The Opposite of Clean Is Not Dirty

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Yesterday I saw a tweet on Twitter that saddened me. One author claimed that she didn't like the term "clean"to reference romances without intimacy, claiming it implied books with sex in them are dirty.

I didn't respond because I flipped away for a second and it was lost. Twitter is a fast game. So I want to write my response here and I hope she'll see it and understand.

The opposite of clean is not dirty.

The opposite of clean is free from...

Have you ever had a practice and said, "Whoah, that was a clean practice," meaning free from error? I have.

Clean romance doesn't mean we think intimacy is dirty between two consenting adults. It means a book "free from intimacy." I write clean romance because I like to give my characters their own space. I am not judging anyone else for writing intimacy in your books. So, please, don't think we're prudish, or judging you. We're not. At least, I am not. It's just my personal preference.

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