In Sickness or In Health
Mar 24th 2007
Sabrina JeffriesOn Writing!
I had the crud last week. You know, one of those nasty virus/bug/colds that aren’t dangerous enough to send you to the hospital but awful enough to make you demand pampering from whomever is idiot enough to get near you.
Writers rarely depict the crud in books, but we do like a good illness or injury, as long as it’s sensational or romantic. Gunshot wounds and near drownings make for great drama, along with dire diseases like leukemia. Even a conk on the head can be useful in the much-maligned amnesia plot.
Plus, all those lovely dramatic illnesses and injuries lead to that ever-popular scene—the nursing-back-to-health of the hero by the heroine, or vice-versa. I have tons of favorite such scenes. There’s Judith McNaught’s Something Wonderful, where the heroine nearly dies and the hero is at her bedside every day. Or Linda Howard’s Diamond Bay where the heroine pulls the super-secret spy hero out of the water and gently tends to his badly broken body even before she knows if he’s a good guy.
I write those scenes in my own books, too. In my upcoming Beware a Scot’s Revenge, the hero and heroine have a near-consummation scene that begins with her smoothing healing ointment all over his … er … wounds. Yeah, that’s what she’s doing in the interior art—nursing his wounds. Honest to God. She’s not just rubbing up against his pecs, I swear.
Which leads me to the down side to writing such scenes—deciding how ill is too ill, how wounded is too wounded. You don’t want some guy making love to a semi-conscious woman—that would be unappealing. And probably illegal. You also have to strike a balance between disgusting (“Wait, dear, let me stitch up the gaping hole in your lip before you kiss me”) and sexy (“Wow, my poor wounded soldier has impressive biceps beneath that flesh wound I’m dabbing with alcohol”). My “ick” quotient is pretty low, but even I can be put off by a scene that strains credibility or grosses me out.
Yet even with all the drawbacks, I still love to read and write those nursing-back-to-health scenes. So what about you as a reader? Do you like them? Do you have any favorites? And just how high is your “ick” quotient, anyway?
26 Comments »
26 Responses to “In Sickness or In Health”
EllenElyse on 24 Mar 2007 at 1:55 am #
Maggie Robinson on 24 Mar 2007 at 7:35 am #
I’ve always been a sucker for “nursing the h/h through sickness.” I am writing a comic romance where the characters lead lives of their own when the hapless aspiring author mercifully leaves her computer. She has filled her own book with every cliche I can think of, and here’s my take on the injured hero/perfect first-time sex, once my author has sworn off writing for the day. She’s left the injured hero in the parlor with the heroine, and they decide to take matters into their own…hands…as it were.
I always get a kick of how the hero can be so sick one minute and so ready to rumble the next!
Julia London on 24 Mar 2007 at 10:04 am #
My ick quotient is high when it comes to blood. The older I get, the less gory I can read or watch. Dean Koontz comes to mind. Can’t read his stuff because my ick factor borders on sick factor.
P.S. Love the premise of your book, Maggie. Very clever!
Nicole Jordan on 24 Mar 2007 at 11:31 am #
I have a low ick factor, too, Sabrina! Both as a reader and a writer. ICKY is not good for romance. An injury/illness has to be severe enough to provide good motivation for sympathy or add to the storyline or depth to the characters, but still not interfere with the hr/hn’s sensual relationship — unless you want it to! A tricky line to walk for a writer, especially since readers have varying squeamish factors. And as a reader, I do NOT want to be taken out of a story I’m loving because of something icky.
And EllenE, I’m glad my hero’s war wounds in TMWF worked for you. I had actually forgotten about those scenes with the heroine, since I wrote the book 15 years ago and didn’t reread it before it was reprinted a few months ago. But I do so love an emotionally wounded hero, and physically wounded is fine as long I can make it work.
Gorgeous stepback for BEWARE A SCOT’S REVENGE, Sabrina, by the way! Can’t wait to read the book!!!!!
NicoleJ
dbrown3400 on 24 Mar 2007 at 1:00 pm #
I just reviewed a book where the hero returned from the Crimean War with no leg beneath his knee. Part of the conflict was his acceptance of a prosthesis and his belief that the heroine could love a man who was not whole. That didn’t bother me at all. Neither does any amount of blood unless it’s “free flowing” during lovemaking. That would be a turn off. My turn off is vomit, whether in fiction or real life. If it’s morning sickness, all right or food poisoning in a book, That’s okay but I quickly skip to another scene.
And Sabrina I hate to do this but he is among my top five heroes of all time. Rachel Jones pulls Kell Sabin from the water in Diamond Bay. Kell is friends with Grant Sullivan of Midnight Rainbow if that counts. I knew if I didn’t put this in the Blog it would drive me NUTS. Both are fantastic books and they have rereleased the other two in the series, White Lies and Heartbreaker, but never Diamond Bay. Imho it’s the best of the four.
Donna
Nicole Jordan on 24 Mar 2007 at 1:13 pm #
I really loved those books by LH, too. And Donna, Diamond Bay was reprinted in 1992 in a “collection” volume along with Midnight Rainbow. The other collection volume was Heartbreaker and White Lies, reprinted the same year.
NicoleJ
Sabrina Jeffries on 24 Mar 2007 at 1:43 pm #
Don’t be embarrassed, Donna. I was writing this last night at one a.m. and I had a brain fart. I have BOTH books on my keeper shelf, so I know the difference. I THOUGHT Diamond Bay and wrote Midnight Rainbow. In fact, when I read your note, my first reaction was, “Yes? What’s your point?” That’s what a “Huh’ moment *I* was having. Sheesh!
Anyway, thanks for correcting me! I didn’t write the character names because I didn’t have the books right there, and I was afraid that I’d screw them up if I went by memory. Instead, I screwed up the titles! LOL!
Yes, Kell is one of my alltime favorites, too, although Grant is a close second.
dbrown3400 on 24 Mar 2007 at 1:49 pm #
Now, now, let’s keep to the point ladies. Less blood? Less vomit? Fewer arms and legs? Pre-order Sabrina’s book on Amazon? Got it!
Donna
Maggie Robinson on 24 Mar 2007 at 2:50 pm #
I just finished Mary Balogh’s Simply Love, and while there was no nursing involved, the hero had suffered dreadful injuries in the war. I thought she handled his disabilities with great care, and Sydnam truly is a heroic hero.
And I must apologize. I got a little (okay, a lot) carried away this morning when I read your blog, Sabrina, since it reminded me of the silly scene I wrote. Unfortunately, you don’t seem to have a delete or trash button, or I’d yank my post from the comments. Sorry for being a goofball.
DebMarlowe on 24 Mar 2007 at 3:23 pm #
I’m a sucker for those ‘nursing ‘em back to health’ scenes. I loved it back in the day when Kathleen Woodiwiss did it, and I love it now, too. I especially love it when the hero is being tender and solicitous to the heroine.
I’m busily writing down all these examples, too, for the TBR!
Thanks!
Deb
Selfish Addict on 24 Mar 2007 at 4:07 pm #
I love those scenes esp. when the hero nurses the heroine. Being a nurse I have a low ick level EXCEPT for vomit. Morning sickness aside. I just can’t stand anything coming up backwards so,no productive coughs either.
Sabrina my memeory could be wrong but, wasn’t JM’s book Something Wonderful? I also have written down BASR on my TBB list.
I agree Ellen Elyse TMWF’s leg scar was in a wonderful place.
Sabrina Jeffries on 24 Mar 2007 at 5:13 pm #
Okay, note to self. NEVER write things at 1 a.m. Sheesh! Yes, it’s Something Wonderful. I conflated it with Almost Perfect (please tell me I’m not remembering THAT title wrong, too), which is my favorite alltime JM novel.
Ironically enough, I was going to write a blog about how you know when you’re too old to be hip anymore. Apparently, I decided to demonstrate it instead!
Y’all will have to forgive me–my brother, sister-in-law, niece, and nephew are staying with me this weekend, and I’m not quite all together. Ack!!!
Sabrina Jeffries on 24 Mar 2007 at 5:17 pm #
Oh, and Donna, I actually own that reissue of Diamond Bay and Midnight Rainbow that Nicole is talking about (it’s pretty old, though). I bought it because I’d worn out my copies of the originals! I read them out of order originally, but love them both although Diamond Bay is my fave of the two. I do, however, love the scene in MR where Grant tells Jane that one day he’s going to lay her down and fill her with his flesh. It seems cliched now, but it used to give me goosebumps.
Sabrina Jeffries on 24 Mar 2007 at 5:25 pm #
One more thing–just so y’all won’t think I’m crazy, I went back and edited the blog to make it right. Of course, now everyone will think the COMMENTERS are crazy.
RachelG on 24 Mar 2007 at 6:05 pm #
I love reading scenes where someone is being nursed back to health. One that comes to mind in McNaught’s Paradise. I’ve never written one of those scenes though . . . hmm.
Suzanne Enoch on 24 Mar 2007 at 6:13 pm #
I’m always cracking a hero across the head with something. It’s a way for him to be vulnerable without being emotionally wimpy.
dbrown3400 on 24 Mar 2007 at 6:55 pm #
Sabrina, totally OT unless I want to slice my finger while typing. Thanks for the information. I’ll check again for it on Amazon. That combination seems to be OOP unless I’m not using the right search criteria.
Donna
dbrown3400 on 24 Mar 2007 at 7:02 pm #
Trust me Sabrina, to this romance reader, a phrase like that will never seem cliche. I got goose bumps. In fact, someone mentioned something about Whitney, My Love the other day that I remembered differently and it enticed me to reread the book. Obviously I’m easily enticed, but that book is over 700 pages in the paperback. It adversely affected my TBR room.
Donna
The Goddess Webmistress on 24 Mar 2007 at 8:29 pm #
I am just testing your comments. I have tried to set up a character limit so the comments will not be so long, I have it set to 500, but I’m thinking that is way too long! Maybe 200? This sentence will make 200 so maybe 300? Hmmm. I’m just not sure!
EllenElyse on 24 Mar 2007 at 9:18 pm #
Ooooh… Webmistress!
I vote for not cracking the whip… 
I love reading everyone’s novelettes. 
SuzyQ on 24 Mar 2007 at 9:33 pm #
Me too!
UrsulaV on 25 Mar 2007 at 9:21 am #
You know me, I’m holding out for you to include leprosy in your books somewhere.
“Could their love bring them together–before he fell apart?!”
Also, more exploding carriages.
Julia London on 25 Mar 2007 at 9:30 am #
Exploding carriages. Hmmm….I have been looking for a way to end this book. Thanks, Ursula!
Ladytink_534 on 25 Mar 2007 at 7:44 pm #
Lol. I’ve never heard it called “the crud” before. My mom has always called it “the funk” though!
I’m not too big on detailed icky stuff but as long as there is not too many details I can handle it being in a story.
Sonja Foust on 26 Mar 2007 at 8:07 am #
That thing Ursula said about the leprosy made me giggle.
I also have a low squick-factor for vomit. I read a book one time where the hero spent, like the last half of the book throwing up, and by the end I felt like I might throw up. Ew. Ew. It ruins the romance a bit.
I actually have a head wound in my short story, though, so nursing back to health is definitely ok.
GoddessWannabe on 30 Mar 2007 at 7:15 am #
I hate vomit, even though the heroine in my current story pukes when she realizes she had sex with the hero and didn’t use protection. And, as a dental hygienist, characters kissing in the morning grosses me out! YUCK!