| The Reader of Romantic Fiction: Nest and Feathers by Ann Durand copyright 2005 |
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Find out about Ann's latest book: FLIGHT OF THE GRYPHON A SCI FI ROMANCE |
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| HEART BEAT ARCHIVE JULY 2005 |
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As writers of romance fiction, we may spend days and months researching, writing
and rewriting, editing and polishing…and for what? Why do we put ourselves through
this sometimes grueling regimen? The ultimate goal has to be, if we’re looking for
success in the marketplace, a connection with that marvelous and sometimes
elusive creature, the reader of romance fiction. Let’s face it, without her, we are
doing little more than journaling our fantasies in a diary. Only when she chooses to
read our story and decides she likes it, may we then realize our final reward. She’s
like a bird that alights on a perch in our garden—if the seed doesn’t suit her, she’s
off to the next perch, or in this case, the next bookshelf. It becomes our hope and
aspiration to reach as many of her kind as possible. She has the power to send us
on the journey of our dreams, or back to that little writing book with the lock on it.
Now, that’s a lot of power.
It serves us greatly to find out as much as we can about this exotic bird, so that we
may better guide our writing to suit her tastes. First, of course, it’s important to know
who she is. We need to recognize her and understand a few things about her—in
keeping with the analogy—to identify her by her by her plumage and habitat. Do we
have the equivalent of an ornithological study for the romance reader?
Yes, we do. And after studying the 2004 Romance-Fiction Sales Statistics, Reader
Demographics and Book-Buying Habits report commissioned by Romance Writers
of America, a profile for this little dove does indeed emerge. Though the types of
birds are varied, if we condense the romance reader into a single one, according to
this study, she’s a forty-year-old married White woman who lives in the Midwest. At
the tender age of sixteen, she read her first romance novel and went on to graduate
from high school and attend college. She now favors a single-title romance,
especially if it’s a contemporary romantic suspense. She reads one to five
romances a year and buys her books at a mall bookstore, or sometimes at Target or
Wal-Mart. And here’s an interesting tidbit: She does not plan to buy a romance novel
when she enters the bookstore, but rather grabs it after seeing it on display (Two out
of three romance purchases are made on impulse). When she selects her book, the
description on the back cover captures her first, and if she still isn’t sure, she’ll flip
through the pages, assessing the style and quality of the writing.
But surely not every romance reader is a forty-year-old married White woman from
the Midwest? Not at all, it’s just that 49.5% are married, 75% are White, 25% are
between thirty-five and forty-four years of age, and 32% are from the Midwest, the
highest percentages for their categories. Yet, who or what comprises the rest? While
almost half of our readers are married, a hearty 33% are single; 10.7% are divorced;
6% are widowed, and .5% are separated. Some might say that divorced and
widowed women can be squeezed into the ‘singles’ category, bringing the total for
single women to the half mark as well. And while the majority of romance readers
are White, 11% each are African American and Hispanic, and 3% are Asian.
Flanking the highest percentage for age at thirty-five to forty-four, are the next highest
at 20% for twenty-five to thirty-four, and 17% for forty-five to fifty-four. Following the
Midwest as the most common area of residence, the remaining romance readers in
the USA live in the West at 26%, the South at 20% and the North East at 16%.
Interesting nest and feathers; but you may still be wondering about her reading
habits. What for example, are her favorite romance genres? As stated earlier, the
most popular genre is romantic suspense, holding sway with a whopping 91%, but
this doesn’t mean that only 9% is left for the other genres. Luckily, readers are able
to enjoy more than one, so other genres have a healthy section of the pie as well.
Here’s more of the breakdown: 80% of readers enjoy contemporary romance; 61%
like an inspirational romance, 78% read romances set in an exotic locale, 56% read
historical romances set in England, another 53% go for the historical set in Scotland,
64% like their historical in the American West, 65% read colonial American, and
49% look for the medieval setting. 39% read futuristic or time travel and 37% enjoy
paranormal romances, although the latter is on the upswing.
But enough of these dry statistics. How can we learn, first hand, what our readers are
looking for between the pages? Now that we can identify her, how do we learn what
is it that she wants? This is the birdhouse in terms of our efforts. We want to build a
solid one to entice them back to roost. How do we find out if they’d rather read about
Alpha men or gamma boys, happy endings or realistic ones, hot love scenes or
sweet embraces? Is there a natural habitat for readers of romance, one where they
congregate and talk about their favorite books?
Of course there is. And while some may flock together in living rooms and
restaurants, it’s not always easy to elicit an invitation to one of these parties, let
alone find a group. Luckily, many readers assemble online, and there are Yahoo
groups that have formed for this expressed purpose. Four of my favorites, Fallen
Angel Chatters, NovelSpotters, ChickLit, and WingsReaders have chat boards
where authors and readers get together and talk about the books, much as people
do around coffee urns in their offices or in their own homes. The conversations are
light-hearted, for the most part. Attitudes on these boards and in the chat rooms are
largely upbeat and supportive, which makes sense when you consider what the
romance reader is truly after: a good time, even a rollicking good time…or at the
very least an interesting one. This is, after all, entertainment.
In order to pulse their tastes in romance reading, I recently posted a poll on several
of these Yahoo group boards, inviting members to participate in a questionnaire.
Thirteen members responded, and from that, certain common preferences emerged
while particular tastes within these threads varied widely. For example, the first
question, “How important is it for you to have a happily ever after ending?” created a
resounding chorus of “yes” with just a few exceptions, while their reasons for wanting
a happy ending differed. You can read their responses to this question yourself.
Here are excerpts from their answers:
Ginger Calem: “If I’m reading a romance, I do like to feel that they hit the mark and
found love. It doesn’t have to be the big-bang, but I really do need to feel at the end
that they will ‘stay’ together or ‘be’ together.”
Becka Goings: “In a romance, it’s everything to me. Other book genres can get away
with an open ended book or one where they don’t get together or it doesn’t work
out…If I read a romance with no HEA (Happily Ever After), then it’s likely I won’t buy
another book written by that author.”
Anonymous: “I like to have the HEA…I am willing to wait over several books for the
HEA.”
Nina Sipes: “It is essential…life sucks enough. Reading should be enjoyable.”
Kat Hall: “Extremely important…we are keeping our hope alive that it (HEA) can and
will happen to us…it helps to keep us looking on the bright side.
Danielle: “Very important. I know that it’s fiction…but after reading 300 or more
pages, I would like to see that after all what the hero and heroine went through, that
at least they lived HEA.”
Lynne Connolly: “Vital. I did an English degree – I had my fill of unhappy endings.”
Betty Hanawa: “Happily-ever-after by meaning I’ve seen the emotional growth in the
heroine/hero reach satisfactory conclusion, then ‘yes.’ If the meaning is: must have
H/H (Hero/Heroine) married with the baby carriage, then NO.”
Mary: “Happy endings are good…I also like when an ending is put at the end, telling
what has happened to the couple years from now, even if they die.”
Brenna Lyons: “Not important at all. It’s more important to me that the ending be
fitting for the world, characters, and situation.”
Marie Higgins: “VERY IMPORTANT…we spend all that time getting to know the
characters and having them shoot for one goal – being together – so naturally as a
reader we expect it to happen.
Allie: “What is more important than a HEA is an ending that is fitting to the story.
Tarilyn Moore: “As long as the ending is satisfying, I don’t care if it’s a ‘happily-eve-
after’ or not.”
Final tally: Happy Ending – 9, Conditional (Depends on the story) – 3
The next question,“What characteristics do you look for in your heroine? Your hero?”
Once again, the question elicited varied responses, though flawed characters with
good hearts surfaced as a dominant theme, as well as a penchant for both alpha
males and females. Here are the excerpts:
Ginger Calem: “…I look for traits that make them real. They can be flawed, but they
must not be wimpy, two-faced, selfish or greedy. I like to see characters that are truly
life-like, with idiosyncrasies that are colorful but that are true-blue, honest, moral and
sincere at heart.”
Becka Goings: “I like to see growth in the heroine…I want to see her learn and grow
throughout the book to either be stronger, or learn how to give up some of her
control. And I want the hero to be the one to teach her!”
Anonymous: “I want the hero to be all alpha, but willing to be tamed by an even
stronger heroine, at least in the bedroom…”
Nina Sipes: “I adore masquerades and mistaken identities. What goes along with
this are people doing things they aren’t normally doing. So, I like heroines and
heroes that are adventurous in spirit. Flawed characters who find their strength.”
Kat Hall: “Intelligent women who may have had to learn a few lessons along the
way…”
Danielle: “The one characteristic that I do not like are the Too Stupid to Love
heroine. Otherwise, bluestockings if I’m reading a historical or a take charge kind of
heroine. For the hero, alpha but secretly a pushover.”
Lynn Connolly: “They have to work well together, to compliment each other…I’ll take
any kind of h/h (hero/heroine) – retiring, shy, beta, gamma…A pure alpha is a bit
boring…My favorite is the gamma, the bad boy.”
Betty Hanawa: “Both of them need to be self-sufficient so they compliment each
other…”
Brenna Lyons: “…I lean toward spunky, smart heroines who aren’t afraid to knock
their heroes down a few pegs and tortured heroes or heroes with a past that gives
them a vulnerability beneath the tough exterior.”
Marie Higgins: “Personally, I like strong heroines! Usually independent. And for my
hero – ALPHA, baby!”
Allie: “Something in the character that I recognize as me…Sometimes—with a great
writer—all it takes is a rite of passage or the frailty of the human condition to put me
in the protagonist’s shoes.”
Tarilyn Moore: The heroine – “That she has hope and her behavior indicates that. I
enjoy a heroine who has a sense of humor and can laugh at herself.”
Final tally for heroes and heroines (some of this has been interpreted from the
quotes): Alpha Female – 7, Alpha Male – 6, Flawed Character with Good Heart – 5,
Gamma Male (Bad Boy) – 2, Best Friend Male – 1, Humorous Female – 1
And now let’s move on to that sizzling question: “How hot do you like your love
scenes to be?” While the temperature varied for each respondent, most stated that it’
s important for the story or plot line to support the sex scenes. It has to feel right for
the characters or in some way embellish their personal growth. Here are the
responses:
Ginger Calem: “Love scenes don’t have to be graphic but I need them to be ‘real’
…emotion packed…with the smallest of details that pack the largest punch.”
Becka Goings: “I like hot love scenes, but when the scene starts resembling
something out of Gray’s Anatomy or some kind of acrobatics that only people in the
circus can do, then I stop reading or skip over it. The sex scene should fit the
characters and the era you are writing in, as well as the tone. If they are overcome
with passion, then it’s going to be HOT, HARD and FAST. If they begin slowly
exploring each other, then they are going to take their time to turn on the Barry White
and light some candles. :D In the slower love scenes, I don’t necessarily see the H
(Hero) or h (Heroine) using “dirty talk” as much as I would in the HOT and HEAVY
scene. It all depends.
Anonymous: “Because I usually choose stories with strong Alpha driven males and
strong Alpha females it is inevitable that the love scenes will or should be scorchers.
My ideal hero and heroine both have very strong passions as well, no fainting
virgins…
Nina Sipes: “Very (hot) but they must go with the story. Extra sex to fill in the pages is
like watching porno—no plot.
Kat Hall: “This totally depends upon the characters and the story. Steamy, sensuous,
teasing, tantalizing, even just the thought of what it could be like with the h/h (can be
enough).”
Danielle: “Hot, hot is fine, I’m not picky. But please no more than 5 pages of one sex
scene at a time. Some authors get carried away.”
Lynn Connolly: “It depends on the characters. If it works with the story, and the
characters, I love hot! But one of my favorite authors is Georgette Heyer, who never
went beyond kisses. I don’t like crude language in love scenes, I find that a real turn
off. I don’t like slot A tab B sex scenes either.”
Betty Hanawa: “I read and write from the sweet sensual to the erotic, but if the love
scenes in a story don’t tie in with the character growth or the plot points, then what’s
the point?”
Brenna Lyons: “I read everything from non-romance through erotic. It has to feel right
for the characters. There are few things more annoying to me than slapped-in sex.”
Marie Higgins: “It really depends on the story. But I like my stories to be sensual to
mild spicy. I’d rather have more the tease and sexual tension than to read about
them doing it every other chapter.”
Allie: “Whatever fits the story. It varies. Gratuitous scenes are a dead bore.”
Tarilyn Moore: “I’m probably the odd ball in this one because I don’t like the role of
the voyeur. (I feel, sometimes, I get way too much information.)
And the score is: Sex supported by story and characters: 9, Very hot and sexy– 7,
Strong passions/emotions – 2, The whole range from Mild to Very Hot – 2, Sensual
to Mild Spicy – 1, Mild – 1. From the looks of this survey, very hot sex scenes are
great if they’re supported by the plot. This indicates a desire for lot of strong,
emotional bond-building between the hero and heroine in order to qualify the sex. If
most pages of a romance book are spent developing a solid and credible
relationship between the hero and heroine, it would likely not be lost on these
readers. They do not appear to be looking for the pushover type in either the hero or
heroine.
Members were also asked “What keeps you coming back to a particular author?”
Most indicated that either the writing or the characters in a book drew them back to
the authors that wrote them. Here are their comments:
Ginger Calem: “The strongest selling point is the characters. If I end a novel and the
author has left me wanting to spend more time with their characters…they’ve done
their job and I’ll be looking for their next book.”
Becka Goings: “Their ability to tell a story believably and the way they wrap up their
plots. Also the wording they use to describe things, the way they write…”
Anonymous: “I found that good/great writers have great characters…it is the writing
that keeps me coming back.”
Nina Sipes: “The writing and the characters cannot be separated. They enhance
each other. I like action…angst.”
Kat Hall: “The writing and if they have several books regarding a particular character
that I really like – then that will draw me back.”
Danielle: “I have to admit that I love trilogies and I think that’s what keeps me coming
back to a writer. But most of all, it has to be well written…”
Lynn Connolly: “The quality of writing, first and last…”
Betty Hanawa: “Yes (the writing and the characters bring me back to an author).”
Brenna Lyons: “It’s the overall package, but the three most important things for me
are characters you can empathize with and get inside the heads of, consistent world
rules and detailing of the world. If you can give me those things, you have a chance
of being one of my autobuys.”
Marie Higgins: “Wrting is first – then the story…”
Allie: “(The writing and characters.)”
Tarilyn Moore: “The style (of writing). Usually, it’s something a little on the quirky side.
And voice has to do with it, too.”
And the tally is: The writing – 10, The characters – 7, The story – 3, Voice – 1, A
trilogy – 1
Finally, participants were asked which genres they favor. The results are:
Paranormal – 8, Contemporary – 7, Historical – 7, Romantic suspense – 6, Sci-fi –
5, Fantasy – 2
This completes the poll, and like most collections of information, we can see a lot of
diversity, however, certain major themes bubble up as well. If, for example, we were
to pair the results of the RWA study with the condensed results of this poll, we’d have
that forty-year-old White woman from the Midwest reading a Romantic Suspense or
a Paranormal book with an Alpha hero and heroine sporting some flawed behaviors
but basically good-natured. The characters in their stories would have a strong
relationship before they engaged in hot sex, and the writing would be superior.
Of course, in reality, it’s far more complicated, yet as a writer of romance, it pays to
see the big picture and watch the market trends. We can divert from the standard
norm, as long as we don’t venture off the wider path. If we do, it’s smart to remember
that our market will shrink accordingly. And if that’s okay, go for it, but if the trail gets
too small, we may as well put a little lock on our stories and stuff them away in that
secret drawer.
We need to build our birdhouses so they will come.
I’ll end my column with a writing conference and more RWA contests for August that
non-members may enter. In the next issue of Heart Beat, we’ll look at ways to
capture our readers through their heartstrings, or emotions. We’ll ask the questions,
how do we make them care? What is the secret for producing a heart-pounding
romance? Comments from you, the readers, are always welcome. If you have any
thoughts, ideas, questions, please email me at AnnDurand@TRI-Studio.com. I’ll do
my best to address it. I hope you’ll all come back for the next article. In the
meantime…
Happy Heartbeats!
Ann
and rewriting, editing and polishing…and for what? Why do we put ourselves through
this sometimes grueling regimen? The ultimate goal has to be, if we’re looking for
success in the marketplace, a connection with that marvelous and sometimes
elusive creature, the reader of romance fiction. Let’s face it, without her, we are
doing little more than journaling our fantasies in a diary. Only when she chooses to
read our story and decides she likes it, may we then realize our final reward. She’s
like a bird that alights on a perch in our garden—if the seed doesn’t suit her, she’s
off to the next perch, or in this case, the next bookshelf. It becomes our hope and
aspiration to reach as many of her kind as possible. She has the power to send us
on the journey of our dreams, or back to that little writing book with the lock on it.
Now, that’s a lot of power.
It serves us greatly to find out as much as we can about this exotic bird, so that we
may better guide our writing to suit her tastes. First, of course, it’s important to know
who she is. We need to recognize her and understand a few things about her—in
keeping with the analogy—to identify her by her by her plumage and habitat. Do we
have the equivalent of an ornithological study for the romance reader?
Yes, we do. And after studying the 2004 Romance-Fiction Sales Statistics, Reader
Demographics and Book-Buying Habits report commissioned by Romance Writers
of America, a profile for this little dove does indeed emerge. Though the types of
birds are varied, if we condense the romance reader into a single one, according to
this study, she’s a forty-year-old married White woman who lives in the Midwest. At
the tender age of sixteen, she read her first romance novel and went on to graduate
from high school and attend college. She now favors a single-title romance,
especially if it’s a contemporary romantic suspense. She reads one to five
romances a year and buys her books at a mall bookstore, or sometimes at Target or
Wal-Mart. And here’s an interesting tidbit: She does not plan to buy a romance novel
when she enters the bookstore, but rather grabs it after seeing it on display (Two out
of three romance purchases are made on impulse). When she selects her book, the
description on the back cover captures her first, and if she still isn’t sure, she’ll flip
through the pages, assessing the style and quality of the writing.
But surely not every romance reader is a forty-year-old married White woman from
the Midwest? Not at all, it’s just that 49.5% are married, 75% are White, 25% are
between thirty-five and forty-four years of age, and 32% are from the Midwest, the
highest percentages for their categories. Yet, who or what comprises the rest? While
almost half of our readers are married, a hearty 33% are single; 10.7% are divorced;
6% are widowed, and .5% are separated. Some might say that divorced and
widowed women can be squeezed into the ‘singles’ category, bringing the total for
single women to the half mark as well. And while the majority of romance readers
are White, 11% each are African American and Hispanic, and 3% are Asian.
Flanking the highest percentage for age at thirty-five to forty-four, are the next highest
at 20% for twenty-five to thirty-four, and 17% for forty-five to fifty-four. Following the
Midwest as the most common area of residence, the remaining romance readers in
the USA live in the West at 26%, the South at 20% and the North East at 16%.
Interesting nest and feathers; but you may still be wondering about her reading
habits. What for example, are her favorite romance genres? As stated earlier, the
most popular genre is romantic suspense, holding sway with a whopping 91%, but
this doesn’t mean that only 9% is left for the other genres. Luckily, readers are able
to enjoy more than one, so other genres have a healthy section of the pie as well.
Here’s more of the breakdown: 80% of readers enjoy contemporary romance; 61%
like an inspirational romance, 78% read romances set in an exotic locale, 56% read
historical romances set in England, another 53% go for the historical set in Scotland,
64% like their historical in the American West, 65% read colonial American, and
49% look for the medieval setting. 39% read futuristic or time travel and 37% enjoy
paranormal romances, although the latter is on the upswing.
But enough of these dry statistics. How can we learn, first hand, what our readers are
looking for between the pages? Now that we can identify her, how do we learn what
is it that she wants? This is the birdhouse in terms of our efforts. We want to build a
solid one to entice them back to roost. How do we find out if they’d rather read about
Alpha men or gamma boys, happy endings or realistic ones, hot love scenes or
sweet embraces? Is there a natural habitat for readers of romance, one where they
congregate and talk about their favorite books?
Of course there is. And while some may flock together in living rooms and
restaurants, it’s not always easy to elicit an invitation to one of these parties, let
alone find a group. Luckily, many readers assemble online, and there are Yahoo
groups that have formed for this expressed purpose. Four of my favorites, Fallen
Angel Chatters, NovelSpotters, ChickLit, and WingsReaders have chat boards
where authors and readers get together and talk about the books, much as people
do around coffee urns in their offices or in their own homes. The conversations are
light-hearted, for the most part. Attitudes on these boards and in the chat rooms are
largely upbeat and supportive, which makes sense when you consider what the
romance reader is truly after: a good time, even a rollicking good time…or at the
very least an interesting one. This is, after all, entertainment.
In order to pulse their tastes in romance reading, I recently posted a poll on several
of these Yahoo group boards, inviting members to participate in a questionnaire.
Thirteen members responded, and from that, certain common preferences emerged
while particular tastes within these threads varied widely. For example, the first
question, “How important is it for you to have a happily ever after ending?” created a
resounding chorus of “yes” with just a few exceptions, while their reasons for wanting
a happy ending differed. You can read their responses to this question yourself.
Here are excerpts from their answers:
Ginger Calem: “If I’m reading a romance, I do like to feel that they hit the mark and
found love. It doesn’t have to be the big-bang, but I really do need to feel at the end
that they will ‘stay’ together or ‘be’ together.”
Becka Goings: “In a romance, it’s everything to me. Other book genres can get away
with an open ended book or one where they don’t get together or it doesn’t work
out…If I read a romance with no HEA (Happily Ever After), then it’s likely I won’t buy
another book written by that author.”
Anonymous: “I like to have the HEA…I am willing to wait over several books for the
HEA.”
Nina Sipes: “It is essential…life sucks enough. Reading should be enjoyable.”
Kat Hall: “Extremely important…we are keeping our hope alive that it (HEA) can and
will happen to us…it helps to keep us looking on the bright side.
Danielle: “Very important. I know that it’s fiction…but after reading 300 or more
pages, I would like to see that after all what the hero and heroine went through, that
at least they lived HEA.”
Lynne Connolly: “Vital. I did an English degree – I had my fill of unhappy endings.”
Betty Hanawa: “Happily-ever-after by meaning I’ve seen the emotional growth in the
heroine/hero reach satisfactory conclusion, then ‘yes.’ If the meaning is: must have
H/H (Hero/Heroine) married with the baby carriage, then NO.”
Mary: “Happy endings are good…I also like when an ending is put at the end, telling
what has happened to the couple years from now, even if they die.”
Brenna Lyons: “Not important at all. It’s more important to me that the ending be
fitting for the world, characters, and situation.”
Marie Higgins: “VERY IMPORTANT…we spend all that time getting to know the
characters and having them shoot for one goal – being together – so naturally as a
reader we expect it to happen.
Allie: “What is more important than a HEA is an ending that is fitting to the story.
Tarilyn Moore: “As long as the ending is satisfying, I don’t care if it’s a ‘happily-eve-
after’ or not.”
Final tally: Happy Ending – 9, Conditional (Depends on the story) – 3
The next question,“What characteristics do you look for in your heroine? Your hero?”
Once again, the question elicited varied responses, though flawed characters with
good hearts surfaced as a dominant theme, as well as a penchant for both alpha
males and females. Here are the excerpts:
Ginger Calem: “…I look for traits that make them real. They can be flawed, but they
must not be wimpy, two-faced, selfish or greedy. I like to see characters that are truly
life-like, with idiosyncrasies that are colorful but that are true-blue, honest, moral and
sincere at heart.”
Becka Goings: “I like to see growth in the heroine…I want to see her learn and grow
throughout the book to either be stronger, or learn how to give up some of her
control. And I want the hero to be the one to teach her!”
Anonymous: “I want the hero to be all alpha, but willing to be tamed by an even
stronger heroine, at least in the bedroom…”
Nina Sipes: “I adore masquerades and mistaken identities. What goes along with
this are people doing things they aren’t normally doing. So, I like heroines and
heroes that are adventurous in spirit. Flawed characters who find their strength.”
Kat Hall: “Intelligent women who may have had to learn a few lessons along the
way…”
Danielle: “The one characteristic that I do not like are the Too Stupid to Love
heroine. Otherwise, bluestockings if I’m reading a historical or a take charge kind of
heroine. For the hero, alpha but secretly a pushover.”
Lynn Connolly: “They have to work well together, to compliment each other…I’ll take
any kind of h/h (hero/heroine) – retiring, shy, beta, gamma…A pure alpha is a bit
boring…My favorite is the gamma, the bad boy.”
Betty Hanawa: “Both of them need to be self-sufficient so they compliment each
other…”
Brenna Lyons: “…I lean toward spunky, smart heroines who aren’t afraid to knock
their heroes down a few pegs and tortured heroes or heroes with a past that gives
them a vulnerability beneath the tough exterior.”
Marie Higgins: “Personally, I like strong heroines! Usually independent. And for my
hero – ALPHA, baby!”
Allie: “Something in the character that I recognize as me…Sometimes—with a great
writer—all it takes is a rite of passage or the frailty of the human condition to put me
in the protagonist’s shoes.”
Tarilyn Moore: The heroine – “That she has hope and her behavior indicates that. I
enjoy a heroine who has a sense of humor and can laugh at herself.”
Final tally for heroes and heroines (some of this has been interpreted from the
quotes): Alpha Female – 7, Alpha Male – 6, Flawed Character with Good Heart – 5,
Gamma Male (Bad Boy) – 2, Best Friend Male – 1, Humorous Female – 1
And now let’s move on to that sizzling question: “How hot do you like your love
scenes to be?” While the temperature varied for each respondent, most stated that it’
s important for the story or plot line to support the sex scenes. It has to feel right for
the characters or in some way embellish their personal growth. Here are the
responses:
Ginger Calem: “Love scenes don’t have to be graphic but I need them to be ‘real’
…emotion packed…with the smallest of details that pack the largest punch.”
Becka Goings: “I like hot love scenes, but when the scene starts resembling
something out of Gray’s Anatomy or some kind of acrobatics that only people in the
circus can do, then I stop reading or skip over it. The sex scene should fit the
characters and the era you are writing in, as well as the tone. If they are overcome
with passion, then it’s going to be HOT, HARD and FAST. If they begin slowly
exploring each other, then they are going to take their time to turn on the Barry White
and light some candles. :D In the slower love scenes, I don’t necessarily see the H
(Hero) or h (Heroine) using “dirty talk” as much as I would in the HOT and HEAVY
scene. It all depends.
Anonymous: “Because I usually choose stories with strong Alpha driven males and
strong Alpha females it is inevitable that the love scenes will or should be scorchers.
My ideal hero and heroine both have very strong passions as well, no fainting
virgins…
Nina Sipes: “Very (hot) but they must go with the story. Extra sex to fill in the pages is
like watching porno—no plot.
Kat Hall: “This totally depends upon the characters and the story. Steamy, sensuous,
teasing, tantalizing, even just the thought of what it could be like with the h/h (can be
enough).”
Danielle: “Hot, hot is fine, I’m not picky. But please no more than 5 pages of one sex
scene at a time. Some authors get carried away.”
Lynn Connolly: “It depends on the characters. If it works with the story, and the
characters, I love hot! But one of my favorite authors is Georgette Heyer, who never
went beyond kisses. I don’t like crude language in love scenes, I find that a real turn
off. I don’t like slot A tab B sex scenes either.”
Betty Hanawa: “I read and write from the sweet sensual to the erotic, but if the love
scenes in a story don’t tie in with the character growth or the plot points, then what’s
the point?”
Brenna Lyons: “I read everything from non-romance through erotic. It has to feel right
for the characters. There are few things more annoying to me than slapped-in sex.”
Marie Higgins: “It really depends on the story. But I like my stories to be sensual to
mild spicy. I’d rather have more the tease and sexual tension than to read about
them doing it every other chapter.”
Allie: “Whatever fits the story. It varies. Gratuitous scenes are a dead bore.”
Tarilyn Moore: “I’m probably the odd ball in this one because I don’t like the role of
the voyeur. (I feel, sometimes, I get way too much information.)
And the score is: Sex supported by story and characters: 9, Very hot and sexy– 7,
Strong passions/emotions – 2, The whole range from Mild to Very Hot – 2, Sensual
to Mild Spicy – 1, Mild – 1. From the looks of this survey, very hot sex scenes are
great if they’re supported by the plot. This indicates a desire for lot of strong,
emotional bond-building between the hero and heroine in order to qualify the sex. If
most pages of a romance book are spent developing a solid and credible
relationship between the hero and heroine, it would likely not be lost on these
readers. They do not appear to be looking for the pushover type in either the hero or
heroine.
Members were also asked “What keeps you coming back to a particular author?”
Most indicated that either the writing or the characters in a book drew them back to
the authors that wrote them. Here are their comments:
Ginger Calem: “The strongest selling point is the characters. If I end a novel and the
author has left me wanting to spend more time with their characters…they’ve done
their job and I’ll be looking for their next book.”
Becka Goings: “Their ability to tell a story believably and the way they wrap up their
plots. Also the wording they use to describe things, the way they write…”
Anonymous: “I found that good/great writers have great characters…it is the writing
that keeps me coming back.”
Nina Sipes: “The writing and the characters cannot be separated. They enhance
each other. I like action…angst.”
Kat Hall: “The writing and if they have several books regarding a particular character
that I really like – then that will draw me back.”
Danielle: “I have to admit that I love trilogies and I think that’s what keeps me coming
back to a writer. But most of all, it has to be well written…”
Lynn Connolly: “The quality of writing, first and last…”
Betty Hanawa: “Yes (the writing and the characters bring me back to an author).”
Brenna Lyons: “It’s the overall package, but the three most important things for me
are characters you can empathize with and get inside the heads of, consistent world
rules and detailing of the world. If you can give me those things, you have a chance
of being one of my autobuys.”
Marie Higgins: “Wrting is first – then the story…”
Allie: “(The writing and characters.)”
Tarilyn Moore: “The style (of writing). Usually, it’s something a little on the quirky side.
And voice has to do with it, too.”
And the tally is: The writing – 10, The characters – 7, The story – 3, Voice – 1, A
trilogy – 1
Finally, participants were asked which genres they favor. The results are:
Paranormal – 8, Contemporary – 7, Historical – 7, Romantic suspense – 6, Sci-fi –
5, Fantasy – 2
This completes the poll, and like most collections of information, we can see a lot of
diversity, however, certain major themes bubble up as well. If, for example, we were
to pair the results of the RWA study with the condensed results of this poll, we’d have
that forty-year-old White woman from the Midwest reading a Romantic Suspense or
a Paranormal book with an Alpha hero and heroine sporting some flawed behaviors
but basically good-natured. The characters in their stories would have a strong
relationship before they engaged in hot sex, and the writing would be superior.
Of course, in reality, it’s far more complicated, yet as a writer of romance, it pays to
see the big picture and watch the market trends. We can divert from the standard
norm, as long as we don’t venture off the wider path. If we do, it’s smart to remember
that our market will shrink accordingly. And if that’s okay, go for it, but if the trail gets
too small, we may as well put a little lock on our stories and stuff them away in that
secret drawer.
We need to build our birdhouses so they will come.
I’ll end my column with a writing conference and more RWA contests for August that
non-members may enter. In the next issue of Heart Beat, we’ll look at ways to
capture our readers through their heartstrings, or emotions. We’ll ask the questions,
how do we make them care? What is the secret for producing a heart-pounding
romance? Comments from you, the readers, are always welcome. If you have any
thoughts, ideas, questions, please email me at AnnDurand@TRI-Studio.com. I’ll do
my best to address it. I hope you’ll all come back for the next article. In the
meantime…
Happy Heartbeats!
Ann