Now, I welcome the delightful Elley Arden, author of Marrying the Wrong Man, as she talks about romance … and sex!
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Romance vs. Sex
Sex isnβt necessarily romantic. We all had first times, didnβt we? And of course, what is or isnβt romantic is a very subjective thing. Making love on a bed of roses while candles flicker around the room? Most of us would agree thatβs romantic. But giving into passion in the bed of a pickup truck in the middle of a rainstorm? That can be romantic, too. Just not in the classic sense.
Romance novels havenβt been βclassicβ in a long time. Oh, I know you can find books that follow a formula from years ago, and there are plenty of readers who adore those books. But more and more, publishers and readers are clamoring for sex scenesβdetailed sex scenesβand not just one in every book.
When I started writing romance, I couldnβt imagine writing explicit sex scenes, so I skipped that part. A big patch of white marked the spot where my characters where getting busy. They couldβve been knitting for all I knew. I was truly uncomfortable enough that I didnβt give those scenes any real thought. But one night, as I stayed up long past my bedtime reading, skipping entire passages of a book just so I could get to the Happily Ever After, I realized something I NEVER would skip was a sex scene. Heck no! I read the good ones twice. And right then I knew β¦ when it came to my writing, I had to stop closing the door and walking away just when things were heating up.
The next time I was alone with my writing, I scrolled down to the white space and told myself to write get it over with. Write the worst sex scene in the history of the world. I had to get the first time out of the way before I could get any better at it. In the end, it wasnβt bad, but it was definitely missing something. I didnβt know what it was then, but I bet I know now. There wasnβt any romance. No excitement past the physical. No mystery. No escape from the drudgery of everyday life. No revelry. They did a deed. Went through the motions. Performed stilted choreography. And it was flat. Unfeeling. Like a couple unskilled teens in the backseat of a car.
After eight published romance novels, Iβd like to think Iβm better at it now. Iβd like to think I know what Iβm doing. But, sometimes I get lazy. Iβm tired. I have a headache. I forget to shave. *winks* Whether itβs sex on the page or sex in real life, the romance part takes work.
Bottom line: Itβs easy to go through the motions. Itβs harder to make it mean something.
What do you think? Have you read sex scenes that were lacking? Does the romance of the moment turn you on more than the actual deed? When it comes to love scenes in novels do you like more, less, explicit, or tame? Itβs something to think about.
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MARRYING THE WRONG MAN
Author: Elley Arden
Author Location:Β Pittsburgh, PA
Genre:Β Contemporary Romance
Release Date: May12th, 2014
Word Count: 50,000words
Publisher:Β Crimson Romance
Format: Digital eBook
ISBN:Β 9781440579639
Blurb:
Morgan Parrish returns to Harmony Falls after her spectacle of an almost wedding and her fatherβs colossal fall from grace. Sheβs broke and infamous. But thatβs nothing compared to the secret sheβs been keeping.
Life is finally on the upswing for Charlie Cramer. Heβs sober and chef of Chargrilled Bistro. But his peace is shattered, when the woman he lovesβthe woman who left himβshows up in town with shocking cargo: the baby heβd begged her to keep and raise with him.
When fate steps in and Morgan takes a job working in Charlieβs bistro, things heat upβin and out of the kitchen. Can they learn to trust each other enough to love again? And is that love enough to keep them up when everyone else is trying to tear them down?
Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Add MARRYING THE WRONG MAN to your TBR pile on Goodreads!
Other books in the Harmony Falls series:
BATTLING THE BEST MAN:
Goodreads | Amazon| Barnes and Noble | iBooks
CRASHING THE CONGRESSMAN’S WEDDING:
Goodreads | Amazon| Barnes and Noble | iBooks | Books-A-Million | Powellβs
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Excerpt:
I should have washed my hands of you.
βNo!β He held up his hand. βI donβt want to hear any more from you until Iβve said what Iβve wanted to say for the last two years.β
She stuck out her chin and locked her jaw like she expected the words to pack one hell of a punch.
βI hate what you did,β he said. βAll of it. I shouldβve told you to go to hell when you broke things off, saying you wanted your daddy to be proud of you, and that meant you couldnβt be with me. I shouldβve washed my hands of you then. But no, I let you cry on my shoulder too many damn times, and twice that led to β¦ β he sneered, βother things. Justin and I may have grown apart long before you two got engaged, but I still owed him more respect than that. I owed myself more respect than that. Falling in love with you was the stupidest thing I ever did. No wonder I ended up a drunk. You damn near destroyed me.β
Her lip quivered. βI didnβt mean to.β
βReally?β He fisted his hands and lifted his face to the sky for a roar. βTell me you wouldβve stopped that wedding had my sister not stood up and stopped it for you.β
She opened her mouth but shut it again.
βThatβs what I thought.β He shook his head. βYouβre sick. But the good news is, Iβm not β¦ not anymore. You might be stuck in Harmony Falls, but you better stay the hell away from me.β
Her gaze shot to the house again, but this time she gasped.
He turned in time to see Phyllisβs head. βIs everything okay? I heard yelling.β
βShut the door!β Morganβs whole body jerked like she was readying to run.
βI can call the cops.β
βI said shut the β¦ β
And then a child cried.
Charlieβs blood ran cold as Phyllis slammed the door. βWho was that?β
βNobody.β Morgan rushed toward the house. βLeave, Charlie, or Iβll call the cops myself.β
A child. Whose child? The hairs on the back of his neck stood. βMorgan β¦ β
But she didnβt stop, and she slammed the door behind her like Phyllis had done, leaving him gaping in the driveway with the sound of a crying child ringing in his ears.
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Author Info:
Elley Arden is a born and bred Pennsylvanian who has lived as far west as Utah and as far north as Wisconsin. She drinks wine like itβs water (a slight exaggeration), prefers a night at the ballpark to a night on the town, and believes almond English toffee is the key to happiness.
Elley writes provocative, emotional, contemporary romances, where Mr. Not-My-Type ends up being Mr. Right.
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads
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Giveaway:
Win some awesome prizes:
A $15 gift card for Amazon or Barnes & Noble (winners choice) plus a signed copy of Crashing the Congressman’s Wedding AND Battling the Best Man! (US residents only)
http://www.rafflecopter.com/rafl/display/b050ef13/
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