Congrats Lacy, on the gorgeous cover for your book. That is going to fly off the shelves—he’s irresistible.
As for me, I’ve been struggling to think of a post for today. I’m knee deep in plotting a paranormal romantic suspense. I’m in the storyboarding phase—my term for writing bits and pieces of scenes and then rearranging them until I have a story. While doing this I realize what I’m missing and fill the page with notes in caps such as “WHY IS HE DOING THIS?” “MAKE HIM A THREAT” and “NO! NO! NO!” Ah, the smooth, orderly process of writing is such a treat.
My current struggle is that I wanted to build a very hot, intense, erotic relationship between my hero and heroine. However, there is now a child in jeopardy in my story and the hero’s younger brother is a suspect. And I just can’t picture bringing the couple together for hot sex while they are under so much pain and stress. So I may have to do some replotting. I always admire writers who can elegantly combine suspense and sex, because it is such an art of defining character motivation. I do see how a writer can make it believable that a character can feel passion when he or she is surrounded by danger. In some ways, it might be a survival instinct along the lines of “mate while you still can”, or maybe even “bond with an ally.” But making characters feel desire when someone else is in danger? I can’t do it.
My first book SIN (Aphrodisia, Sept 06) blended my love of erotic romance with Agatha Christie “who-dunnit” mysteries. My elegant houseparty is actually an orgy. In SIN, I felt I got just the balance I wanted between suspense, fear, and hot sex.
So I’m back to the “storyboarding board” (my computer) to see if I can figure this one out. For those of you reading and writing out there, have you read many erotic romantic suspense stories? Any favorites?
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I’m glad that you think about these things-I’ve read too many romantic suspense books where the h/h are having sex up against a tree in a Bolivian jungle whilst being chased by 200 mad terrorists/ private drug armies etc etc
I don’t quite buy it 🙂
btw-I’m still totally impressed that you actually plot this stuff!
I have ‘Sin’ sitting near the top of my tbr pile.
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It’s so true, Kate–it’s that disbelief that pulls me right out of the story.
I do have to plot, because I just write myself into a huge whole otherwise. What I normally do is plot, write, realize what’s wrong with the plot and try to fix it.
🙂
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Yeah, that always gets my goat when I read it. But maybe they have sad, moving, and emotional sex instead? Overflowing with angst and…erm…sturf.