Where's the Romance?

OMG. I just wasted entirely too much time scrolling through memes about "author life." I must admit, I was laughing over them. Seriously, like this one....

I love that statement of "do you know how much braining it takes to make the words go?" Yup. It takes a lot of it. Anyhow. What am I doing here? Ah, that's right. It's February and in honor of Valentine's Day this month, I'm going to talk about the romance in my writing. So let's get started, shall we? 

If you follow me on social media, then you know it's no secret that I've been re-evaluating just what genre my books are in. I have always known my books are fiction but because there are love stories in them, I figured, "Hey, it's contemporary romance" and because there is veterans or military men in them, I figured, "Hey, it's military romance." And then I started to read the books in those chosen categories.

To be honest, that's where my doubts began mounting. I haven't found a novel comparable to the majority of mine. I have read other authors who do write in a similar style with a similar character development in military romance. 

But with today's definition of "romance", my books really don't seem to belong there. They're more closed-door military romance, but even then, they aren't *really* purely your typical romance.

So, Em, why don't you write romance like readers expect romance? 

I know there's a whole following to romance-romance. You know what I'm talking about -- The books with the spice🍌🌹🍑🔥. The ones that go into graphic or explicit detail about unbridled intimate encounters of their characters and the *saucy* intimate thoughts the characters have when thinking about the other main characters. 

Yeah. You know what books I'm talking about. 

And before you quit reading this, let me say that if you love those books, there's nothing wrong with that. Everyone has different tastes. I mean, I've read some of those books in my plight to find *my* genre. The ones I've read have decent plots and good characterization but...when it gets "spicy" and gets down to "business", I find myself scoffing and giving eye rolls because it's pure fantasy and has very little to with the interesting parts of the book. I skip over them (especially how unrealistic the scenes become.) I find myself questioning the validity of some of the scenes, and doubt the possibility of some because, quite honestly, parts don't bend that way and you can really pull some muscles or fall and who's going to admit that to the ER doctor at the hospital? What average person is really *that* limber? 

So why don't I write spicy scenes for my characters? Why do I just insinuate and then move on? 

I prefer to use my word count on the plot, not gratuitous sex. The voyeurism view that has become forefront in just about everything. The old adage is there for a reason (the one that says, 'sex sells') and yes, I get it -- we are bombarded by it on a daily basis in our current environment. It seems to be the most important thing above all else, if you watch TV, movies, and scroll social media. It's crammed down our throats. And while I understand that it is a part of relationships, it's not the WHOLE story. There is more to relationships, and life. I'm not saying this because I'm a prude, or because I'm overly religious or that I think I'm better than anyone else. I'm saying that because I've taken a step back and observed. I'm a mom. I'm raising future adults. I don't want to be a hypocrite. 

I realize this view is not popular right now and will likely get ripped apart by those who only read and love their spicy books, but I figure if I give you characters you come to know like good friends, and situations and plots that make you want to know what happens to these good friends of yours, then you can imagine or fantasize what they do behind closed doors yourself. And I'm sure that fans will someday write their own fanfiction based on their fantasies of these characters.

Take for example, this conversation between my characters Gia Bennington and Lexi Fowler from my short story "One Hell of a Best Seller" in my collection "Could've Been Something." (excerpt from pages 288 and 289.)

****

“Well, you know you best. I was so looking forward to reading what you had written so far,” she paused. “So, Mason said I’d probably get to meet Trooper Sexy soon because he was going to help you research your book. My own imagination has dreamed up a really intense research session.”

“After what I’ve been seeing in this book of yours, I’m beginning to understand that maybe my definition of ‘research’ and everyone else’s definition of ‘research’ are two different things,” she frowned. “I have no clue what I’m doing, and I feel weird and creeped out by even imagining writing something ‘dirty.’ I’m thirty years old, Lexi, and I am completely embarrassed reading this stuff, let alone writing it. And making one of my characters ‘talk dirty’ only makes them sound like they’re retarded.”

Lexi laughed. “Oh, come on. Enough of the innocent act. It may work on Mace, but you went to college, girl. How can you not know this stuff? Weird things happen at college.”

“Maybe for others but I spent every waking moment studying, reading, writing, and doing every single forensic internship I could, even the unpaid ones. It took me over a year to get the Body Farm stench out of my nose.”

Lexi frowned, still not convinced. “But what about those solo trips you’d take to hang out with Mason on your breaks?”

She frowned. “What about them?”

“I’m sure he had single and available friends.”

“Just because I dated Danny does not mean I just throw myself at any man who looks at me,” Gia was insulted. “And now I’m sure there’s some psychological profile that someone can do on me, talking about me having fears of intimacy and issues with…you know, the hanky-panky and other interactions but…Lexi. Why? What attracts you to these books?”

Lexi paused and cleared her throat. “Well, have you even attempted to imagine yourself as the female character?”

“Ew, God no. She’s utterly aggressive, domineering, and emotionally cold. She could totally be Laura,” Gia picked up the book, and thumbed through it. “And the male character. He’s just an asshole who treats other people like shit. He’s cruel and boorish. Together they are an extremely toxic pair who have a twisted and…well, deeply disturbing relationship that probably will get violent and abusive and one of them will end up dead.” She paused, frowned and shut the book, looking at the cover. “Or they’ll wind up going on a kinky serial killing spree. Does love and romance truly get so stale and boring in a long-term relationship that people resort to fantasizing over acts like this?”

Lexi let out a deep sigh. “OK, so, I really hadn’t thought about it in that sense, but when you put like that…Those books can be a bit fucked up. I guess you have to figure it out on your own, Gia. I mean, why do people date, have relationships, and get married? It’s human nature to express themselves to their partner in more carnal ways,” Lexi paused. “You have to consider why you haven’t dated or why you’d rather spend so much time writing about this fictional man of your dreams when the real thing is staring at you in the face on a daily basis?”  Lexi sighed.

Gia frowned and put the book down. “What do you mean the real thing is staring me in the face? Noah said something similar today --.”

“Who’s Noah?”

“Trooper Harding. The guy who rescued me.”

“Oh, honey, he didn’t rescue you, he just got to you first,” Lexi said. “But tell me what he said.”

****

Now, in "One Hell of a Best Seller" and its spin off books "The Allegheny Chronicles: Veil Falls,"  "The Allegheny Chronicles: The Warrior Returns," and "The Allegheny Chronicles: The Healer," I could have easily written some spice into them. But I chose not to, even though they are bolder in their discussions and character dialog. 

I could have also made "Along the Way" and "Wherever Its Goes" have a lot of "spice" in it as well. But I chose not to.

You could say the same with my Portrait series, but once again, I chose not to. (Well, I did give you Harlow in Project Broken Glass, book 5, and she is not shy at all, but she's more flirtatious than explicit.)

There are so many opportunities in those storylines where I could have written several hundred words of "spicy" scenes just to satisfy others need for voyeurism, but I chose to focus more on the plot. That's just me. Sure, I could probably sell a heck of a lot more if I went in depth describing interactions and using R and X rated terminology as well as "moans" or "heavy breathing" or....You know all the words I mean. 

I believe that your "diet" is not only what you choose to eat, but also what you choose to read, listen to, and watch. Some of the "romance" novels these days have all sorts of sub-genres and have characters who are possessive, jealous Mafia men or sports players whose FMCs (female main characters) are more like possessions and damsels. Others are about Age Gap relationships, Single Dad romances, Grumpy/Sunshine Romances, Shapeshifter Romances....You get the idea of all of the different subgenres...Or are they called tropes these days? Some of these plot lines that have so many comments and reviews of how much readers loved the series, the characters, the spice, everything about the books. But it makes me scratch my head over how many abusive and toxic narcissistic relationships must be out there if people love books that have very toxic and unhealthy relationships that are based on just sex. Also, people get desensitized to situations and that drives them to search out books with more (and more) "spice." I'm not saying it happens to everyone or that there's anything wrong with that, because, you know, to each their own. But those aren't the readers I want to attract, although I do admire their loyalty to their genre and authors. 

I'd like to have loyal readers of my own who enjoy my characters as if they're friends, family, and co-workers. I want readers who appreciate quality writing, engaging plots, and intriguing back stories that make them think about the stories long after they finished reading them. I'd like my books to become favorites, read more than once, and cherished.  And who knows, maybe one day we will see a shift out of the toxic relationships and the voyeurism and go back to reading books for their plots but for now, I'm the writer that I am, writing the stories that I do. 

Next time, I think we shall go over the various couples I've written about and see if AI will bring them to life.

Until next time, remember, there is always an adventure in an Em Brooks book and I've got fourteen of them for you to choose from on Amazon! They are all available to read for free if you have Kindle Unlimited! They are also available in paperback, hardcover, and on Audible. 

Learn more about Em Brooks books at www.TheAuthorEmBrooks.com