica & what sort of kinks and tropes does this sub-genre typically have?
Like a lot of folks, the darker side of sexual kinks is something I find exciting to fantasize about. I really want to emphasize the fantasy part. One of the things I tend to preface all of my work with is that it is pure fantasy and should be treated as such. I’m a huge believer, and practitioner, of consent in everything. With that said, let’s talk about the darker side of erotic fantasy.
It’s a fact that there is a big part of our species that gets turned on by the dark and different. They enjoy things like erotic humiliation or power plays. They don’t always want the good guy (or girl) to win. They want to experience what it’s like to have their choices made for them by someone else or to surrender their choice through mutual consent. They want to have their will overborne or be the one in charge. That’s just a reality of the human experience. We all have things that flip our switch, and I don’t find anything wrong with that, provided everything takes place between consenting adults that have a full understanding of what they’re engaging in. Representing it in fiction gives people a chance to experience what that might be like, without limits, and in a way that doesn’t impact their actual lives or relationships. That’s important and I think it’s healthy.
I think what attracted me to write what I do are stories of change. How does a person go from one state of being to another? It’s something that is a recurring theme in my books. Most of my work explores the changes in a character from inexperienced and innocent, to depraved and dirty. That usually entails a character coming up against someone or some force that corrupts them. Sometimes that is a reluctant change, while others it is a forced change.
Those themes in themselves, some might consider taboo. I also write a lot of “taboo” in the traditional sense that most of us think of. That big, dirty “I” word. While some of those stories run along the lines of reluctance and noncon, I also have stories where those relationships come about through entirely consensual means or mutual attraction.
The reason I started writing in this genre, was that I enjoy those themes of change, and I never quite found anyone else doing it with the level of depth that I wanted to read. I find that there are a lot of different ways to make stories erotic, without purely stuffing them full of sex scenes. I like to say that what leads up to the sexy is what really makes a situation sexy. There are plenty of well-written sex scenes out there. For me to find them compelling, though, I have to have some kind of connection to why that sex scene should matter.
In terms of tropes, I pay attention to some common elements that the taboo/dark erotica sub-genre has, but I really just write the things that I find kinky. One of those things is sexually liberated women. I love writing female characters that learn to push, discover, and enjoy sex in ways that they were previously afraid of. I also do stick in a lot of common tropes that run through similar stories, including things like mild bondage, erotic humiliation, themes of degradation, domination, and submission. I won’t go so far as to include physical violence, outside of some sexy slapping. I know that seems like a fine line when I do some noncon stories, but the fact remains that I never let characters get beaten, mutilated, killed, or bloody.
What are some of the challenges of writing taboo erotica?
The biggest challenge is just the perception that people have around taboo themes. When you write stories that contain themes of family relations, nonconsent, or reluctance, you do get a great deal of understandable criticism. One of the things that I do with those themes is to write them in a way that’s a bit ridiculous and over the top. Most of my stuff has an element of black humor in it. They are generally situations that could not actually occur in the real world. I even preface many of those by citing just how ridiculous a particular story is.
What I attempt to do is to write those taboo themes in a way that readers will be able to overlook the actual taboo of what’s happening, and pay more attention to the story. Why is this happening? What’s going to happen to the characters? Based on some of the feedback I get from readers, I’ve been able to succeed in that to some degree. I like to read the messages and comments I get that say, “I don’t like this kind of story, but I did like this one,” or, “This isn’t my kink, but I actually couldn’t put it down.”
In the end, I’m not out to change anyone’s mind. I’m doing my best to create content for people with the same kinks. Regardless of what your kinks are, they’re part of you and I think that people have a right as adults to explore those kinks in a way that doesn’t harm anyone else. Erotic stories are a way to do that. They allow folks to enjoy what they find exciting, and to do it in a way that they can be comfortable with.
For new people just getting into the dark erotica genre, which of your books would you recommend they start with?
I write a pretty broad spectrum of stuff. I’ve done filthy, age-gap romance, slow-burn seduction, and very dark noncon stories. One of my books, Edge, was reviewed on your podcast. Edge is one of the darkest stories I’ve done. The Edge girls are forced into a massive augmented reality game, which is also a social engineering experiment cooked up by the evil corporation that lurks behind many of my stories. My first book, The Second Place Sister, is still my best-selling work and the one I get the most communication about. It sort of set the stage for everything that came after. I’ll be the first to admit that it reads like an amateur writer’s first attempt at a novel. That’s what it was when it was published in 2015. The story, though, is what’s held it up as something that I’m still proud of. It’s a huge piece of writing, weighing in at over 600 pages. For anyone that likes taboo stories that explore themes of jealousy, betrayal, and finding forgiveness, that’s what I recommend.
How do you research the sexual content in your books?
I’ve been pretty fortunate to have been able to find other people with kinks similar to my own throughout my life. In the early days, when AOL was the big thing here in the US, I got involved in the forums and boards of the early 90s. I read extensively, both in and out of erotica, and I really find all aspects of sexuality intriguing. I can’t say I do a ton of research around sexual content, as I just kind of write what I find exciting. However, I do try to make sure that I represent certain kinks in my work in a way that respects the rules and expectations of certain communities. For example, if I write about Dom/Sub relationships, I don’t have personal experience with that. So, I turn to the communities in which real people participate in those things.
Those types of relationships are really poorly represented in a lot of erotic fiction and tend to lean toward portraying them as abusive relationships. While there’s potential for abuse in any relationship, those types included, the reality of that lifestyle is very different for those that are really living it. They’re relationships that are built on strong bonds of trust and mutual fulfillment of desire. The power play involved can be really complex and fascinating. So, when I represent something in my work that I don’t have actual experience with, I want to make sure that I’m not furthering some negative stereotype about it. Instead, I portray it in a way that the people who actually live it will find respectful.
Who are your favourite characters in your books?
The most obvious one would be Tori Hamlin from my first book, The Second Place Sister. When I put that story out years ago, I just published it for free on Literotica under the name “Hamlin.” When I started publishing work for money, I learned that I actually needed a first name to publish anything. So, I took Tori’s name. That book, in particular, had been read well over half a million times by that point and was so closely associated with the Hamlin name, that I just stuck with it. As the entire universe of what I write stemmed from that book and the idea behind it, I let Tori Hamlin be my flagship character. It was really her story, more than anyone else’s, so it seemed fitting. Behind her, Kayla Sterns from my Korrupting Kayla series. My current love is Sara, my most twisted villain in the upcoming Cheerloathing.
What can you tell me about your website? What are kink points?
ErotiKinks is the beginning of what I hope will become a larger erotic universe, including publishing and showcasing the work of other great writers in this space. I launched the site in 2022 to have my own space to experiment with the things I wanted to do. That starts with writing stories, but I’m interested in experiences more than anything. Before anything else, I want to be known as a storyteller. Stories take on a lot of different forms and mediums. I want to be able to offer my stories to people in a variety of ways.
My main focus has always been on character-driven stories. I think that, more than the dirty words, is what’s attracted the audience that I’m blessed to have. People seem to appreciate and enjoy the emphasis I put on what characters are thinking and feeling as they go through these experiences. Emotions are, after all, the basis for what makes great sexual experiences. In many ways, the emotions behind it are hotter than the physical pleasure. When you can experience the conflict that someone has over what’s happening to them, and see the ways in which they struggle with their choices, desires, and inhibitions, it’s much more compelling than just a block of text describing sex. At least, that’s my opinion.
Kink points are part of the loyalty program on my site. They’re like any loyalty program. Someone makes purchases of books, and they accrue points that get them discounts on future purchases. It’s a way for me to reward all the repeat buyers that I have, and show my appreciation. I’m always working on new ways to reward loyal readers because, without them, I’d be nowhere.
What frustrates you the most about the Erotica community?
I don’t really have frustrations with the community at large. There is a lot of support among creators, and that support has been invaluable in learning how to do this well. My biggest beef is with the gatekeepers who view erotica as a dirty thing. Payment processors and publishing platforms. It’s something any adult-themed business deals with, not just erotica. Sex is something we all do and we all love. Everyone has their particular kinks and I think the diversity of human sexuality is a fascinating and wonderful thing. I’m majorly supportive of all kinds of lifestyles between consenting adults.
One thing I can’t stand is kink-shaming. You get some of that in the erotica boards that I post some of my stuff in. That’s part of humanity, though, so we deal with it. In general, the erotica community is fantastic, and I’m really grateful for all the support I’ve received from other creators in the space.
Who are your favourite erotica creatives?
I read a ton of different writers in the space. One of my favorites is All These Roadworks, who you also interviewed. He’s such an extremely creative writer and his humor is really something. I was putting out my first book about the same time he was doing his original novel, Titcage. I was really fortunate to connect with him over the last year, since launching ErotiKInks, and I’ll always be one of his biggest cheerleaders.
One of my other favorites is Lisa X Lopez, who I have a personal connection with. Lisa’s only getting her start but she’s extremely talented. Really, as far as being able to move people with words she’s much better than I am. Right now, she’s working on finding her niche but I know she’ll do well as her audience grows. My other recommendations are Sesame Swallow, Logan Black, Pixie Isobella, Mr. Here, and Ellie Desyre.
What are you working on next?
My next release is one that snuck up on me and turned into an unexpected monstrosity. I set out to do a slutty cheerleader story. I mean, what erotic writer doesn’t have a dirty cheerleader story in the catalog? It turned into something gigantic, though. Cheerloathing is a betrayal story with themes similar to The Second Place Sister. It’s been a huge project that I’m really proud of. It will feature the deepest cast of characters I’ve done since that first book and the most intricate plot that I’ve ever written. I’m really excited to get this one out, once I’m sure it’s in a good place.
Erotica X Filth 