I’m on the downhill slide of my Marquess and Governess story and plan to finish by Friday. Last week on Diane’s Blog I listed various things I’ve researched for the story. Here are some more:

The Ring in Hyde Park
Title Names in The Incomplete Peerage
How to Speak English Like the Irish
Gunter’s Tea Shop
Floris Perfume Shop
Fencing Terms

Have you guessed the story yet?

(Wish me luck! I do want to finish this on time)

** The image is a Meissen porcelain figure dated 1772. If this were me, picture those bottles as Diet Coke.

Once in a while, I read customer reviews or get reader mail complaining about the level of sex in my books. I think this is partly my own fault, because I’ve written everything from the sweet traditional Regency (my first two stories) to my newest novella, which was originally targeted for Harlequin’s sexy Undone! line. It’s no wonder that readers who prefer just one heat level get confused.

But I’ve actually put a lot of thought into how to package my reissued stories. I want my covers to hint (though not scream) at the sensuality. I’ve also try to address this in the product descriptions I write (excerpt here).

LADY EM’S INDISCRETION is an original, sexy Regency novella (short story) by award-winning author Elena Greene. Length: about 13,000 words (7 chapters). Sensuality: Erotic. Lovemaking scenes are central to the story.

I didn’t originally call this story “erotic” because I’ve read erotic romances that are far edgier than this (bondage, multiple partners, etc…) I only updated it to “erotic” after several complaints. But I still get the occasional review that this novella has too much sex in it. Funny, they also sometimes complain that it is too short.

So while at a pub with friends last night, I wracked my brains and came up with a brilliant solution for helping readers find what they want.

I thought about the fact that I read all levels of romance, from sweet to erotic. Characterization and storytelling are what matter most. But it’s totally different when Buffalo chicken wings are concerned. “Mild” is too bland, “Hot” is too spicy and “Suicide” would probably kill me. So it’s always “Medium” for me.

Taking the chicken wing analogy to romance, romance novels could be categorized and labeled as follows:

Mild – things you can talk about at a PTA or church meeting
Medium – things you’ll admit having done
Hot – things you’ve actually done
Suicide – things that are fun to imagine but you’d probably never do

All we have to do is get bookstores and reviewers to buy into this. It should be a snap.

What do you think? How would you handle this?

Elena
www.elenagreene.com
www.facebook.com/ElenaGreene

Janet is still in the UK and will be back to Risky Regencies next week. So stay tuned for what witty, irreverent thing she’ll say next!

The Other Riskies

I seem to be talking a lot lately about books I’ve been reading, but I seem to be in the middle of a good reading run!! I just finished the tons of fun Much Ado About Loving: What Our Favorite Novels Can Teach You About Great Expectations, Not so Great Gatsbys, and Love in the Time of Internet Personals by Jack Murnighan and Maura Kelly, which mines works of literature for modern dating advice. (PW called it “…a clever, amusing hybrid of lit crit and relationship advice”). I’ve often thought novels are a great source of guidance when it comes to dating and love myself, so I snatched up this book and spent a wonderful afternoon laughing at its lessons!

Some of my favorite chapters: “The Blabbers Karamazov: The dangers of revealing too much too soon”; “Not-so-great-Gatsby: Is it flattering or creepy when a guy persists?”; “Bride and Prejudice: Does wanting to get married give you champagne goggles?”; “Madame Ho-Vary: Is cheating ever okay?”; and “Jane Erred: Why it’s silly to put principles over passion” (“When and if you’re lucky enough to find true love, don’t muck it up with mindless adherence to convention. Throw away that list of requirements….”)

And then there is “Lady’s Chattering Lover: 10 things not to say after sex.” Example #8–Tread with caution when talking about his penis (“And now it’s tiny and soft like a little bud of life!”
What romance lessons have you learned from your favorite books??

And the winner is……..

Kat!

Kat, email me at diane@dianegaston.com and let me know what kind of download you require for your free copy of A Breach of Promise. I’ll pass the information on to Victoria right away.

And many thanks to Victoria aka Emery for being our guest!

Diane