Contemporary Romance: Fantasy and Reality

by 
Synithia Williams

Contemporary romance doesn’t have the added drama inherent in other subgenres of romance. There are no sexy shape-shifters or wizards to tempt a human female. No threat of scandal if you’re caught in an embrace with the Viscount. And unless it’s a suspense, you’re not solving a murder or avoiding being murdered. No, straight up contemporary romance requires taking the mundane of dating and living in present times and make it exciting, dramatic and romantic.

At first glance it may seem impossible to make real life romantic. In fact, I had a co-worker say I couldn’t make engineers sexy in my first novel, You Can’t Plan Love. But as a contemporary romance writer, I have to make real life seem fun and sexy. All it takes is a big imagination and little fantasy.

A fantasy can make environmental engineers sexy and even water quality conferences—which are usually dry as toast—seem exciting. Throw in a few what if situations and the boring can become dramatic. What if an environmental consultant worked for a tall, dark and handsome man? What if that sexy boss made a play for her heart? And again, because this is fantasy, she kind of wants it so it’s not creepy and a sexual harassment lawsuit isn’t imminent.

This can work for the most commonplace of experiences. A boring family dinner that occurs routinely every week or month can be re-written in a romance with the added drama of an old love arriving on the arm of your favorite cousin. This situation can go many ways. Let’s say your heroine still loves that old flame. Did he show up to see her again? Is the cousin aware of the relationship and brought him there out of spite? Or, is the cousin unaware and fancies herself in love? That makes it kinda hard for your heroine to restart a relationship with someone her favorite cousin loves. There’s enough drama in that scenario to make a juicy contemporary romance. Sweet or spicy, big city or small town it’ll fit any modern day location.

Most writers are always finding story inspiration in everyday events, but contemporary romance writers need just as vivid an imagination as a fantasy or paranormal writer to make the happenings in day to day life—or the love life of an environmental engineer—sexy and interesting enough to capture readers. To take reality, throw in a lot of daydreams and fantasy and write a page turning contemporary romance is a fun challenge worth taking.

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You Can't Plan Love

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After several bad relationships, Kenyatta Copeland decides to control her love life with the same discernment she uses in her professional life.

Knowing first hand the heartbreak that comes when desire and emotion rule a relationship, Kenyatta assumes marrying Brad Johnson will lead to a stable life. But as much as she believes she can plan her future, it’s hard to ignore the way her boss, Malcolm Patterson, ignites her passions with just one look. 

After Malcolm learns of her engagement, he makes a play for her heart and reminds her that passion between a man and a woman has its perks … but also its costs. 

When Brad suspects there’s more than work between Kenyatta and Malcolm, he works harder to keep Kenyatta by his side. 

Torn between her promise to marry Brad and her irrepressible longing for Malcolm, Kenyatta must decide if she can live her life in a passionless marriage of convenience or once again trust her heart. Yet Brad isn’t as perfect as he seems, and by the time Kenyatta realizes this it may be too late.

Author Synithia Williams

Synithia Williams has loved romance novels since reading her first one at the age of 13. It was only natural that she would begin penning her own romances soon after. It wasn’t until 2010 that she began to actively pursue her dream of becoming a published author. 

When she isn’t writing, this Green Queen, as dubbed by the State Newspaper, works to improve air and water quality, while balancing the needs of her husband and two sons. You can learn more about Synithia, and her novel, by visiting her website where she blogs about writing, life and relationships.

Her first novel, You Can’t Plan Love, was published by Crimson Romance in August 2012. 

A funny thing happened to me on the way to writing my book

by

Natasza Waters

Initially, I was one of those writers who thought she’d craft a mind-blowing story—without sex and romance. Yeee-ah right. Now, what I say might sound like I sold my soul, but don’t start throwing fruits and vegetables at me yet! 

The truth is romance—whether mainstream or erotica—sells the most books in the industry. You have to sit up and pay attention to that. So I did. I still wanted to write a story thick with plot, so thick that my reader’s gumboots would get stuck in the story remembering it for plot not sex. Yet, when I read a romance novel, I become so committed to the protagonists that I feel cheated if they slam the bedroom door in my face. I want to go all the way with them, every hot sweaty mile. 

When I considered this, I knew what I had to give my readers. My first novel “Too Grand For Words” is about a woman named Moira Viterra. She’s a working girl (no not that kind of girl) devoted to the sea and the mariners who work on it. As a hobby, she writes. She’s also cursed. When Moira takes her crew to Las Vegas for a vacation, she meets Steven Porter, a mysterious but extremely handsome man who won’t divulge what he does for a living. Toted as the ‘Bill Gates’ of the movie industry, Steven single-handedly created a Hollywood dynasty, but putting a ring on a woman’s finger is the last thing he’ll ever do. Irony and synchronicity join hands to box Steven into a corner. If he gets what he wants, he’ll lose Moira and maybe his life.

My manuscripts usually start as daydreams. The characters take shape, and become fuller as the plot does. I’m not an outline writer. I’ve coined the name, ‘Paper Mache’ writer, instead. Translated, it means layer upon layer of scenes added throughout the editing process.

People have asked where I get my heroes. Truth is I work with a plethora of men. Haven’t seen a single one of them, but their often sexy voices lead a gals mind astray. Their features and characteristics are part fiction, part non-fiction. Anyone who interacts with me now knows they are what I call “book fodder”. It’s turned into a bit of a joke around work, but nevertheless, everyone, every word and everything is fair game.
As a writer of romance, you’ll notice some blushed cheeks and darting glances from people you know who read your work; especially when it comes to the love scenes. It took my husband a little getting used to. I believe his initial words were, “Where do you get this shit?” Followed by: doubt, jealousy, and finally, “Huh, let me read that, again.” Uh-huh (insert wink). 

To be a writer you either have to be single and live in a cave or have a very supportive family who puts up with dust bunnies around the house. Luckily, I have the latter. I also have a new sweater from all those dust bunnies. 

When writing romantic scenes where does one draw the line?

by

Cindy McDonald

E.L. James certainly took boundaries to another level but even the most timid romance readers were picking up her books and diving in. The critics went nuts, but hey ya know what? Everyone, yes, everyone, was reading the Fifty Shades trilogy.

I love a well written love scene, and I make a concerted effort to read a lot of them. Why? Because when I write a hot scene I want it to be hot. I don’t want it to fall flat, and for the reader to roll their eyes with a grumbling “Eh…” tumbling from their lips. But not everyone is comfortable writing the kind of scenes like that of Christian Grey’s “playroom”. As for me, I find myself walking a very vigilant line. Let me explain…

When I published my first book, Deadly.Com, I informed my husband over dinner one evening that there were a few “suggestive” scenes within the pages. He stopped with his fork almost to his mouth, looked at me over his glasses, and said, “What do you mean by suggestive?” Uh, oh, I could see this was going to be a problem. You see my husband and his family are an extremely conservative group of people, and I could see in my husband’s face that he didn’t want to have to explain to his family that his wife was writing dirty books. In fact, after Deadly.Com was published and the family read my book, they have never mentioned my writing or my books again. It is sort of a taboo subject at family gatherings. Hmmmm.

Okay, so while I was writing my second book, Hot Coco, my husband decided to broach the very sensitive subject over breakfast on the deck one morning. He very casually said, “I hope you’re keeping those suggestive scenes in check. I mean you spent twenty-six years as Miss Cindy, the dance teacher in this community. People entrusted their children to you. What would they think?”

Wow! That put a whole new spin on writing romance—which is exactly what Hot Coco is, a romantic comedy. And yes, there are suggestive scenes in the book. I was taken aback. Should I concern myself as to the position that I used to hold in the community? Is this a problem for romance writers in general? Are their reputations in the community tarnished because they write books with sex or suggestive moments? I had never thought about it before. When E.L. James’s neighbors see her in the grocery store, are they wondering if her playroom is red? Are they speculating as to how many different kinds of whips she might own? Yikes!

You may be asking yourself, what is this writer going to do? Is she going to allow her in-laws and her former occupation to dictate what she writes? Nope.

When I posted the excerpt from the third book of my series, Dangerous Deception, on my website I featured a very sensual scene between Ava and Lugowski. As a matter of fact, it is also the featured excerpt announcing the book at the end of Hot Coco as well. That said my scenes are of a sultry suggestive nature. I have never written an in-your-face sex scene naming body parts or taking the reader into the steamy tangle of desire between the sheets with the characters—yet.

My Unbridled series has been mainly murder/suspense storylines with one romantic comedy thrown into the mix for fun; however I have an ardent desire to write a romantic suspense series, and have decided to do so in 2013. I have some decisions to make as I write my new series. Will I cross that line to pen those hot sex scenes? Or shall I protect my sweet Miss Cindy dance teacher reputation and remain steadfast on this side of the line: very sensual yet strictly suggestive scenes?

I think through it all an author has to find his/her own comfort level, without becoming too comfortable, too complacent in one’s creativity. I truly admire writers like E.L. James, Cindy Gerard, and Maya Banks. They are able to toss all inhibitions aside and write smokin’ hot romance. I am toeing the line. My eyes are fixated on it like I am waiting for someone to shoot a pistol into the air so that I can leap forward. Can I cross it? Do I want to cross it?

The Relationship Between the Internet, Technology and Books

by 

Sara Dawkins 

The addition of the internet and technology into the world of books has been a strange one. On the one hand you are able to bring multiple books with you wherever you go with minimal bulk thanks to e-readers and tablets. You can access any book anywhere with a few clicks of a button due to the prevalence of the internet. And buying books has become as easy as just clicking “purchase” and waiting a mere 10 seconds for it to download. However as beneficial as this relationship may seem there are some worrisome downsides to this burgeoning relationship.

1. E-Books are everywhere. You can go to just about any website these days and they likely will have a link where you can download their e-book, whether it’s a free download or being sold for a nominal price. This doesn’t mean that the book is good by any means, but that hasn’t stopped people from downloading them at alarming rates. Most e-readers also have a section of cheap or free e-books that you can download that are being sold for next to nothing just so the author can get a little name recognition, not because the book is actually good. The novelty and value of a book being something worthwhile is wearing thin with e-books being so readily available.
2. Anyone can be an author. Everyone is an author these days. Bloggers who have never had any formal training in writing or editing are approached for book deals on a regular basis because of large followings, politicians have books out, and any actor or actress who qualifies as a celebrity can write a book, all without any type of background in writing. This poses a problem for those people who are actually trained in writing because it doesn’t take much to be considered worthy of being a published author anymore, and actually picking an author from the talent pool is becoming overrated, with the focus instead being on who can sell books based on name recognition.
3. Writing is a by-product of publishing. The internet has produced a mindset of “publish now, publish first!” in regard to any and all avenues of writing. Because of this new mindset the focus has shifted from who wrote something of quality on a particular subject to who wrote about the topic fastest and got it published first. This has caused writing to become a by-product of publishing, instead of being the focal point of getting something published. As a result, a shocking number of poorly edited material is being published, with spelling errors, grammatical inconsistencies and storylines that don’t flow becoming acceptable and even normal. 
4. Editing is a lost art. When it comes to self-publishing, a lot of aspects of traditional publishing are lost. The author is largely responsible for the editing and proof-reading of the material and, in an effort to produce content quickly, a lot of editing and proof-reading is skipped.However, since it’s unlikely that any professional editor will look over the book before it’s published, poor editing doesn’t seem to matter, which means that low-quality books are becoming a regular, expected occurrence. 

Now that the relationship between the internet, technology, and books has been formed it’s unlikely that we’ll ever revert back to the days of high quality print publishing and hard copy books, newspapers, and magazines. But hopefully, over time, the novelty of being able to allow anyone to be an author will wear off, and we’ll start to put some stock in the type of material that we’re reading, focusing on high quality instead of ready availability. 

Sara Dawkins is an active nanny as well as an active freelance writer. She is a frequent contributor of http://www.nannypro.com/.

Is Amazon’s KDP Select The Right Choice for You?

by

L.Leander

KDP changed my life and has made my road to publishing manageable. Although many of us are writers, only a select few have actually taken the plunge and become Indie Authors via publishing our own manuscripts.

Don’t worry when the day to publish arrives.  It’s normal to be apprehensive, but the KDP program is very friendly and allows novices to walk slowly through the steps needed.  Anyone can do it.

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It’s good to research other self-publishing venues before choosing KDP.  The traditional route is the one most people think of when getting ready to offer their book to the world but there are many other options available today.  Indie groups on Facebook and Yahoo! offer a wealth of information.  People are friendly, share their knowledge and help make the road to publishing easier for newbies.

Amazon’s KDP Select offers authors free promotion days and advertising that most struggling writers can’t afford.  Yes, the idea is to offer the book for free, but the exposure gained is priceless.  Although it seems that many authors have problems with the exclusive 90-day contract, there are benefits to be had.  Here are my stats on the first two-day promotion I held:

• Day one I had moderate success.  I decided I’d be happy if I got 500 downloads.  My book had been published for two months and was selling about one copy a day.  The count rose and by the end of day one the book had 5,551 downloads! 

• Day two was even better and by the end of the promotion there were over 10,000 downloads – far more than I ever expected.  The book reached number three in Kindle Free Books in both listing categories.  Afterwards actual book sales soared to four or five a day.  There they stayed until a move made me have to take two weeks off from promoting. 

• Since the promotion, Amazon Prime Members have been borrowing the book, for which I receive a separate stipend. 

KDP has been good to me.  The results are solid.   If you want to sell books.  Amazon, in my opinion is the leader in the market and will continue to be.

Use past experiences when writing romance says

Adrianna Morgan

Romance is all about finding that special someone and discovering why they are that special someone.  It takes quite a bit to write about romance.  When writing “Once upon a Fairytale Princess,” I found myself recalling the worst relationships I ever had, trudging through the worst dates, and even reliving (gasp) the worst lovers I’d been with.  This makes writing romance more than researching affairs of the heart.  It’s a retelling how you reacted in a similar situation and how your character would react now.

One of the sad things about many romance novels is that the heroines are always simpering willows who cry on every other page or the man-hating, never-fall-in-love-again characters who are so acerbic that, as a reader, you have no interest in hearing her side of the story.  It is hard to find that balance when it comes to emotions but it is best to use yourself as an example.  We have all been heart-broken before; sitting on your bed with a large pizza, bag of chocolates and a box of Kleenex next to you as you cry.  Fast forward ten minutes and you are no longer crying instead, you are wishing death upon the man who hurt you.  An hour later, you are watching TV or perhaps have fallen asleep or you may be out on the town with friends.

Strong emotions in romance involve that ping-ponging back and forth, and while it can be the most devastating thing at the time, using that personal experience is what makes a good romance even better. 

Sex scenes are the hardest for me to write.  It’s not that I’m shy, but once again, balance is the key.  My erotic fairytales collection, “Fairytale Flirtations” ranges from sex in a crowded ballroom, to a private bedroom, and a nightclub bathroom.  The sex scenes should complement not only the book, but also the characters and their personalities.  A librarian should not become a dominatrix unless that is a part of the story.  And that can work—in the right kind of story. 

Sex does not have to be dry or boring, but to make it romantic, it has to be more than just sex; there has to be that element of the heart in the scene to make it romantic and believable.  It might be easier for a woman to write in this genre because we know what appeals to other women, but men can be just as successful.  Weaving a good story filled with romance, drama, conflict and the requisite happy ending can make for an excellent novel regardless of the gender of the author. 

Once Upon A Fairytale Princess 

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In a matter of moments, Ella Fitzpatrick’s life went from bad to worse. Her father’s boast pits her against every seamstress in the village all vying for the ultimate prize—guest of honor at the Prince’s ball. Once there, Ella catches the eye of the charming prince and manages to make a powerful enemy; one who is not above using magic to aid her quest. Now Ella is on the run, chasing the very villain who killed her mother ten years ago and who may be trying to kill her now. The only thing stopping Ella is her lack of knowledge about her own magical background—and Hunter, the Prince’s brooding bodyguard. Hunter Kirk has been in love with Ella since she promised to marry him when they were children. Now she is pledged to his Prince and someone might be trying to kill her. He has to get to her before the last Fitzpatrick sorceress is killed—and he loses his chance to tell her how much he loves her.

Vampires - a Breed Apart

by

Toni LoTempio

So far I’ve written about Shapeshifters but my real love affair has been with vampires ever since I saw the original Dracula with Bela Lugosi when I was a kid.  There was just something about those ebony eyes, sparkling, commanding, as they peered over the rim of his black satin cape, that took my breath away. In my later years, I was introduced to the world of Stephen King through Salem's Lot, which still today remains my very favorite King book.  King took us through the world of vampires with eerie ease, and while the Rob Lowe telemovie was a bit truer to his tome.

When I was a teenager I was obsessed with a certain gothic soap opera. I've even gone to the conventions!  I was such a freak I even managed to wangle myself an invite down to the studio where I met my biggest star crush of all time - Jonathan Frid.  Big thrill for a then-15 year old!

When I world-build my paranormal novels, vampires (naturally) play a huge part. Vampires in paranormal romance today are steamy and sexy, and there really are no hard and fast rules.  Like Angel, some can walk in daylight (just not direct sunlight) some prefer the nightlife, some are just damn bloodthirsty while others fight on the side of humanity.  In  Soapsuds, Sex and Silver Bullets (yet unpublished) Logan Slade is a detective.  In No Rest for the Wicca Cole St. John is a special forces agent for the Paranormal Forces Special Unit.  What do these two men have in common, besides hotness, you ask?

They're a breed of vamp known as Inheritor.

Now, I'd like to take credit for being totally original and making up this breed, but the truth of the matter is it’s the product of extensive research on the Internet. 

 

Inheritor vampires TYPE ONE: These vampires are much like the Genetic vampires, except they are born. Like Sanguinarians, the vampire trait will lay dormant inside them until around the age of 13 - 26. When they body reaches the late stages of puberty, it releases a chemical which awakens the vampire and begins many physical changes in the body. As a result of this, most Inheritors look around 19 - 20 years old their whole life. Most of the time the parents of the vampire will be human and vampire, or both vampires. There must be one vampire parent. Inheritor vampires live to around the age of 350-400 years old.

Inheritor vampire TYPE 2: Sanguinarians are the "mortal version" of the Inheritor vampires. They still require and crave blood, are sensitive to sunlight, and have many of the traits the Inheritor and Classical vampires have.  However, Sanguinarians do not live much longer then the average human being.

Of course, to make it my own, I've taken some liberties - my Inheritor vamps are more human than humans, and age to a VERY HOT mid-30's, but you get the idea.  There are more types of vampires out there than just the typical Dracula/Barnabas sleep in the coffin during the day rise at night to suck a maiden's blood type.  As a matter of fact, that type (referred to now as a "classical") is getting pretty passé.

After all, didn’t' Angel show us just how a vampire can survive among humans, and how hot one can be?

The mystique of "the bite" never changes. Considered the ultimate sexual experience, in old lore people thought after 3 bites the victim turned into a vampire.  Other mythology had the victim rising as a vamp after the vampire drained them of their blood.  Another way to "turn" someone was to bite them, then have them drink their blood.

In summation, there are no hard and fast rules concerning vamps anymore - or any other type of creature for that matter!  Isn't that great for us writers!  We can create whole new worlds of vampiric hotness for you, the reader! (And for us, too!)

Toni LoTempio's blog   Web   Barnes and Noble 

 Amazon Page

Raven's Quest

A Raven Grace Novella 

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Shapeshifter Raven Grace and her psychic lover, Finn McPhee, are back, traveling to parallel time in search of a demonic killer.

Author Toni LoTempio

In addition to being a vampire addict, Toni is also a freelance writer and the author of several paranormal romances, the latest of which, RAVEN’S QUEST, RAVEN’S KISS AND NO REST FOR THE WICCA, can be found on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords.com.  She lives with her muses, ROCCO, MAXX, LJ and TRIXIE in New Jersey where she is at work on two more projects.  Sometimes ROCCO will let her on his blog, www.catsbooksmorecats.blogspot.com and assist him in the charity work he does as the official spokescat for KIDS NEED TO READ, a charity co-founded by Nathan Fillion of CASTLE fame.