Around the Fire Discusses Flavor & Spice and a pot of both.

Can we talk?
​I have a confession. At times I’m a doom scroller on TikTok. Recently I came across a video from another author who posted on a recent signing where she felt marginalized and disrespected at a book signing. She and other authors who write in clean/wholesome/sweet or basically closed-door romance were categorized in a derogatory way.
 
This touched a sore spot in me because most signings I’ve been to have been abundantly spicy. Now don’t get your panties in a twist. Please, write what you like, read what you like, and relax; I’m not judging you. You do you. That said, let me do me.
 
First off, I am NOT in favor of book banning. I Am in favor of personal responsibility for oneself and in the case of their children. 

This has been an ongoing dialogue in the writing and publishing world for sometime.
 
We’re not supposed to say clean or wholesome. Sweet really doesn’t give the correct impression, though it’s been the ‘category’ used in the romance industry forever.
Then there have been books hijacking the sweet moniker. These call themselves a sweet story with a spicy romance.
Other authors complain about us using clean and wholesome, saying that it's judging their books to be dirty. But in the next breath, many tout their books as slutty. Come on guys, you can’t have it both ways.
 
That being said, here’s an interesting finding.
 
Clean and wholesome romance is growing fast because readers want emotional connection, character growth, and a break from explicit "spicy" content.
 
This is according to K-lytics market research and intelligence service. According to their website, K-lytics was created by Alex Newton and analyzes data from the Amazon Kindle Store to help authors and publishers evaluate book genres, track sales trends, and find profitable publishing niches.
 
Did you know that E-book sales in clean romance have surged over 30% according to recent studies?
 
Why such growth? Talking to others, this is because many are experiencing fatigue, tiredness of shock value and explicit scenes, while looking for books that can be shared with anyone.
 
Many readers are looking for strong emotional tension, clever banter, and plot-driven rather than physical passion-driven.
 
Sub-tropes like Regency and Victorian: Historical settings dominate the space. Then Small-Town Contemporary and Cozies that focus on community and slow-burn closed-door romance.
 
Don’t spicy books do these things? Of course, but there is a large segment of readers who want no on-page sex, no or limited profanity, and fewer graphic violent scenes.
Again, you do you. Untwist those panties. Spicy stuff is still a huge market. But for me? Here’s how I will now, and going forward, describe my heat level.
 
On the spice scale, I’m a Bell Pepper, bringing readers flavor without the heat.

All this said, I'm probably going to take a hit from those who think that only their opinion is the correct opinion. I'm shrugging.  Que Sera, Sera. I'll repeat: you do you. I'll do me. 

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Around your reading campfire, do you like a soft glow or a crackling blaze, and what level of warmth makes a story feel just right for you? With a stick and marshmallow ready to go. Are you a marshmallow‑sweet, a toasty‑golden, or is it not done unless it's on fire?
Or are you Bell Pepper mild, Poblano medium warmth, or full-heat ghost pepper— where do your taste buds land?
And since we're making a cooking analogy, here's last night's cast iron Dutch oven. Bell peppers, a touch of cayenne, and andouille sausage made for a tasty dish that Pete went back for seconds.  I think that's what authors should seek to do. Make reading balanced and delicious for their readers. 

I rarly use recipes, sorry, but here's the process used. 
Sauted onions and bell peppers then added garlic. On my counter was a mixed dish of herbs containing chives, sage, and parsley, that I dumped in with a bit of salt and ground black pepper. I sprinkled in some cayenne and then added andouille sausage and a little tomato paste. It cooked for about five minutes then I added about a cup of chicken boullion, covered the pot and let it simmer for about two hours before adding 1 cup of yellow rice and two more cups of water. When the rice was cooking, I peeled and cleaned the shrimp. Into the pot they went and cooked for a few more minutes. The final product was a little bit of heat and a little bit of sweet. 

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