Let's Start with the Oven Mitts

A recent conversation with a friend meandered to a struggle of hers: anxiety about getting burned when using the oven. Of course, she was using potholders, but there are still quite a few ways to accidentally get burned. And burns suck. Anxiety, which is often less than reasonable, also sucks. 

As you can probably guess from the title of the post, we quickly reached the conclusion that oven mitts would offer her the protection she needs. More importantly, they would offer her peace of mind when using the oven. And that means, she'll be able to use the oven more often, making the task of cooking that much easier. 

Now, it wasn't like she was starving before this conversation, so this may seem like a pretty small change to her quality of life overall. Except, making one thing easier is always worth it. When we're juggling a million stressors, it can be hard to see how we can lighten that load even a little. Sometimes, outside perspective is the only way. Sometimes, we see a potential solution but it still feels insurmountable. Or maybe the problem seems too tiny compared to the Real Big Problems, and we convince ourselves (or, perhaps, stress and anxiety convince us) that fixing that tiny problem isn't worth it. 

But consider that experiment with holding a glass of water. Brief recap: picking up a glass of water isn't hard for many of us; holding it awhile isn't that hard either; but if you keep having to hold it aloft, it seems heavier and heavier as time goes on. The same goes for your stressors, whether they're pebbles or boulders. Putting down a pebble is, overall, a small change. But incremental change in the right direction is a good thing that can still have a great impact on your everyday life.

So, let's start with the oven mitts. 

What's one way you can make your life a little bit easier right now? Or, what's one everyday annoyance you'd like help solving? Let us all know in the comments!

"Be Interesting"

Public post from my Patreon

In a little folder in my email, I have ~200 messages focused on teaching authors how to communicate effectively with their audience, primarily through newsletters, but basically they're all about how to create content that reaches through the messy mass we're all trying to avoid and actually has an impact. Because reaching an audience is part of the business of being an author, and I do try to learn and improve. 

The most recent of these expert emails included the groundbreaking tip in this post's title: Be interesting. 

Who knew the trick to writing good, engaging content (whether for blogs, patreons, or newsletters), boiled down to such a simple thing? All I have to do is be interesting! 

Too bad this has very little meaning. What's interesting? To whom? When? How often? (This is where nailing your target audience comes in.) But even if you know your audience pretty well, "interesting" is still a relative, fluctuating concept. Influencers, perhaps, have this figured out. A little while ago I read that if you weren't an influencer 3 years ago, it's too late to try. Frankly, if that's true, it's almost a relief. I'm an author, not an influencer, and being "interesting" isn't my main goal. 

Freshman year of college, one of my professors pointed out that calling a story "interesting" is entirely meaningless, partially because while it should mean that you found the story engaging, it most often means, "I have no idea what to say or have formed a slightly negative opinion but don't want to be offensive/confrontational, so I'll call it interesting." 

So, goodness forbid folks find my real work "interesting." I'd almost rather people hated it—at least that would mean it had some kind of impact. (Though I assume if you hated my work, you wouldn't be here...) But wanting my work to have an impact does mean reaching an audience. 

And that means, apparently, I have to learn to be interesting. So, wish me luck... 

Something to Celebrate!

To say 2020 has been and continues to be difficult may be the greatest understatement imaginable. As we all grapple with stress, uncertainty, and loss, joy can feel incongruous. And yet, that's precisely why it seems important to grab on to any cause for celebration, to commemorate our achievements or simply take a moment away from the incessant turmoil of the year.

Since I've found myself with something to celebrate, I wanted to share this moment of happiness with you. What's this big news?

I've finished the first draft of the Dragon Story! 

(Check out the draft book description, an excerpt, and much more on Patreon.)

Started back in February, before 2020 fully imploded and trapped us all in its depths, this story is quite different than my previous books, with fantasy creatures and pocket dimensions mixed in with the heartfelt emotions you can always expect from my writing. World-building to this extent is new for me, and many revisions await, but there is a story hidden in those ~85,000 words. It exists. 

So I'm giving away three different prize packs celebrating my published romances! Check out the details and enter to win below. 💕

Summer Seduction Prize Pack:

• Tantalized by Taralynn mug
• E-book copy

 

Mortal Musings Prize Pack:

• Signed paperback
• Dreams to Dishes jumbo mug
• Mortal Musings playing cards

 

Forging Forever Mega Prize Pack:

• All 3 signed books! (Mending Heartstrings, Tasting Temptation, Taking Chances)
• Stainless steel water bottle
• Cavaliere Vineyards coasters
• Taking Chances notebook
• Guitar pick necklace

 

Enter to Win:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hush, Now (On Writing Quiet Genre Fiction)

One thing I've come to accept as a result of working on the Dragon Story is that even when working with a premise that could naturally be plot-driven, filled with escalating external stakes, I still write what's considered "quiet" fiction.

Quiet genre fiction is almost a cross between genre fiction and literary fiction. It focuses primarily on the character(s), even within the framework of its genre. Rather than being boldly direct, it relies a bit more on inference and nuance. It usually avoids laying out every piece of the story and the characters under a spotlight. As a result, it allows for a more colorful, vivid style of writing, rather than prioritizing the most direct language possible.

Though quiet fiction overall has long been considered not commercially viable (literary fiction authors often seek out teaching positions or paid residencies, rather than relying on book sales), some agents and authors have started talking about the viability of quiet genre fiction. This is interesting, since like I said, I can't seem to help but write quiet stories.

Summer Seduction is the perfect example. It could have been mostly fun sexy times between an author and her fan, but it became character-driven and much "quieter" from the concept through the writing. The Dragon Story is turning out much the same at the moment (for better or worse).

It does make sense—whether reading, writing, or watching, ultimately what interests me is the characters. Even in romance, if the story dips too heavily into the plot-driven side, it feels dissatisfying to me.

Of course every genre story has to balance character and plot, and some genres require more external action and tension than others. For me, plot without significant character development is just stuff that happens, which also explains why I don't watch/read many action-based stories. But I believe in any genre, the best stories are the ones that incorporate compelling character development, which also allows those stories to appeal to readers who may not normally explore that genre. For example, I don't read much Fantasy or Sci Fi, but I really enjoyed many of the books in Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series back when I read them, because McCaffrey allowed the balance to tip enough toward character development to pull me in.

As a writer, though, I have to recognize that many readers do prefer "standard" genre fiction. They want the more blunt language, laying everything out on the page. They want the action-driven stories. They want the drama and excitement of external experiences far outside their own, even if they also want to find something relatable in the character as well. For some readers, quiet fiction feels like English class.

I also have to accept that my stories may never fit that more standard genre style. While I can't say I've quite reached that perfect balance of plot, character development, and language that we see in the truly masterful quiet genre stories, I have come to recognize that nailing this blend is more my aim with my writing. So, it is fairly heartening to see these types of stories starting to claim their space within the market, which really means, in readers' hearts and minds.

What do you say—which type of story do you prefer? Something quieter, more character-driven, or something more direct, more focused on the external action? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Add Some Sizzle to Your Summer!

We've made it through (a little more than) half of 2020, and if that isn't worth celebrating, what is?

Up for grabs are a $100 Amazon Gift Card and over 20 ebooks! Including Tasting Temptation, like you might have guessed from the graphic. 😉

Entries are all based on signing up for our author newsletters. So if you're subscribed to mine, you get a free entry! For the others, please remember that while you're welcome to unsubscribe at any time, we would greatly appreciate if you remembered not to mark the message as spam as a shortcut to doing that. Thank you!

We're hoping these books add a little spark and sizzle to your summer, so without further ado:

Enter the Giveaway

Click here to enter

Patreon has done something annoying

This post simultaneously went up on Patreon.

Authors, and likely creatives of all sorts, constantly hear that we should ensure our ability to reach our audience doesn't rely on someone else. Most often these admonishments unsubtly refer to Facebook, which of course now also owns Instagram. And it's a fair point: platforms can change the rules on us at any time, booting us entirely, cutting us off from our audience, or forcing us to "pay to play."

Patreon, as it turns out, is not immune to this problem. Recently, they've decided to close comments—even on public posts—to anyone who isn't a patron. So while followers can continue to receive public posts in their emails, they can no longer interact with creators. That contact is now behind a paywall.

Patreon has their reasons, of course. This decision was made ostensibly to prevent creators from being spammed, threatened, etc., by anyone who might come along. Perhaps this is indeed a serious problem for more popular creators, and it makes sense that Patreon would prioritize them, since Patreon's income is a portion of a creator's income.

Still, for the rest of us, it's annoying at best. The whole point of allowing followers and having public posts was to give people full access to certain posts without a paywall. Now, that's gone.

So, unless/until this is fixed (whether it's changed back or creators are given a choice about this setting), I will be simultaneously cross-posting public posts to my blog. This will be harder with posts that are released early for patrons, but I'm determined to ensure anyone can share their thoughts on public posts. Starting with this one!

I do hope Patreon will come to their senses and fix this problem, but I'm glad to at least have my own site where you can comment without any problems. As with changes implemented by other platforms, the best I can do is try and adapt. I apologize for the associated inconvenience to all of you. But really, follow my blog instead, and I'll try to ensure you don't miss out on anything. 💕

Something Special to Wrap Up the Month!

How are you doing? How are you holding up with sheltering in place or being an essential worker? There have been multiple confirmed cases of the virus in my direct circle, which is unsurprising but still troubling. I'm hoping they all recover, and I'm also worried about each of you. Are you staying safe?

As we head into the last third of April, many of us have been sheltering in place or self-isolating for many weeks. Some may be starting to go stir-crazy even as we try to stay connected through all the awesome virtual tools available to us. We try to show up for family celebrations, to check in on friends, to continue with our studies or our work.

We're also consuming an extraordinary amount of art, whether socially distanced virtual concerts, previously filmed performances being made available for free (Broadway, ballet, opera, classical music, and so much more), that television show you've been meaning to binge, the movie queue waiting on your favorite streaming service, or of course that massive TBR pile I know you have. As that art hopefully brings you comfort, please don't forget the creators behind it who could use your support, including a reminder that their work matters. Reach out on social media, boost their work, leave a review, etc. Especially as we try to continue creating amid everything going on, the support truly helps.

As for me, I've been working on a story I've so far only talked about on Patreon, basically in an attempt not to jinx the process. Hopefully I won't undo all that by telling you all about it now. But since this story has surpassed 50,000 words and it's also my birthday week, I've decided to offer something special!

Before I tell you what that is, I recognize that times are especially tough for many of us right now. I want to emphasize that all my readers are important to me, and every patron at any tier is invaluable! The emotional impact of knowing you value what I can create is as important as any financial support you may be able to offer.

But like I said, I wanted to offer something special:

Everyone in the Benefactor tier or higher (check them all out here) as of midnight 4/30/20 will have a character named after them (or a loved one) in my new Dragon Shifter story!

The basics:

• Every eligible patron will have one character named after whomever they choose. 
• You, a loved one, an enemy you'd like to see get what's coming to them (see next point)... It's entirely your choice!
• Everyone pledging $5 and up will get to choose your character type: good/neutral or a bad guy.
• At this (the Insider) tier, you'll also get a personal thank you card and free e-copies of every book published while you're a patron!
• There are many currently unnamed characters, but of course the number is still limited. If I happen to run out, your name will be added to a list for future stories! Like possible spinoffs of this one. We'll see. 😉
• Plus all patrons get exclusive early access to chapters of my stories, cover designs, and more!

See all the details here or to learn more about this whole Patreon thing, click here. Like I said above, you can help simply by spreading the word, including by sharing my Facebook or Twitter posts about this special offer.

I'm excited to include you in this story! 💕

The chronically ill spend our lives hiding. No wonder you don't see us now.

People with chronic illnesses of all kinds spend so much of our time and energy hiding those illnesses from the world at large. It's effective to varying degrees, with invisible illnesses being of course the "easiest" to hide. Or rather, the easiest for you not to see.

Ambulatory wheelchair users who push themselves to walk into a room and sit on a seat in the corner rather than move around that room in a wheelchair are keeping their illness—their disability—hidden from your sight. People living with lupus or CFS or fibromyalgia who put on their nice clothes and makeup and push themselves to "look normal" while meeting friends for dinner (well, now for Zoom sessions) are keeping their illness out of sight. (Etc., etc.) We hide our medications, our supportive devices (when possible), the circles under our eyes, and anything else we can.

And while we do this for ourselves, to protect ourselves from the truly damaging and scary ways some people respond to signs of disability or illness, mostly we do it for you. To make your life easier, we push our bodies and hide our pain. So that you don't have to do the hard work of engaging with our realities.

While we hide less from those with whom we are close, especially from those with whom we live, sometimes you're the ones from whom we hide more—because we know our pain will hurt you too. But that's, in this case, not the point.

People living with disability or chronic illness spend so much of our time trying to help the world pretend that our conditions don't exist, to come across as "normal," that is it really any wonder that now, when the world is battling a virus that's far more dangerous for those who are already ill, that same world simply...doesn't care about us?

The blissfully ignorant continue to minimize the importance of tactics like social distancing, the impact of passing this virus through a community, because you simply don't see us.

"Maybe it's better to let the virus kill who it will kill?" people ask in callous thought experiments, unaware that the people they're hypothetically killing off include their barista, their Uber driver, their coworker, their friend. Their family.

"Can't you answer the question abstractly, don't make it so personal?" my uncle who lives on the other side of the globe asked me a few days ago. "I refuse to think of you as that sick!" he then added multiple times.

I wish I could just refuse to be "that sick." But that's not the point either.

I am more than my illness (as are we all), but if you don't see my illness, you don't see me. And because you don't see that part of us, you can abstract the idea of "those with underlying health conditions" from the horrifying question of: "Don't you think this is too hard on us/the economy, so we should just let them die?"

Don't you think we should just let you die?

I am certainly guilty of keeping the reality of my illness (or to be more accurate: illnesses) from the world at large, inasmuch as possible. Though I've started to talk about it all more in recent years as my health has chewed up my life, I still keep most of my reality to myself, and I've spent decades putting the world at ease by hiding my conditions, my pain. Because I was taught, as are most of us, to prioritize putting you at ease. Not to mention the undeniable reality stated so well in Grey's Anatomy ep. 5x17 that "once people see you as sick, they don't see anything else."

And I am more than my illness.

But I am not separate from my illness.

I wish SARS-CoV-2 could sweep the world and take out disability and chronic illness without taking out the disabled and chronically ill.

See what I did there? This is one of those dichotomies that exist in the minds of the healthy, who think about the conditions but not about the people. (Because that's too hard, too depressing, too much of a downer...)

Frankly, even if the total number of those with chronic conditions was a thousand times less than it is, that death toll would be way too high.

But the thing is, we are everywhere. And we've gotten so good at hiding our realities that now to you, the healthy, we've stopped being real. So you grumble about your boredom, you ignore shelter in place orders, you moan about the media overdramatizing, and you curse the falling stock markets as if that's what matters and not our lives.

"Take the disabled if it means I can have dinner with my friends!" 

"Kill the chronically ill so I can see a concert!"

"Who cares about them?" you ask, in your minds or to our faces, forgetting that we're not a them. We're part of your us.

And we can't shelter you from our reality anymore. Now more than ever, we need you to open your eyes and stop denying our existence. We need you to shelter us.

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This post first went up on my Patreon. For those who are able during these tumultuous times, I'd appreciate any support you may be able to offer. 

Writing with Aphantasia

I have aphantasia. Many of you likely don't know what that is, although lately it's become better known due to some popular twitter posts (like this one or this one). Basically it means I can't visualize things—at all. I know what things are, logically and conceptually, but there is no mental picture that goes with it.

Though I didn't know it at the time, aphantasia is why when we did guided meditations in theater camp, I couldn't entirely understand the directions to "picture yourself in a field." It's why I can (well, used to be able to) paint from something, but why I could never draw or paint something without a source I could see. It's why when I hit the point in math that required visualizing things, like a curve rotating around an axis, I just couldn't do it. (I actually had a wonderful teacher in HS who worked around this by showing me computer simulations.) It's also why I am absolutely terrible with things like directions, since I can't visualize anything resembling a map, or build a "mental" one from living somewhere and moving through the streets.

A few years back I learned that aphantasia, while relatively rare, is something shared by others. Sometimes having a name for something really helps, even if my experience of it hasn't changed at all. I have to memorize facts for every single thing I want to be able to conceptualize (roses have thorns; birch trees are white with dark spots; owls have big eyes; etc.). I bet for many of you, even that short list produced images in your mind.

Aphantasia also impacts my memory, because memories are so often tied to visuals or other senses. I recently learned (as in, minutes before drafting this post) that aphantasia is tied to a lack of "picturing" other senses. I hadn't actively thought about it before, but I also can't imagine a smell, a sound, a taste, or how it feels to touch something. It's pretty mind-boggling to me that other people can genuinely hear or smell something just by thinking about it.

Everything—even music—for me is filtered through logic and words. For example, I know if you slam a door, it's a loud, sharp sound, even if I can't hear it in my head. I had a lot of musical training (for someone who's pretty hopeless as a musician), which genuinely helps, but "hearing" a melody for me still means naming the notes in my head. Similarly, I know what a rose is, or that they come in different colors, or that a chocolate cake baking in the oven smells appetizing. But whatever the item or sense in question, I have to actively translate "imagine X" into an understanding of what that logically means. It never becomes a picture—just a conceptual understanding.

As you can imagine, this drastically impacts my writing. I can't picture my characters, their movements, the spaces around them, or what they're smelling, tasting, hearing. I do know what they're feeling, in the emotional sense of the word (not in terms of touch). I know how they speak to each other, what they want. But everything else I have to conscientiously layer in, which is also why visuals (and other senses) are so rare in my work.

Personal experience and research (hooray for the internet!) help. I often look up pictures of settings such as bars, hotels, or cityscapes, even outfits and furniture. I sketch out very basic layouts of apartments/homes so my characters don't accidentally walk through walls, which has definitely happened in drafts because I can't visualize a space. Sometimes I'll find shortcuts like looking up an apartment building in the right area and using their floor plans.

It's possible this is part of why I'm such a slow writer. Everything other than emotions and dialogue, including figuring out gestures and mannerisms, requires even more intentional consideration. I don't see any of that. It has to be pieced together.

Another author wrote about his experience writing with aphantasia here, calling it a "patchwork." Though my method is in many ways different from his, that notion of taking pieces from here and there and bringing them together to add in everything outside the minds of my characters is pretty accurate. This is why I may sometimes write Urban Fantasy (like Mortal Musings) but no epic fantasy, which would require creating a full new world from my imagination. I suppose I could use the patchwork method to meticulously piece together an alternate world, but keeping my stories rooted in our real word means not worrying about creating and staying consistent in an environment that I can't imagine.

Even though I know this is a weakness to watch out for, sometimes those external pieces get overlooked while drafting. With Summer Seduction, it wasn't until I was revising that I realized I'd never described Tracy at all (don't worry, I added that in). The only reason Jeremy was described is because I was literally going off the cover image.

Hypothetically I could find pictures to use as a foundation for every character and setting, but visuals are not what inspires me to write, and so that's unlikely to be something I will ever do. My stories are built on the internal experiences of my characters, the language people use with each other, how they feel about each other, which I can imagine, even to the point of feeling it myself. Everything else is deliberately, painstakingly sprinkled in to help flesh out that external world, but it's not the primary focus of my writing.

In some ways aphantasia does feel like a disadvantage. If I saw my stories play out in my head like a movie, I would probably be able to write faster, and perhaps the end result would be better, rooted in sights and smells and the physicality of my characters in a more significant way.

But the aphantasia isn't going anywhere. So my stories will continue to be rooted in the emotional side of my characters instead. Still, I'll keep trying to add all those branches, leaves, and flowers on top, because I understand the story remains incomplete without them. After all, I experience the outside world, thankfully with all five senses. I just can't picture it.

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Want to see where you fall on the visualization scale? Take this (fast and painless) test: https://aphantasia.com/vviq—then share your experiences in the comments!

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This post originally went up on my Patreon. Want to see all my public posts as soon as they go up? Follow me there!

Or become a Patron and see all my exclusive content too. 💕

Summer Seduction is Officially Available!

It's release day for Summer Seduction! Grab it this week only at the special release price of $0.99.

The idea for this story first came to me when I was sitting on an airplane, trying to relax with a nice contemporary romance. Problem was, this romance decided to feature a really annoying cliché. I was so sick of seeing it that instead of reading, I suffered through typing up what turned into several thousand words of notes on the story that would become Summer Seduction—on an ipad. (I know I'm a luddite, but typing that much on a touchscreen keyboard is awful. The resulting number of errors in those notes is pretty embarrassing.)

Of course once I started writing, Tracy and Jeremy asserted themselves, refusing to follow along with that rough outline and proving once again that I am not a "planner" type of writer.

But now finally this story is out in the world! Check out what readers are saying:

"If you’re looking for a book that will keep your mind entertained while teasing your imagination, this is it!" —Samantha B.

"Aria Glazki gave all the power to our female lead, Tracy, also known to her readers as Taralynn Harwood... I loved that the author kept it real for the couple and made the story believable. Great Job!!" —Heather

"Amazingly told, steamy, hot... A well-edited enjoyable story which I can gladly recommend." —Judith

Please note: full review contains spoilers.

About Summer Seduction:

When Jeremy meets romance author Taralynn Harwood in a hotel bar, he’s glad just for the opportunity to buy her a drink. When she takes him back to her place and has him sign a non-disclosure agreement, his imagination—and libido—run wild. But after she kicks him out of bed, the blow to his ego forces him back to her, ready to just about beg for an opportunity to perform better. He’s willing and eager to learn the art of pleasure from one of the hottest romance authors in the business.

Tracy doesn’t hide from her achievements as Taralynn Harwood, touted by readers and reviewers alike for the off-the-charts heat of her books. What she does hide is a secret that could destroy her entire career. But when her failed one-night stand shows up at her door—NDA already signed and enforceable—it seems like the perfect opportunity to indulge in a little research. All for the sake of her books, of course.

This is a sexy contemporary romance novella.

Grab Your Copy:

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iBooks | Kobo

Google Play | Smashwords

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And in case that isn't awesome enough, I'm also participating in a huge romance giveaway! Enter to win a Kindle Fire with 50 romance e-books or an Amazon gift card:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Welcome to February! Let's Celebrate Love:

Welcome to February! What better way to kick off a month celebrating love than with a bunch of discounted romance books—and a giveaway?!?

All 17 featured books are available on your favorite retailers—Amazon, Kobo, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, and more! And don't forget to enter to win a $25 iTunes gift card. Click here to find your next favorite reads and enter to win!

Two Important Things for 2020

I realized that due to the genuinely overwhelming amount of social media I have been trying to juggle, there are two important things I haven't yet posted about here on the blog. And in fact, this post has been sitting in drafts when I thought I'd already published it! Whoops. (Don't want to miss things? Follow me on Patreon or sign up for my newsletter.)

The first is the ongoing mess with Romance Writers of America. At this point, you've almost certainly already heard of it, but if not, you can catch up here and read my lengthier thoughts here. The upshot is RWA has been torn apart by deeply rooted racism and other bigotry within its leadership, membership, and staff. The most important thing for you to know is that I stand with everyone calling for accountability and change, even if that means walking away from RWA entirely. Racism, homophobia, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, ableism, and any other form of bigotry are not acceptable. They cannot be tolerated. 

When it comes to my own stories, I try to write inclusively and respectfully. Like everyone, I'm sure I have blind spots so I may not always succeed. But I promise to keep trying, and to listen and learn from criticism that may come my way.

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In happier news, Summer Seduction is available for preorder at a special pre-release price of $0.99! 

Keep in mind: This is a sexy contemporary romance novella. Check out the blurb or grab your copy here!

If you prefer sweet romances, this one isn't for you.

Instead, check out Taking Chances.

I think that's it for now, but you'll definitely be hearing more from me as we near the release (February 12th!). Meanwhile, don't forget to add Summer Seduction to your TBR! 💕

How Hot is Your Romance?

UPDATE: I have created a specific Heat Level Guide for my books. Though similar to the framework below, it is more detailed and includes 6 categories. Check it out here!

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It's an ongoing conversation in the romance world: how should we label the "sexiness" of our romance novels? And more specifically lately, the conversation has been about how the label "clean" is a problem. So what do we do about it?

The issue boils down to the implication that romances which aren't "clean" are, by default, "dirty." Since we aim to be sex-positive and avoid shaming people for what they choose to do with their bodies, that implication is problematic—the same way calling someone who chooses to abstain "childish" or "immature" would be. 

For the record, someone denigrating those who choose to abstain is not truly sex-positive, no matter how supportive they are of those choosing to have sex.

The rise of the label "clean" was almost certainly a marketing ploy targeting people who judge things like premarital sex as being unethical or otherwise problematic. "Want romance that matches your (implication: 'superior') moral values? These romances are 'clean'!"

The question is: what should we call them? Unsurprisingly, no one really agrees.

Some think they should be pulled into the "sweet" category, but there are some important distinctions. In sweet romance, the characters can have premarital sex, as long as it's not happening on the page. Sweet romances can include more of a physical awareness, some sensuality and touching, hotter kissing or light fooling around, and that implied sex between the characters—just as long as the reader doesn't actually see it. It's a very early fade to black.

"Clean" romance doesn't have any of that. It's quite similar to the heat level of Hallmark/Lifetime movies, where the main characters may hold hands, hug, and kiss, but rarely anything more. The characters definitely can't have even implied sex, regardless of whether it happens on or off the page, unless it takes place after marriage. (Even then it would be off the page, but characters could go on a honeymoon or discover a pregnancy.)

The problem is there doesn't seem to be a word that describes that absence of sexual content without added negative connotations. "Sex-free" (in addition to not being the best marketing term) still makes it sound like sex is something that should be avoided (like "pesticide-free," or "GMO-free"). "Unobjectionable" suggests sex is something to which we should object. I did like the suggestion of a fellow author, which was "chaste"—but the vague connotations regarding the "value" of virginity, of sex making someone "impure," still make that an imperfect choice.

But the same way that people who prefer hotter books don't label sex-free stories as "bland," despite that being an antonym to "spicy," those who don't like hotter books—and the language the industry uses—need to be equally accepting in describing those hotter stories. Still, language is complicated, and finding a good option free of problematic connotations may require a neologism.

As part of the conversation on this, I also learned that the way I've been using "steamy" is very different from how many others do. For me, it was a step in between "sweet" and "spicy" romance; for many, it turns out, there is no difference between "steamy" and "spicy."

So in addition to finding a better label for "clean" romances, we need some industry-wide clarity on heat levels overall. While I don't have a solution, I do want to be clear regarding my own books:

• Level 1: Sex-free, or chaste; currently often labeled as "clean." This would be Taking Chances or The Whedonite.
• Level 2: Sweet, or if we use a spiciness scale, then "mild" romance. On the low end (though not a romance), this would be Fallen. On the higher end, but still fade to black, Mending Heartstrings. 
• Level 3: Moderate on the spiciness scale, & what I used to call steamy—sex scenes on the page, but euphemistic language, and usually only after an emotional connection between the characters. Among my books, Mortal Musings.
• Level 4: Spicy, or as others use steamy. More explicit language, more sex scenes, and sex can happen earlier—including in the opening scene. This is actually a pretty broad category, and Tasting Temptation would be on the lower end. The forthcoming Summer Seduction would be on the higher end.
• Level 5: Erotic romance. This can include fetishes, explicit language including naming of body parts, menages or group sex, and more. The main story still must include a romantic connection between/among the main characters, but in terms of explicit sex on the page, anything goes.

For those who may have been wondering, hopefully that clarifies the heat levels in my published romances. What do you think about how we label sex content in romances? Any suggestions for a good term for Level 1? Share in the comments!

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