There is a discussion online about romances being labeled as steamy or spicy.
Some readers don’t like this. They would prefer the stories be described as sexy.
We, writers, would often prefer that also. (grins)
But describing our stories as sexy at booksellers will cause those stories, in the best case, to be placed in the erotica dungeon.
The erotica dungeon isn’t a fun place to be. It means most readers won’t be able to find our stories at the booksellers. Our sales often drop like a stone and then we can’t afford book covers and other book production costs and, oh yeah, food. (laughs) Food is important.
Erotica is also NOT a good fit for even the sexiest of romances. Because erotica readers tend to not want any romance in their stories.
Erotica readers are unhappy. Romance readers are unhappy. Writers are unhappy (and hungry).
That is the best case scenario.
The worst case scenario, and with the world trending the way it is, this worst case is very much possible, is the stories are banned. And the writers are banned.
So writers are resorting to using words like ‘spicy’ or ‘steamy.’
Soon, the booksellers will target those words also (as they have also targeted the movie ratings and ‘adult’ and other words) and we’ll have to find another way to describe sexy books.
Trigger warnings are a no-no now also. If you see the word ‘dark’, assume there are triggers and investigate more. Simply putting ‘trigger warning’ on a book description can move a story to the erotica dungeon (and possibly get it banned).
Now, you might be thinking, ‘I’m going to help Cynthia Sax out and put those words in my reviews.’
I appreciate the thought. (big hugs) But please don’t risk this. Writers and publishers aren’t the only people getting banned at booksellers. (ALWAYS back up your book files.) Consider using steamy and spicy in your reviews also.
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Grin And Bare Him
This cyborg will be the warrior his female requires.
Cyborgs are designed to fight. That is their primary purpose and 98.2356 percent of the manufactured warriors enjoy battle. Tremendously.
Grin, a K model, is one of the rare exceptions. When he escaped his cruel creators, he set down his sword and allocated his processors to less violent pursuits. He projects he’s left his war-waging planet rotations behind him forever.
Then he meets his beautiful, beguiling female, the one being he’s destined to protect, to claim, to love for all eternity, and his plans for peace are completely decimated.
Mohini needs a ship.
She has a dangerous mission to complete and the first step in that assignment is arranging transport to an enemy-controlled planet. The vessel she has set her sights on is guarded by the sexiest cyborg she’s ever seen.
To gain access to his ship, Mohini is prepared to kiss, caress, seduce the muscular male. The mission is her focus. The pleasure she experiences will merely be a bonus.
A female has to do what a female has to do to save the universe.
Grin And Bare Him is a Cyborg SciFi Romance set in a dark, gritty, sometimes-violent universe.
It features a humanoid female undertaking a dangerous mission, a cyborg intent on keeping her alive, and an enemy with enough firepower to blow up an entire sector.
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Amazon US:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09ZCWMSDV
Amazon UK:
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