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Single Titles Guest Blog: Sweet Somethings: Writing the Sweet Romance by Fran Shaff

Donna — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 06:07:15 +0000

Is there a sweeter word than “love?”

I can’t think of one. Whether we’re talking about love for our children, our parents, God, friends, relatives or the special someone with whom we awaken each day, the love we have in our lives is all-important to us.

We want love in our lives, in our hearts, and in our stories. It’s reality to us, it’s fantasy, it’s our breath and our focus in life.

Sweet romance is for everyone who loves an old-fashioned love story. Also known as traditional or classic romance, sweet romance stories concentrate on the growing love relationship between a man and a woman.

Plots in sweet romance may be complex, suspenseful, fun and lively, or funny. They may take place in the ancient past, the future, present day or within a manufactured fantasy world. A sweet romance story may be a part of any romance genre.

The hallmark of any sweet romance, wherever it is set, in whatever time the story occurs, is the high level of emotion and sexual tension which takes place on stage. Remember the scene in the Christmas movie “It’s a Wonderful Life” when George and Mary are listening on the phone together at the foot of the stairs in Mary’s house? The sexual tension between George and Mary is visible in their eyes and on their faces. It saturates the entire scene. The emotion is so intense George grabs Mary by the shoulders because he can’t help himself; he’s got to touch her. Mary begins to cry when she is overcome by her feelings for George. It’s one of the greatest moments of sexual tension on screen! This scene defines sweet romance.

My own sweet romantic stories which have been published in hardcover, paperback and e-formats have wide-ranging plots. They stretch from the ultra serious as in “For Love of Maggie” and “Stolen Son” to rolling on the floor funny in books like “Male Fraud” to both funny and dramatic as in “Montana Match,” “The Love Trap,” and “Montana Magic.”

“For Love of Maggie,” a triple award-winning novel recently released for the first time in paperback, has a highly emotional plot which is quite complex. Basically, a woman is exceedingly attracted to a man she’s just met until he reacts badly to her daughter, a little girl with Down Syndrome. The woman is crushed by his reaction. The man is just as upset by his behavior as she is, and he must somehow make up for his deplorable conduct. We’re talking some very, very serious emotional stuff in this storyline.

On the other hand, my book “Male Fraud,” a future release, features a heroine who pretends to be a man so she can get a job as a trainer with a professional football team. Her life gets even more complicated when she falls for the coach. Imagine the hilarious situations possible in this setup as the heroine lives her dual life, trying desperately to keep them separate. Yet, even though this book is very funny, the emotion and sexual tension between these two lovers is every bit as serious as it is in any other romance.

No matter what the genre of the sweet romance or its level of seriousness, its time period or its setting, at the heart of the story is the loving relationship developing between the man and the woman. Like all good stories, the sweet romance must have larger than life but identifiable protagonists. Worthy antagonists must challenge the stars of the story, and the plot must be believable within the world the author has created. The hero and heroine of a sweet romance, though highly attracted to each other physically as well as emotionally and intellectually, engage sexually on stage only to the extent couples do in a movie rated PG or PG-13. If the plot dictates their intimacy goes beyond this level of contact, the action takes place off stage, just as it did in the movie “Gone with the Wind” where Rhett carried Scarlet up the stairs.

The language in a sweet romance may range from squeaky clean to occasional mild profanity, usually depending on the publisher’s guidelines and the author’s determination of the character’s normal way of speaking.

Sweet romance, being similar to PG and PG-13 in movies, means these stories are suitable for teens as well as adults. What a wonderful way for moms, grandmas, friends and aunts to share their love of romantic stories with the young women in their lives!

Classic, traditional, whatever we want to call it, sweet romance is good for everyone. How often do we hear those words about sweets? J

Fran Shaff, Award-Winning Author

http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff

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About the Author

Fran Shaff is the award-winning author of contemporary and historical romance, young peoples’ novels, short stories and articles. Her September release “For Love of Maggie,” originally available in e-format only is now available in paperback at Amazon.com. “For Love of Maggie” is the winner of three awards, including CataRomance Reviewers’ Choice Award. This book is also available in e-book at Smashwords.com. For more information about Fran Shaff’s books visit: http://sites.google.com/site/fshaff For more information about “For Love of Maggie” visit: http://sites.google.com/site/forloveovmaggie

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Review: NOWHERE TO HIDE by Terri Odell

Donna — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 02:45:21 +0000

Ex-police officer Colleen McDonald left Oregon, healed physically but an emotional wreak, after a domestic call gone wrong. Looking for a fresh start, she quit the police force and abandoned her job, family and home to relocate in Orlando, Florida. But Colleen can not outrun trouble as she realizes when she comes face to face with the mesmerizing blue eyes of deputy Graham Harrigan on her first day in her new home. It seems her landlady’s nephew has gone missing. Already jumpy from the loud noises and fireworks of the nearby theme parks as well as her constant flashback nightmares, Colleen doesn’t want to deal with an inquisitive deputy no matter how weak-in-the-knees she feels when he is near.

Deputy Graham Harrigan is on his way to making detective and he has a gut feeling that this latest missing person’s case is more than it appears. Of course keeping in touch with Colleen is not hard to do as their mutual attraction deepens into desire. Keeping focused on the case while trying to win Colleen’s trust and affection is quite a task for Graham but it is one, he feels, that is well worth the effort.

NOWHERE TO HIDE has a page-turning plot that is fresh and compelling with plenty of twists and turns to keep us on our toes. Romantic suspense author Terri Odell presents genuine characters that grow and develop as their story is told. Sharp dialog, likable characters, passion and an engaging storyline make NOWHERE TO HIDE an entertaining read.

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Review: My Soul to Keep (Moon Chasers, Book 4) by Sharie Kohler

Amelia — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 01:49:33 +0000

The fourth book in the Moon Chasers series is another compelling story concerning a world comprised of humans and numerous supernatural beings. MY SOUL TO KEEP tells about two half-breed lycans, and how time does not diminish the feelings they once felt for the other. Sharie Kohler gives this couple a multitude of conflicts to prevail over, some physical while several of them are emotional, yet each one will help determine what the future holds for these two appealing characters.

A bright spot in the teenage life of Sorcha was being around Jonah, the second-in-command under her father. They are both half-breed lycans, and though she despises much of what her father demands of anyone around him, she does like the thought of being promised to the powerful warrior. When Jonah refused to mate with her, Sorcha ran off shortly before all those in her pack were killed. Forced to depend on herself as she believed no one was left to help her, she finally found a little happiness for a number of years but lost it because of a demon-possessed witch. Vowing retribution, she goes in search of the one who caused her so much sorrow.

When Sorcha arrives at the home of the witch, the one who is also responsible for causing the lycan curse, she finds two individuals to battle. It seems Jonah is still alive and is now a demon slayer. He knows if the witch is killed, the demon inside her will bring about havoc upon the world, thus she must live and he plans to stop whoever is trying to kill her. Although stunned to discover the other alive, each of these two strong beings is determined to follow through on their goals, resulting in an ongoing battle of wills while they try to ignore the feelings they thought were long buried.

Romances by Sharie Kohler are expertly crafted to entertain readers. There are always complex circumstances arising, and these incidents cause much soul-searching as what an individual had believed clashes with current feelings. These internal struggles lead to numerous scenes where the outcome depends on which path is followed when emotions become involved. MY SOUL TO KEEP is packed with quite a few quandaries for Jonah and Sorcha to resolve before they can move on in life. One of the biggest is whether they want the other in their lives, and Ms. Kohler definitely gives these two plenty of difficult predicaments where decisions cannot be easily made without causing emotional pain. The past history between them adds to the tension when they reunite, and it is doubly heightened by intense sexual awareness. Their reaction to the other is combustible with much fervor when their natures take over and generate enthusiastic responses, and these moments are sizzling with eagerness backed by genuine feelings. Before Jonah and Sorcha can admit to each other plus even themselves how they truly feel, they will have to live through a trial where extreme danger can turn deadly without notice. There are unforeseen turns to keep the reader intrigued, and several incidents will certainly raise your heart rate. The mystical situations created by Sharie Kohler are cleverly unique, as the supernatural beings possess abilities and traits dissimilar from those in most other stories. MY SOUL TO KEEP is highly imaginative with engaging characters and an original world.

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Excerpt from Broken Angels

admin — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 19:05:24 +0000

Here’s an excerpt for your reading enjoyment from Broken Angels by Anne Hope (Samhain Publishing).

Get your copy: http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/broken-angels-p-6062.html

The harbor shivered, and from its depths a figure sprang. She walked toward him, bathed in starlight, her body glistening, her hair streaming wet and wild down her back.

Zach’s next breath snagged in his throat.

A siren, he thought. A mythical creature rising from the sea to seduce him.

His lungs felt crushed, deprived of air. The walls of his throat narrowed as an electrical charge pulsed across his nerve endings.

Then he realized the siren was Becca. She’d gone for an evening swim. She loved swimming at night because the water was always warmer then. Shadows played along her curves, making her hips rounder, her stomach flatter, her breasts fuller. Her hair was a deep bronze, her skin a translucent ivory in the pale light of the moon.

His body instantly responded to the sight of her, hardening, aching, until he couldn’t remember why he’d vowed to keep his hands off her. None of it seemed to matter anymore.

She grabbed a towel from the porch railing and swathed it around her figure, and it took all of his self-control to bite back the protest that scratched at his throat.

“I was wondering where you disappeared to,” he muttered instead. His voice sounded gruff.

“After I tucked Noah and Kristen in, I decided to go for a swim. You were busy with Will, and I can always use the exercise.” She lowered her body next to his, smelling of the sun and the sea. Water dripped from her hair. Rivulets trickled over her shoulders and slid down her arms.

Unable to stop himself, he captured one of the drops with the back of his index finger. It was cool against her warm skin, silky. Their gazes locked, and awareness sizzled between them.

“Did Will go to sleep okay?” Her question pierced the cloud of lust enveloping him.

“Yeah.” He let his hand fall away before he was tempted to explore more of her. “He was exhausted after all that crying.”

“Not to mention all that fun in the sun.” A hazy smile ghosted across her lips. “We had a pretty full day. The kids were really excited, weren’t they?” The tenderness on her face shook him. It was the same look Lindsay always used to get whenever she spoke of the kids.

He eyed her steadily. An image of her playing in the waves with the pack earlier today flashed through his mind. “You’re really something with them.” He couldn’t suppress the note of wonder in his voice. “I never expected it.”

She gave a self-deprecating chuckle. “Half the time—correction, most of the time—I feel like I’m in way over my head.” Bolt ambled onto the porch to sit beside her, and she stroked him absently. Zach’s gaze was drawn to the gentle rhythm of her fingers as she threaded them through the dog’s lustrous coat. He remembered how those hands had felt on his body when she’d massaged him last night, the way they’d twined in his hair and chased the tension from his limbs.

“But I understand them. Understand how they feel,” she added, oblivious to the dangerous path his thoughts were taking. “I get Noah’s anger, Kristen’s totally delusional hope, Will’s tantrums.”

Zach made a sound that was half laugh, half snort. “At least one of us does.”

“You’re being too hard on yourself as usual. You’re great with them. I can see how much they look up to you.”

“That’s because I’m tall.”

Her heartfelt laughter filled the night. God, he’d missed hearing her laugh. The sound of it made a strange energy pulsate in his pores and burrow deep within the marrow of his bones. It took all his self-control not to reach out and touch her again. Instead, he clasped his hands together and let them hang between his knees.

“Can you answer a question for me?” He stared at his joined fingers, unable to look her in the eyes for fear of what he would see there.

“Sure.”

“When I suggested adoption, why did you refuse? I thought maybe you believed you couldn’t love a child that wasn’t biologically ours. But now that I see you with these kids I can’t help but wonder—”

“You thought I couldn’t love a child I didn’t give birth to?” She sounded offended.

He ventured a glance in her direction. Even in the dark he couldn’t miss the indignation that flamed in her cheeks.

“I didn’t know what to think,” he answered honestly. “You were so set against it.”

“Because I was angry. Because if I couldn’t have what I wanted, then I wanted nothing at all. It was the injustice of it, the unfairness. Why should I be deprived the joy of feeling my child grow inside me when it came so naturally to everyone else? Adoption felt like acceptance, like throwing in the towel.”

“Would that have been so bad?”

“At the time, yes.”

“And now?”

She hesitated. The light breeze lifted her wet curls from her shoulders, sent them rioting around her face. “It doesn’t really matter anymore,” she whispered. “The choice is no longer mine to make.” He barely heard her past the whoosh of the waves.

“That sounds oddly like acceptance.”

“Maybe it is. Even I have to give up sometime.” Her inflection held a hint of amusement, but he wasn’t buying the flippancy.

“Is that what this feels like to you, giving up?”

She was quiet for a long time. The waxing moon haloed her head and made her eyes sparkle like liquid gold.

“No,” she answered with more conviction than he’d expected. “It feels like family.”

Vulnerability sparkled in her eyes, more potent than her glistening skin, her clingy swimsuit, the small towel wrapped around her breasts and hips. Zach lost the battle and extended his hand to cup her face. Her skin was soft, an odd blend of velvet and satin. It tickled his palm as a strange current traveled up his arm and thrummed along his flesh.

He never should have allowed himself to touch her. Now the need to kiss her blinded him. It was a physical ache, sharp and insistent. She turned her cheek into his palm, moved closer…

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Review: Deeply, Desperately by Heather Webber

emilyh — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:24:23 +0000

Lucy Valentine returns with her matchmaking talent of finding things that are lost, particularly lost loves. What Lucy really wants is to find her true love, but a family curse forces her attraction to Sean Donahue to stay at a simmer rather than a sizzle. When Lucy finds herself embroiled in a case that could be lead to a homicide, she will need Sean to be by her side and hopes she might find a way to break the curse that has followed her for so long.

Lucy has a way of finding herself in a world of trouble. Often hilarious, Deeply, Desperately is a perfect book to lounge around and read on a quiet day. Heather Webber has a way of crafting characters you instantly fall in love with, I can’t wait to see what her next book brings.

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Review: Moon Love by Cynthia MacGregor

emilyh — Sun, 05 Sep 2010 16:16:56 +0000

Nanci Cromwell is trying to move on with her life with a divorce in the past and her current issue with resolving her problems with food, Nanci is finding she is wanting more out of her life than to be living midstream. With her ex trying to use their son to wheedle his way back into her life, she knows it is time for her to get her life in order and find what she is looking for; love.

When Scott Guilford enters Nanci’s life she finds an instant connection with him. Scott feels it too and goes out of his way to try and sweep Nanci off her feet, the only thing standing in their way is her insecurities about her weight.

Moon Love brings home the feelings you surround yourself with if you have weight issues. Cynthia MacGregor shows readers that what is truly important is what is on the inside, and Nanci encompasses all of this. I thought the journey Nanci begins at the start of the book was incredibly touching, and her unresolved feelings with her ex and the new found feelings with Scott were written with a lot of heart.

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Review: Love is Blind…and It Don’t Pay the Bills Either by Karen Wiesner

emilyh — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:48:24 +0000

Detective Orlando Bateman is still healing his wounded heart after having the woman he has planned his life around tell him she thinks of him as her closest friend only. When Keeya Nilsen comes into the police station with a friend prompting an investigation into missing unpublished Blues compositions and money, Orlando finds himself intrigued by the beautiful woman. Due to a plane accident, Keeya is visually impaired. After another bad relationship has ended with the theft of her items, she is finding it difficult to put her faith in Orlando. Together they must not only search for her missing items, they need to search within themselves and open their hearts to one another.

In Love is Blind…and It Don’t Pay the Bills, the second book of the Denim Blue Mysteries, Karen Wiesner delivers another spectacular story based on faith and hope. The mystery that unfolds is compelling and keeps you guessing until the end. I thought the way that Orlando and Keeya have to let go of the disappointments of the past, in order to create a future really had an honest quality that made the story very believable.

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Review: Retired And On The Rocks by Karen Wiesner

emilyh — Sat, 04 Sep 2010 16:24:55 +0000

The first in the Denim Blue Mysteries, Retired and on the Rocks starts with an action packed plot unfolding with Shamus “Denim” McHart and Sylvia Price watching a drug deal going down badly. A month later Den is recovering from a debilitating leg injury and reevaluating his future. Since starting their private detective business five years ago, Sylvia has maintained a close relationship with Denim but something beyond that has begun to surface and when Sylvia needs his help on a new case both begin to see each other in a new light and she is determined to pull him out of his thoughts of retirement.

Retired And On The Rocks opens your heart to Den and Sylvia who both seem to be able to find the best in each other and bring that out. There is a few twists to the story including Sylvia having to choose between two men who both want the chance to love her. With a little faith and hope, Denim and Sylvia will find the road they have ahead of them will be easier together.

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Featured Book: Broken Angels

admin — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:57:44 +0000

We have a new featured book this month by Anne Hope (Samhain Publishing.)

Zach Ryler always prided himself on his ability to handle anything life flung at him. Nothing could have prepared him for his sister’s brutal murder, let alone being named legal guardian of her three children. Now, the only person who can help him is the one woman he vowed never to touch again. The one woman his love couldn’t fix.

Rebecca James never stopped loving Zach, even after her infertility slowly crushed her spirit and destroyed their marriage. Suddenly Fate has dropped her dream in her lap: a family. But opening her heart to them—and to Zach—is a risk she wonders if she’s ready to take.

As Zach and Rebecca struggle to help the children deal with their grief, they slowly begin to rediscover the passion they thought they’d lost. Just as they believe that this time, they can get it right, shadows from the past close in, tearing at the fragile bonds they’ve forged. And a lethal predator is waiting and watching, one who will stop at nothing to protect his secrets…even murder.

Get your copy here: http://www.mybookstoreandmore.com/broken-angels-p-6062.html

Get info about this book and Anne Hope herself at her website: www.annehope.com

This sounds like an incredible book. Looks like reviewers are agreeing.

His (Zach’s) devotion to Rebecca is very touching, and I found myself grinning at the changes that overcame him throughout the book. This is the first time I have read one of Ms. Hope’s stories and I can say that she did a really nice job. The way she wrote the plot is very well done, she kept me reading to figure out the villain and, boy, was I surprised.” (Goddess Minx, Literary Nymphs Reviews, 4 Nymphs)

“BROKEN ANGELS is a story about healing, redemption, hope and rebuilding of lives through some tragic circumstances. I liked the message about happiness and grabbing hold of it with all your might and never letting go; live with no regrets. BROKEN ANGELS shows the growth of the characters as they come to realize the mistakes that they have all made in their lives.” (Vanessa, Joyfully Reviewed)

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Single Titles Guest Blog: My Writing Journey by Melanie Atkins

Donna — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:12:02 +0000

I’ve loved to write since I was a child, thanks to my adventurous cats. I first wrote stories about their antics in third grade, and even made a little book complete with illustrations. In junior high and high school, I was the weirdo who loved writing papers. Everyone thought I was nuts, but I loved language. I diagrammed sentences just for fun. I don’t think my eighth grade English teacher, Mrs. Wilder, knew that, but I did let it slip that she was my favorite teacher. She and my eleventh grade English teacher, Mrs. Fitzgerald, furthered my love of reading and writing.

Life got in the way after college, and I didn’t write or even read much at all for a while. But later, after my husband and I divorced, I decided to take a creative writing class at a local college–and I was hooked. Then I attended my first RWA chapter meeting and joined both that chapter and RWA…which brought me into the world or romance. I had discovered my passion.

My first single title romantic suspense, HAUNTED MEMORIES, was published in 2004 by a now-defunct e-publisher. I sold twelve books to them, but only six were released before the company went belly up. I’ve since gotten the rights back to all of those books and have resold a good many of them, including my New Orleans Detective series to Desert Breeze Publishing (all are series length), SKELETON BAYOU, a single title released by the The Wild Rose Press in December ‘09, and FLASH BANG, which I’ve just sold to Whiskey Creek Press. In addition, I’m still trying to sell to New York and have many works in progress.

I don’t have a release date yet for FLASH BANG, an FBI story set in the Deep South, but it should come out fairly soon. Here’s a blurb:
When Allie Robbins broke his heart, Noah Sterling couldn’t leave Hinton fast enough. He joined the military, then the FBI. Ten years later, a domestic terrorism case forces him to return, only to discover that Allie is now a widowed mother with one young son–and that she’s suspected of aiding the group responsible for setting area churches ablaze.

Allie can’t believe her eyes. Noah is back in Hinton, and he’s asking questions. She’s not worried about the investigation, because she’s innocent. But she’s willing to do anything to keep him from asking the one question that could destroy her life–a question about her son. Then the boy is kidnapped, and she must reveal the truth in order to save him by turning to the one man she can trust–and the only one who can take her son away. Noah. His father.

You can check out this and all of my projects at www.melanieatkin.com and http://melanieatkins.wordpress.com. Be sure to find me on Facebook and Twitter, too. I’m a certified Twitter addict. : )
Thanks for allowing me to guest blog!

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