It’s time to vote in a new Hunk of the Month for our WIPs and Chains sidebar, & since we’re headed into March, I think it’s only appropriate that we nominate some lovely Irish lads…or very close facsimiles. :hot

(Wanna see my shamrocks?)

(Who said leprechauns are little?)

(Erin go bragh!)

(I got yer lucky charms right here…)

Author copies!

What better time to kick off a new round of “Tease Me Tuesday” posts than the day a case of brand new, hot-of-the-presses copies of PROJECT: RUNAWAY HEIRESS arrives?  Woot-woot! :love

So that’s my big tease for the week—you’ve got a chance to win the very first autographed copy of PROJECT: RUNAWAY HEIRESS out of the box!

(Book 1 – “Project: Passion” miniseries)
Harlequin Desire #2225
April 2013

Undercover Fashionista
When her designs keep showing up on a rival’s runway, heiress and fashion designer Lily Zaccaro vows to catch the thief. She comes up with the perfect plan—run off to L.A. and go undercover as personal assistant to the other label’s CEO, Nigel Statham, aka the sexiest Brit alive.

As long work days turn into sizzling nights, Lily struggles to stay focused on her secret mission. She desperately hopes that Nigel is innocent because their relationship is anything but! In the face of so much deception, pretty soon their newfound love is hanging on by a thread…

Order Your Copy Today!

Amazon :: Kindle ebook :: Barnes & Noble :: NOOK ebook
eHarlequin :: Books-a-Million :: Indiebound ::
The Book Depository (free international shipping) :: Chapters/!ndigo :: Amazon.ca

TO ENTER:

Leave a comment letting me know why you’re so eager & excited to read Nigel’s & Lily’s story.  Really butter me up.  Pretend you’re a fashion designer desperate to get your collection on the runway & I’m the one who can put you there. :kissmeirish

No restrictions.  (For a change.)

Winner will be announced during our next “Happy Sunday” post on Sunday, March 3rd.

Winner is responsible for contacting me with her mailing information—i.e. I will not be contacting you—so be sure to check back in or you might not even know you won!

Good luck! :cheers

Time for a love scene!

You’d think that would be a romance author’s favorite part of the book, wouldn’t you?  Well, you’d be fifty shades of wrong. :tongue

I don’t know how other romance authors feel about them, but for me, love scenes are complicated, & they tend to take about twice as long to write as any other part of the book. :dislike

I think because—most times, especially the first time—it’s such a big step for the hero & heroine. There’s so much involved, both physically & emotionally.

I also tend to get very self-conscious about them.  Not the sex part.  I mean, please…this is Mistress Heidi you’re talking to. :flutter No, the self-conscious thing comes from being worried about repeating too many of the same words too often & wanting to be sure that everything happens in the proper order.  There’s nothing worse than being in the middle of a hot & sweaty love scene only to realize you forgot to have your hero take off his pants.  (Hey, it happens. :moonyou )

Another thing about loves scenes is—[cough cough] excuse the choice of phrase, but… —how many balls there are to juggle.

The word repetition thing…  Mouth, kiss, lips, arms, moan, groan, etc.  There are so many that tend to get used so often; but I don’t want it to be too often.

Point-of-view…  Whose should the scene be in—the heroine’s or the hero’s?  Or should it maybe be in both?  And if so, when do you make that switch & for how long? :luvsmenot

Conflict, motivation, & introspection…  Whatever’s going on in the story, whatever the characters’ thoughts & emotions, they all have to be kept in mind, woven in, &/or addressed while still keeping things hot & steamy. :beatingheart

The five senses…  Important to remember all the way through the book, but when it comes to love scenes, it’s easy to get tunnel vision & forget about them.  Or maybe more accurately, focus on just the more heightened-during-sex ones & forget about the others.

You get the picture, right?  Love scenes are a lot of work.  Which is why they tend to go slowly for me.  I usually end up loving them & thinking, “Well, okay, that wasn’t so hard.”  But while I’m writing, it often feels like I’m slogging through quicksand. :starwars

So what do you think—will I get through this first love scene between Reid & Juliet unscathed?  Or will they still be doing the mattress mambo when the next “Manuscript Monday” rolls around? :splat: