Snapdragon Q&A: Is Michael Straight or Bi?

Since Snapdragon's release, I've been getting questions and comments about certain plot points, character traits, etc. At the top of this list are questions about the scene in which we find out that Michael has been with guys. 

Believe me--my wise and beautiful beta M.K. Gilher called me right out on this and my Snapdragon beta, L.G. O'Connor had some opinions on it, too. Now I'll say to you what I said to them in my decision to keep this scene.

It started out as kind of a setup. I had to get Michael to say that he didn't want to think of Darby with other men. In the scene, he rejects the idea of a threesome by saying he doesn't want to introduce competition from a man who "fucks her better". Since Snapdragon is from her POV, anything Michael is thinking has to be said out loud. Along the same lines, I had to give Darby a chance to start showing Michael that he's giving her something nobody else can. To his comment, she replies "nobody fucks me better than you".

I needed to show how close they were becoming. If they didn't get personal with one another, it would have felt like an emotionless fuck-buddy arrangement. I had to show them sharing intimate secrets with one another to show the level of trust that was building between them. At the same time, I wanted to show that they were comfortable discussing past partners with one another. This highlighted the idea that their relationship transcended the traditional jealousies and protocols that sometime show up with committed couples.

A LOT of "straight" people have same-sex experiences, and I wanted to show that realism. My personal opinion is that most people are somewhere in the middle of a spectrum of sexuality. I think that a modest percentage of people is totally straight or totally gay but that the majority are somewhere on the spectrum. Plenty of men I've dated have admitted to me their sexual experiences with other guys and I've certainly had experiences with women. I think that sexuality is more fluid than we typically acknowledge, and I wanted to give voice to that fact.

The final word. Darby and Michael are characters who reject traditional relationship norms. This is a core aspect of the book. The idea that "successful relationships define themselves" means that there is no need to adhere to traditional paradigms of sex and relationships, and parallels my choice to allow Darby and Michael to sexually identify (or not) in any way they wanted.

Questions? Comments? Let's discuss!