This came in today on Goodreads. I answered it there, but then decided that maybe I ought to post it here as well, because answering it gave me a chance to articulate in one post how I personally see my books. Readers are, of course, going to see a book any damned way they choose after they plunk down their money for it, and that’s only right. But I think it can be useful sometimes to have the author’s viewpoint as well, if for no other reason than it lets you know what you’re in for if you do, in fact, choose to buy it.

The comment (it helps to read Q&A 50 first):

Sorry to say but I think I’m not the only one who would say that the romance/relationship element of this series is a HUGE driving force for us fans. If the intent was for the series to NOT be centered around Cassie’s romance(s) then maybe the very first book should not have been about Mircea putting a geas on Cassie that could only be broken by having SEX . . . with 2 versions of himself, simultaneously, in like the 3rd book of the series.

Please don’t get me wrong, I adore the series (and others like it) but I am getting kind of tired of writers getting annoyed by readers “mis-categorizing” their books. If you write books/series that have a really heavy romance/sexual element then sorry but that makes them Paranormal Romance not Urban Fantasy. Don’t get ticked off when the fans focus on that element & start to nit pick an obviously disrespectful relationship that comes across more as a Master/Property than a messy relationship where the man & his goons just can’t seem to wrap their century old brains around how a “human” woman should be respected.

That right there is why I personally detest Mircea, the vamp goons & the way they treat Cassie. She is NOT just some weak little kitteny human girl, her being the Pythia is supposed to be the whole reason Mircea wants to keep her “safe”, because she is so powerful. He is well aware of how strong she is & I’m sorry but all his actions up til this point show that to him, she is a pretty thing he enjoys but is more concerned about keeping her under his thumb than about her as a person.

That’s my two cents. I love the series, furthest thing from a troller, so I don’t think this person’s question was trolling at all because I agree with the comment/question. As do quite a few others I would imagine since my anticipatory comments about Reap the Wind are of a similar content & currently sit at the top of the review section with the most likes.

The Response:

I’m afraid that you misunderstood my meaning entirely. It also seems that you think all books with romance and/or sexual elements must be romance novels. So I would suppose then, that G.R.R. Martin, who includes a LOT more sex in his books than I ever have, must also be a romance writer? (Please don’t tell him that, by the way. He’ll probably kill off another Stark).

Instead, I would argue that it’s the focus of a book that decides what genre it is. As I said on Facebook in a reply to another reader’s comment, whether a book contains sex or not has nothing to do with its category. If 80% of a book focuses on sex/romance/relationship issues/cute banter between the leads, etc., then you are reading a romance novel. If, on the other hand, 80% of a book focuses on a fantasy plotline and fantasy elements, and the romance is there to support the main plot of the book instead of being the plot itself, then you are reading fantasy. And my books have always focused on the fantasy plotlines.

Yes, there is sex and romance in my books. It’s an adult series, and adult people have sex/get in romantic relationships, so why not? I refuse to cede the use of romance to the romance writers alone. Fantasy depends on having believable characters, and if every character acts like a monk . . . is that believable? Romance is also a very useful tool for a writer to have in her toolbox if it’s used judiciously. But that was the entire point of my post: romance in a fantasy is used for a specific end; it doesn’t exist for itself alone.

As far as Mircea is concerned, he is in the books, as is Pritkin, for plot related reasons. You’ll find out more about those reasons as the books continue. But judging him, as you are doing in your comment, as if he was a human man in a romance novel, with certain Alpha Male responsibilities towards his woman–no, just no. He is not human, he is 500+ years old, and he is not just Cassie’s lover, but also part of a magical organization fighting a war who needs her kept alive to assist with that. The actions he’s taken need to be seen in context–when were they done? Why were they done?–as well as seeing them as done by someone who, yes, recognizes Cassie’s power, but also recognizes her vulnerability in some areas.

Mircea is not going to act human because he isn’t. He also isn’t going to act like the lead in a romance novel, because he isn’t that either. He and other people in the books are beginning to reevaluate their initial impression of Cassie, and that is likely to continue. But it is a process, and their reactions to her in the past have made sense considering her age/experience level compared to theirs.

Look, don’t misunderstand me. I LIKE the romance genre; I think it can be a lot of fun. I am not trying to diss it here. But what I don’t like, and what those other authors whose comments upset you probably don’t like, is having someone pick up the books and be disappointed/angry because the characters don’t always act like those in their favorite romances. Authors WANT you to like their books. It’s how we pay the bills, okay? But that’s not going to happen if you go into a book expecting one thing and get another. A lot of romance readers like my books, but they like them because they’re different, and because they knew they were going to be when they picked them up. Not because they conform to rules of a genre I’m not writing in. I hope this clears up the confusion a little.