The Steamy Factor

It has been an interesting twenty-four hours in the life of And Then You Fall. There were about ten beta readers of this book, maybe a couple more. Most of them read the book, gave me notes or feedback . . . and none of them thought the book was TOO steamy. 

In the last day, it seems I'm hearing more from people who do think it's too steamy. Upon clarification, a couple of people told me they were teasing me, but a couple people stand by their assessment that it was too much.

I suppose the adage of not being able to please all the people all the time stands true in this case. Also, the two main characters are committed to one another (eventually), but in the time that they're together, or not together, they are still monogamous. It is a love story so . . .

When I wrote my first book I did not include any sex whatsoever. I mean we knew they were having it, we just didn't know any details. An agent requested the full manuscript from me and her notes were very clear: if you're writing a love story, you need to include sex or your readers will be very disappointed.

I am sure that there is a segment of readers who would not be disappointed, but her point was that there was a broader segment, a commercially-viable segment that would be. Considering she wouldn't represent the book (or its sequels) prior to those edits was something I paid attention to.

I also told her that it was a struggle for me. She suggested I write something completely different, a different story and practice. So I did. And it ended up being And Then You Fall. So maybe I over-practiced. 

There is someone I've met along this particular book's journey who suggested I write from my heart and then let it be. Today I stumbled upon this quote. Please understand that I am not discounting the suggestions or feedback these readers have given me or their opinions, I am simply writing about how I feel about it. I have had some doubt, some concern, some desire to please all the people all the time, but at the end of the day, the book I wrote is the book I wrote. I may keep the suggestions or feedback in mind for future books . . . but if finding this quote was a sign, and I see everything as a sign (by the way), then this is what I'll accept today as how I feel.