SPA Girls Podcast – EP158 – Some Like It Hot ….Or Not

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This week we put on our flame retardant suits and discuss how to define the heat level of your story – and why it’s important to know.

There is no standard or uniform code to heat levels, so writers and readers can face a few challenges: what one reader may consider “hot,” another might consider “mild” or vice versa. With books there’s no certified ratings system a la the movies. And to further complicate things, if you’re looking at the hybrid route, publishers and agents also have different ideas about what constitutes a certain level of heat. Terms – especially sweet / clean can be used interchangeably by some folk, so take note of that when discussing cross promotions and newsletter swaps. We discuss (and agree with) Sylvia Day’s widely referenced article on sexy romance heat levels – see the link below.

Defining your heat level is all about meeting reader expectations and in the podcast we also talk about conveying the heat level by your cover, title, subtitle and blurb.

Important note: Happy Ever After Ending is still a requirement for your standard romance regardless of heat level

Talking of definitions, here’s our SPA Girls Spice Index as we define the different heat levels in romance:

Clean = minimal sexual tension, no illicit thoughts, no kissing, no intimate touching, no violence, language, contentious subject material (note, lines between inspirational and clean are blurring
Sweet = no sex on page – can be fade to black, sexual tension described and kissing allowed. Can still involve serious topics (eg addiction, abuse etc) as part of the story and focus is on developing the emotional conflicts between the characters.
Sexy = romance story about the development of a romantic relationship with more explicit sex on the page. The sex is not an inherent part of the story and could easily be removed or “toned down” without damaging the storyline.
Erotic Romance = stories written about the development of a romantic relationship through sexual interaction. The sex is an integral part of the story and relationship development, and couldn’t be removed without damaging the storyline.
Erotica = stories written about the sexual journey of the characters and how this impacts them as individuals. Happily Ever Afters aren’t an intrinsic part of erotica, though they can be included. The focus remains on the individual characters’ journeys, not the progression of the romance.

Helpful links:

http://cathymcdavid.com/tell-me-the-difference-between-sweet-and-clean-romances/

https://www.sylviaday.com/extras/erotic-romance/

https://allthekissing.com/2018/05/a-romance-writers-guide-to-heat-levels/

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