The Book Police
My stories are definitely not for the faint of heart. I knew I was taking a huge risk, as I mentioned in another blog, by wrtiting about siblings who are involved in a taboo relationship. It shouldn't be that way, but we are all judged, even characters in a book, especially characters in a book.
Yet you see so many siblings involved with each other on TV and in movies, where anything seems to go. What happened to the written word? Why is it so wrong to write a novel about a brother and sister who are sexually involved?
Books like these seem to get lumped into the erotica category and labeled "bad." They are definitely not mainstream. I can only recall two authors who have had books dealing with sibling incest published in the mainstream world. One is V. C. Andrews, and the other is Philippa Gregory. There may be others, but I am not aware of them.
I can't help but wonder. If Gregory or Andrews wrote those books today, would they be published in our intolerant environment? We'll never know, but I do know this: My book, A Tree of Twisted Thorns, should not be tossed into the "adult dungeon." It's a full-length thriller that happens to have a brother and sister involved in a taboo relationship. And yes, the sex scenes are steamy, erotic, and descriptive. But should the book be judged unfairly because of those few scenes? I would hope not, but only time will tell.
