[We love Laurie King, whose new novel, Touchstone, might be called a “country house political thriller”—imagine Jack Reacher walking into the pages of Remains of the Day. She’s been blogging about Touchstone since its beginnings Laurie R. King, and this month she is finally on tour with the book, both in person and virtually.]

SOMETIMES, SEX IS NECESSARY
by Laurie R. King

Writing sex is a tricky business. This is true not only for those of us who are best known for stories in which sexuality is expressed in downcast eyes and the hands of one’s lawfully wedded husband wielding a brush through one’s long hair. When I wrote a book (A Darker Place) with an actual sex scene—and not only a sex scene but a slightly kinky one—I was surprised not to hear from readers. Perhaps they had the vapors. Or maybe they had immediately burned the book.

But sometimes, sex is necessary. (Hey, hush up back there. And Margie, you can address this issue when it’s your turn.) A character’s sexuality is a powerful—perhaps the most powerful—window into his or her nature, society, and time.

Which is precisely the problem. Sex scenes can throw an entire book off kilter, if the rest of the writing doesn’t possess the same octane. A book of memoirs by a dignified, private, elderly woman (ie, my Mary Russell series) needs to have the character’s sexuality filtered through her own persona. Can you imagine your mother writing about what she did in the dark? If so, all I have to say is, you grew up in an interesting household.

On the other hand, the current book, Touchstone, is a standalone set firmly in the Roaring Twenties. It would be very odd to write a book about, say, California in the Sixties without acknowledging the sexual revolution, and the same applies to the Twenties. Six main characters, four men and two women, from England’s upper- and upper-middle classes, none of them much older than forty. I don’t know for certain if Mary Russell danced the Charleston, but honey, you KNOW these people did.

At which point comes the decision: How much to show?

The answer: Just enough.

Okay, the villain. It’s possible, of course, that a slimy character can have a gentle, affectionate relationship with a wife at home, but when you have six main characters, you can’t permit all of them to be bundles of contradiction without things getting out of hand. Unless you want to write a 1200 page novel (and believe me, there were times when Touchstone wanted to go there) you have to keep each character’s complexity running in related directions. Aldous Carstairs is a man who makes his (male) secretary nervous, who gives a perfect stranger the creeps: he’s probably not going to be Mr. Thoughtful with his womenfolk:

"He glanced down at his gloves, new a week ago, now torn and scarred by her panicking fingernails. He had frightened her badly, albeit deliberately, when she’d been unable to draw air. Granted, he allowed it to go on just a bit too long, so he supposed the gloves were understandable. He made a mental note to send her a little something extra, to sweeten her for next time."

And what about the political boy wonder, standing in the guest bedroom of his lover’s family house, a man filled with ambitions and class resentments and frustrations of various kinds?

"He circled the sumptuous room, feeling his toes dig into the thick carpet, running his hand across the velvet and the polish. He pulled aside the curtains to throw open the heavy glass. Cold, damp air swept over his skin, bringing up goose-flesh. Bringing up other flesh, as well.
Standing naked in the open window was weirdly stimulating, as if he were about to fuck the house itself. He angled his hips forward—"

And so on. Ahem.

Our hero, a visiting American, doesn’t have much of a love life, since he is new to the ménage and limited to the stirs of his imagination, but that is not the case with our other pair. They yearn, they love, and when they reach for each other, the reader has to feel the rightness and satisfaction of it:

"Her smallest gesture set him afire; there was no hope that he could control his body’s reaction to her. 'I don’t think—' he started, but she silenced him with a gentle brush of her lips, warming now with the room.
Her fingers were warm, too, as they came down his belly to the waist of his pajamas, and continued inexorably on. His breath caught—"

And for the rest of it, you’ll just have to read the book.

Comments

[Felicia Donovan]

Somebody get me a glass of water and the book!

Great post, Laurie and you're absolutely right, sex provides a strong area of character development that can be used as a device like any other. It's really the subgenre (cozy, thriller) that drives how much sex will appear. Crossing that line is likely to irk readers but if you're in the non-cozy genre, all's fair in love and sex in writing.

Felicia Donovan
THE BLACK WIDOW AGENCY

[Elaine Viets]

Welcome to the Book Tarts, Laurie. I've heard such good things about your new book that I'm heading out to buy it today.

[Nancy Martin]

Okay, I've written a lot of sex in my time. But how about this?--I'm unwilling to buy the new book by my beloved Jane Smiley because I hear it's very sexy. And I fear it might feel as if I'm reading a sexy book written by my mother. Weird, huh?

Just bought Touchstone last night, Laurie! Ideal reading on a cold & snowy weekend.

[Me, Margie]

Hi Laurie - it's Me, Margie.

The Roaring '20s rocked - those people were crazy. Can't wait to read your book.

You're so right about sex - has to be the right place and the right time. Like, just the other night at the movie theater, I was explaining to my boyfriend Steve about how you can --- uh, well, you know, I think maybe I'll save the rest of the story for another time.

[Kathy Reschini Sweeney]

Welcome to TLC, Laurie.

'The Beekeepers Apprentice' is one of my favorite books of all time. Looking forward to picking up 'Touchstone' at my favorite place - Mystery Lovers Bookshop.

Nancy is right - it's really cold this weekend, and your book will be good company until the Packers play tomorrow evening.

Oh - glad to see the 'Fs" won. Good karma for future elections, I think.

[Maryann Mercer]

Good Saturday morning, Laurie :o) Mary Russell is one of my all-time favorites in the Holmes department...for some reason I never did believe Irene Adler was the only woman Holmes ever loved. Mary is every bit as strong as Holmes and a yin to his yang. But the Roaring 20's were called that for a good reason(oh and I'd bet Mary danced that evil dance, Holmes or no), and I am getting Touchstone today, just on the strength of those passages. Should warm the windchilled prairie nicely :o)

[Harley]

Laurie, literary* sex is the only sex I can handle in this upcoming year, so I too am running out today to buy the book!

*until the new Bond movie comes out. Then I'll consider cinematic sex. Not the Margie kind.

[Rita Scott]

Welcome Laurie! I'll definitely have to get your book, since I'm just here for the sex.
BTW Margie, we want details on the 'right time & place' for the delivery men!

[Laura (in PA)]

Laurie, I'm so glad to see you here. Your Mary Russell series is one of my favorites of all time. I already have your other series on my list, and I am definitely adding Touchstone as well.

I love your description of the uses of sex as character development. I never really thought about it that way before, but I know I hate reading books that just seem to have sex thrown in there at what is deemed like the appropriate time, but for no apparent reason. Or worse, like you said, that ends up making you feel confused about a character that you thought you had gotten to know.

It doesn't look like you're going to make it to this neck of the woods, so I'll console myself with a trip to the bookstore for your book(s).

Thanks for guest-blogging here today. I hope it's not the last time we'll see you!

And, wow - all that angst last week for one little "fuck"?

[Kerry, the Martial Tart]

Hi, Laurie! Everyone, I can tell you that you're going to LOVE this book. I'm not a professional book critic or anything, but for my money, it's the finest work she's done. And that is really saying something.

[Lynn in Texas]

The book sounds great, Laurie! Hopefully I'll be reading it next week. Can't wait!

[ZaZa]

The Twenties! I love the Twenties. Yes, I will have to read the book. Thanks for the teasers. /;+)))

[Clea Simon]

Interesting blog, Laurie, and you're right - sex is a, well, touchstone for showing character.

Speaking of which, just loved the book. Made husband sit in increasingly freezing coffeehouse late yesterday afternoon because I couldn't bare to leave before I knew what was going to happen in the chapel. (I will say no more.)

Only regret is that now I know. Ah well, write fast!