Taking a quick breather mid-house move to comment here, because... WOW, these just got even better!!! I'm super impressed by these parodies [homages?] -- you really captured the vibe and visual aesthetic so well. Your starring character really does have great hair, haha...you did an excellent job on it. I'm lol'ing at the er, 'Randian' cover [or should that be 'Ayn Randy'??
]. And I'm really tickled that you managed to indeed turn that Singed by Eros into a modern retelling of Cupid and Psyche --- thanks for that. As ridiculous and melodramatic as the premise sounds, I'd probably still read it. ;D
And regarding the erotic fiction and romance genres... it's a pretty interesting subject to me. Romance and erotica are not always the same exact genre, though of course there is a certain amount of overlap. These days, almost anyone can self-publish on Amazon, so there are indeed some pretty 'out there' works that might not have seen the light of day in terms of actually being published in the past. Including some absolutely hilarious 'niche erotica' parodies, some of which have become legends in their own right [see: the absurdist
satire of Chuck Tingle].
In addition to the published and self-published side of things, there is also an entire world of romance/erotic fiction that is written and distributed for free...aka, fanfiction. I've read my share of both published romance novels as well as fanfiction -- and have written a great deal of the latter, myself -- and I find that there can be some absolute
gems amongst both. There are some published historical/fantasy romance novels that remain to this day some of the best all-around stories I've ever encountered, and likewise, I've read some stunning fanfiction that has more 'literary' merit than many, if not most, published works.
Overall, romance and erotic fiction allows some fascinating explorations of one's personal fantasies and desires within the context of a 'safe' fictional setting. For some people, this is actually very therapeutic, especially if they've never had a safe space in which to explore that side of their psyche. That can apply to both readers and writers of this kind of thing. Romance especially allows for much greater focus on the minutiae of romantic relationships, as well as on the emotional journeys of the characters, than 'normal' fiction. Not to mention an array of niche subject matter that you would not be able to find anywhere else. And when it comes to fanfiction, fans of existing fictional characters are to explore interpersonal relationships [whether romantic, erotic, or otherwise] with an added level of emotional depth that is perhaps not always available to them in the extant 'canon'. And again, for many people this can be not only deeply satisfying, but also very therapeutic.
Of course, there are the extremes of this genre, which do exist and in great number. The cheesy, over-the-top, dime-a-dozen, Harlequin romance novel that is so well parodied here. Or the worst, most negative examples which somehow still become the most famous best sellers, like Twilight and the horrid fanfiction it spawned...aka, Fifty Shades of Grey. But ultimately there is still merit in the genre -- for every 50 Shades, there are hundreds if not thousands of decent published romance/erotic novels. Not to mention countless well-written fanworks out there can people can read and peruse for free, that explore a myriad of characters and scenarios, and which are written with real passion for the characters and subject matter, even if 'just' by amateurs.
And, as demonstrated above, the genre can be an inspiration for some of the best parodies and an endless source of humour. :') So, thanks again for creating delightful these 1/6 book covers, GF -- there are several here that I would totally read in RL, even if just for the laughs. If you do indeed make some printed 1/6 versions, please let me know, as I'd be very interested.