Farcebook...sorry, Facebook has this feature I usually don't pay any attention to--look back at your memories. Today, for some reason, I looked at those memories. I posted this three years ago and it's just as relevant today as it was three years ago.
"I'm not the only one who takes issue with the word "clean" to describe a romance without on-the-page-sex. Yes, words mean things, but what really gets my goat is the sanctimonious attitude of some of the readers and authors who exclusively read/write such romances. More than once, all I could do was smile and bite my tongue when what I really wanted to do was suggest they take their "holier-than-thou" attitude and shove it.
"I fully understand there are some authors and some readers who just aren't comfortable writing/reading "sex on the page". I'm fine with that. I understand it. There is a market for stories without "sex on the page"--which explains the Hallmark channel. (Honestly, writing "sex on the page" isn't easy.) I do my best not to be judgmental of anyone who says they don't/won't read a book with "sex on the page" because I don't know where they are spiritually or emotionally. That's not my place. I think what irks me the most about the judgement of a few readers/authors is this--romance as a genre is attacked, belittled, and ridiculed on a daily basis from all sides, in spite of the fact that romance books account for almost 65% of all books sold annually, and the romance industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Romance as a genre is predominantly written by and for women. Instead of attacking one another for what we include or don't include within the pages of our books, we (authors and readers, alike) need to be standing tall and supporting one another. Instead of tearing one another down, we need to be lifting one another up. I won't even go into the "stumbling block" aspect such a judgment might be to another's spiritual journey."
"I'm not the only one who takes issue with the word "clean" to describe a romance without on-the-page-sex. Yes, words mean things, but what really gets my goat is the sanctimonious attitude of some of the readers and authors who exclusively read/write such romances. More than once, all I could do was smile and bite my tongue when what I really wanted to do was suggest they take their "holier-than-thou" attitude and shove it.
"I fully understand there are some authors and some readers who just aren't comfortable writing/reading "sex on the page". I'm fine with that. I understand it. There is a market for stories without "sex on the page"--which explains the Hallmark channel. (Honestly, writing "sex on the page" isn't easy.) I do my best not to be judgmental of anyone who says they don't/won't read a book with "sex on the page" because I don't know where they are spiritually or emotionally. That's not my place. I think what irks me the most about the judgement of a few readers/authors is this--romance as a genre is attacked, belittled, and ridiculed on a daily basis from all sides, in spite of the fact that romance books account for almost 65% of all books sold annually, and the romance industry is a multi-billion dollar a year industry. Romance as a genre is predominantly written by and for women. Instead of attacking one another for what we include or don't include within the pages of our books, we (authors and readers, alike) need to be standing tall and supporting one another. Instead of tearing one another down, we need to be lifting one another up. I won't even go into the "stumbling block" aspect such a judgment might be to another's spiritual journey."