Delilah Devlin's Blog, page 518

Guest Blogger: Dennis Clarkston

My Character Hijacked My Muse

Hello and welcome to my thoughts. Thank you Delilah for allowing me to be a guest on your blog. Sometimes, I wonder if I am doing the right thing when I venture out like this. You see; my topic for today's post addresses characters who hijack my muse.

With that being said, I fear that I might be visited by men wearing white lab coats carrying a net and that might try to fit me with one of those white jackets with extra long sleeves. Especially after I tell you that my characters talk to me.

When I begin a project, I interview anywhere from five to seven characters including the protagonist(s), antagonist(s), comic relief and a few secondary characters. They provide very important clues that allow me to layout my book. From this, I build an outline. Now, I sit down in front of the keyboard and start writing my story.

Once I start the first draft, my characters assist me on my journey through their world. Whether it is a main character or a secondary character, I become the character and write in her/his point of view. They guide my thoughts because it is their story that I am telling in the first place.

Now, to the crux of this blog post: be wary of some of those secondary characters. On more than one occasion, a character had hijacked my story. Usually it is a secondary character, but once it was the antagonist trying to portray himself as a hero.

I have to keep my eye on the characters, yet they do hijack my muse. The thing is that the characters can do it so quickly. I am more apt to be hijacked once my muse starts to flow.

My most memorable hijacking occurred years ago while I worked on my first book. The scene involved space travel and a secondary character. Before too long, the words flowed onto the screen. My fingers flew across the keyboard as this character dictated the words.

At this point, my secondary character stepped up and took control. I did not realize that he had hijacked my work until I reread what I had written. This is when I found that the character had inserted himself as the protagonist of the story. The secondary character redirected the direction of the story so that it revolved around him.

By that time, I had entered 20 pages of his muse into the word processor. It took a bribe which included his own short story series in order for me to wrestle control away from this secondary character. Once I got him quiet, I (along with some of the main characters of this book) pushed him into a closet and locked the door. Then, I continued working on my original story idea.

As for the 20 pages of his story, they reside in a file on my computer. I intend on keeping my promise to work on the story in the future. Until I do, I get weekly reminders from this character when he beats on the closet door wanting out. It can get really noisy when the others stuffed in the closet with him join in.

My main characters help keep the renegades corralled in the closet. They know if the secondary characters get out, they may end up in the closet. What an incentive for them.

Now, I'm not saying "don't allow your characters to assist" because it can be fun. As I said earlier, it is their story and they can guide you through it. My characters will tell me when I am not writing their story. I usually yield to their wisdom.

Do you ever converse with your characters? If you do, do they provide you with valuable information? I do on occasion but never in public except in my car. In that case, most people assume I have Blue Tooth and I am talking to someone via my cell phone. That way I can converse with my characters or dictate notes and use my voice recorder to capture the information.

That is why that I know this post may make me sound a bit on the crazy side but one of my favorite phrases I picked up over the years is "One does not have to be crazy to live in this world, but, man, it sure does help."

Dennis Clarkston likes to read romance, science fiction, mystery and comedy – preferably all combined together. He likes to write the above genres but finds that most of his works end up being mainly science fiction/action adventure. Dennis writes under the pseudonym of Clark Stone and is currently pre-published.

Web site is www.clark-stone.net

Blog: blog.clark-stone.net

Contact: garnara@gmail.com

Guest Blogger: Marcia James (Contest)

Researching Sin in Sin City

When I had the idea for my "Dr. Ally Skye, Sex Therapist" R-rated, comic romantic mystery series, I knew the perfect setting for the books was Las Vegas. The town is known for its sexual excesses, although the 25+ legal Nevada brothels are actually located in twelve rural counties—not in Sin City itself. Still there are plenty of carnal delights in Vegas to keep my sex therapist amateur sleuth busy with both her patients and her new hobby: helping her police detective lover solve sexual crimes. In addition to plotting the perfect murder, I enjoyed creating two fictional casino hotels as part of the setting: one pirate-themed and the other an Arabian Nights fantasy.

As most people know, sex is big business in Vegas.

There are "gentleman's clubs" like Cheetahs, as well as low-class strip clubs, topless female revues and Chippendales male strippers. Even Cirque du Soleil has a titillating live show.

While prostitution is illegal in Las Vegas, those looking for sex can easily find paid companionship. There are plenty of free newspapers (sometimes called "bachelor guides") and fliers touting paid "models" and "escorts". Of course, if you hire one of them and get ripped off—left high and dry, so to speak—who are you going to complain to? So it's "buyer beware" for those looking for sex in Sin City. Sometimes it's even murder, which inspired my "Dr. Ally Skye, Sex Therapist" series.

Researching these books has led me to some very interesting websites. In addition to solving sex-related murders, Ally has her therapy patients with their own issues. Several are interested in trying things beyond their "vanilla" lifestyles, such as BDSM and role-playing, while others just want to bring the spark back to their intimate relationships. My heroine isn't shocked by anything sexual between consenting adults, so as the author, I also keep an open mind while researching kink.

We first meet Dr. Ally Skye in Sex & the Single Therapist, when one of her patients is killed and a good friend is the main suspect. Before Ally and her Vegas insider friends can solve the crime, her investigations take her through a maze of lies, rampant adultery, steroid abuse, child pornography, and another murder. Of course, she also falls for police detective Zack Crawford, so the benefits definitely outweigh the risks of her sleuthing.

I'm currently researching the second book in the series, which features a serial killer who targets phone sex customers.

My research led me to an organization for sex workers (or "adult industry workers") in Vegas called SCAPA, which is associated with the national Sex Workers Outreach Project. The SCAPA site has resources and information for escorts, prostitutes, dancers, erotic masseuses, phone sex operators, and more.

The third book will open with the murders of a ménage of swinger club devotees.

Two of the most infamous swinger clubs in Vegas are the Red Roster and the Green Door. Each has a long list of rules, such as BYOB (Bring Your Own Booze) and No Means No. The Green Door appears to offer more BDSM props, along with the standard group rooms, hot tubs, and couples only areas. The victims in my third book are murdered in my fictional swinger club's pool.

The fourth in the series will explore the world of the human pony fetish. And I have ideas for working plushies and furries into future books. I admit I find the research fascinating.

What erotic fantasies or kinks do you enjoy reading about? I'll give away an e-book of my comic romantic suspense, At Her Command, to a randomly chosen commenter on this blog post.

Here's the book blurb for Sex & the Single Therapist:

A crime of passion…

To clear an innocent friend, sex therapist Dr. Ally Skye investigates a patient's murder. Soon she's trading heated words and hot kisses with a sexy cop. Can this free-spirited amateur sleuth and her posse of Vegas insiders solve the crime before the killer targets her?

A sexy complication…

Cynical homicide detective Zack Crawford has the murder to solve. The last thing he needs is a red-hot sex therapist who haunts his dreams. Ally is trouble and, given her job and his luck, she'd probably grade his performance in bed.

A dynamic duo…

Zack and Ally form an uneasy and sexually charged alliance. Murderers, extortionists and psychos are no match for these reluctant partners. Crime-solving was never this sexy or this fun!

For an excerpt from Sex & the Single Therapist, click on this link: Sex and the Single Therapist

And please visit my website to sign up for my e-newsletter and enter my monthly contest!

Thank you, Delilah, for inviting me to guest-blog!

– Marcia

Guest Blogger: Meg Benjamin

Genre Rivalry

I discovered a new writer the other day that I really enjoyed. She writes cozy mysteries, for which I have a sneaking fondness, and I was getting a kick out of hers when I happened upon a passage that made me wonder seriously if I wanted to pick up anything else she'd written. It was a party scene, and one of the guests had been described in a way that made it clear she was a complete moron. She and another guest, a writer, began discussing books they liked. And, of course, the moron turned out to just love romance.

This isn't the first time I've stumbled across a mystery writer taking potshots at romance writers. If a romance author shows up in a mystery, for example, she's usually a ditz. Sometimes she dresses in peasant outfits or pink chiffon with a picture hat. She almost always wears too much makeup. And, of course, she's almost always stupid, unless of course she's the murderer, in which case she's not stupid but evil.

I'm not sure why mystery writers feel they have to take shots at us. I've never seen a mystery writer or reader portrayed negatively in a romance novel (although given the thousands that have been written, there may be some somewhere). Yet some mystery writers seem to take particular delight in unloading on their romance writing sisters.

This is all the more puzzling when you consider that romantic mystery writers (like Carla Neggers or Tami Hoag) have their feet in both camps. It's not like there's a hard and fast line between us. Nonetheless, mystery writers apparently feel that romance writers need to be put in their place.

They're not the only ones who feel that way, either. Phillippa Gregory, the author of The Other Boleyn Girl, and other historical novels, made an offhand comment recently commending a fellow historical writer for being attuned to the time period she was describing, unlike romance writers whom Gregory disdained for being dilettantes. Now I'm sure some writers of historical romances screw things up (so, I'm sure, do historical novelists), but I'm also sure that lots of them are meticulous researchers because I've read the descriptions of their research. I'm guessing Gregory's main complaint is that historical romances concentrate on, well, romance, while Gregory and her fellow historical writers put their interest elsewhere.

The point here, frankly, is that this genre rivalry doesn't do much for any of us. People who read Eloisa James, like me, aren't going to drop her just because Phillippa Gregory says historical romance sucks. Mystery writers' potshots don't diminish romance writers or romance novels; they just make the mystery writers look petty (and some mystery writers could learn a lot about creating credible relationships by checking out romances).

This whole "my genre's better than your genre" thing is getting old. After all, many romance readers like me also read in other genres as well. And when I see romance readers and writers being insulted, it makes me a lot less likely to read that particular writer again. Think of it as the literary equivalent of cutting off your nose to spite your face.

Meg Benjamin

megbenjamin.com

Guest Blogger: Donna MacMeans (Contest)

Have you ever looked at your significant other and thought, geez, that guy needs a makeover? And if they did, what would you change?

This is my heroine's dilemma in my August release, REDEEMING THE ROGUE. The story begins in London, England in 1881 and moves across the Atlantic to Washington, D.C. Michael Rafferty is a sexy Irishman who is most comfortable in London's dark underbelly, ferreting out violent Fenians (a group desiring Independence for Ireland) in the hopes of finding the one responsible for the bomb that killed his family. His black hair is unfashionably long and shaggy, his wardrobe is not that of the aristocracy, and he has no need for knowing about the fourteen types of forks and eleven types of spoons on a well-laid Victorian table.

However, when the British minister assigned to Washington D.C. turns up dead. Rafferty believes the one responsible is the man he's been chasing. The Home Office decides the best way to catch a murderer is for Rafferty to temporarily assume the position of British minister and head of Washington's ligation. He just doesn't exactly look the part.

Enter Lady Arianne Chambers, who for reasons of her own, agrees to mold Rafferty into an acceptable diplomat. While they cross the Atlantic she modifies his appearance, teaches him etiquette – that is, when he shows up for lessons – and teaches him to dance in a sort of reverse Pygmalion.

Little did she suspect that Rafferty was transforming her as well. Together they face Washington society, find themselves involved in the assassination of President Garfield, and are forced to defend themselves against charges of treason.

So, my question for you is…if you could change your significant other, what would it be? His hair? His weight? His clothes? His manners?

Let's talk and I'll send one person leaving a comment a copy of REDEEMING THE ROGUE.

Donna MacMeans

www.DonnaMacMeans.com

"[Redeeming the Rogue] is pure joy; funny, sexy and exciting." 4.5 TOP PICK! Romantic Times Bookreviews

"Irish rebellion, smuggled guns, and the assassination of American president James Garfield form a lively backdrop for this sweet, sexy, and smartly told Victorian romance." — Publishers Weekly

While I'm away…

Tomorrow, I head to Philadelphia for Authors After Dark. While I'm away, I have some terrific authors guest-hosting here—some you'll know, some maybe not—to keep you entertained. Be kind. Post comments. And remember, the Fugly Ring contest continues. Every comment counts as an entry!

Here's the lineup of guests I have for you:

Wednesday — Donna MacMeans

Thursday — Meg Benjamin

Friday — Marcia James

Saturday — Dennis Clarkston

Sunday —Alice Gaines

Enjoy! Today, I'll be busy packing and checking my list twice!

Submissions Deadlines Approaching!

Deadlines for submissions for my two Cleis Press anthologies are fast approaching!

I've started reading through the submissions for the first anthology I want to fill, Beastly Babes, my lesbian shapeshifter anthology. I've gone through 24 stories so far. Several are intriguing. I thought it might be helpful for any of you writers out there to hear some feedback regarding the stories I have and what I hope to still discover.

First, creature features for the stories I'm considering: I have wolves (2), selkies (3), a fox, mouse, snake, panther and puma. That doesn't mean you can't still submit one of those kinds of stories, but yours had better knock my socks off.

Second, I have plenty of sweet, a couple of funny, what I really want to see are some darker, eerier stories with some edgy kink to help round out the collection. They still have to have that romantic Happy-For-Now. And again, that's not to say I won't take more sweet or funny, but your story has to surprise me.

If you have an idea and haven't started writing it yet, and need a little more time, let me know. The deadline is August 15, but I do have a little wiggle room. If I'm expecting it, I won't close the door.

For more information regarding the submission guidelines, check out this link:

Beastly Babes Rules

Let me remind you that I have a second collection I am looking to fill, this time hetero cowboy stories. That deadline is the end of this month. For more information, here's that link:

The Cowboy Rules

Needed: Blog Tour Topics!

In mid-September, I'm going to have a blog tour to promote Enslaved by a Viking. For almost thirty days, I'll be a gypsy, wandering from one author's or reviewer's website to another, big and small. I will tell you where to find me every day, right here.

First, thanks to everyone who offered to host me. Second—what the hell am I going to talk about for thirty days?

That's where you come in. Help me build a list of blogging topics. I'm used to getting up in the morning and blogging about whatever pops into my mind. Come September, I'll have to prepare blogs in advance. No spontaneous thought. Yikes!

As for topics, they can be Enslaved story-related topics or not, or just things you might be curious about a writer's life. Any and all suggestions will be appreciated as I build my list.

Saturday Snippet: Bad, Bad Girlfriend

**Remember! The Fugly Ring contest continues!

Click on the contest name for details! ~DD

* * * * *

I may be the writer, but sometimes, stories surprise me. That happened in the middle of BAD, BAD GIRLFRIEND. I knew the big climactic scene would be in a strip club. I knew Gabe was going to catch Jolie's act. What I didn't know was how the scene would go down—not until I wrote it. I think I wrote this in an hour, snickering to myself the entire time. I hope you enjoy it half as much! ~DD

"Ms. Devlin will have readers laughing one minute and screaming the next… BAD, BAD GIRLFRIEND is a witty, heart pounding smoking hot read that is a must have." 5 Angels, Fallen Angels

"Bad, Bad Girlfriend is just plain fun!… A great quickie from a great author." 5 Stars, Just Erotic Romance

"My emotions ran wild while reading Bad, Bad Girlfriend… Don't miss this mischievous woman's attempts to secure her man's love. I had a fantastic time reading Jolie and Gabe's story." 5 Silver Dragons, Veiled Secrets Reviews

Expect magic when one determined woman dons a legendary pair of red stilettos and bares body and heart to get her man's attention…

Jolene's a big, beautiful woman with an even bigger heart. But she's become her police officer boyfriend's favorite doormat and that's so not working for her. It's time for a little conversation, time to tell Mr. Happy Pants to "pee or get off the pot".

Gabriel has seen what his profession does to marriages. He's not willing to risk that kind of heartbreak. Besides, he likes what he has with Jolene. The woman is sex personified. So when Jolie tells him she won't see him anymore if he's not willing to commit, he's shocked and angry.

With a girlfriend's encouragement and the added confidence a certain pair of red stilettos gives her, Jolene arranges a special show at a strip club to prove to Gabe once and for all that she's more woman than any man can handle, and if he doesn't want the job, then she'll find another lover who does.

Jolie heard the music, tried to catch the beat, but she'd never been so scared, so embarrassed in her life.

She knew she'd made a huge mistake the minute she'd entered the stripper's dressing room. Lexie had ushered her in after Guppy, the skinny, bespectacled manager of the strip club, let them in the back door and showed them to the women's dressing room. She already wore her costume under a tightly belted trench coat, but getting her first up-close look at the other women awaiting their turns on the stage made her lose her nerve.

She turned back toward the exit.

Lexie stood behind her, her arms crossed over her chest. "No you don't. Not after I paid him a hundred dollars to let you do this!"

"You paid him?"

Lexie shrugged. "He prefers professionals, but he's not above a bribe."

"Great. You had to pay him to let me take off my clothes. Get out of my way."

Lexie's chin firmed, and her eyes narrowed into the meanest look her friend could manage. "You talked me into this. You convinced me this was a good idea. No way are you going to chicken out now."

"They'll laugh at me," Jolie whispered furiously.

The other women, even the curvier ones, weren't as well-padded.

One the women nearest them, eyed Jolie in the glass as she applied a wide streak of eyeliner. "We've had big girls before. Some of the men prefer 'em. Give it a go, hon."

Jolie didn't appreciate the advice and straightened her spine, ready to walk right through Lexie if she didn't get the hell out of her way.

Lexie lifted her chin. "You want a ring, remember? A commitment. You want him to notice you, know you're desirable for more than your cupcakes."

Jolie swallowed, her eyes filling. "I'm scared."

Lexie's militant expression softened. "You'll do fine. In ten minutes, it'll all be over. And you'll know whether the shoes were meant for him."

Jolie nodded slowly. "I couldn't get the pasties to stick, the adhesive didn't work on top of the body lotion I applied."

The stripper eyeing her in the mirror turned and held out her hand. "Give 'em to me. I'll show you my little trick. Works every time."

Reluctantly, Jolie pulled the little gold-glittered pasties from the pocket of her coat and handed them to the woman who towered on a pair of platform PVC boots.

"Get out of that coat. Have to show your boobs. It's just us girls here."

The other girls laughed, but their smiles seemed friendly enough. Jolie didn't like being the center of attention and especially didn't like the fact her "girls" were everyone's focus, but she opened her coat and let Lexie slide it off her shoulders.

"The bra too. Can't paste 'em on top of those cones. Nice bra by the way."

"Thanks," she said faintly. "The Whip and Tickle had a sale."

"Name's Angie," the redhead said, grinning, "since we're about to get friendly."

Jolie's eyes widened. The woman took a small bottle of glue sitting beside her open makeup case, circled the pasty then twisted it onto Jolie's boob.

Jolie held her breath, shocked to her core. Her nipple beaded beneath the little circle and the pasty began to fall away.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Angie said. "Happens all the time to me. It's cold out there." Angie peeled the pasty off the rest of the way, carried it to her mouth and licked it then twisted it back onto Jolie's nipple.

Jolie knew she must have earned a ton of bad karma as the women laughed around her.

"They're just laughing at your expression," Angie said. "We all have our little tricks for keeping these things hiding the pearlies."

Jolie suffered through Angie twisting on the second one, and didn't even blanch when she licked it.

But she didn't dare give Lexie a glance. She could feel her shaking beside her, clinging to her arm as she got ready to let loose with howls of laughter.

"Just remember," Jolie clipped, "I know where you live, Lexie Burns."

"Sorry," Lexie gasped, covering her mouth with a hand. "You should have seen your face."

"Yeah, it was pretty funny," Angie said, her smile stretching. "You're ready. Get that bra closed. You're up next. Give that boyfriend hell."

Lexie tossed Jolie's coat over the back of a chair and grabbed Jolie's waist, pushing her out the door and down the corridor toward the side of the stage. The curtains were closed.

Guppy signaled to her from the far side. "Get in the middle and I'll open 'em up."

Jolie dug in her heels. Lexie pushed harder, and Jolie couldn't get the traction she needed with the tiny stiletto tips scraping across the wooden floor. When she was behind the curtain, Guppy gave her a thumbs-up, and Lexie darted back.

The curtains started to open, but Jolie grabbed both sides and held them closed. "Oh hell no." She'd gotten a glimpse of the crowd when the curtain waved.

The bar was packed. A dozen or more heads and shoulders peering above the edge of the stage. They'd be looking up her ass.

"Let go of the curtain," Guppy yelled.

Jolie shook her head. "No way in hell."

Hands slipped over hers. "Let go, Jolie," Lexie bit out, trying to peel back her fingers. "I paid for ten minutes but you can do five and I won't even make you pay me back."

She squeezed Jolie's hands, but Jolie gripped the fabric tighter.

They stumbled against the curtain, and she felt the curtain give a little from the top.

"You girls tear it down, you're payin' for it!" Guppy yelled. "Still got your credit card, missie."

"Let go!" Lexie growled.

"I changed my mind. Musta lost it. No man's worth the humiliation."

"Give…the shoes…a chance." Lexie dug her fingers under the waistband of Jolie's shorts in the back and tugged.

"You tryin' to give me a wedgie?"

"Worked in high school."

The elastic at the back of her thong popped and Jolie let go to give Lexie a glare when the curtains swished open.

Lexie hid behind the edge as it retreated, leaving Jolie in the center of the stage, pushing the remnants of her thong down her crack. The movement thrust out her chest and the men around the stage began to howl.

Jolie crossed her arms in front to hide herself, but only managed to press more of her boobs over the top of the shiny cups.

"Bump and grind! Bump and grind!" Lexie shouted from the side.

Well, she was already out there in her underwear. What the hell? Jolie closed her eyes and listened for the music again, this time she felt it and took a couple of shaky steps forward. The stage narrowed to a catwalk, lights trimming the edge. Hands reached high, shaking dollar bills. One grabbed her ankle, but she shook him off and continued forward.

She caught a glimpse of two figures closing in from the front of the club, two tall, broad figures wearing dark uniforms.

Dear God, they were here. Gabe's face was tight, hard. His fists curled. And he was coming fast.

The look on his face shouldn't have excited her, but it did. She shook back her hair, turned on her heel and shook her ass for the crowd.

"Jolie!"

She heard his shout, but it only served to spur her on. She turned, squatting near a handsome dude whose eyes ate her up as she bounced and leaned forward.

His fingers slid under the edge of her bra and stuffed a dollar in her cleavage. She gave him a wink and glided up, turning to bend over and stare at him between her legs before easing up again, and rolling her hips, popping them to the music.

"Take a twenty!" another man shouted.

She strolled like a runway model, putting a finger in her mouth and standing in front of him to trace a wet path down her belly to the snap of her shorts.

"Show us some more skin!" he shouted, waving that bill.

Jolie gave him a wink, feeling more assured of her attraction, squatted in front of him and leaned forward to get the money. However, he grabbed for her boob, nearly pulling her from the stage.

A bouncer ran up and pulled him back.

Jolie gave Gabe a sideways glance. You see that, baby? Your precious milk-and-cookies mama is gonna start a riot.

She bent toward the man seated next to the one who'd been hauled backward from the stage. He stuffed a cool, crisp twenty into her shorts. She went to her knees and opened the top toggle of her bra.

Shouts and whistles started and she leaned back, smoothing a hand down her belly and back up then opening another latch. One more to go. Would she have the nerve?

"Jolie, don't do it," Gabe shouted.

But Gabe didn't own her ass. Didn't own her boobs. He hadn't claimed an inch of her skin.

She opened the last clasp and held the edges closed over her breasts, and slowly rose, walking to the end of the stage right in front of Gabe. With his hot, angry stare locking with hers, she opened her bra wide, flashing the crowd and shaking her glitter-topped tits. Take that, Gabe Devine.

A hand reached up and grabbed for her ankle.

Jolie tried to kick it loose, but the man was rising from his seat. "Come here, baby. Rub those titties on my face."

She teetered and let out choked scream, falling toward the man. But he flew backward and another set of arms caught her.

A shoulder hit her belly and she folded over a wide, muscular frame. Gabe's butt flexed beneath her gaze as he stomped toward the doors.

The doors whooshed open and he carried outside and down the steps. Cool, wintery air prickled her skin, drying her sweat immediately.

"Put me down," she said. "It's cold!"

But he didn't slow his pace, not until he reached the squad car and opened the back door and flung her inside.

Jolie landed in a sprawl of legs and arms and climbed up from the floorboard to kneel on the seat, staring back at Gabe who hunched over to glare inside the car.

"What the hell were you thinking?" he blasted.

Jolie shoved both hands on her hips and yelled back, "That it was about damn time I started looking for another man."

"In that place? Did you want to get raped?"

"I wanted someone to notice me."

His eyes narrowed to angry slits. "All you have to do is breathe deep to get a man's attention."

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Be sure to check out the snippets on these other authors' blogs:

Mari Carr

McKenna Jeffries

Taige Crenshaw

Lacey Savage

Sasha White

Guest Blogger: Sayde Grace

The winner of yesterday's One-Day-Only Contest is at the bottom of this post!

Thanks, everyone, for playing! ~DD

Sexual Tension in Books

by Sayde Grace

Hello everyone! First let me just say a huge thank you to Delilah for letting me take over today!! I'm really excited to be here! Today I'm going to talk about different forms of sexual tension. A few months ago I did an online chat where I talked about adding emotion to your sex scenes. During the chat one of my side topics was sexual tension. Since then I have started a new manuscript where the sexual tension is thick enough to cut with a butter knife.

There are many ways to add sexual tension. Such as adding more serious conflicts between the main characters or on the other end of the spectrum having the characters have no conflicts except wanting each other can add tension. I prefer to have my characters bickering. Now, I was once told that bickering isn't an element strong enough to build a plot on. That's true, however using that as a character trait is different. Having a couple with a major plot is your main concept but giving them a trait where when near each other they bicker can create friction between them. That friction can be just the beginning to passion.

That is just one way to create sexual tension. Some authors keep characters touching. A stroke of a hand down an arm will do it. Sometimes the gentle press of lips near flesh but never touching. And even a certain glance will create tension. Little gestures go a long way in tying characters together with readers.

Adding an emotional element to any form of creating sexual tension will draw your readers deeper into the relationship. As a reader I know that what ties me to a character is how something affects that character emotionally. When that character is fighting with the other how does she feel? What are her hidden emotions? By bringing those hidden emotions to your readers they will connect your readers to your characters.

Those emotions can be presented in the smallest ways. Just a thought here or there. A slight sigh. A cuss. A blink. Those little actions can reveal emotions that are behind the sexual tension.

What are things you look for as a reader when it comes to tension,

relationships, or traits?

* * * * *

The winner (by random number generator) is…Christy M! Christy, email me with your address so I can get your package into the mail! Congrats!

For those rest of you, remember, the Fugly Ring Contest continues!

One-Day-Only-Contest!

I still have promo stuff to give away that I brought back from Lori Foster's Readers' Get-Together. Today, I'm going to give away some of it! What do you have to do? POST A COMMENT—here and/or on the Girls Who Bite blog! Yes, you can enter this contest twice to improve your chance of winning!

This is what today's bundle includes:

Autographed books:

Assassin's Heart by Monica Burns

A Taste of the Nightlife by Sarah Zettel

Paramour by Margaret Ethridge

Autographed excerpt booklet from Donna MacMeans and Susan Gee Heino

Assorted stuff (some of it signed as well!)…bookmarks, trading cards, excerpt booklets from:

Carina Press, Liz Arnold, Sidney Ayers, Anya Bast, Dana Marie Bell, Cheryl Brooks, Monca Burns, Mary Burton, Virna DePaul, Lila DiPasqua, Jess Granger, Donna Grant, Marcia James, Jade Lee, Michelle Levigne, Michelle Miles, Nancy Naigle, Zinobia Renquist, Sidney Somers, Catherine Stang, Renee Vincent, Emma Wildes, Beth Williamson, and more!

No doubt, I'll throw some of my stuff in as well! So, what can you comment about? How about this?

There's many a good tune played on an old fiddle. ~Samuel Butler