Crumb.

Brain refuses to work during the heat.

More updates as events warrant. :)

Doing the nasty some more.

Love scenes are great fun to write as well as read. The difficult part isn't coming up with positions or locations.

Because like every other scene in the book, the love scenes need to move the plot forward, reveal something about the characters, as well as explore the emotions involved in such a deeply personal act.

So let's be specific. Let's say my heroine is looking at the hero.

He was gorgeous. Even the sick yellow sodium streetlight couldn’t erase his high cheekbones and navy blue eyes. His full lower lip summoned her to kiss and bite. His worn shirt framed his chest and rippled belly. Lost in a fog, she barely registered licking her lips when she saw a line of flesh above the waistband of his low-slung jeans. One long fingered hand touched the glass as he leaned in closer, his eyes locked on her.

The world shrunk. Those strong, scarred digits slid, lazy and slow, down the window. His thumb hooked through his belt loop. He cocked his hip in masculine invitation to look and appreciate. The grace of him sent an unfamiliar shudder through her breasts. Its power rocked her back on her heels. In all her long life, had she ever felt an erotic blow like this? Her body wanted to know how those fingers would feel.

What makes this snippet work or not isn't the description of his body, delightful as it is. It's what she feels, the emotion that the visual brings to her. Her desire, surprise, and yearning tell you that she's sexual, though she's not been intimate, not just physically but also emotionally, with someone for a very very long time.

You know you're a writer when...

You find a random piece of paper that says, 'Blow job here' and it has nothing to do with a naughty date.

My Band of Hooligans.

Today was a brainstorming and plotting day with my wonderful, amazing band of Hooligans. There are six of us, of varying ages, who all write different subgenres of romance. Everything from my sexy but dark paranormals to home/hearth to adventure to suspense.

I think every writer needs a 'family' of some sort. A group of people (or even just a person) who invest themselves in you, believe in you, and care passionately about your success.

We rarely critique each other's work, since we write such different things. After all, I'd be saying things like, "You know this scene where the heroine realizes there's no place like home? You need some Zombie Frogs in there."

And believe it or not, not everyone is into Zombie Frogs! Can you imagine???

Lack of ZF's not withstanding, together we take each other's plots to greater heights of courage and adventure.

Just like we do for each other. :)

Doing the nasty.

One of the interesting things about writing the zippy stuff is the inevitable question : "So, uh, do you DO the *ahem* activities you write about?!"

The answer is (you're going to love this one), "It depends."

Have I ever engaged in frottage with a priest against a tree?

Yuck. Just...yuck.

Have I been passionately crazy about someone that is very very bad for me?

Oh, my yes.

The great thing about the erotic imagination is you can take a feeling, an image, or a memory, and make that little snippet into something that rings so true and alive that your readers can only imagine that you've actually done something that truly wicked and pleasurable.

And that's a damn cool thing about being a writer. :)

Buy the book!

My good friend Delilah Marvelle just sent me this email:

Despite being sold out of my first print run and going to reprint soon for my debut book, Mistress of Pleasure, Kensington will not be renewing my contracts citing lack of sales. So I have a favor to ask everyone. I am looking to do one last huge push for the second book coming out this August 4th, Lord of Pleasure, so that this series doesn't die a sad pathetic death.

I'm hoping everyone can help in any way by blogging, pitching, sending out newsletters, telling their brothers and sisters, ANYONE to buy the damn book when it comes out August 4th, to show to the publisher that this series DOES matter.

You can also send them to my website www.DelilahMarvelle.com

The campaign is called Save the School of Gallantry Series.
I'm also having a contest, which everyone can post everywhere.

The contest is as follows:
From August 4 until August 28, anyone who e-mails me at
Delilah@DelilahMarvelle.com with the School's quote from Lesson 27, will be entered to win one of three $50 Visa Cards. Winners will be contacted via e-mail by September 10th.

I appreciate all the support!!!

Mistress of Pleasure, Sold out

Lord of Pleasure, August 2009

RT Reviewer's Choice Award Nominee,

N.O.R's Best Historical Romance of the Year

& Booksellers Best Award Double Finalist!