On Writing Inn Love Again

By Jody Brettkelly

#SMUT

Was one of the hashtags for an early review of my new romcom, INN LOVE AGAIN.

First I was like…is there really that much sex in my book? It’s only two peppers out of five. Then… yeah there’s a bit. Then…but the story! Then…Yes. Brilliant. Thank you!

Because claiming that word bites back at the sniping about writing and reading romance. It makes me a proud member of Romancelandia.

Too many people have said to me: Have you thought about writing something literary, something serious, something meaningful? Look at the world we are in. Why are you writing a happily ever after?

As though any kind of inclusion of sex, intimacy and romantic love means a book can’t be meaningful. I don’t roll out credentials that demonstrate I’m serious. That I’m a qualified barrister and solicitor. That I was a journalist in London for fifteen years, writing for national newspapers with a readership of many millions.  

There is plenty of angst in INN LOVE AGAIN amidst the fun.

Tim is a burly rugby-playing builder

Tabitha is a posh pearls-wearing design editor. 

They’re thrown together on a reality TV show to remodel a crumbling Cotswolds manor.

They both desperately need to win the prize money.

Only problem? Tim is the jerk who ghosted Tabitha seven years ago. 

Lots of tension in that scenario. Plus, neither character is who they seem—are any of us?—and that was tricky to write. Tim appears to be a labrador cinnamon roll character who bounds through life. In reality, he’s working two jobs and constantly stressing over hiding his mother’s early dementia from his younger sister.

Tabitha appears to have enjoyed a privileged life but in fact she pretty much brought herself up and is keeping her broke and hopelessly eccentric parents afloat. 

But still, the hardest thing to write was the sex scenes.

The lead-up is easier. Here’s one scene when Tim tries to boss around Tabitha:

“Timothy. Haven’t you realized yet? I’m not impressed by your BDE, so save it for someone else.”

“Big Dick Energy, eh?” he whispered, so quietly I could barely hear him. Like, was he making sure the crew didn’t hear? Or was he being flirtatious? “Tabitha,” he said louder, elongating my name, and his deep voice sent hot electric signals into my core and liquefied my knees. “You may not be impressed, but you noticed.”

But the full-on flagrante stuff? So tricky to avoid the scene turning out like a cross between Kermit flail and clichés of heaving-bosom meets sword-impaling. In flagrante delicto literally means giving offence, but it can never be literally that. And the scenes must be particular to that couple—they can’t just be lifted out and used in any other book.

But talking about writing craft doesn’t impress the naysayers. So what do I tell these people who give me shit for writing romance? In the end, the inspiration for my reply has come from my wise and wondrous editor Dawn Alexander.

Here’s what I say:

The world feels unbearably heavy sometimes. Right now, especially. And I don’t have a solution for that. Writing romance doesn’t mean I’m oblivious. I see the flames savage the world like you can, I feel the pain and torment. But I can only do what I know how to do. Which is make people smile, fall in love, get lost in my pages. There is conflict in my books, there has to be, but two people choose to grow and work together to resolve that conflict and that leads to their happy ending. 

And just for that time, while you’re reading my books, you can maybe rest. For a small while, maybe you have some hope. And peace.

—

Jody Brettkelly comes from a tiny beach town in New Zealand but now lives California with her family. She writes mysteries and romcoms, fueled by lattes, aperol spritzes and…bread. Her first romcom series is about love in crumbling Cotswold manor—with TV cameras and loads of animal shenanigans.

I’d love to hear from you! //www.jodybrettkelly.com/

INN LOVE AGAIN

Lights, hammer, action!

Amazon US: https://bit.ly/3ZE5QeT   

Bookshop: https://tr.ee/cqqPo3  

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4kBRCoc 

Tags: featured, women writers

Category: On Writing