Libraries and pretending to be professional

On Thursday night past I was invited along to our local library to take part in a Writers in the Community event. I would be sharing the platform with local journalist and political satirist Garbhan Downey and really rather successful Macmillan crime writer Brian McGilloway. I have spoken to both of these men over the years as my writing career has taken off so I wasn't intimidated by them as much as intimidated by their clever use of literary writing and big words.
So I arrived, and being just out of work, let the two guys go first and do their talks and their reading.
All the while thinking "They are reading serious political/ crimey type stuff" and I'm about to stand up and read an extract which involves references to shagging, knickers and undercarriages. (All in relation to infertility, it has to be said - it wasn't just shagging for the sake of it.).

Looking around me at the room I tried to gauge what the average age of the audience was - and indeed would they be offended by references to shagging, knickers and undercarriages. With a fair few in their more mature years. I started to get worried.

But I had, you see, little choice. My books are very honest, and very real. The lovely Garbhan Downey said they were "near the knuckle" but to be honest. I don't think they are that bad.
RD&T has one very minor love scene and it's very tame - no groans, or tweaking nipples or the like.
FLM is a little more risque but the more "colourful" of the love scenes are between a married couple - so allowed, by God and everything. And yes there is a reference to a blow job - but it's not detailed.

The thing is I'm not Jackie Collins and nor do I desire to be so. But I do think 'chick lit' has to be real and has to be honest and sex is an honest part of life.

That's not to say I wasn't worried what my granny would think when she read it - but she thought it was okay so I'll carry on as I am.

And in the end, the library crowd laughed at the right bits, clapped at the right bits and asked nice questions. So I think. I retained some sense of dignity.