@$%*!&#
Profanity, expletives, cuss words, swearing.
As you might have picked up on from my "Gratuitous" entry the other day, my book. It has them.
The book is clearly marketed for 14 and up and these words are, in my opinion, necessary for the voice when I used them. My stance is that my characters need to speak the way they would if they were real people, not the way some people might wish they would speak. And, you know, if you happen to know a 16-year-old boy who spends his days getting drunk and stoned, hanging out with his bandmmates who are older than him and some of whom have been in trouble with The Law, playing gigs at the tavern where his mother is a bartender -- who DOESN'T ever say "bad" words, well, I'm actually a little surprised at that, I have to say.
Anyway! As October draws nearer and nearer, I feel like I am no closer to knowing how to approach my readings at author events. Should authors read the pages as they are written? Should they censor if there are kids in the audience? Or, like, their own mothers?
I don't really want to substitute words with "less offensive" words because that seems just silly. To throw in "KOMO4' would add a comical feel to the scenes that I don't intend.
How do others handle this? Is there any sort of etiquette/expectation for public events with a YA audience or is it just left up to the author to decide? I'd love to know what others have done!