Kissing the Coronavirus
Kissing the Coronavirus is a 2020 romance novelette written by Robert Winters under the pseudonym M.J. Edwards. The book was published by Viral erotica. Background. The book was authored by an anonymous author under the pen name M.J. Edwards after she lost her job during the COVID-19 pandemic. Synopsis. The book centers around a romance between Alexa Ashingtonford, a researcher tasked with curing the coronavirus, and an anthropomorphized version of the COVID-19 virus. Reception. The book had a mixed reception due to its premise and writing, which garnered both criticism for its quality and praise for its  unintentionally comedic tone. "CBR" called the book "a masterwork of bad erotica." Dhvani Solani of "Vice" criticized the novelette's writing, saying "the only place the book is going to is the Bad Sex in Fiction awards." Cassandra Stone of "Scary Mommy" was similarly negative, saying the book was "as insane as it sounds." In December 2020, a sequel titled "Kissing the Coronavirus 2: The Second Wave" was published.