Boundaries

-
I don't like for my books to make political or religious statements. While I may mention a character's political leanings or infer they practice a certain religion, I don't think romance readers want any soap-boxing from an author. In the past, I've stopped reading an author when her books became a hammer to drive in points about her personal beliefs regarding those oh-so-polarizing topics.

In my current work in progress, my characters are undercover as religious figures and as I'm writing, I'm starting to worry it will offend some readers. Religion in any context is a difficult topic to broach. I've tried thinking of another way for them to be undercover ---- the situation they are investigating has nothing to do with any church --- but religious figure makes the most sense.

Risk it or edit to a cover story that's safer... but maybe less interesting?

Comments

  1. Amalie BerlinJune 4, 2013 at 9:31 PM

    Trickytricky. I have no answer, only the suggestion that my editor has had me curb my natural sauciness when it nears Offensive-ville. Even if it's tongue-in-cheek. Making sure that the book had a global voice was one of my last rounds of revisions with book1.

    Could your religious figure be more of a cult leader than like say... Baptist?

    ReplyDelete
  2. C.J. MillerJune 4, 2013 at 9:52 PM

    Global voice, yes! That's a great way to put it. Because Harlequin publishes internationally, it's good to stay away from items that could offend. I was thinking of making my character's cover be super generic ministers or maybe even missionaries and skip over any details about missionaries of what sector. The religious angle only plays into how they are getting into an area so the details aren't plot critical. Thanks Amalie!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Call

-
I love reading stories about writers who get the call from an editor or agent when their book is going to be published. In my writer groups, this telephone call is referred to as "The Call." This differs from the dreaded "R," which is a letter of rejection. So without further ado... my story! I had heard that HRS was increasing their word count and I had assumed that when I heard back about my book, it would be either a rejection or another request for revisions to make the book longer. I was cleaning up the kitchen and getting ready to start dinner when I heard the phone ring. It was a 212 number I didn't recognize. I thought the call might be from a contractor we'd hired to install a new front door in our home. I answered and the person asked for me. She identified herself as Shana Smith from Harlequin (at this point I started shaking) and she said they wanted to publish my book (at this point I almost started to cry with happiness). For one small mo...
Read more

Harlequin Holiday Open House - Clue #3 The Hero

-
Image
Thank you to ISAFMEDIA for this photo. A Killer Christmas Clue #3: Nicholas not only had to finish the marathon, he had to finish it in better time than Michael. Being the first in their squad to cross the finish line would mean a lot to him. Pride and bragging rights were at stake. He had been training for months. A few feet to his left, Jessica was putting her all into the run and wearing a pair of running pants that showed off her athletic figure. Not that she needed to put in much effort to look good. Jessica was beautifully strong and incredibly sexy. Nicholas turned his focus back to the race. Their team had to finish ahead of Michael’s. Your clue is : The Sexy Marine To play A Killer Christmas : Gather other clues here . To Win the Grand Prize, an HRS Book Bundle : Save this clue to enter it here by 6pm EST for a chance to win an HRS Book Bundle! To Win a copy of Hiding His Witness : Who makes the best hero? The rugged cowboy? The rogue detective? The cute firema...
Read more

#TBRCHALLENGE May 2021 - Fairy Tale or Folktale *REVIEW*

-
Image
 Welcome back to the #TBRCHALLENGE for May 2021. This month's theme is Fairytale or Folktale, but I didn't know how to search my books for that particular theme. I picked the next closest thing I had - Dukes! This month I read (most of) Duke I'd like to F... A Historical Romance Anthology. I bought this anthology last year. I was unfamiliar with most of the authors. I don't read many novellas because I have a hard time connecting with characters when the format is so short. Each novella was so different, so I want to comment on them individually. The Chasing of Eleanor Vane by Sierra Simone : This novella is the first in the anthology and I had a hard time connecting with the premise. I wasn't convinced that the hero and heroine would actually wind up with a happy ending despite their strong physical, instant attraction to each other. The world in which the duke wanted to live was so far removed from the heroine's life. Duke for Hire by Nicola Davidson - This w...
Read more