DEFINE CLEAN ROMANCE

Image courtesy of [supakitmod] / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

I joined this wonderful group on Goodreads called Clean Romance. I was thrilled that there is a group of people on Goodreads that love Clean Romance!

However, I was a little taken aback at one of their discussions. They were discussing whether or not 'Breaking Dawn' should be labeled as Clean Romance.

I have to say, this shocked me.

My opinion is that 'Breaking Dawn' is very clean. I also feel that it sets a very good example to teens. Bella and Edward wait till marriage for intimacy. Yes, there is a honeymoon night scene, but there are no explicit details.

This discussion was eye-opening to me! Call me naive, but I thought I was writing Clean (Adult) Romance! Come to find out, there are many who would not consider my Romance novels to be clean!

It made me think. Clearly, everyone will have a different opinion on this matter. What is acceptable to some, is not acceptable to another. 

I accept that. I respect that. 

I believe it's time to define Clean Romance. 

I've come up with a rating scale:
(Five Shades of Clean)

1. A light-hearted, fluffy read about a couple falling in love. Slightly comedic. They hold hands and experience 1-2 chaste kisses. That's it.

2. A story about a couple who are falling in love, but they deal with some serious issues. Light kissing scenes occur a few times within the book.

3. A couple falls in love and the story deals with their sometimes tumultuous path to love.  They find themselves extremely attracted to one another. Circumstances cause their love to feel strong and powerful. They kiss deeply and often, their passion is readily evident. BUT, they wait for intimacy till marriage. 

4.  A deep read wherein the couple fall in love amidst extreme angst. The love story is intense and passionate. They save intimacy till marriage. After marriage, they make love in ‘fade-to-black-close-the-bedroom-door-scenes.’ There are NO explicit details. 

5. A love story about a couple. They make love before marriage, but there are no explicit details.

So, here's what you'll get in my books: #4!!!

Some people don't want to read about intimacy AT ALL, and that's their personal decision.

But if you feel this way, then maybe Romance novels are not for you!

Clean Romance to me does not mean no intimacy. Clean Romance to me is intimacy within the bounds of marriage, with no explicit details.

In the end, all I know is that I don’t write smut. Maybe that’s what I should label my books as: NOT SMUT. How’s that for a description?

I'd LOVE to hear your thoughts on this. How do you define Clean Romance?

FADE TO BLACK

What kind of romance do I write? Good question.

I was reading a blog post the other day that spoke about what the author was willing to write about when it comes to intimacy. This caught my attention because I don't write explicit scenes. Not only that, my characters need to be married before intimacy occurs.

Perhaps this is considered old-fashioned in this day and age. It's a personal choice and one that I'm comfortable with when it comes to writing romance.

I've struggled over what genre that makes me in the romance world. I thought it was sweet romance, but my books are too passionate for sweet romance. I like my books to be passionate without crossing certain lines.

At any rate, in the post I read, this particular author called her books, "fade to black" books. I like that. I think that is what I'll call my books from now on.

FADE TO BLACK.

No more details. The bedroom door just closed.


I LOVE romance. I just don't want to read or write about the details of intimacy. Personally, I feel that many more women would enjoy romance novels if they knew they didn't need to worry about suddenly stumbling across a detailed bedroom scene. Too often romance is confused with sex. I want to read about romance, not sex. Too often, I read a so-called romance novel, and there is no romance whatsoever, only sex. NOT ROMANTIC. I know what you're thinking. Sex is a part of romance. So true. But, again, I don't want to read or write about the details.

FADE TO BLACK.

Use your imagination and fill in the blanks!!!

Fade to black romance is what you'll find in my books.

Image: FreeDigitalPhotos.net