So, ARCs (advanced reading copies) of Hot Mama are currently going out to reviewers far and wide. (Nervous giggle.) I sent one of my ARCs to my pal, Edie, who blogs over at Magical Musings. Here’s what she thought about it:

“I really like that you gave Fiona such a distinct personality, different from Carmen. You didn’t write the same characters with different names. And I want to be able to eat like her without gaining weight. Also, the fact that with every gift there’s a cost (I can’t remember the wording). Also, that it’s not “romancy.” The sex is hot but Fiona is hot. So you have hot sex without cliches. It’s really fresh and different — and fun! You’ve created a great world in Bigtime.”

Pretty good, huh? :ww:

Edie said a lot of nice things about the book, but mostly what caught my eye was the phrase not romancy. And I started thinking about the kind of books I like to read and write, and romance books in general.

Romances often get a bad rep because people assume the love story is the whole point of the book — and that they’re just a series of sex scenes strung together. Well, that’s true in some cases. But in the vast, vast majority of romance books, the characters have more to deal with than the search for Mr. and Ms. Right. Problems at work. At home. Inner conflict and turmoil. Romance is only part of the story, part of the journey.

I like the second kind of books the best, mainly because that’s how it is for people in real life. Sure, you might be drooling over your new, hot, ex-football player neighbor, but you’ve still got to get up and go to work every morning. Deal with your boss. Family. Pets. The woman across the street who wants the hot football player for herself (that shameless hussy!) 😈

A couple of people have told me my books aren’t very romancy. There are probably a couple of reasons for this, the main one being I write in first person (most romances are third person, so you get the guy’s point of view too). But in my books, the focus is on the woman — and her journey to discover that makes her happy, strong, special.

And I’m not writing shrinking violets. My women have gone to college. Have careers. Support themselves. They can be sweet or bitchy. Some are beautiful; some are not. Some have superpowers; some do not. Some are rich; some are not. They have hobbies, interests, obsessions. They might be looking for love, but it’s not the only thing they’ve got going on. I think that’s an important message to send — and how people are in real life.

My books are also pretty different because they’re about superheroes, which most people think of as more of a guy’s genre. But mainly, I think my books are different because they’re just fun.

Some reviewers and readers have ripped into me for not being more serious — about superheroes, about fantasy, about life in general. But I’m not trying to write the Great American Novel. I write the kind of fast-paced, fun, slightly implausible adventures I like to read and watch – James Bond, Buffy, Xena, The A-Team.

This isn’t to say my books don’t have themes or deeper meanings. My heroines struggle with doing the right thing and coming to terms with their own personal demons. But I’m not going to beat you over the head with that kind of stuff for 350 pages. Angst gets old after a while, which is probably one of the reasons I’m not a huge Superman fan.

So, does all this make my books romancy or not? I’ll leave that up to readers to decide. Romance, fantasy, comic books, whatever label you want to put on them is fine with me. All I want to do is entertain folks. Given the great response I got for Karma Girl, I think I’m pretty good at it. 😉

What about you? Do you like romance books that are mostly about the romance? A 50-50 split? More action? Inquiring minds want to know …