The "ick" factor in books, your thoughts?

The "ick" factor in books, your thoughts?

I saw on Reddit someone posted they did not finish (DNF) Dragon's Baby. That immediately pulled me in to find out why? Please understand I wasn't upset, or angry, but I write to be read, and I need to know.
 
This particular reader did not like the first “meeting” between Ladon and Calista. She felt it was way too “rapey” and “frat boy taking advantage” though it would be okay if they were “fated mates”.
 
I want to talk about this scene and I'm going to be really, really honest. I hate this scene. I hated it when I wrote it. I have cut it out twice then put it back before publishing. Let me tell you why. 
 
When I wrote Dragon's Baby clear back in 2016, Ice Planet Barbarians was only beginning to become somewhat popular. Any author who really wants to be successful knows or learns how to take a successful set of books, figure out their structure, then use that to tell their own story. This is what I did and IPB was one of the ten books I broke down to figure out the structure or “beats” of the book.
 
(Let me put this out there now, Ruby knows. I have personally told her, and she also understands this. She's freaking awesome.)
 
If you read a lot, you probably know that Ice Planet has a very, very similar scene. Before I expanded Baby in 2021 / 22 it was structured exactly the same. At that time that scene was one of the things people were talking about in IPB and they liked it. It felt, to me, important to meet reader expectations and to show the “alienness” between the two species. 
 
I did my best to be delicate with it and to not give off the negative vibes but now we fast forward 8 years and our culture is changing. A LOT! I think for the better overall, but that's only my opinion. Scenes like this, that were okay then, aren't nearly as “cool” as they were then. (Were they ever really cool?)
 
I cut the scene when I first wrote it but then decided it needed to be there. When I rewrote and expanded the story, I cut it again. But once more it felt like it needed to be there. But this isn't the only reader who's “icked” out of the book because of it, but those reviews have been few and far between.
 
Dragon's Baby is my front facing, number one selling book. It's the gateway to Tajss. It's the book that launched my career. I have a lot of love and feelings for this book but this scene… 
 
What's a girl to do? Ask you, of course. I'll make a poll but if you want to tell me more, please, please do!
 
  1. What are you talking about, I liked it (loved it, etc)
  2. It's part of the book, it's fine.
  3. Yeah, Miranda, that was pretty icky.
  4. You never should have written something like that, please get rid of it now.
  5. What were you thinking? Gross. Go to your room and don't come out until the next book is done and it better not have a hint of ick.
Let me know your thoughts!

2 comments

Hi Billie, it is not finished, but the E-books are currently in Kindle Unlimited so I cannot offer them here. The newest one just published last Friday, Orc’s Forbidden Mate #33!

Miranda Martin

Is the Red Planet Series finished? Will the rest of the story come out later? I’ve enjoyed all of the books so far and maybe I missed something. I have read thru the fated mates and have reached Draconian Warriors.

Billie

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