I am happy to include my first guest post and participate in this blog tour. I hope you enjoy this article about Brooke Moss and learning about her and her new book. Read through to the end to find a giveaway too! :)
No
Smexing? Why Not?
By Brooke Moss
Hello, and thanks for having me here
on the Clean Romance Reviews Blog! As a long time fan of this blog, and an
author of “smexing-free” books, I was ecstatic to contribute.
A reviewer recently asked me for my
latest novel, The Carny, why I didn’t
write out the sex scenes between my heroine, Charlotte, and her handsome hero,
Vincent. Surprisingly enough, I was really glad to have the chance to explain
my “fade-to-black” bedroom scenes to the world. When my debut novel, The What If Guy, came out, I was asked
that question all the time, but never took the time to answer it. Today’s my
chance…
When I set out to become a published
author I knew a couple of things for sure: 1.) That I had a boatload of stories
to share. And 2.) That whatever story I told, there had to be an element of
romance. As an avid reader of the romance genre, I love anything that is
centered on love. Whether that is sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary, women’s
fiction, or YA…I crave an element of romance like chocolate. Books simply don’t
feel right to me without it.
I’m an equal opportunity reader. I
read everything from what is considered to be “sweet” romance, “fade-to-black”
romance (like the books I’ve written), to some pretty awesome smexing on the
page. I admire authors who can write sensual and erotic scenes, the eye for
detail and logistics is impeccable. But as an author, my comfort zone stops
just short of a sex scene. I think every writer has a comfort zone. Some don’t
like to write exceptionally violent scenes, others don’t mind it. Some don’t
enjoy writing about worlds that don’t really exist, and tend to feel more
comfortable with contemporary settings. And some—like me, for instance—aren’t
necessarily comfortable writing about the entire act of sex.
Here’s the deal: I have four kids. I
know how it’s done, and how wonderful it can be. For me, when I am writing a
scene, I don’t feel like my characters need me to provide all of their personal
details. Plus, as my children grow up, and I work hard to teach them a certain
level of behavior and morality, how can I expect them to avoid things of an
excessive sexual nature, if my books have gratuitous sexual content? It’s not
that I think books with full sex scenes aren’t good…it just means that, personally,
I am more comfortable writing books without them. In my life, I’ve made a
commitment to my husband, my family, and my faith to keep my sexuality private
and only between my husband and myself. This made my decision to write
“fade-to-black” books very simple for me.
I think every reader, and author,
has to come to the determination of what level of sensuality they’re
comfortable with on their own. I have critique partners who write books that
while they are more sensual than mine, they both write their books in a very
respectful, classy style that I am more than impressed with. They’ve found
their own comfort zones, and perfected their craft within it. I’m impressed
with that. The great thing about books is that there is a heat level for all
readers, and not one reader goes without!
Thank you so much for having me on
the Clean Romance Reviews Blog today. Here’s a little bit about my latest
release, from InkSpell Publishing, The
Carny:
“At a
town fair on the coast of Oregon, handsome Native American carny, Vincent
Youngblood, bestows an unforgettable kiss on shy, awkward teenager, Charlotte
Davenport. Then he disappears without another word, leaving her baffled and
enamored.
Ten years later, Charlotte is still
living in the small fishing town of Astoria, while being trained
to--reluctantly--take over for her philandering hotelier father when he
retires. After all, who else will do it? Her two perfect sisters are busy being
married to their flawless husbands and having cookie cutter children, while
Charlotte remains single, childless, and every bit as mousy as she was a decade
ago.
As Charlotte
struggles to climb out from underneath her judgmental parents thumb, the
carnival rolls back into town, and Charlotte finds herself face to face with
Vin again. He's back to run his father's carnival, walking away from a
promising career in medicine he started in Chicago. Will her biased and
judgmental family accept her relationship with a man who is not only a Native
American, but works as a carny for a living? And what unsavory secrets bind the
well-educated and seemingly superlative Vin to that ramshackle carnival? After
all, you can’t judge a carny by its cover.”
Here’s a little bit
about me: “Brooke writes complex, character-driven stories about kismet,
reunited lovers, first love, and the kind of romance that we should all have
the chance at finding. She prefers her stories laced with some humor just for
fun, and enough drama to keep her readers flipping the pages, and begging for
more!” Find me elsewhere on the web here: www.brookemoss.com and order your
copy of The Carny here: www.inkspellpublishing.com
Enter below for a chance to win a copy of The Carny. Up for grabs is 1 paperback copy and 4 e-book copies! Print copy is open to the US, e-book is open internationally. Please note that while the code is on my site, I am neither running the giveaway nor am picking/contacting the winners. This giveaway was created and is being run by the publisher.
An Inkspell Publishing Giveaway
For my summary and review, please click here.
Jennifer Shirk
Roseanne Evans Wilkins
Saralee Etter
Victoria Ashe
Cindy A. Christiansen
For my summary and review, 
Michelle Pennington
So, how do you enter to win? It's easy! Just use the Rafflecopter form below.