I have assigned heat levels to my novels and stories, as detailed below.

Please note that these apply only to my content. If my story is part of an anthology, then the other stories in that volume may be significantly hotter or cooler!

Heat Levels

0: Not relevant to this content.

1: No sex scenes; sex scenes happen off the page; and/or there are no details given.

2: Some sex scenes, which ‘fade to black’; and/or the descriptions are sensual and suggestive (rather than graphic).

3: Some sex scenes, which happen on the page; and/or the descriptions are sensual but also graphic and direct.

4: Frequent sex scenes; sex scenes happen on the page; and/or the descriptions are explicit.

5: A strong focus on sex scenes; sex scenes happen on the page; the descriptions are particularly explicit; and/or there is subject matter that some readers may consider objectionable.

• Banner image by Chris Rhoads on Unsplash.