I've wanted to put this up for a while now, but haven't. Now I am!
I've been reading a few comments and can see I have offended some (not all) of my Muslim readers because of the use of middle eastern characters in a book that is steamy.
When I started writing this book my thought process was as simple as... "I need a prince in the book. Ok, let's make him Arab." That was it. I basically just chose the first thing that came to mind without much thought. I'd seen many romance novels written about hot Sheiks, and didn't think much of it.
Since writing this book, though, I have had the great, GREAT privilege of living in the middle east for some time. I am back in South Africa now, but let me tell you, I left my heart there with the place and the people.
Never have I met such kind, amazing people in my life. Never have I felt more welcomed and included- I'm desperate to (hopefully) move back there one day and possibly call it my permanent home. I would love that!
Like I said, I wrote this book before that experience, when I knew NOTHING about the middle east and its culture. And now that I know- trust me- I would have made this guy the prince of some made up country in Europe or Scandanavia, and not chosen to make him Arab.
When I wrote the book initially, I made no mention of religion at all- like Islam- and never said any of these characters were Muslim. But I think people would have made assumptions that they are- given their location, their race and their names . I know now, how inappropriate this actually could be to some people.
SO.... for the sake of fiction. Let's just assume that religion and all the connotations that go with it, are not present in this story. The characters, although Arab, have no -religion in particular. They live in a made up place in the middle east, in a totally made up world.
I'm so saddned at the moment in general about the Islamaphobia that is sweeping accross the world, especially now that I have lived with, and gotten to know so many Muslims. I would hate for this book- in any way whatsoever- to perpetuate any negative feelings. If it has offended one Muslim reader, to me, that is too much.
I can't unwrite the book now, or go back and change the place these charactres are from- so I am just putting this up in hopes to quell any offense this has caused.
I love the Wattpad community, I love how inclusive we all are and how this is a place of differnt races, religions and cultures. I hope we never let the animosity of the world invade this happy place.
I hope all my Muslim readers had an amazing Ramadan. And Eid Mubarak to all!
JOX
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Acting Royal #Wattys2017
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