We had great fun at Christmas asking authors which of their characters they would spend Christmas eve with if they could (read that here). We had an incredible response, so we thought we’d bring that concept back for Women In SFF!

Over the course of the month, we’ll be asking authors three questions.

For Part 1 we asked which of your characters would you go on a road trip with?

And this week, we’re asking…

How did your family react when they read the spicy scenes in your book?

Oh, I just didn’t ask! I’ve also got some older readers – retired lady academics in their 70s, and they’re often the ones who let me know they’re fans of the spice. I don’t have  huge amounts of spice in my books, but it’s definitely there as flavouring! LoL. There are just some things I don’t need to ask my mother about – I do wonder what my sister thinks, though, coz she listens to the audiobooks on the drive to work!

Angela “A.G.” Slatter | The Path of Thorns

I texted my mom and asked what she thought of the spicy scenes in The Last Phi Hunter to which she replied, “it’s alright!” and when I asked her to elaborate, she proceeded to ask me how to fix her iphone, since it somehow switched to black and white mode and Siri wasn’t helping. Then I asked my 21-year old son, and he said, “I actually wasn’t expecting it. It’s alright, I guess.” My brother responded that he hasn’t gotten around to reading it, since he still hasn’t finished the Three Body Problem Series. My dad also ignored the question and instead gave me some character ideas for the possible sequel, complete with the historical background.

Salinee Goldenberg | The Last Phi Hunter

My mom actually read an earlier version of Saints where, would you believe it, there was 30% more spice. I have a tendency to write spice when I get stuck so I did a lot of work with my editor to tighten up the pacing when it came to those scenes LOL. She has yet to comment, but I know she’s holding her opinion in reserve for when she really needs ammunition against me. My sister is an oversharer when it comes to her love life, so she was THRILLED to read Saints. I received back a paragraph of mostly unintelligible emojis when she got to the bathhouse scene. One day I’ll hire a Gen Z translator.

Gabriella Buba | Saints of Storm and Sorrow

I don’t think any of my family has read The Sky on Fire, yet, but I’d be very surprised if they commented on the spicier scenes. I’m very fortunate in that they just tend to let that go unremarked. 

Jenn Lyons | The Sky on Fire

 I have several uber spicy scenes in Shadowed Moonlight which my mother has read. And, when we discuss the book, she oh so casually glosses over those parts.

K.C. Harper | Shadowed Moonlight

So far, my immediate family hasn’t read any of my spice (I think!) My indie series (Thalassic Series) actually has two versions out – a spicy version and a no-spice version, and I always direct my fam to the no-spice version. Angry Robot was fantastic in that they supported my idea to include a download code for a no-spice version of Dot Slash Magic in the back of the eBook, so I’ll be sending my family to the no-spice version of that too! There was that one time a family member wasn’t able to download the no-spice version of one of my books, so he went with the spicy one instead…and I’ll be honest, I haven’t heard from him since 😂😂😂 The book did feature a gay handjob and a threesome, so to be fair, I think it was a bit of an advanced introduction to the world of spice for him!

Liz Shipton | Dot Slash Magic acquired by Angry Robot, no further information currently.

My mum and little brother were my first readers and I’ve vowed that next time I write I will not be making that mistake again. As much as I love them I ended up toning down a lot of my potential spicy scenes just knowing who would be reading them. It didn’t help that my love scenes weren’t only gay but involved clones…

Maud Woolf  | Thirteen Ways to Kill Lulabelle Rock

I made the foolish error of telling my mom, specifically, not to read certain pages. So, of course, she immediately flipped to those pages. I also made another foolish error: sending a copy of the novel to my grandparents. I think the only way to escape this impending humiliation is to hide under a rock. Forever.

Sophie Kim | The God and the Gumiho

I would like to continue looking my father in the eye when I invade his house on the weekends, so I personally hand him a tabbed book so that he knows which chapters to avoid. As for my mother? My husband? My sisters? Read away, folks. You’re welcome.

Stacey McEwan (The Glacian Trilogy) | Valley

 I moonlight as a sex educator so my (almost adult) kids are used to me talking about sex all the time at the dinner table – usually funny things I’ve been asked in schools. But whenever they turn the topic to the romantasy spice of my imagination, I prefer to put my fingers in my ears and hum loudly. My son ribbed me with a review on Insta: 8/10, might have been 10/10 if sex scenes weren’t written by my mum, solid read. I liked and commented that he was a solid 8/10 as a son.

Jo Riccioni | The Branded

Luckily my parents have only ready my tamer books, but I am very grateful they respect my love of spice without having to be nosy and see it for themselves.

S.T. Gibson | Evocation

There are several sex scenes in Empires of Dust and A Sword of Bronze and Ashes, and I was fine with my parents reading them. My dad’s a writer and I’ve read a couple of his poems that have sexual references in them, it’s just something you have to cope with when you have a writer in the family I suppose. But I was slightly horrified when I realised my mum had read the anal sex joke in The Tower of Living and Dying.

Anna Smith Spark (Empires of Dust, A Woman of the Sword, A Sword of Bronze and Ashes) | A Sword of Bronze and Ashes

When they reached their teens, and so reading my epic fantasy books was a possibility, both my sons asked was there, y’know, sex in the stories? When I said, yes, a bit, both boys swore off ever reading them! In his late twenties, my younger son mentioned in passing that he had now read my first series. I asked what he thought? ‘Yeah, good.’ That’s it. My mum has read all my books, including the ones with rather more explicit scenes and she hasn’t commented at all. Not because she’s prudish, but she simply wouldn’t see any need. Discussing sex has always been entirely matter of fact in our family.

Juliet E McKenna (The Cleaving, The Green Man’s Quarry, The Tales of Einarinn) | The Cleaving

Ahaha, we’ll find out when my first Queens of Villainy book, Wooing the Witch Queen, comes out in February! That’s the first of my romantasies to include an open-door sex scene. I…am honestly hoping NOT to have to discuss it with them! 😉

Stephanie Burgis  | Wooing the Witch Queen

If any of my family members have read my fantasy books, they have been wise enough not to comment on the spicy bits…

Jen Williams (The Copper Promise/The Ninth Rain/Talonsister) | Titanchild