Redacted

Dear Maggie,

Do your kids read your books?

Sincerely,

Mom in Modesto

Dear Mom,

Well, all my kids are adults now. In fact, the youngest just turned twenty-one, so we can officially drink together–#familygoals, lol. They are all creative types in their own way too, and they all appreciate that mom is a writer. They’ve read, or listened on audio, to my science fiction series, and most of them have read my short fiction. It gets a little trickier with the romance, because, as you may know, those books are a little spicy!

As far as I know, none of the kids have read my romance, but they know I write it, and they’re proud of that fact. I think they just don’t want to read those kinds of scenes when they know mom wrote them! My parents are also big fans of my work, but both struggle to read the sexy scenes in the romance, so I joke that we should just redact the naughty chunks, like it’s a government document, so they can enjoy the rest of the story.

Really, though, I include the sexy stuff in my romance for good reason…

While sexy for the sake of sexy is awesome, I want my scenes to do a bit more. When I include a steamy scene, I think about it like an action sequence, in that it should have a purpose beyond simply the sexy factor. So, my sexy scenes will often help move the plot forward, impact the relationship between the characters involved, or maybe reveal something about our hero or heroine.

Intimacy is revealing. Does our confident hero suddenly show a shy side when he’s finally with the woman of his dreams? Will a past trauma rear its ugly head? How our characters behave with the lights off often shows a vulnerable side they may not express elsewhere. I love that about sexy scenes. I also love using the sexy scene as a payoff, for both the characters involved and the readers. Maybe the two lovebirds have been circling each other for years and finally have their moment? Or maybe they’ve been separated by misunderstanding, or a deployment, or by a crazed serial killer? This intimate connection or reconnection can be a powerfully emotional moment.

I include steamy scenes in my books when I think they will enhance the storyline or character development, and of course so they will entertain my readers. It’s certainly not necessary, and there are plenty of romance novels that keep the bedroom door closed, so to speak, but I’m good with writing sex-positive stories, which include the sex, and I’m totally fine with my kids knowing that I do.

Thanks for asking! Do you have a question for me? Send it to maggie@msmaggieclare.com, and I’ll answer it here on the blog.