SEDUCTION, SEX AND SATISFACTION

by Maria Ferrer

No, I'm not talking about last night's date or FIFTY SHADES OF GREY. I'm talking about writing. Truly!


SEDUCTION
Your eyes meet across the room; then travel up and down –what we hope is –a hot body. Attraction sparks; desire races up and down your spine. You both make a move towards the other, and thus, the seduction begins: That first look. That first move. That first spark.

In our writing, we also want to seduce our reader to our side. We want them curious, excited and eager. We want her –it’s usually a her –to look at our cover and fall in love with our hero. (Let’s pretend a leaner, more virile Fabio has been found and is draped across the front of our book cover.)

We want to titillate her enough that she picks up our book and runs, not walks, to the nearest cashier. She rushes home to be alone with our book, to turn that first page, to lose herself in our words.


SEX
The excitement builds. Alone at last. Now comes the good part. Some people keep the bedroom doors closed, others throw them wide open. Both ways are exciting and filling.

The deed is done. The climax reached. The last page turned. The Happily Ever After is ours. Mr. and Mrs. Hero ride off into the sunset and our reader is sexually satisfied and emotionally fulfilled.


SATISFACTION
Today, a cigarette may be passe, but a nice glass of wine is a good way to celebrate the satisfaction of a good read, a good night.

Satisfaction is key, because if it was good, our dear reader will want to do it again, and we certainly want to leave her aglow and asking for more.

As writers, we must seduce our readers. We must give them pleasure -- yes, sexually and artistically – and most of all, we must satisfy their need for a good story, a good romance and a happy ending. And, if she tells all her friends, that’s an extra bonus for us.♥



Maria C. Ferrer is working on a secret baby book and a romantic suspense. She also writes erotica under her nombre de pluma, Del Carmen. Her first short story, “Ride A Cowboy,” was published in the WOMEN IN LUST anthology (Cleis Press, 2011). Maria blogs regularly at http://www.rwanycblogginginthebigapple.blogspot.com/, http://www.4horsewomen.blogspot.com/ and http://www.mydelcarmen.com/.

DEFINITIONS OF ROMANCE

by Del Carmen

You want to write a romance, but do you know what kind? And, yes, Virginia, there are lots of different kinds of romance.  Here are some of the basics.


FORMAT

There are two recognized formats – series or single-title romances.

• Category romances are novels that are distributed in a sequential numbered series every month. Think Harlequin. They are the King in series/category romance. For example, Harlequin Presents, Desire, Blaze, etc.

• Single-title romances are just what their name implies – they are released as single books.


SUBGENRES

Now for the fun part--your genre. The main plot of course is boy-gets-girl and they live happily ever after, but setting, plot elements and even tone also helps to define and differentiate genres. And, nowadays, you can even mix and match.

• Contemporary Romance. Set in the “now,” in present time. Includes everything after WWII / 1945. (Note: Some publishers consider anything after 1900 a contemporary. Always research publishers before submitting.)

• Historical Romance. Just want it says, historical; novels set before WWII. These can be medieval, Regencies, Regency Historicals (yes, they are different), Westerns, Pioneer, Indian, Victorian, etc.

• Paranormal Romance. Everything from time travel to vampires to dragons to fairies to angels.

• Young Adult Romance. These are novels geared toward young adult readers, usually 14+. Think TWILIGHT, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES.


NICHES

Within all these subgenres are more subgenres, a few which have become their own category. Below are a few of the more prominent examples:

• Inspirational Romance. Religious or spiritual beliefs play a big part in these novels and in the romantic relationship. Christian and Amish novels are included in this category.

• Regency Romances. Are romances written specifically during the Regency period of the British Empire. These have specific mannerisms, language, style. Think Jane Austen. Think Signet Regency Romances.

• Regency Historical Romances. These are also set during the Regency period, but they take liberties with the mannerism and language of the Regency period, and are wider in scope.

• Medical Romances. These were the original romances where the hero was always a doctor and the heroine a nurse or secretary. They are still popular.

• Romantic Suspense. These romances have lots of mystery and thriller elements in the plot.

• Novels with Strong Romantic Elements. These are novels that have a romance in them, but the romance does not headline the story. Nor is the HEA a guarantee. For example, BRIDGES OF MADISON COUNTY.

• Erotic Romances. Are romances that leave the door wide open and allow the reader to “watch” what goes on between the sheets, in the backseat, in the pool….well, you get the idea. These are both naughty and nice.


QUICKIES

And, if you are scared to write a 80,000-word manuscript, you can always start small. Consider writing a short story in any of the genres above, or maybe try your hand at a confession. Writing these can help hone your craft and keep you motivated. Good luck and Happy Writing.♥



Del Carmen is the sexy alter ego of Maria Ferrer, who is looking forward to exposing more of herself. Visit her at www.mydelcarmen.com.

SEX IN A CAN

   
By Maria Ferrer



It was an ordinary supermarket. I just needed some ginger ale for a scratchy throat. Imagine my surprise when I ran into this display of Brisk Ice Tea cans. They were posed just this way. I don’t know if it was deliberate or just a coincidence. All I know was that the cans stopped me in my tracks.

The lineup.

The passionate face.

The sensuality of it.


So I pulled out my trusty Black Berry / Camera and snapped away. In hindsight, I should have brought one of the cans homes with me, but the mystery is all the more appealing this way.

I don’t know if it was a portrait of a singer, an actress, a woman in the throes of death or even the “little death” (aka orgasm). All I know is that it fueled my imagination and got the creative juices working overtime. Here are some of my plot ideas:

• How about a singer at the cusp of stardom? She can name her price but will fame take her away from all she loves?
• How about an actress at the top of her game, who is bored and reckless enough to get involve with a bad boy on his way down?
• How about a dead woman? What secrets died with her or did they?
• How about a married woman with too much time on her hands and a friendly stranger?

The plot lines are endless. But I must give each story the same degree of sensuality I see in that face. Who knew that sex could come in a can?


DO LEAVE A COMMENT. Let us know where you find inspiration and how hot you like your stories.

    

 

 

Sex and THIS City?

by Lisbeth Eng

When I first moved from the hinterlands of Staten Island to the chic isle of Manhattan four years ago, one of my co-workers excitedly remarked, “Lisbeth will be the new Terry Bradshaw!” “Huh? Terry Bradshaw?” I replied, bewildered. What did she possibly think I could have in common with the bald football announcer? “Carrie Bradshaw!” she corrected with a laugh, and went on to explain her prediction that my new life as a Manhattan single woman would be as exhilarating, fashion-forward and sexcapade-filled as that of the fictional heroine I had barely heard of. Yes, that’s right, I have never watched even one episode of Sex and the City, nor either of the two movie versions, nor read Candace Bushnell’s book upon which the TV series was based.

I, a forty-something-year-old widow, am probably as un-Carrie-Bradshaw-like as a native New Yorker can be. I have lived in four of the five boroughs (alas, the Bronx will probably never enjoy the privilege of my residency), having spent the longest period, thirty-five years, in Staten Island, which, in case you were unaware, is part of New York City. It’s amusing that transplanted mid-westerners (among others) seem to think of themselves as more “New York” than those of us born and bred in the outer boroughs, simply because they have lived in Manhattan a few years and know all the “in” places to eat, drink, shop and pick up men. But I digress.

First a disclaimer: since I have never watched the TV show (or seen the movies or read the book) I am in no position to judge the lives of women who seem more interested in their Manolo Blahniks and cosmopolitans than in global warming or human rights abuses in Darfur. But I’ve really no right to make such a self-righteous comment. For all I know, Carrie and her friends may spend their free time volunteering at a local soup kitchen, and I’ll bet they donate last season’s Jimmy Choos to the Salvation Army so that the disadvantaged can get “back on their feet”, properly shod.

All right, perhaps I’m just jealous. I am seldom fashionably attired (for me, comfortable shoes trump high heels and pointy toes every time), and engaging members of opposite sex has always been a challenge for me, especially after I became single again at the age of forty-four. I live in one of the most exciting cities in the world – “the city that never sleeps.” Well, I sleep. Even on weekends I’m usually in bed by midnight. Nightlife? Does watching the eleven o’clock news count?

So how can a single gal living in New York City lead such a boring life? I don’t. There is more to this city than a quest for sex and cocktails. Besides world-famous museums, opera companies, orchestras, Broadway theater (not to mention off- and off-off-Broadway theater), there is a soul to this city that may not be obvious to the casual observer. An army of volunteers delivers meals to the homebound elderly and AIDS patients. Community gardeners beautify hidden corners of this concrete jungle. The socially conscious meet to strategize against pollution, political oppression, poverty and hopelessness. As for me, I enjoy the above mentioned museums, opera and theater, study foreign languages “just for fun”, volunteer for Amnesty International on behalf of prisoners of conscience and write romance fiction for self-fulfillment and for the remote possibility of selling the movie rights to my soon-to-be-published debut novel for a seven-figure sum.

Which brings us back to sex. And self-promotion. For sex and another city, how about Verona, Italy circa 1944 where a woman torn between two lovers, one her compatriot and the other her enemy, battles the Nazis? You can read about her (and her lovers) when my World War II romance novel, In the Arms of the Enemy, is released by The Wild Rose Press on October 1, 2010. In the meantime, please visit my website at www.lisbetheng.com for a preview.

BIO: Lisbeth Eng is a romance author and financial services representative (that’s how the rent gets paid) who inhabits the lovely island of Manhattan where she continues her search for spiritual awakening, inspiration, the meaning of life and yes, well… ahem…sex. Visit her at www.lisbetheng.com.