Sex scenes and Cowboys - or - How To Get Your Attention Without Really Trying

When I was eleven years old, for some reason I started watching a lot of western movies late at night with my mom. Soon, not only was I a big John Wayne fan, I was in love with Blue and Manolito on the TV show, High Chapperal. Oh, how I used to imagine myself out in Arizona, on that cactus strewn ranch, riding along side either one of my favorite guys! And of course, because I was a four-eyed book geek, that burgeoning love for westerns morphed naturally over into my first love – reading. On a trip to the library one day I discovered Zane Grey, one of the first popular western authors, and I was a goner. I read everything he wrote, I think, before moving on to become a history nut.

Now, what I couldn’t understand about Zane Grey’s books at the time, was that a lot of the words he used seemed to have some letters missing. I don’t know if this was standard for his books, or if somehow I had stumbled across a specially edited line of his popular westerns, but it made for some interesting reading for a naïve 11 year old.
Here's an example:

“D _ _ n it, Joe,” Black Jack Bishop said, “tie up that sh _ _-_ _ _ ed jack_ _ _.”

I spent a lotta lotta time trying to figure out what those left out letters spelled out. Finally I gave up and just skipped those words, piecing together the stories of cowboys and gunslingers, stagecoach robbers and prairie women done wrong. The next year I even tried my hand at writing a western myself. My heroes were named Billy John and Seth, and I’ll never forget the thrill I felt as I wrote the opening sentence:

“Somewhere in North Texas beside the Brazos River, Seth Davis swung down off his paint pony and dragged his hand through his tousled sun-bleached hair.”

In retrospect, that was the beginning of my desire to become a writer. I only wrote four chapters of that book—I still have it somewhere in a folder—but the love I felt for the two main characters has never waned. Maybe I’ll write it someday.

As I was thinking about this today, with westerns being one of our blog options for the week, I realized something very important--a way the memory of my love for all things western could help me in my writing! You see, as a romance author, the hardest parts (ahem) to write, for me, are usually the love scenes. So what if I stole a page from Mr. Zane Grey’s book? It might go a little something like this:

“Oh, Jack,” Lily said breathlessly as he slid his hand upward to touch her n _ _ _ _ _ _e. “I never dreamed you felt this way about me.”

Jack caressed the side of her neck with his lips, then groaned as she touched his throbbing m _ _ _ _ _. “You’re killing me, love,” he whispered.

Lily had never felt so powerful. She s_ _ _ked his _ _ _s and then lowered her mouth to his iron hard pe_ _.

Well, I think you get the idea. (Don't blush! I might have fooled ya, pardners. What dirty minds you folks have! You might be surprised at how easy it is to imply something slightly wicked with just with a few empty spaces! See the real words that go in the spaces at the end of this blog!)

Okay, in spite of my kidding around, those tall, tanned, cowboys with their lean, hard muscles and five o’clock shadows are still one of my personal three top hero-types in romances. The lineup?

1. Highlanders (of course!)
2. Cowboys
3. Spies

More on these bad boys in another blog, but for now I leave you with the mental image of John Wayne holding that newborn baby in “3 Godfathers”. Now there was a hero!

The answer to my Zane Grey romance scene:

“Oh, Jack,” Lily said breathlessly as he slid his hand upward to touch her necklace. “I never dreamed you felt this way about me.”

Jack caressed the side of her neck with his lips, then groaned as she touched his throbbing muscles. “You’re killing me, love,” he whispered.

Lily had never felt so powerful. She stroked his jaws and then lowered her mouth to his iron hard pecs.

And here's my LOLcat for you for the day--Enjoy and have a good one!

The Western Highlands of Scotland

One of my favorite places to set a story is the western and northern Highlands of Scotland. This, to me, is one of the most beautiful places on earth. It is rugged and harsh country. The mostly bare mountains of rock jut up from the boggy, wet landscape. In summer some of the mountains are covered in the most vivid green vegetation. I couldn't say what the plant is but when the sun shines on it, the green is so bright and velvety it is almost blinding. (above: Glen Coe) In other areas, heather cloaks the mountains and hills and in mid-summer turns bright pinkish-purple. The air here is fresh, cool and clean. Lochs, small and large, dot the landscape. The peat that forms the bogs turns the water naturally brown which creates dark lochs that reflect the dramatic sky.

The sky seems a part of the landscape. The clouds drift down and caress the mountains. In the morning, the mist rises and floats, ghost-like as rays of sunlight knife through. It is such a magical, mystical place. It is easy to see how many myths and legends were born here.


(above: near Ullapool)
As well, the people who lived here hundreds of years ago were as tough and rugged as their surroundings. They had to be in order to survive. Crops are difficult if not impossible to grow here because of the inappropriate or nonexistent soil in the wet bogs or on the rocky slopes. Sheep and cattle survived by eating the vegetation. The climate is cool and damp here most of the year so wool clothing was a must. The most famous of the wool cloth woven by Highlanders was plaid. What we today call a great kilt or belted plaid was to Highland men back in history the most practical of clothing which suited their lifestyle.

(Below: Eilean Donan Castle in the Western Highlands)

(Above: Sango Bay near Durness in northern Scotland)

I like imagining and writing about Highlanders who lived here their whole lives, fierce and free, loving the Highlands like a family member. They fought for, protected and died for this wild land they called home. If you visit you will know why they were so passionate about it.

Western Romances -- The Cowboy Way

Whether reading Zane Grey or Linda Lael Miller, cowboys and the Western way of life make for some of the best stories. Rugged heroes have always been my favorites in romance fiction. Something about those salt-of-the-earth types and how they live as hard as they love. Go to the greatest lengths to ensure the safety of loved ones. Fight for justice. Ride like the wind. Oh, and they are often quite easy on the eyes. Whether cowboys and rodeo heroes are roping, riding or ranching, they keep us turning the pages to find out what they love doing once the dust is cleared, the saddles are hung up and the chaps are off.

Roughrider blurb --

Rabid curiosity clashes with criminal minds and escalates the drama in the small Texas town where love and loyalties are harder won than any rodeo trophy.

Kimberly Taylor is a successful Western outfitter who deserves a worthy man to take her mind and body off the demands of her business. Jack Dodson has had his moment in the rodeo spotlight and decides he’d rather seek a more stable occupation. Kimberly needs something and someone to shake up her mundane existence. Breathe some excitement into her life. She finds fulfillment, drama and more when she tackles Jack on her own sexual terms.

You might wonder how this story came about. One day I happened across an older Western movie about cattle drivers. I mused about a man and woman who’d never explored their attraction to each other. During their younger years, they shared a friendship but never dared admitting or acting on their basest desires together. Couldn’t wait for the first commercial to play before I started jotting notes about Kimberly and Jack. Roughrider is about Kimberly's sexual odyssey. By returning her to Mesa Junction, Texas, I put her directly in the path of her ultimate temptation. It's been ten years since her last visit to the Dodson family, and she decides it's time to slay some sexual demons. ROUGHRIDER is all about finding that special person with whom you can share some of your most intimate secrets and indulge some of your wildest sexual fantasies. Kim knows she'll always have a friend in Jack, but she wants more. And the only way she'll ever find out if he feels the same way is by revisiting a certain Texas town.

If you enjoy romantic stories pivoted by sex and suspense…

Click here for more information and a ROUGHRIDER excerpt

Click here to watch the book videos and to read another excerpt and reviews

Wishing you all many happy reading moments,

Shawna Moore
ROUGHRIDER -- Ellora's Cave
HELLE IN HEELS -- Ellora's Cave
TORMENTED -- Coming soon to Ellora's Cave
Shawna's Myspace
Helle's Myspace

The Thrill of the Paranormal

I've always been fascinated in the paranormal from the time when I was a teen and watched the local community college put on the play Dracula and Hansel and Gretal, to ghost stories at the school library and tons of mythology, and fantasies too, like Beauty and the Beast (not the Disney Version) and all the other childhood fantasies, where the man and woman loved each other, but were destined to be star crossed lovers if they couldn't break a spell, or kill off the evil witch. So yeah, I've been in love with the paranormal forever.

It's only been really recently that I discovered the paranormal world of romances with a happily ever after for some of the most unlikely types of stories, from goddesses and demons to ghostly hunks, and, yep, werewolves.

I'd have to say for me, Dracula was the closest thing to a sexy romance, but it was never a happily ever after for the poor vampire. The same with the other stories, the witches and ghosts were not the main characters, but the villains or secondaries. Not as far as romances go at least.

And then there are the tons of psychic detective shows and ghost hunter shows, and fantasies like Narnia and Star Dust, and lots more great stories with paranormal elements.

From werewolves like Heart of the Wolf and Don't Cry Wolf, to vampires and witches in The Vampire...In My Dreams and psychics in Deidre's Secret, I love to explore the paranormal or urban fantasy realm.

So if you could have any paranormal ability, whether it was some kind of psychic ability, or shapeshifting power, what would you want to have and why?

Terry Spear, www.terrywildespear.com

Bring on the Kelpie!

Hi, everyone, I'm thrilled to announce Red Sage has made an offer on my second novella! Woohoo! This paranormal erotic romance is entitled "Beast in a Kilt." The hero of this story is a shapeshifter of a special sort. He turns into a kelpie at night. Kelpies are a part of Scottish folklore and legend. Centuries ago, Scots believed certain lochs or rivers were inhabited by these malicious water demons. A kelpie appears to be a normal-looking, beautiful white (or black) horse. This creature charms and lures weary travelers onto his back and then dives into the loch or river, drowning and eating his victims. Kelpies have the strength and stamina of ten horses. And some legends say these kelpies could shift into gorgeous human males if they wanted. In this form they sometimes mated with women.

Of course Torr Blackburn, the hero of my story, doesn't drown people or eat them, but he does shift into a beautiful white "horse" at night and feels an intense, violent rage at times. When he's hungry, he eats grass or oats like a normal horse. He loves swimming in the nearby loch to burn off energy or aggression, and he never feels cold, even in midwinter. In kelpie form, he does, as legend says, have the strength of ten horses; he can run all night if required. (I used this picture of Gerry Butler as Attila as inspiration for Torr. Yes, he does like to smirk. ;-) )

Traditionally, the only way to capture a kelpie is with a magical bridle. If a person can manage to place this special bridle over his head, the kelpie is enslaved. And that's exactly what the witch of the dark arts does at one point--the witch who cursed him in the first place. The only way he can escape the curse is to find true love.

I thoroughly enjoy researching and creating paranormal stories, whether they are shapeshifter, time travel or magical. I can let my imagination fly free and ignore the restraints of everyday rationality and logic. Paranormal romance is pure escape and fantasy, yet still believable.

When I visited Scotland recently, I saw this sculpture called The Kelpies at the Falkirk Wheel.

I created this paranormal world in my first novella in this series, "Devil in a Kilt," Red Sage Secrets Volume 27. The novellas take place in the year 1621 in Scotland. A dark witch placed a curse on three men who are friends and Highlanders (Gavin, Torr and Brodie) the year before because her son was killed in a skirmish in which he and his friends were trying to ambush and kill our three heroes. The witch took her revenge by placing a different curse on each of the three heroes. Gavin, the Highland chief from "Devil in a Kilt," shapeshifts into a hawk during the daytime and he can do nothing to control or prevent this. The curse has nearly destroyed his life. His clan believes he's possessed by the devil and so they fled. More than anything, he wants them to come home. Only one thing will break the curse for each man, love given and received, in equal parts with complete trust.

Here's the blurb for "Beast in a Kilt:"
Scottish lady Catriona MacCain has loved Torr Blackburn, a fierce Highland warrior, since she was a young lass, but Torr only sees Catriona as his best friend’s little sister. When Catriona’s family promises her in marriage to a detestable chieftain, she desperately needs Torr to save her from a fate worse than death. But Torr is under the spell of a witch of the dark arts and is cursed to spend his nights as a kelpie water demon. He doesn’t believe himself worthy of the virginal Lady Catriona. However, she is determined to seduce Torr and claim him… body, heart and soul, if only they can banish the curse and defeat the enemies who have vowed to possess and enslave them both.

I hope you enjoy reading about Torr and Catriona! :-)

Question for readers: What is the most unusual shifter you have read about?

Nicole North

http://www.nicolenorth.com/

A Paranormal Virgin

No, that's not the title of a new erotic romance from Mia Varano!

To celebrate Paranormal week here at Fierce Romance, I’m going to post a bunch of questions for you Paranormal fans from a newcomer to the genre. I have to admit, I haven’t read many Paranormals. When I made my way back to Romance after several years’ absence, I was surprised it was a Romance genre at all, and of course, it’s exploded in popularity over the past few years.

First, how did this genre get started? Did it begin with Time Travel stories? I did read Jack Finney’s Time and Again, which I loved. It’s sort of a mystery and romance, but mostly a recreation of New York City in the 1880’s. But that book was published many years ago. I’m aware of a few time travel romance movies, such as Kate and Leopold, which came out in 2001. Did this occur at the beginning of the phenomenon in Romance or simply dovetail onto it?

I gather vampires are very popular in Paranormals and may have even reached the point of saturation, which seems odd since I’ve never read one! Did all this fascination with vampires start with Anne Rice’s books? I read her entire series of vampire books, starting with Interview With a Vampire, and loved them. I also read The Witching Hour but then couldn’t get into Lasher. Again, I wouldn’t characterize these books as Romances. Did Rice inspire the vampire trend, or was it Buffy the Vampire Slayer? I never saw that show, although I do know it starred the actress who played Kendall Hart on All My Children (Tess will be so proud of me!)

And how about werewolves? Where did the idea come from that men who transformed into wolves were sexy? The werewolf story with which I’m most familiar is An American Werewolf in London. Great movie but hardly a Romance!

Now there are ghosts, witches, and shapeshifters populating Paranormals. The story ideas must be endless, and I imagine that’s part of the attraction for both writers and readers of Paranormals.

I hear a lot about “world building” in relation to Paranormals. I’m guessing that applies not only to stories that are set in another galaxy, but stories that have to have a frame or background for its “creatures.” How they come about, what special powers they have, what can bring them down. Do most Paranormal writers build their worlds from scratch, or do they borrow elements from other writers? Do vampires still fear garlic and are werewolves wary of the silver bullet in Paranormals?

It’s kind of fun to think that there’s a whole genre out there waiting to be discovered…by me! So tell me your Paranormal secrets, preferences, favorite authors, and what you think will be the next big thing in Paranormals.

And if you like werewolf stories, check out Cynthia Eden’s Caged Wolf in Secrets Volume 21 (cover above because I can't seem to figure out how to put a picture anywhere else!)

My First Blog for Fierce Romance!

Hi Fierce Friends!
Tess Mallory here. I’m new on the Fierce Romance blogspot and am very excited to be here! Vonda tells me that a lot of the bloggers are talking about paranormal romance this week, and as a paranormal romance author myself, what better way to begin my stint here?

Today I was thinking about my start in the rombiz (short for romance business, as we in the biz like to call it. Not really. I made that up. I have a weird sense of humor. I’ll try to keep it under control. Ahem.) When I sold my first Time Travel romance, the sub-genre had just begun to build up steam, along with the equally unusual and popular futuristic romances. “Ghost” romances were also hitting their stride. While futuristics were obviously Science Fiction-based stories, Time Travels and Ghost romances were fantasy-based, or, dare I say it—-supernatural. None of these types of romances were labeled ‘paranormal’ at the time, but they certainly opened the door for what came next—vampires, werewolves and shapeshifters!

It’s funny to me now to think that no one sees anything particularly strange about a romance with any or all of these elements, but when the sub-genres first began, these were ground-breaking books! Ghosts in romances? Time Travel? Vampires? Crazy! But oh, so much fun—and so much money for the publishers as the popularity of these books grew! When the Dark Side showed up and started taking a bite out of the market too, the term ‘paranormal romance’ began to show up as well. As the ghoulish creatures of the supernatural world sunk their teeth into romance (are you catching all these amazing puns?) Time Travel began to take a back seat to the evolving paranormal sub-genre.

However, I’m very happy to announce that TT is making a comeback! The genre responsible for helping start the whole sub-culture of strange and unusual tales, combined with the usual hot hero and feisty heroine, is rising from the dead like those frustratingly popular vampires. And now, finally, TTs are labeled ‘paranormal romances’. Which makes a lot of sense if you think about it. Einstein taught us Time Travel is impossible, so how in the world are we supposed to get those hunky guys and gutsy girls back to a romantic time in history? Enter the paranormal, or supernatural element!

When I started plotting my new book for Berkley Sensations, HIGHLAND ROGUE, I wanted to introduce a ‘time travel device’ that would really catch a potential reader’s interest and be filled with mystery and supernatural possibilities. I came up with the idea of having my heroine stumble—literally—on a carving of a tri-spiral, or triskele, in the floor of an ancient cairn. Each of the three spirals is supernaturally connected to a different time period in the past.

In Highland Rogue, my heroine, Maggie, and hero, Quinn, soon come to know that somehow the spirals are a portal, a doorway, between the twenty-first century, and the year 1711 But when they open that door, the two are catapulted across time and space, and in the process, risk being separated not only from each another, but from their very souls. Is it magic, an ancient time machine, or something otherworldly that sends Maggie to the past and Quinn to the future? Whatever causes the spirals to work (me to know, you to try and find out! ha!) the story definitely falls into the paranormal range, and that makes me very happy!

I love hearing from readers of paranormal—and other kinds of romance—and welcome your comments here and your emails. Write me at tessmallory@yahoo.com, and please visit my websites, www.tessmallorybooks.com/, www.sff.net/people/tessmallory, and my MySpace at www.myspace.com/tessmallory.

Also, I love LOLcats!! Here’s one just for all of you on the subject of Time Travel.