Sex, sex, sex. Sex sells Everything.

Sex, sex, sex. Sex sells Everything.

I’ll leave it to other experts to ponder whether that’s a bad or good thing. Although, I must admit to standing firmly in the “do not objectify women,” category. After all, I worked with a victim/witness program for ten years, and co-developed a woman’s self-awareness program. However, the entire topic of what does and does not qualify as objectification of women is hotly debated, and a subject deserving greater exploration in a future blog.

We can’t ignore sex, violence, and all aspects of the yearning heart when creating stories. Violence is a part of our world, but isn’t it terrific that we counteract that harsh element of humanity with the greatest and best part of being human; that is, through the romance, love, and sex we all desire! In a romance novel, love will always feature more prominently, or at the very least, overcome violence and hostility. See why I love romance!

So, how explicit should a love scene be? Only the author and her characters can make that decision. I don’t shy away from explicit sexuality in my reading or writing. My book, Finding My Highlander, and coming in August, My San Francisco Highlander, both contain a few sexy passages entirely relevant to the story’s progression and the fiery attraction between my key characters. They are the romance story equivalent of what some refer to as the “open-door love scene.”

Don’t complain if you find a story too sexy or not sexy enough for your tastes. Read the story blurb, read reviews, because trust me; you will always know when a book is mildly titillating, moderately steamy, or sizzling hot. There are plenty of stories with sweet love scenes absent graphic display, if that’s your preference search them out and be happy with your literary choices.

For everyone else, savor those romantic love scenes; they profoundly embed you in the poignant, physical connection between lovers. The best-written love scenes always propel narrative and add emotional depth to the story. The romance genre is chock-full of amazing writers writing amazing love scenes. And that includes all types of love scenes, but especially those that illustrate strong visceral attachment through sexual encounters between the characters (and between the sheets.)

Good sex means good chemistry. Good chemistry means good story. Let’s face facts; the world’s population didn’t jump from just under seven hundred million in 1700 to the staggering number of over seven billion today because we abstain from sex. Sex is and has always been alive and thriving.

We are sexual creatures. We crave human touch and interaction. Whether only suggested, or explicitly detailed, sex in a novel provides a deeper, richer connection with the characters in all their fleshed out, totally naked form. Pun intended!

Happy reading, with the fan blowing!