How much sex is too much?

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By definition, a cozy has no explicit sex but certainly can contain some sexual tension and even some sex scenes. But how much sex is too much?  For some, simply the hint of sexual tension is sufficient. For others, (think Fifty Shades of Grey), details, details, details! For my personal taste too much sex distracts from the point of the mystery. It's fun to have it but I don't want that to be a central part of the story. After all, if you're reading a cozy I'm guessing it's because you want mystery, murder, humor AND maybe a dash of sex.

A case in point, Janet Evanovich's character Stephanie Plum, is hopping from bed to bed. She can't make up her mind which guy she really wants. The author has more sex that most cozies I've read but at the same time it's not overdone. 

If you remember a television show from the late 1980's called Moonlighting you may recall the tension between the central characters, Cybil Shepherd and Bruce Willis. The characters were private detectives hired to solve cases while the attraction between them grew exponentially. Part of the fun was wondering if they would ever move their relationship to the next level. I think that took about four years to finally occur.

I love the anticipation of the first kiss. How long can I make my characters wait for it? I guess that is determined by my readers and maybe just a little bit by my characters as well.

Happy Trails, 

Leslie 

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