This wasn’t something I’d directly told my then-sixth grader, but she’s a bright kid and had obviously picked up on that from conversations around the house. I should add that I live in a small Texas town that was much, much smaller seven years ago.
So …
One day, she’s at school, and her class is in line for the lunchroom. She’s at the end, chatting with a friend. Her teacher, we’ll call him Mr. Smith, is about thirty kids in front of her. All. The. Way. Down. The. Hall.
I’m not sure how it came up, but apparently she and the guy standing next to her were talking about their parents’ jobs. And when he asked what I did, she said I was a writer.
“Cool. What does she write?”
“Books like Fifty Shades of Grey.”
“What’s that?”
Well, she didn’t know, having only read my all-ages-appropriate Demon-Hunting Soccer Mom series. So she bellows … “Mr. Smith, what’s Fifty Shades of Grey?”
All heads turn. Teachers pop out of classrooms. The world stops spinning on its axis. Yeah, like that.
(For reasons that defy explanation, I was not asked to come in and see the administration. I also don’t believe I’ve ever made eye contact with Mr. Smith since.)
About the same time, one of my neighbors in my cul-de-sac read Release Me and the books that followed, then cornered me one day and asked if my husband and I “did all the stuff” in the book.
I’m pretty sure Stephen King never gets that kind of question. And no one has ever asked me if I kill demons in my spare time.
But I just smiled and told her that if we did everything I would have no time to write the books.
Keep ‘em guessing. That’s my motto.
What I didn’t tell her was how much research goes into writing sex, especially if you’re working hard to have each scene have it’s own unique feel and purpose. (I.e., if you want to mix it up a bit. Or if the characters have a particular kink, or whatever).
The point being, my browser history is a thing to behold, and not just because of the sex. I also write a lot of suspense into my stories. So I’ll research sex (and get all sorts of really, really interesting spam) and then I’ll research something like money laundering or prostitution or human trafficking.
(Note to the FBI. It’s RESEARCH. I have the receipts!)
My oldest daughter, now a senior, loves her Fifty story because she is my drama queen who likes things that are a bit awkward.
My youngest daughter, now a freshman, is the exact opposite. Talk of sex makes her want to crawl under a table, and anything remotely embarrassing is the worst thing ever.
So…