I've had a theory about romance readers for a long time now. I think the people who are fortunate enough to have very good sex lives themselves aren't interested in reading 'hawt.' I'm one of the lucky ones. I have plenty and what I have is great. I rarely run across a sex scene that I don't skip because my reality is better! Occasionally, the love scenes (notice the change of adverb) are so much a part of the development of the characters and the story, that I do read them.
When I first started studying the romance market, I noticed that the people reading (and writing) the hotter stuff were, for the most part, people who weren't in a steady relationships. I drew an obvious conclusion. One of my critique partners--a fairly young widow--confirmed it for me. She LOVED the sexier reads. That, of course, was also what she wrote. She totally disagreed with my theory...until she remarried. About a year later, she took me aside and told me, I was right. She'd also started skipping the sex scenes and in fact, had quit choosing the books she bought with that in mind. That was all I needed to decide my theory wasn't just a theory. It was fact.
I do know that market trends have an impact both on what readers buy and writers write. (You can't sell a book with any sex behind closed doors if the editor who's interested tells you to revise that scene and add two more. You can't buy books without the scenes that some of us skip if that is all that's on the shelf.) But the trend toward more and more and more also explains the huge upswing in inspirational romances and the even more intriguing trend toward more realistic, 'edgy' inspirationals. Please, bring it on! (http://www.romancingtheblog.com/blog/index.php?p=296)
For those of you who may want to hollar at me because you read the sexy stuff AND have a great sex life, I'll point out that maybe your sex life is good because what you read spices things up.
In my ideal world, I'd find lots of wonderful books where the mental and emotional relationship was front and center and as intense as it could get. And the sex would stay behind closed doors because my imagination can fill in the blanks if I want to go there. My reality is much, much better than most writers can write it. And I DO know what happens after that long and luscious kiss!
1 comment:
It really depends on the book. The characters and the plot either lend themselves to love or sex scenes. That isn't to say characters in stories with less sex are necessarily any less sensual.
Back when I read predominantly romances, I enjoyed both types of romances. Now, while I seek out the romance and/or sex in a story, if there isn't more to the plot than how to get Person A into a relationship with Person B, I lose interest.
Based on your logic, there is room in the market for both descriptive sex reads and sensual love reads because there will always be people in love and people looking in love.
On a side note, I really enjoyed meeting you yesterday at the meeting. You were by far the highlight of my afternoon.
http://caseypendelton.blogspot.com/
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