Articles

Would You Like Smut With Your Coffee?

Karen J. Mossman

No, I don’t. Lots do, and I guess I’m one of a minority.

I love gritty and dark romances. Bad boys are often fun, aren’t they? But my ‘ick ‘ (note – new modern word used for the first time) is the crude language that comes with it. More so when combined with beautiful prose. It’s like putting on a posh frock and wearing muddy Wellington boots.

Going into the bedroom doesn’t make me a voyeur. Oh no! I’m so fully invested in the protagonist by this point. I want to experience my two favourite people getting it together, and it’s a wonderful thing.

Authors have amazing talents. They can put readers through a whole range of emotions. They can increase our heartbeats and get our pulse racing. Have you ever had to stop reading just so you can exhale? That’s the power of words.

When that beautiful moment finally arrives, I want to be wooed with gorgeous writing. I don’t to want to be jarred from the story by his twitching dick – geez, there are so many magical ways to portray it without resorting to the porn.

The sad truth is, smut sells. You’ve only got see the trend on TikTok with women doing mundane tasks as they listen to a smutty book. I have to admit, their expressions are hilarious as they pretend not be affected.

Lately there have a plethora of wonderful books advertised and I can’t help falling for them. Luckily they come from Kindle Unlimited, so easily returned.

This year has been my biggest year of ‘books started but not finished.‘ I make it a policy not to give a negative review because it’s me, not the book. We all have our preferences and that’s mine and it’s okay to like what you like.

8 thoughts on “Would You Like Smut With Your Coffee?”

  1. Smut only works if it advances something in the story, like a character development or a plot line. Smut for the sake of smut is boring. I will browse right past it. The twitching dick is one of those expressions I wish the authors wouldn’t use. It pulls the romance right out of the moment. I also hate “string of pearls” and other mention of bodily fluids that make me think these people will need a mop when it’s all done. Some things are better left hinted at.

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    1. Haha! I agree too. It seems to be that everyone does it now and there are a lot of readers who love it.
      They are better hinted at depending on the story, but I don’t mind it as long it’s not crude.
      I’ve read one of yours and it was perfect and we did go in the bedroom!

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      1. Thank you, Karen. I’m glad to hear that. I try to find the right balance. It’s one of those things I struggled with early on, and sometimes I still try to watch it.

        I wanted to let you know I finally got to your books. I had put off reading fiction for quite some time and am now getting back to it. I forgot how fun it was to read without trying to educate myself on a topic. I started with Time Lines. I really loved the concept in that one (and how you followed through with it). It made me think of a Twilight Zone episode, and I’m a huge fan of the Twilight Zone. My mind doesn’t lean to writing stuff with neat twists like that. It’s always a treat when I get a chance to read things in the vein. I look forward to checking out more of your work.

        As an aside, I think it’s ridiculous you and the authors you’ve done anthologies with have to point out that the European grammar isn’t the same as the US’s. I understand why you do it. I just think that people can take a look at the author’s profile and see why the grammar is a little different.

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      2. Thanks Ruth, that’s really good of you and I’m happy you liked Time Lines. I hope you able to leave a review. They are always precious.

        I, too, struggled with that in the early years. I just knew that if I wrote like that I would be too embarrased to promote it. Now I can see the right balance and it’s okay to write what you are comfortable with.

        A number of years ago, I gave out an ARC. The reader who lives in the States said there were too many spelling errors in it. She had no idea that British and American spelling was different, and I suppose why should she?

        I see it a lot in books too, and have added the disclaimer to my own in the past. So I don’t mind that.

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      3. I did leave a review. Were you able to see it? I notice that sometimes I don’t see reviews on books that have been rated on Amazon. I am starting to wonder if that’s because I reviewed on the US site instead of the UK. I read a lot of UK authors, and I don’t often see the reviews on those books. I just see the star rating. But maybe that’s a Goodreads review.

        I think here in the US, people tend to think that everyone else does things the way we do. We’re a self-centered bunch. 😉 Like I will see references that only those in the US would probably appreciate and think, “What about people in other countries? Will they understand this reference?” I guess being a lover of British shows for decades, I was familiar with the differences in spelling and grammar.

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      4. I usually check Amazon Author Central. You can see all other countries here and have discovered reviews I’d have never seen otherwise. It maybe doesn’t update as quickly than on the book. However, it has now, and I discovered a couple new reviews there too. So that was good. Thanks very much.

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