Casey Dawes's Blog, page 10
August 16, 2018
Coming Soon: A Short Suspense Story Set in Nevada
[image error]Chasing the Tumbleweed
A short suspense story
Opening an abandoned ice chest on a lonely Nevada highway might be her worst decision yet.
According to her former boyfriend in Salt Lake City, Laurie Bevin isn’t good at anything. With her meager possessions and newly minted degree in American History, she puts her pride in the trunk of her aging Celica and heads home. Not eager to admit failure to her successful LA parents, she takes the back roads through Nevada. Her curiosity leads to a carjacking … and possibly worse.
Forest ranger Jeff Dawson is dedicated to the only thing in his life for the past eight years—his job. The isolated stretches of the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest suit him just fine. Except today there’s a killer loose in the region he guards. No matter what, he plans to set things to right.
Faced with a madman who will stop at nothing to get what he wants, Laurie needs to call on all her inner resources if help doesn’t get to her in time. Will Jeff be able to outsmart the killer, or will he become a victim, too?
Chasing the Tumbleweed is a very short suspense story with an undercurrent of romance. If you like Western suspense with a woman in danger who must help save herself, you’ll enjoy this book.
The post Coming Soon: A Short Suspense Story Set in Nevada appeared first on Stories About Love.
July 26, 2018
2 Foodies on the Road: Breweries
On our current roadtrip, we’ve explored two breweries — on in Glendive, MT, the other in Two Harbors, MN.
Cross Country Brewing
“Glendive’s Original Brewery”
www.facebook.com/xcbrews/
Est. 2013; Open 2017
320 E. Allard, Glendive, MT
406-377-BREW
[image error]Small and rustic retreat from a hot summer day located in an industrial section of Glendive. A lot of regulars appeared to be in attendance, chatting and playing cribbage with their brew.A delightful stop after we explored a bit of Makoshika State Park.
It’s always wonderful when a brewery gives me a sample before I purchase. I don’t know much about beer, so it’s all learning. In addition to beer by the glass, there are growlers available.
We had:
Red Ale: A nutty flavor, palate-cleansing, especially nice on a hot summer day.
Well-Tempered Bach: Caramel taste, light beer.
Castle Danger Brewing
Creating a North Shore Experience
Est. 2011
https://www.castledangerbrewery.com/
17 7th Street
Two Harbors MN
(218) 834-5800
[image error]Once again looking for a respite from the heat of our Gooseberry Falls campsite on the north shore of Lake Superior, we found Castle Danger Brewing. Best of all–they had Wi-Fi! (We have working vacations, so an air-conditioned spot with Wi-Fi is a wonderful find.) The brewery is a popular spot, with tourists coming in waves even on a Monday afternoon in July. Long tables allow for fellowship and large parties.
We had:
Honey Raspberry Wheat: Refreshing on a hot summer afternoon, a touch of sweet without being overpowering.
Red Hop: Darker notes with a cleansing after taste
We took a growler of Ode IPA back to our campsite. A classic IPA, it was a bit on the yeasty side.
~~
My husband and I like to travel and explore back roads. A lot of the time we make pots of food before hand, freeze them, and cart them along. We eat well (carbonara, lasagna, beef stew, etc.) with minimum fuss and expense.
We also try new restaurants, wineries and breweries. From time to time, we’ll post reviews.
The post 2 Foodies on the Road: Breweries appeared first on Stories About Love.
July 12, 2018
The Taste of Summer for Lunch
Enjoying the taste of summer is easy–local produce is available, even in Montana. Because I lived a long time without insurance, and given the constant instability of the insurance market, I make an effort (not always successfully–Cheetos are my downfall) to eat organically and make my meals from scratch. To keep impact of the environment as low, I try to think about where the food comes from that I purchase. I also make a lot of my meals from scratch.
[image error]
Creative Commons License, David Besa phtographer
While I wait for the tomatoes in my garden to actually ripen (if I’m lucky it will be before frost hits), I had purchased a pretty red one from my local market that came from Kalispell–a four hour drive. As a Jersey girl, I don’t think there’s anything better than a Jersey tomato, but they’re a bit scarce here in Montana.
[image error]
Creative Commons License, Francis Storr photographer
I had some rye bread from our local bakery, Le Petite Outre. And some brie from another local company, Lifeline Farms, located in the Bitterroot Valley just south of us. Within a few moments I had toasted rye, with brie, topped with fresh tomato as an open faced sandwich. Add a little salt and pepper, a sprinking of oregano and you have the perfect summer lunch!
[image error]
Creative Commons License, Larry Hoffman Photographer
Try it! And with it, enjoy a perfect summer read–one of my California Romance Series novels.
The post The Taste of Summer for Lunch appeared first on Stories About Love.
June 28, 2018
Keep Dancing — a different kind of sweet romance
[image error]Many romances are written for twenty and thirty-somethings. Nothing wrong with that—it’s when most of us experience our first love or our forever love. But not always. Keep Dancing celebrates a different kind of sweet romance. Not only is it between two people who are at later stages of their lives, but life-changing disease threatens one of the characters.
The roots of this book run deep. I met my husband when I was fifty. We have an amazing and deep love, one I couldn’t have had in my twenties. Frankly, I had a lot of issues to work through. So I celebrate mature love. It’s different, but it’s not better or worse.
A number of years ago one of my closest friends was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. I’ve watched a vibrant woman grow more dependent on others to get through daily life. Her husband has stepped up and it’s been good to see. Last year, I had the honor to help a man with Parkinson’s with his very strong book about his victory to continue living in spite of that disease. A key person in his life is his life, who loves her husband, but not the disease.
So love can triumph in life, no matter what. Will it work for the couple in Keep Dancing? Have you read it yet? Get your copy here.
Amazon | All Other Booksellers
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June 5, 2018
Kat Martin’s New Romantic Suspense: Beyond Control Excerpt
[image error] (The Texas Trilogy)
Kat Martin
Victoria Bradford and her four-year old daughter are on the run from Tory’s abusive ex-fiancé. Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere, exactly what Josh Cain wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.
When Tory shows up with her adorable little girl, Josh realizes he is in for trouble of the most personal kind. But Josh has seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend is abducted. Not even when he realizes their troubles are only the tip of the iceberg.
Buy Now
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes
Excerpt
Iron River Ranch
Iron Springs, Texas
Victoria Bradford drove the old blue Chevy Malibu along the two lane road. Up ahead, a sign hung above a narrow dirt track running off to the west, IRON RIVER RANCH.
“Are we there yet, Mama?” Ivy, her four year old daughter, had asked at a dozen times since they’d left the Walmart parking lot in Iron Springs. The ten mile drive didn’t take long, but to a four year old who’d been in the car for days, they couldn’t reach their destination soon enough.
“We’re very close, sweetheart. This is the turn, right here.” Tory checked the gas gauge as the wheels left the pavement and started rumbling over the bumpy dirt road. Less than an eighth of a tank. She hoped the ranch wasn’t much farther.
More than that, she prayed the job hadn’t already been filled.
She sighed as the aging Malibu rolled along. She was basically in bumfrick Egypt, ten miles north of Nowhere Springs, almost out of gas, with twenty three dollars and thirty three cents in her wallet.
Last night, without enough money for a motel room and afraid to use her credit cards for fear Damon would somehow track her, they’d slept in the car in the Walmart parking lot. As soon as the McDonald’s opened, she had pulled into the drive-thru and bought Sausage McMuffins, then driven out to the ranch to somehow convince the owner to hire a woman with a daughter and no actual ranching experience.
She thought of the ad in the paper she had spotted last night on the counter in the Iron Springs Café. If she somehow managed to get the job, it would be perfect. Besides a steady paycheck and the ranch being way off the grid, the position included the use of a double-wide trailer.
After being on the road for the past three weeks, living out of motel rooms and suitcases, the trailer sounded like a palace.
“Look, Mama, there it is!” Ivy pointed toward the cluster of buildings up ahead, a couple of barns, several fenced training arenas, and a two-story home with dormer windows and a covered porch running the length out in front. A double-wide sat fifty yards away.
Vast stretches of open green pastureland surrounded the complex where horses and cattle grazed, and there were ponds and woodlands in the distance, and dense copses of trees.
The Chevy bumped over the last patch of road, pulled up in front of the house, and Tory quickly turned off the engine. No use wasting what little gas she had left.
“Mama, there’s a man over there by the barn.”
Her gaze swung in that direction. There was, indeed, a man. The noisy buzz of a saw covered the sound of their arrival, giving her time to assess him.
Shirtless, he was working with his back to them, broad, tanned, and muscled above a narrow waist that disappeared into a pair of faded jeans. The jeans hugged a round behind and long, powerful legs.
He was tall, she saw when he straightened away from his work and walked into the barn, with medium brown hair cut short. She got her first look at his face when he walked back out, handsome, with a solid jaw and masculine features, at least three days’ growth of whiskers.
The front of him was just as impressive as the back, a broad chest with solid pecs, muscular biceps, and six pack abs.
Unease filtered through her. This was a strong, powerful male. She knew first hand what a man like that could do to a woman.
Tory forced down the notion. Not all men were like Damon. Before she’d met him, she had been married to a good and decent man, the father of her child. Jamie Bradford, her high school sweetheart, was one of the gentlest people she’d ever known. Her father was a good man, before he’d fallen in love with his secretary and divorced her mother, leaving the two of them alone.
Tory took a courage-building breath. “Stay here, sweetheart.” Cracking open the car door, she slid out from behind the wheel. “Don’t worry, sweetie. Everything’s going to be okay.”
She hoped.
Ivy sank down in her booster seat, trying to make herself invisible. Tory had survived the fights, arguments, and finally the brutal beating Damon had given her that had put her in the hospital.
Though he had never hurt Ivy, the little girl had seen the results of his mistreatment, leaving her with an unnatural fear of men.
Tory glanced at the big, thick-chested male striding toward her, shrugging into a blue denim shirt. Ivy would be terrified of him. If there was any other way, she would climb back in the car and just drive away.
There wasn’t. Tory started walking, meeting the man half way. She glanced around but didn’t see a soul besides the big man in front of her. Her uneasiness returned but she forced it away.
“May I help you?” he asked, and she thought that at least he was polite.
“My name is Tory Ford. I’m looking for Joshua Cain. Is that you?” He had blue eyes and a cleft in his chin. From a purely physical standpoint, the man was flat out hot.
“I’m Josh Cain. What can I do for you?”
“I saw your ad in the Iron Springs Gazette. You’re looking for a stable hand. I’m here to apply for the job.”
He just shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s a man’s job, Ms. Ford. Mucking out stalls and cleaning tack, feeding the livestock. It isn’t something you’d want to do.”
“Work isn’t supposed to be fun, Mr. Cain. That’s why they call it work. I can muck out stalls, clean tack, and feed stock as well as anyone else.”
“Sorry. I’m looking for a man. I appreciate you’re coming out, but–“
“There are laws, Mr. Cain. Equal rights for women. Have you never heard of that? Lawsuits against discrimination?”
His jaw hardened. His eyebrows came down in a frown. “Are you kidding me? You’re going to sue me because I won’t hire you to shovel horseshit out of the barn?”
She could feel the heat creeping into her cheeks. With her fair skin, and fiery red hair, there was no way to hide her embarrassment.
She looked him straight in the face. “I need this job, Mr. Cain. I need the house that comes with it.” She forced herself to smile. “Why don’t we compromise? You give me three days to prove I’m up to the job. If I’m not, I won’t give you anymore trouble. Three days. If you don’t think I can handle the work, I’ll leave. I won’t argue, I’ll just go.”
A muscle jerked in his cheek. He didn’t like being pressured. He looked at her hard, then those condemning blue eyes traveled over her shoulder to something behind her.
“Who is that?”
She didn’t have to turn to know Ivy had climbed out of the car. Like Tory, she was small for her age, but her hair was blond instead of red, and her eyes were blue instead of green.
“That’s my daughter. She’s only four.” Desperate now, she could feel her heart throbbing softly inside her ribs. “We need a place, Mr. Cain. I’ll work hard. I’ll do whatever you need done. Just give me a chance.”
He swore the f-word under his breath, not loud enough for Ivy to hear. Damon wouldn’t have cared. She clung to the hope that represented.
“What do you plan to do with your daughter while you’re working? You can’t leave her in the house alone.”
Tory glanced wildly around. She had known this would be a problem. Before, she’d had money enough to hire a sitter or there was day care for employees’ kids.
She looked at the fenced yard off to the side in front of the trailer. The grass was sparse and in need of a trim. Maybe he’d had a dog or something, but it was clean and empty now. The weather was still good and there was a little gazebo with a table and benches in the middle. She’d be able to keep an eye on Ivy while she was working.
“She could play in the yard. She likes to color and she already reads kids’ books. She wouldn’t be any trouble. If this works out, I’ll have money to pay for a sitter.”
Cain looked at Ivy, paced away then back. “Dammit.”
“It’s just three days. If I do a good job, you won’t have to search for someone else.”
He ran a hand over his short brown hair, paced away, then walked back. “Did you sleep in your car last night?”
She refused to answer. She didn’t want charity from Cain for anyone else.
“Fine,” he said. “You’ve got three days. But I’m not cutting you any slack. You do a man’s job for a man’s pay. If you can’t hack it, you’re out of here.”
And from the look on his face, he was clearly hoping she would fail. Hell, maybe she would.
She managed to fake a smile. “Okay, it’s a deal.” She stuck out her hand to seal the bargain, for a moment didn’t think he was going to shake. Then he sighed and took hold of her hand, not too hard, just firm enough to let her know he was in charge.
“You start tomorrow morning. Six A.M. sharp. There’s enough food in the trailer to last a few days. I’ll bring you a quart of milk. After that, board’s on you. If you’re still here, you’ll need to make a trip into town for groceries.”
Relief filtered through her, so strong it made her head swim. She had a place to stay where no one would look for her. She had a job, which meant food and whatever necessities they needed. If he kept her on, she’d find a sitter to watch Ivy. She’d have time to figure things out, make a new plan.
She took a step back, set an arm around her little girl’s shoulders and drew her forward. “This is my daughter, Ivy. Ivy, this is Mr. Cain.”
“Hello, Ivy,” he said. He had an unusual voice, deep and resonate, but at the same time soft and oddly compelling.
Ivy shrunk back.
“Say hello, honey,” Tory said.
“I don’t want to stay. I want to go.” Clinging to Tory’s waist, she burrowed into her.
“She’s shy,” Tory said.
“The trailer’s unlocked,” Cain said. “It’s clean and ready to go.”
“Thank you.”
He turned and started striding back to the barn. She probably should be at least a little afraid of him. Oddly, she wasn’t.
Then again, she hadn’t been afraid of Damon, either.
Reviews
[image error]“Bestseller Martin brings her Texas Trilogy contemporary romantic suspense series (Beyond Danger, Beyond Reason) to a hair-raising finish with the gripping tale of a single mother on the run and the Marine veteran who offers her a second chance at happily-ever-after. With her four-year-old daughter, Ivy, in tow, Victoria ‘Tory’ Bradford is trying to stay one step ahead of her abusive ex-fiancé, Damon Bridger. She bounces around the Southwest before landing at Iron River Ranch in Iron Springs, Tex. After returning stateside from tours in Afghanistan and Iraq, retired sniper Joshua Cain bought Iron River and planned for a more placid lifestyle. But when Tory shows up on his doorstep, desperate for a job that will allow her to support her daughter and stay off her rich ex’s radar, he’s plunged right back into danger. The dynamics of abusive relationships and obsession ring true throughout, as does the redemptive power of love. Martin has a consummate skill for developing the most lovable and the most despicable characters; readers will cheer when sadistic Damon meets his well-deserved end. Martin’s finely described Texas is a delight.” – Publishers Weekly
“Bestseller Martin brings her Texas Trilogy … to a hair-raising finish with the gripping tale of a single mother on the run and the Marine veteran who offers her a second chance at happily-ever-after. Martin has a consummate skill for developing the most loveable and the most despicable characters; readers will cheer when sadistic Damon meets his well-deserved end. Martin’s finely described Texas is a delight.” – Publishers Weekly
WEBSITE
http://www.katmartin.com/
VIDEO LINK
https://youtu.be/I9vEWYddAug
CONTEST LINKS
SPECIAL CONTEST: https://www.katmartin.com/beyond-control-giveaway/
To CELEBRATE the release of BEYOND CONTROL, enter my new contest for a chance to win a KINDLE FIRE 7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB and a Kindle copy of AGAINST THE WIND, AGAINST THE FIRE and AGAINST THE LAW. Contest runs from May 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018.
May Contest: https://www.katmartin.com/monthly-contest/
For MAY, Kat Martin is giving away to THREE winners a copy of both INTO THE FURY and MIDNIGHT SUN.
For JUNE, Kat Martin is giving away to THREE winners a copy of both INTO THE FIRESTORM and SEASON OF STRANGERS.
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katmartinauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatMartinAuthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36190397-beyond-control
The post Kat Martin’s New Romantic Suspense: Beyond Control Excerpt appeared first on Stories About Love.
May 29, 2018
Coming June 5: Keep Dancing, Contemporary Romance Novella
[image error]Can he love her—no matter what?
Finally on her own again after her son leaves for college, small-town science teacher Alyssa Norton is ready to leap back into life and romance. Fellow teacher Ben O’Reilly is finally ready to move on from the death of his wife five years before. It should be a perfect match, but …
Alyssa’s finger won’t stop twitching. It could be nothing, or it could be worse—perhaps Parkinson’s, the same disease that caused Michael J. Fox to leave the career he loved. Will Ben be strong enough to find out what they have together, or will he leave her standing alone on the dance floor?
Set in small town Montana, Keep Dancing is a sweet romance about the strength of two very human people as they redefine what it means to have a life worth living and a love worth keeping. Fans of clean and wholesome romances with mid-life characters will enjoy this novella.
Available for pre-sale at some bookstores:
Find out where at Draft2Digital!
The post Coming June 5: Keep Dancing, Contemporary Romance Novella appeared first on Stories About Love.
May 16, 2018
Kat Martin’s New Romantic Suspense: Beyond Control
[image error] (The Texas Trilogy)
Kat Martin
Victoria Bradford and her four-year old daughter are on the run from Tory’s abusive ex-fiancé. Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere, exactly what Josh Cain wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.
When Tory shows up with her adorable little girl, Josh realizes he is in for trouble of the most personal kind. But Josh has seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend is abducted. Not even when he realizes their troubles are only the tip of the iceberg.
Buy Now
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes
Making of a Book
“I couldn’t put it down! Those words are some of the most satisfying comments an author can receive. Nothing pleases me more than a note from someone grumbling about staying up late to finish one of my books.
It’s music to my ears.
There are lots of ways to earn those precious words. Writing a fast-paced novel is one of them. It is certainly my goal every time I start a new book.
My latest, BEYOND CONTROL, was no different. I knew I would be writing Joshua Cain’s story, Lincoln Cain’s brother from BEYOND REASON. I had introduced Josh in that story so I knew what he was like–smart, strong, determined, former military. Totally hot. I always try to find the hero’s perfect match and though at first Victoria Bradford, raisng a four-year-old daughter, seemed unlikely, as the tale moved forward I could tell they would perfectly suit.
If they survived the terrible ordeal they were facing.
I like to read books that draw me in and won’t let go, books I can’t wait to pick up again to find out what’s going to happen next.
There are a lot of ways writers can create those kinds of stories. Pairing down description makes the story move faster–or as Elmore Leonard said, “I try to leave out the parts people skip.” Often the scenes are set in familiar places that don’t require much description.
A Hollywood movie trick is enter late and leave early. It means jumping right into the scene–leaving out the, “Hello, how are you?” “I’m fine, how are you?”
Hooks at the beginning and end of chapters are helpful. It’s a technique I try to use, though some authors end a chapter in the middle of the action to keep you turning the pages.
I’ve found I do a lot of characterization by showing how the hero, heroine, and sub characters react to a situation. For instance, I don’t don’t care what the heroine did in high school unless it’s important to how she’ll solve the problem in which she is currently involved.
But every author has his own method of developing a novel.
In BEYOND CONTROL, Victoria Bradford and her four-year old daughter are on the run from Tory’s abusive ex-fiancé. Seventy miles north of Dallas, the Iron River Ranch is pretty much nowhere, exactly what Josh Cain wanted when he came back from Afghanistan. Big skies, quiet nights, no trouble.
One look tells Josh the pretty redhead who showed up on his door with her adorable little girl will give him trouble of the most personal kind. But Josh has seen trouble before, and he doesn’t scare easy. Not when “accidents” start happening around the ranch. Not when Tory’s best friend is abducted.
Not even when it looks like their current problems are only just the beginning.
I hope you’ll watch for BEYOND CONTROL and that you enjoy it. All best wishes and happy reading, Kat
Reviews
[image error]“As the excitement in Iron Springs continues, two strangers with tragic pasts form an unbreakable bond. Beyond Control is the last installment in the Texas Trilogy. It’s delightfully fast-paced, riveting, and amazingly compelling. Martin has outdone herself with unpredictable twists and suspense that will leave readers panting for more. Definitely a must read for readers who enjoy mystery, thrills, and romance to spice up their life.”– RT Book Reviews, 4.5 Stars, Top Pick
“[A] gripping tale…Martin has a consummate skill for developing the most loveable and the most despicable characters; readers will cheer when sadistic Damon meets his well-deserved end. Martin’s finely described Texas is a delight.” – Publishers Weekly
WEBSITE
http://www.katmartin.com/
VIDEO LINK
https://youtu.be/I9vEWYddAug
CONTEST LINKS
SPECIAL CONTEST: https://www.katmartin.com/beyond-control-giveaway/
To CELEBRATE the release of BEYOND CONTROL, enter my new contest for a chance to win a KINDLE FIRE 7″ Display, Wi-Fi, 8 GB and a Kindle copy of AGAINST THE WIND, AGAINST THE FIRE and AGAINST THE LAW. Contest runs from May 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018.
May Contest: https://www.katmartin.com/monthly-contest/
For MAY, Kat Martin is giving away to THREE winners a copy of both INTO THE FURY and MIDNIGHT SUN.
For JUNE, Kat Martin is giving away to THREE winners a copy of both INTO THE FIRESTORM and SEASON OF STRANGERS.
PURCHASE LINKS
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound | Kobo | Google Play | iTunes
SOCIAL MEDIA
Twitter: https://twitter.com/katmartinauthor
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KatMartinAuthor
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/36190397-beyond-control
The post Kat Martin’s New Romantic Suspense: Beyond Control appeared first on Stories About Love.
April 12, 2018
Drop back 10 and punt! The demise of Crimson Romance
On April 1, Simon & Schuster shut down their Crimson Romance line. This was a blow to myself and many of my fellow Crimson authors.
While all my titles remain with the company for now, my writing career still needs to move forward. In the pipeline is a novella entitled, Keep Dancing. Zoe has annoying twitch in her left pinkie. Is it just nerves or something more serious? How will it affect her budding relationship with Ben, a fellow high-school teacher in a small Montana town?
Look for Keep Dancing in May. I’ll be publishing it through my self-publishing imprint, Mountain Vines Publishing.
Next up will be working on a new series. A young woman owns a travel and tour group in New York City, and the economy has hit her business badly. Rescue shows up in the form of an investment banker from Paris, but will his payment terms be too high?
You’ll have to wait and see.
I have plans for a few more re-releases and
The post Drop back 10 and punt! The demise of Crimson Romance appeared first on Stories About Love.
March 6, 2018
What Does a Romance Reader Want?
There has been a great deal of uproar in the romance author community lately. If you are not a big fan of conflict over what is or is not proper in a romance novel, this might be a post you want to skip.
WARNING: This post discusses sex, racism, and has opinions.
First of all there is the discussion about how much sex is too much sex. Is clean the right term? Does that imply sex is dirty? What if the sex is there but doesn’t advance the plot? Or the plot could use a little sex to make the characters more human? What if the way a particular thing is done is a “trigger” for someone’s trauma? How clearly does consent need to be spelled out? Does only the female character need to consent? What happens in a non-heterosexual romance?
So many questions. As an author, I struggle. We could do “warning labels” to death and still miss something that sends someone over the edge. Authors have been known to label their books sensual, and been slammed because the reader didn’t see the word and objected to reading something … well … sensual.
How would you describe a book that has some sex, but it’s there only to move the plot forward? How much does there have to be before it offends you? Are there qualities it has to have to be “okay”? If you have an opinion about this, I’d love to hear it.
The latest upheaval is about Lisa Kleypas’s new book, Hello Stranger, that takes place in Victorian England. There is a passage that offended a reviewer because the male character referred to being taught about sex from a woman in Calcutta. (To read the review, click here.) Personally, I found the passage sensual, but I’m a white woman who grew up in the 60s when the Kama Sutra was all the rage.
Is it a trope? Definitely. Lazy writing? Maybe. Offensive? To some, it is. The author has apologized and promised to make sure “all future editions will be culturally sensitive and mindful of how every single character is portrayed.”
A few things. First, the author never says the woman in Calcutta is a woman of color. That’s an assumption on the reviewer’s part. Second, the British conquered and colonized India for some not nice reasons during the time period of the story. Everything history tells us is that they looked down on the natives of the country.
Are we served if this is never referenced in a romance novel, as if it never happened? Or are we better served to leave it in and add an afterword that talks about how this attitude influences our lives today? How can we fix a problem if we deny it every existed? The uproar over this passage is actually a good thing in some ways because it opens the discussion.
But it is a limited discussion. Why not have a romance about the “Woman from Calcutta”? Show the other side of this time period? Why not have a book that updates it and turns it around like Black Panther is doing for superheroes? Why not have a reader’s guide that suggests questions like “How is this attitude toward women in general still in existence today?”
Or is all of that not romance? This gets to the heart of my question as an author.
As a romance reader, how much realism do you want in your novels?
Please comment below.
Stories About Love - Real people, real problems, real love....
February 8, 2018
California: Point Reyes
Roosevelt Elk
Several years ago, DH and I managed to see three different types of elk in one trip: Rocky Mountain, Roosevelt, and Tule elk. The last are common primarily in Point Reyes National Seashore. We didn’t see them up close though, because we managed to get there when the fog was rolling in.
We annually escape the snow in Montana about mid-January for a break. This year we were blessed to have a perfect day at Point Reyes. The elk were plentiful, hawks abounded, a coyote strolled by, and two bobcats disappeared quickly into the shadows as soon as we spotted them.
DH and I were like two kids in a candy store. The shoreline was exquisite, and our necks were stretched to keep up with the hawks overhead. Because the trail was so high up and next to the coast, we often found ourselves eye to eye with raptors.
[image error]
Northern Harrier
When I write, I try to put a sense of place into the stories. One of my reviewers from my first book wrote, “This book is a wonderful snapshot of the central coast of California and the people who inhabit this area. Ms. Dawes recreates the atmosphere, sensibilities and personalities with poetic realism. Not only is this a sweet love story about a struggling single mother, but a love story about California.”
No matter where you live, and no matter what the weather, I encourage you to take some time and look around you. Even better … share it with someone you love.
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Point Reyes
Stories About Love - Real people, real problems, real love....
