I was waiting outside the classroom for Parent-Teacher interview the other night and chatting to waiting parents about new routines at a new school, coping with tired kids, you know the drill. All was going well and then I was introduced by a staff member to another parent as ‘Fiona who writes for Harlequin.’‘Do you? ‘ The woman’s face lit up with wicked intent. ‘What fun, all that sex?’
I smiled and wished I’d been introduced as ‘ Fiona, mother of…’ because I need lots of energy for these types of conversations. And it was 6pm . And I’d forgotten to have afternoon tea so I was hungry and glucose starved!
I replied thinking about my current book where the couple took a while to get past a first kiss. ‘Actually there isn’t always that much sex in my books.’ 
The woman looked decidedly disappointed. ‘Oh, doesn’t something have to happen on page 83?’
Again I smiled, stayed calm and went into what my husband calls, ‘educating the masses’ mode! I found myself saying, ‘My stories are relationship driven.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It means that just like couples you know, some get it “on” on the first date and for others sometimes it takes them forever. It really depends what they bring to the relationship and what’s happened to them before they meet. ’
‘I think I’d write lots of sex.’ She said still wanting the conversation to be salacious and and very high school.
‘Perhaps you’d prefer to read erotica then rather than romance.’
‘What’s the difference?’
At that point the conversation changed from frivolous which is what this woman wanted it to be, to something more serious which was what I wanted. Have I changed her mind?
The woman looked decidedly disappointed. ‘Oh, doesn’t something have to happen on page 83?’
Again I smiled, stayed calm and went into what my husband calls, ‘educating the masses’ mode! I found myself saying, ‘My stories are relationship driven.’
Her brow furrowed. ‘What does that mean?’
‘It means that just like couples you know, some get it “on” on the first date and for others sometimes it takes them forever. It really depends what they bring to the relationship and what’s happened to them before they meet. ’
‘I think I’d write lots of sex.’ She said still wanting the conversation to be salacious and and very high school.
‘Perhaps you’d prefer to read erotica then rather than romance.’
‘What’s the difference?’
At that point the conversation changed from frivolous which is what this woman wanted it to be, to something more serious which was what I wanted. Have I changed her mind?
Who knows but I left her with something to think about, my business card and the idea of her buying my next book.
Plus I have her email address to send her a newsletter to reinforce that thought :-)
What do you say to people who want to make fun or your reading choices?
