I like sex. I write books with adult characters who (for the most part) enjoy healthy emotional and physical relationships with one another. In fact, I’d go so far as to say that all of my books are, ultimately, about love. Sure, there’s also a lot of gory fighting, a few monsters, the occasional murder, and a popped eyeball here and there, but the underlying theme is always the same: deep, enduring love. Here, I’ll prove it …
Forcing nerves from her body, Lina busies herself folding Carmen’s clothes into a pile on the sofa, then perches herself on the edge of the bed, trying not to fidget. She concentrates on her breathing, attempting to steady it, hoping to retain some semblance of control over herself.
Nevertheless, when Carmen finally steps into the room, naked beneath a satin housecoat, her nerves flare again. She doesn’t know if she should look, or look away. Uncertain, she silently watches Carmen come closer.As Carmen reaches the edge of the bed, she tugs on the waist tie of her robe, letting it fall open, letting Lina unashamedly admire her…
(Excerpt from The Magistrate, book one in The Prisonworld Trilogy, now available on Amazon!)
For some people, that’s enough. Some people just don’t want to know what goes where, whose tongue does what, and who poked their fingers in the other’s wotsit. Other people want to hear about it in graphic detail: every stroke, lick and thrust. (I’m one of the latter, just in case you were wondering).
The thing is: sex is a natural part of life. If you’re going to depict a loving relationship between two adults, the chances are they’re going to have sex. At least, they would if they existed in real life, so why shouldn’t they get to do it between the covers of a book? It’s natural, it’s beautiful, and—above all else—it’s realistic.
If you’re going to depict a loving relationship between two adults, the chances are they’re going to have sex. http://t.co/qPLmi3xfi5
— The Indie Exchange (@IndieExchange) June 8, 2013
So the bottom line for me is that authors shouldn’t be afraid to take their characters to bed. (You know what I mean … although I do have some characters I would really like to take to bed, I think that’s a topic for another day, and perhaps a conversation with my therapist). Having said that, how much detail an author chooses to go into very much depends upon their audience, and it’s up to them to make an effort to know what their readers want and expect. For example, if your latest series of books was a YA epic about a bunch of pre-teen wizards, the transition into explicit adult romance might be a difficult one to make. Jussayin’.
It’s also important to be upfront about the content of your work. If there are explicit sexual scenes, don’t disrespect your readers by springing it upon them mid-book. As I said before: it’s not to everyone’s taste. All of my books have a clear warning on the Amazon book page: Contains graphic language and violence. They are what they are, and I won’t apologize for them, but I also don’t want to thrust (hehe, I said thrust) them upon people unawares.
I reckon, as long as we’re all honest with one another, and we find a harmony between the author(s), the characters, and the readers, we can embrace a little bit of guilt-free sex every now and again. Or a lot of sex, if you’re a whorehouse Madam desperately in love with your much younger girlfriend …
“I thirst for sex like you wouldn’t believe, and I haven’t always been good at controlling my impulses. Sex comes so easily to me. I have a libido that makes rabbits seem positively frigid in comparison, and I try to control myself—I really do—but … I need you,” Lina whispers against Carmen’s lips. “Things are so much better when I’m with you.”
Carmen’s heart flutters. It thrills her to know how easily she can arouse Lina. She loves being wanted so desperately that Lina finds it impossible to keep her hands to herself, and she loves how openly Lina craves her; how confidently she seduces and demands to be seduced.
Sex with her is all-consuming. She wants to possess and be possessed, and every little kiss, lick, tickle, and pinch of teeth—every single act of physical contact, from the faintest touch to the firmest grip, nails digging into flesh—is felt and performed as though it’s the most erotic, pleasurable sensation ever discovered.
(Another excerpt from The Magistrate, a lesbian romance set in twenty-fourth century England where homosexuality is a hanging offense.)
