One thing my readers always note when they’re critiquing my books is that something that might turn an agent/editor off is my heavy use of questionable language in my every story–you know, words like fuck, shit, cock, piss, bitch, etc. But my characters are nearly never delicate flowers and most of them have mouths to match, so shouldn’t that go with keeping in character development and the atmosphere of the worlds about which I write? I think so. Not to mention that in the world in which I live, I’ve yet to meet someone with a truly clean mouth unless it was someone of a high religious standard (not a lot of them in my inhabited world, I’ll admit, and no, I don’t live in a bar at a truckstop). Screw that, I once heard a very committed Mormon shout “Fuck!” at the top of her lungs, among other things. 

The point is, I write from personal experience, I write about the world I know, and in this world people are prone to use some pretty harsh verbiage. It’s not just my own circle of friends, either–it’s my colleagues, my bosses and even my clients. So last night as I was reading through SP after being told by my sister that she did notice quite a bit of vulgar language, I got thinking–would it really make sense to tone down the wording when the setting is young Hollywood and most of the characters are pretty seasoned to the ways of life in the fast lane? I’m sorry but I just don’t see it being realistic if I replace all the fucks with “gee whiz!” and “gosh darn!” So what I’m saying, essentially, is that language, even bad language, has its place–depending on the story. Like for instance, if I were writing a feel-good tale about a shy virgin who lives with her grandmother in a small town and hopes to meet a good church-going fella with upstanding morale, then I’d probably leave out the fucks and throw in the “gee whizes” and “gosh darns” where appropriate. But then again, I never would write that kind of story–and that’s okay, because that audience already has plenty of writers who do, and good writers, at that.

Now moving on to behaviors–another thing most of my characters tend to do is drink, use drugs and yes, smoke. But not all of them are junkies and “bad sorts,” some of them are actually just people living their lives with some vice thrown in to get through the day-to-day. Again, in relation to SP, would it make sense for a bunch of rich, famous, fast and spoiled superstars to avoid these things? Probably not. Just like most normal people don’t avoid these things, either. Hey, you read it here, first–your attorney is probably a drunk, your personal banker and your kid’s teacher, too–not to mention that upstanding, suited CPA or your educated stockbroker just might smoke a little doob every night.

What I’m getting at is that it’s not uncommon for most people, from college to the working world, to let loose with wild language and get ragingly wasted on a regular basis. Which is what leads me, I suppose, to the question: Why should the reading public be so offended by it, if encountered in their offered reading material? And furthermore, if the people I’m talking about aren’t part of the reading public, then shouldn’t it be our job as professionals of the industry to start offering the kinds of reads they can relate to, to welcome them to the reading public?

I once said, or wrote, that I could pick a Love Like That reader out of a crowd, or spot her in a crowd, or something like that. She’d be the girl who was sitting at the bar in an airport between flights, or reading Perez Hilton at work, or having a smoke with her colleagues at the company Christmas party, or dancing her ass off at two a.m. in a Vegas club, or maybe just wearing a pair of really kick-ass shoes that were way too expensive, but worth it all the same.

I feel the same way about the potential readers of SP. They are everywhere. They are sitting at their desks, talking about The Hills and everything that’s going on with Britney, wishing they had a more glamourous life and a rich boyfriend/husband. They are making plans to go out this weekend, get drunk and look pretty for all the guys. They are flying on planes with their tabloid issue spread out across their laps. They are shopping, they are in love with the wrong person, they are in love with the right person, they are driving nice cars or pieces of shit (that they wish were nice cars), they are moms, they are watching TV, they are cooking, they are hanging out with their friends and having fun, or not.

All of them will find the books they want to read, too–as long as those books are out there.

I reference my idol, Jackie Collins–who’s among the top-selling authors of our time, by the way. So she may never win the Pulitzer Prize–but she’s definitely made her mark on literary history by providing her readers with her scintillating tales of money, fame, and yes, even love and family (I dare you to read a Jackie Collins novel that doesn’t contain love or family as a major theme)–despite her characters’ ultimate penchant for hard-living, lowdown lifestyles.

Proving that you can write hard and still be successful. Proving that there is an audience willing, and welcome, to accept the outrageous, the wicked and the wild.

Now I’m off to write a query letter and hope that at least one publishing professional out there agrees with me.