Sarah, Sometimes the description of personal parts gives me a chuckle. I can deal with reading any descriptions if the story is good.The only thing that really irks me, is when an author describes a man as having flaring nostrils when having sex.I have yet to see a mans nostrils flare when having sex. It makes me think of a fire breathing dragon, instead of a sexy man in the heat of passion. Any writer who is good , wouldn't use really stupid expressions to describe private parts. I have read several of your books and, I can assure you, you don't use expressions for private parts that are stupid or offensive. As long as you don't use, sword or quivering member to describe a mans penis or, clouds of joy or soft fluffy puffs to describe a womans breasts, I think you'll continue to have me as a devoted reader. Oh yes, don't forget the flaring nostrils too. I don't know if this was much help but, I think if your story is a good one, then it really doesn't matter how you describe private parts. The story should be what matters the most. So far, your stories have all been very good and, I'll continue to read them as long as you continue to write them. Mads:)

Sarah and Mads, you both have my chuckling, which is welcome, since it's been a tough week. ;)

I'm with you both -- I actually don't mind penis at all as a word, in fact, for some reason, find it quite sexy, maybe because it was so unused for so long. Ditto on erection, cock, hard-on, wood, woody, shaft, and in some cases, rod -- that one's iffy. Some can start coming across as cheapo porn words, depending on context, and while we write hot sex scenes, we're still writing romance, so context really is everything. "Dick" I only use as a perjorative, as in "he was really being a dick, but he couldn't help it, he was pissed." etc

Women are tougher -- many words tend to come off derogatory, so sticking to the absolutely phsyical is best, or going to for poetic. Not crazy about the "c" or "p" words here, just find them a stretch for romance, and yeah, also put off by things that smack more of motherhood than sexuality. Though have a personal distate for "mons" as well. That one gets an eye roll every time. I don't know why. And unfortunately, the writers who use that one tend to use it a lot, I've found, leading me to a reading experience that's much like the scene of Homer Simpson stepping on rakes, repeatedly being hit in the face, "doh!" .... "doh!"...."doh!" LOL

However, enjoy seeing "fuck" in particular used in sexy romantic ways, as opposed to always in anger. Can be a very sexy word, though again, has the rake in the face effect if overused, which it has been in some books recently... It can suggest lack of imagination after a while....

Frankly, I prefer writing that goes for the aesthetic in sex which is not really euphemistic, but just refocuses the experience a little differently -- (Lori Wilde is brilliant at this, and it's something I've tried to model on) -- describing scents, tastes, and textures, rather than parts, though parts must be dealt with at some point.

One of the most interesting things my editor has brought up in the past is the different words that male or female characters would use -- using a word that is right and appropriate for the scene and the character. That's the key.

This all highly dependent on the type of character, of course -- but that most men will think "ass" while most women will think something like "butt" which seems right to me, and so the words should really, in the end, reflect the character. It was something I had to think about a lot in Untouched, as Risa was not only a virgin physically, but she hadn't ever thought about men in that way -- her view was completely out of the contemporary mindset, she had no experience socially or physically. It was kind of fun, really, to have her looking at Daniel's backside (another really female referent, I think) and trying to see the fascination that other women had, LOL.

Sam

I think that it must be very challenging to always come up with descriptive terms for those (ahem!) areas. I mean there are only so many adjectives that can be applied. You guys do an amazing job! Last night I bought and read Untouched. WOW! Great Book. I cannot believe how great it was. Debbie

Hey Sarah--I think you might have been talking about me as the one who said I disliked the word penis when I blogged about this subject a few months ago. Eeek...I still give it a big thumbs down. It just seems like a little-boys-snickering kind of word to me. Lucky thing there's no right and no wrong in this business! The only job where you can let your own likes and dislikes come through and not be afraid you've got it wrong. Cute blogsite!

This is really interesting, most people have very definitive ideas of what they find offensive, attractive or plain hilarious. I personally like the word penis, it leaves no space for ambiguity. Hardness makes me smile, so does manhood, throbbing or pulsating or thrusting or whatever! Ugh! With women I would suppose it would be easier to write perhaps. Just the word tits puts me off, and this wasn't in a romance but in some random book and its just the WORST description of breasts i have EVER read - 'those great feminine anatomical chattels'...are u kidding me?!