Writing a "Red Hots"

>



When it comes to writing erotic romance, one of the best selling genres in electronic publishing, it's not very easy. It's not enough to add scorching hot love scenes to your novel. At least it's not enough for my publisher's "red hots" designation. I ought to know because I've tried the former. Too Good to be True was in my mind an erotic romantic suspense, and it even won a 2008 Eppie for contemporary erotic romantic suspense/mystery. But it wasn't a "red hots".







Holding Her Own wasn't erotic enough either because, let's face there was just too much story that didn't involve a sexual journey. An emotional journey--yes. And there were plenty of hot love scenes, but as my wonderful editor phrased it, "it isn't a story about sex."



So I set out to write a short story. Truth be told, I was aiming it for the Harlequin Historical Undone line with a word count of not over 15k. LOL That's how I ended up with a 45k word story called Seducing the Sheriff. Obviously it wasn't going to work for a short story. Luckily my Samhain editor loved it and offered me a contract.

I forgot an important step in the process. Before I submitted the ms to my Samhain editor, I sent it to my pal Jody Wallace who also happens to write erotic romance as Ellie Marvel for Red Sage. She offered some suggestions on story structure--most of which I took. She also told me what I'd have to do to bump it into "red hots" territory--which I did. I rewrote the ms in a marathon nine days and sent it off to my editor who then offered me a contract.

I've finished the first round of edits and I'm eagerly awaiting cover art, but that won't be for a couple of months yet. I will share a preliminary blurb, but don't hold me to it because Samhain has a great blurb writer who'll give it her magic twist.

This gal’s determined to brand the stubborn, hot-blooded sheriff as her own. And she’s not taking “no” for an answer.

Starlight Tyler returns home to Kenton Valley, Texas. A woman on the run from her mother, a Pinkerton, and a wealthy man she doesn’t love, she needs a husband fast. And who better than her long lost love, Cordero Tate?

Sheriff Cord Tate is bent on rounding up the gang of outlaws responsible for the death of his wife and unborn child. The leader of the gang is none other than Star Tyler’s half-brother.

Haunted by the loss of his first wife and child, he’s determined never to marry again, much less make love to another woman and risk impregnating her.

Star’s stubborn and means to get her man, but one moonless night, her past catches up with her. She's kidnapped and forced to the altar by the same wealthy man she ran away from in the first place. Will Cord find her in time, or will he wash his hands of her and say, “Good riddance”?

Of course, writing the kidnapping was the most fun of all to this primarily romantic suspense author. *Big Grin*

Marie-Nicole

Hold on the the ride.

http://marienicoleryan.com

Excitement is building…

Excitement is building…

I leave for my vacation on Saturday and I’m so excited I can barely contain myself! A week in the country, riding ATVs, hiking, swimming, maybe even cave exploration—by my friends, I’m WAY too claustrophobic for caves…This year it will just be myself and my two best friends—no kids! WOOHOOO!

This past week I also made a decision. Most all of my author friends have some sort of logo that when you see it, you know that it's theirs without even reading the name. A friend--whose opinion I trust completely, told me I needed such a thing. I had come up with one--a lovely sunset image my dad took, but it didn't convey what I wanted to convey. Then, I came upon an idea.

Every since I was a little girl whenever I had a bad time, family members ill, heart breaks, confusion over the right decision to make, I had a friend who visited me in my sleep. This friend was a beautiful blond who was so soothing, so comforting, so protective, I felt instantly at peace whenever she came near. She was over 6 feet long, muscular build, large paws--a female cougar. Even though I am a Christian, (it is a contradiction to a point)I believe this cougar to be my spirit guide or totem.

I came up with two designs and shared them with another group looking for input… Here are the images:
1.

2. After all the votes from that group came in, it was overwhelming the choice was #1.

Which one do you pick? Curious minds and all that…

Well, I need to take off. So many last minute things to take care of. I’ll see y’all when I return!

Hugz
Donica

Because Today is beyond Words...

Ever had one of those weeks? I'm having one this week. There's just so much swirling around me today, that I'm just not sure what I need to focus on....

So instead of focusing too much on any one thing, I thought I'd share a little bit of fun I made.

This is partial inspiration for a book I'm working on. This is almost done, and when I'm finished, it will be a sequel to Fantasy Girl--Kind of. It involves some of the same characters as Fantasy Girl, but a few new ones.

Here is my male lead, Hadrian.... A chef on a cooking show, a Duke by title, and a Prince.



















And this is Sydney, a hairdresser from the midwest, who stumbles upon Hadrian in Vegas.










For me, the pictures help me figure out what the characters look like, help me determine who they are a little bit, and give me point of reference. And yes, for those of you who are noticing, Scott Speedman (from Underworld) is Hadrian--with a slight hair color and eye color adjustment. The type of details you wouldn't notice just glancing at the picture, but when I look at it up close, (or on my desktop) I see it immediately... This image has lighter eyes, amber eyes, as a matter of fact.

But I don't really do anything with these images, maybe share with a friend, post on a blog, but mostly they hang out on my desktop--sometimes even on a wallpaper with the story's tag line (if I can come up with one) on it. It helps me stay focused, to remember the emotions I"m working with.

Because stories are about the emotions. At least for me they are.

This weekend I became one of them, one of those women that have animals to keep them company. I was always the one to drop out of an online chat when it turned to pet cats or dogs. It’s not that I hated animals, but when you don’t have animal, it is like listening to parents go on about their children. You can only hear so much.

As I mentioned a few weeks back, I bought a Condo. After decades of apartment living, the price of apartments had finally reached such an outrageous amount that buying became a viable alternative. I am very happy with my purchase. I’m slowly getting it decorated the way I want.

I mentioned in an off hand way to …everyone…that I was considering getting a cat. I like cats, they tend to come around for a late evening cuddle and stay out of the way the rest of the time. (Not unlike myself). My sister took me at my word. She had her dogs groomed and discovered her vet had two litters of kittens looking for homes. I tried to hem haw my way out of committing and she countered all my arguments by providing everything but the food and litter. She passed along cat scratch pyramids, toys, a litter box, cat beds and a cat tent *who knew?*

As you can see from the pictures, I decided one would be a lonely life for a cat and went with sister siblings. The runt and the alpha of the litter are my new housemates. Yes, they are adorable, and entertaining. So how to I get rid of the smell of canned cat food out of the kitchen? That little one, isn’t eating hard food yet. It's an adjustment. Wish me luck.

Rhianna Samuels

BookSigning

Simple Pleasures Books and Gifts in Ashland, VA hosted a booksigning for ROMANCING THE STONES yesterday. It was great fun! The owner of the bookstore and her three daughters run the place, and watching their dynamics was fascinating.

The store is just lovely, wonderful colors and tons of personal touches!

I enjoyed meeting new readers as well as familiar ones : ) Can't wait for the next one!

--Catherine

Chemistry ... and a PG-13 excerpt

I find the most important element in any romance is the chemistry between the hero and heroine. While I might have barely passed Chemistry in high school, I think I do fairly well when it comes to writing about it. ;) Actually, I think I enjoy writing the attraction and the foreplay -- both physical and emotional -- almost more than the actual love scenes.

Here's an excerpt to show you what I mean:

DREAM WALK (c) Meg Allison

He started to move away and she grabbed his arm. "I know I keep telling you I don't need you around…" She sighed. "It's a lie. Please stay."

He cocked his head to one side and studied her face. "I'm not going anywhere, honey. You're stuck with me 'til I say so."

"No…" She looked down at her hand resting on his arm and bit her lip. "I'd like you to stay with me tonight. I don't want to be alone."

His mouth went dry and he realized all she was saying and not saying. Staying with her was what he wanted, but he suddenly wasn't sure he could trust himself so close to her all night long.

"Honey," he licked his lips, "I'm not sure that's such a good idea after—"

"Please?" she begged in a small, throaty whisper. The sexy tone sent blood racing through his veins and straight to his cock.

"Are you sure?"

Camille nodded.

"Okay, I suppose I can do that," he said aloud, more to reassure himself than her. "I'll take the chair."

"Don't be silly, the bed is a queen size, there's plenty of room."

He chuckled nervously. "Samantha likes big beds, doesn't she?"

"I think she comes from a family of giants."

"Yeah," he replied, thinking of his old friend and her six-foot-plus brothers and father. "You wouldn't know it by looking at her, all of five six and—"

"Ian?"

He shut his mouth and stared as he noticed the hunger in her eyes. Damn. How the hell had he gotten himself into this mess?

"Come to bed."

Amazing how three little words could give him such a fast hard-on.

"Cami—"

"I won't attack, Ian. We'll just sleep."

He swallowed. "Do you think we can? I sure as hell don't."

She smiled then—the smile of a woman very pleased with herself. "I'm willing to give it a try."

He stood and pulled the wet T-shirt off over his head and let it drop to the floor. Her gaze lingered the entire time. It felt a bit like performing at Chippendale's. He'd done that once during his first year at the police academy. A buddy bet him he didn't have the balls to take it off on stage in front of a bunch of horny housewives. He not only went through with it, but he went home with four phone numbers, one very interesting proposition and enough cash to live on for a month.

But this was far more enticing with those big hazel eyes staring at him. She didn't say a word as he opened the snap and zipper of his jeans then slid them down. He'd almost gone commando when he realized she had left the house earlier. Now he was immensely relieved that he'd had enough foresight to pull on a pair of black boxer briefs.

"You're staring," he pointed out.

"You're beautiful."

"Men aren't beautiful. Now move over, honey."

She scooted to the far side of the bed and he thought he saw a faint blush color her cheeks.

"Change your mind?" he asked as he slid under the blankets beside her.

"No, of course not." But she was retreating again—pulling away from him both physically and emotionally.

"Camille, I'm tired, you're tired." He slid down onto the pillow but kept a small space between them. "Sleep…I don't expect anything else, honey."

She reached for him then, a determined look lighting her dark eyes. "But I don't want sleep. I want you."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

DREAM WALK is now available in print for all those who prefer their books the old-fashioned way. While it's classified as a paranormal romance, there's also a fair amount of suspense and danger sprinkled throughout. Yes, as I've probably mentioned before, I can't seem to write a romance without adding a little mystery in the mix.

So, if you're looking for a new romantic read to curl up with, DREAM WALK has plenty of sexual tension, actual sex, paranormal elements, and danger.

If you're interested in purchasing DREAM WALK, just click here for some options.

Happy Wednesday!

~~Meg

Indulge your senses...
http://www.megallisonauthor.com

How did you spend your 4th?

In our town, the municipality always does it's fireworks display on the 3rd. Strange yes, but that's just how they do things. For us it means planning our annual cookout on the 3rd instead of the 4th. We do it that way because we live directly behind the school where they hold the event, which means we don't have to leave our back yard to watch the display.

So the week leading up to the 3rd was all about cleaning, organizing and preparing for the celebration. The day came, we all ate too much, drank too much and enjoyed the fireworks without the hassle of having to find parking and negotiating a large crowd. NICE!

The rest of my weekend has been spent doing laundry, watching the Deadliest Catch marathon on Discovery channel and generally relaxing. I read Janet Evanovich's latest book in her Stephanie Plum series and spent some of that time drooling over her character Ranger. (MY GOD IS HE HOT!!!) If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it.

I've also taken to the outdoors, bringing my laptop outside onto the patio to enjoy the gorgeous weather here in the North East while watching my little one play in the pool and get some much needed writing done. These right here are the days I dream of in the cold of February when I've just had enough.

So how about it? How did you all celebrate our country's birthday?