It was a great privilege for a book club to read and discuss ‘The D Word’ my debut novel.
Ten avid readers who meet once a month gathered in a cramped front room in someone’s house.
There is a special reverence that seems to be bestowed on authors. ‘Wow, you’ve written a book’ people say. It’s an odd feeling to be in a room with ten people who have read your inner thoughts and feelings, your sex scenes, wondering where did she get the inspiration for this?
Everyone was incredibly positive. One lady congratulated me on my skill at portraying step parenting and divorce issues so well. The men in the group said that I dealt with erectile dysfunction very well; describing how it is for men in this situation. Another lady said she hated the main character but had to read on to see what happened. Another said that she loved the kitchen scenes which brought the book to life.
But it was the sex scenes that intrigued people the most. Did I use personal experience? Why was I so graphic? Did I need to describe oral sex in such detail? There was a prudish air to the room. These readers were all over 50; the majority over 60 so maybe they are not my target audience. It’s great to receive constructive criticism. Maybe sex scenes are not to their liking but I feel strongly as an author that I want to break new ground. Fifty Shades of Grey wasn’t graphic enough. It alluded, it left a lot to the readers’ imagination. Sex for me as an author needs to be raw, funny, realistic, dysfunctional because after all that’s what it is and we Brit’s have been too prudish for too long!