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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This post originally went up on my Patreon page. See posts like this as soon as they go up by following me on Patreon!

A Massive Print Book Giveaway!

I've joined with some awesome fellow authors to offer you all a wonderful giveaway of thirteen romance paperbacks! As you can see, I'm including Tasting Temptation (check out an excerpt here).

For a chance to win, simply enter the Rafflecopter below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What's Happening Behind the Scenes

I'm still learning Patreon, still trying to figure out the best way to make this a worthwhile experience for both followers and patrons. One thing I've realized is that, naturally, you don't know what you don't know. 

By which I mean you can't know what's going up there, what Patrons get to see, or even what Followers are seeing unless you are one. So I've decided to offer a quick roundup. As always it's entirely up to you if you'd like to join me on Patreon! 💕

• All Patrons get to read Summer Seduction, which I'm sharing only on Patreon as I write it.
• The 1st piece is available publicly here, and we're up to section 16.
• Benefactors and higher levels have also recently gotten to see a top secret sneak peek of another story I'm working on—my 2015 NaNoWriMo project. (Yep, 2015. Writing books is hard.) 
• They also got to see the blurb here!
• All Patrons learned why that book is claiming more of my attention right now. That deadline is looming. Good thoughts appreciated!
• Insiders (+) continue to have access to past Ask Me Anything answers.
• Benefactors (+) were the first to know that Tasting Temptation was getting a new look—and why. 
• But of course the cover is now public, and I hope you love it!
• All Patrons have also gotten a more personal look behind the scenes, what's been going on in my life. Thanks for the support through it all. 💜

Also in case you missed them, some of my more popular recent public posts:

• The Invisible Costs of Chronic Illness
• Lost in Translation (on what we miss when text is translated)
• The Author Life: Commercial or Artisanal?
• How Hot is Your Romance? (on how we label heat levels in our stories)

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I know I've largely stopped posting on this blog, so it may seem like I've disappeared. But I haven't! I'm just not cross-posting from Patreon because I figure anyone who wants to see that content can follow me there. As a friendly reminder, there is no cost to becoming a follower.

Even if joining a new platform isn't your thing, please let me know what's been going on with you!

August Wide & Shine Giveaway

Wherever you read, that's where we'll be!

Happy August, everyone! I've joined a group of romance authors offering you some awesome deals on every reading platform. And, of course, a giveaway! 😉

Follow us on social media to be entered to win $25 in iTunes Gift Cards!

And if you haven't yet, don't forget to grab your copy of 
Tasting Temptation—this week just $0.99!

Grab Your Copy!

A New Look for Tasting Temptation!

Can you believe it's been just over 3 years since Tasting Temptation came out? Those of you who've met Gina know how determined and persistent—not to mention fashion-conscious—she is. When she recently insisted it's time for a makeover, how could I refuse?

So, after hours of sorting through options and the painstaking work of dealing with Gina's exacting standards and my perfectionism, her story has a brand new look! What do you think??

If you haven't yet, make sure you check out the story readers call "emotionally gripping and explosive" "with some very hot naughtiness thrown in."

Read an Excerpt or Grab Your Copy

And don't forget to tell me what you think of the new look in the comments! Gina's dying to know. 😉 💕

Lost In Translation

This post first appeared on my Patreon page, but it received such a positive response (even private emails on the subject!) that I decided to repost it here. Want to get these posts as soon as they're up? Follow me on Patreon! 

You may not know this, but I'm trilingual, and I got my bachelor's degree by studying literature in all three languages. While I could pretend there was some higher ambition there, the reality is mostly that I like reading—and I especially like reading in the original language. Because no matter how good the translation, something is lost when an author's words are filtered through someone else's understanding.

This isn't to say we shouldn't translate stories—we should! But we should also be aware that we may not quite be experiencing the work the way it was originally created. While I was aware of this before, it was crystalized for me during one semester in college, when I was assigned Madame Bovary in both a French lit. class and a comparative lit. class led in English. You wouldn't believe how different the experience was! While the story is pretty dreary in English, the original is infused with touches of humor. Now, obviously I don't mean it's a comedy, and they certainly aren't laugh-out-loud moments, but the humor is there, lightening the entire reading experience. (Writing my paper based on the French version didn't go over well with the TA who'd only read the English... Whoops.)

The difficulty in conveying the original author's meaning struck me once again when I was discussing the musical Notre Dame de Paris with someone who doesn't speak French. Luckily—you'd think—the musical has been translated into multiple languages, including Russian and English. But as I was listening to the Russian version, I couldn't help noticing just how different the lyrics are, how drastically the characters are changed as a result, even if on the surface it's the same story.

Now obviously translation is even harder with lyrics because they have to fit the melody, but I'm still going to pick on these translations a little bit. To illustrate, I'm going to use an excerpt from perhaps the best-known song from the musical: "Belle."

Since I know you all don't necessarily speak these three languages, I've translated the French and Russian versions into English (for meaning—not at all poetically):

French version

Russian version

And the English version:

Belle, is the only word I know that suits her well
When she dances oh, the stories she can tell
A free bird trying out her wings to fly away
And when I see her move I see the hell to pay

She dances naked in my soul and sleep won't come
And it's no use to pray these prayers to Notre Dame
Tell, who'd be the first to raise his hand and throw a stone
I'd hang him high and laugh to see him die alone
Oh Lucifer, please let me go beyond god's law
And run my fingers through her hair, Esmeralda

So what is it Quasimodo craves so badly? In the French version, it's a rather innocent desire: running his fingers through her hair. In the Russian, this has been transformed to (euphemistically) spending a night with her. Suddenly the character seems much more worldly, much more like the other men who ultimately destroy her (Frollo, the priest, and Phoebus, the soldier). In the French version, both the priest and the soldier have a carnal desire for Esmeralda, while Quasimodo's is a more general, more innocent longing for closeness. For him, it's not about sex.

Note also how much more of the Russian text is about him—his ugliness, his happiness, etc. The French, meanwhile, focuses more on describing her and commenting on their society. And there's more intention in the Russian, a choice being made—"I would sell my soul to the devil"—as opposed to asking the devil for the favor of caressing her hair since Quasimodo already feels doomed to hell for having watched her dance.

While the English version seems a touch closer to the original at first, by the second verse that all changes. Though it ends with the line about running his fingers through her hair, that verse starts with: "She dances naked in my soul." In the original, he's stricken by having seen some skin exposed as she danced, but in translation she's dancing naked in his mind—once again eliminating the juxtaposition of how Quasimodo sees her compared to the other men, equating all three men.

Also in the French, Quasimodo—again, quite innocently—says someone who would judge Esmeralda (by throwing the first stone) doesn't deserve to walk the earth. But in the English this has become rather sinister and malicious: "I'd hang him high and laugh to see him die alone."

Seriously, just take a moment to appreciate how differently this character is presented within a handful of lines. "She's so beautiful, no one should want to hurt her" vs "If someone raised a hand to hurt her, I'd kill him and laugh at his gruesome death."

It's a stark reminder that words matter. And when our experience of someone's words is filtered through someone else's manipulation (via translation), our experience of the characters and the world created by the original author is unavoidably altered.

Unfortunately, most of us can't learn every language out there, or even most of them. And when it comes to traveling and basic communication, things like translation apps are definitely useful, even life-changing. But that utility doesn't translate (pardon the pun) to literature, where nuance is so important.

While we shouldn't give up on reading in translation, it would serve us all well to remember just how much can be lost or distorted by translating someone's art, even when done by a human and not an algorithm. It's one more very good reason to encourage people to learn new languages, opening new worlds not just through reading, but by reading the original author's words to experience what they really wanted to say. And if you do speak another language, all the more reason to practice it by exploring its literary culture in the original.