I always thought the answer was gratuitous sex scenes amongst shallow characters, but others have told me it’s an insignificant plot.

I Googled the answer and (palpitations!) it brought up chick lit. Chick lit! Surely not the light-hearted books I love to read so much?

Other answers were formulaic books written to create/cause scandal, books with gratuitous sex with insignificant plotlines, and then there were simply badly-written books on the list.

When I brought up this question with a group of writers, a ‘gentleman’ answered: ‘Any book written by a female.’

Nice.

But it seems no one really knows the answer. I’d like to think it’s an easy-reading book that you’ve enjoyed.

So the question is still out there—what is a trashy novel?

Meanwhile, my own trashy, romcom novel (with no gratuitous sex scenes or insignificant plot) is now free in the Amazon lending library. Feel free to check it out:

A Proper Charlie

What’s a girl to do when she discovers her boss is a wanted man?

She’s losing her job.
She’s losing her boyfriend.
She can only afford to eat spaghetti hoops on toast.
She’s called Charlie… Charlotte, ginger, ginge, Duracell or carrot.
Yet with all these odds against her, she pushes forward to take the lead story on her paper at London Core.
Shame no one knows.
Shame she’s the office general assistant and not a journalist.
Shame it’s on missing prostitutes and Charlie thinks pretending to be a ‘tart with a heart’ will get her that story.
She doesn’t just get a story.
She becomes the starring role.