The Works of Autumn Cox

There’s been a lot of talk lately in the media spaces for authors and readers about “But is it SPICY?” in regards to a book’s content. For those that may not know, “spicy” books are generally books that have not just romance, but overt sexual content amongst their pages. More than just holding hands or closed mouth kisses, these are sometimes full on smut, but sometimes may just be a sex scene incorporated here and there, and otherwise there may be a lot of TALK about the content, even if the acts themselves aren’t present, done in a way as to specifically arouse and titillate.

The thing is, for an author, when the world feels pretty obsessed with a particular kind of writing, it can be difficult to decide whether or not it’s worth it to cave and “give the readers what they seemingly want”.

“I want my book to sell!” you tell yourself, as you sit there, waffling back and forth on whether to write the ubiquitous scene of two characters you know in your heart wouldn’t be having this moment RIGHT NOW, suddenly throwing caution to the wind and giving in to their carnal desires, already hearing in your mind, the whoops and hollers of an ecstatic fan-base.

Except, what if you didn’t do that? It has been my experience that if the story is good, the characters feel connected and well written, and I enjoy the writing style, I could take or leave the intimate scenes, because those aren’t what keep me reading. I would like to hope that there are plenty of other readers out there like me, who just want a book that feels like you’re going on an adventure with friends, peril and all, where you are more focused on staying alive and reaching the next moment of rest than you are on whether or not Phoenix Hardbod finally had his way with the reluctant Thrilly McFieryredhead, despite her initial timid remonstrations.

There’s nothing wrong with spice, and it certainly has it’s place, both in literature as well as in food. But here’s the thing – if ALL YOU EAT IS SPICY FOOD, you face the possible eventuality that you’ll deaden your tongue to any other flavors. When that happens, you don’t get to blame the cook who decided to make chicken alfredo for dinner, because you didn’t enjoy the meal.

So here’s my reminder to both my readers and to myself as an author – Don’t be afraid of new flavors, even if they don’t have the spice level you were expecting/anticipating.