We all hate to disappoint our moms, right? It isn’t just me, is it? To be clear, my mom’s not disappointed that I’m a Contemporary Romance author. It’s not that.
Ted, looking all harmless
In a moment of boredom, she decided to go see Ted 2. She hadn’t seen Ted, so she thought it was just an adorable teddy bear movie, like, say, Winnie the Pooh. If you’re familiar with Ted or some of the other works of Seth MacFarlane, you already know this doesn’t end well. Yeah, it didn’t.
Seth MacFarlane – Funny, Super-Cute and SINGLE!!
After sitting through fifteen minutes of previews for similar movies and then fifteen minutes of Ted 2, she walked out. It actually pains me to report this because I thought Ted was great, and while I haven’t seen Ted 2 yet, I have high hopes.
Mom’s beef was with “The F Word.” Apparently, she heard it quite a few times during that half hour. She just didn’t see why it was needed and she went on to suggest that a person must not be very creative if they have to resort to using that word.
Ouch.
This was when I had to break the news to her. “Mom, my book contains “The F Word.” Quite a few times, actually.”
Me on the left and Mom on the right
I have to disagree with her assessment that a person must not be creative if they have to “resort” to using it. Legacy of the Dog falls into the category of New Adult Romance, which is early twenties/college age characters. In the story, Jessie has four older brothers, all of whom are in their early twenties. In my own life experiences, I haven’t met a lot of guys that age (or any guys of any age, for that matter) who use phrases like “Heavens to Betsy” or “Oh, Golly.” Have you? Didn’t think so.
Could I have washed my book clean of all “bad” language? Sure. Did I want to? No. Because I wanted it to feel real. I wanted it to ring true. Of course, phenomenal books are written every day without the use of “The F Word.” It’s certainly not necessary. But a little bit of salty language isn’t offensive to me. And it’s not offensive to most people I know.
That said, I hope my mom and anyone else who may be offended can forgive me. I think I’m still a good person despite the occasional sassy language in my book and in real life.
Maybe one day my mom will break down and give Ted 2 another chance. Well…probably not. But I trust that she will forgive me my word choices and continue to love me anyway. You will, right, Mom?
Mom?
Mom?
As I was reading your note, Jill, and laughing, and telling Jeff to quick! look at email, I can hear All in the Family in the other room. The Bunkers were having a heated discussion. Gloria was so upset she said, “Like hell I will!” Edith, shocked with her daughter’s outburst (and language) said, “Gloria Bunker!” The timing was perfect. I can picture the look on your mom’s face trying to enjoy a teddy bear movie and then giving you the “Gloria Bunker!” about the F-bomb. Such a great story. Thanks for sharing. Joan
She included a comment that my grandma wouldn’t have been happy with that language, and I told her I specifically remember Grandma using that word. It must have skipped a generation. Great to hear from you, Joan. Thanks for coming by! Tell Jeff I said hi.