I just finished writing a Blaze for next year, part of the “Forbidden Fantasies” miniseries, the forbidden fantasy in this case being role-playing. The hero and heroine have a wild holiday affair, meeting up in various cities every holiday for another sexy, role-playing game. They’re having a grand old time, at least until they get caught on camera during one of their games and the hero’s family ends up thinking he married a Vegas hooker. (Yeah, you can imagine what game they were playing that time… 
Honestly, while I struggled really hard to finish it, I ended up liking the book, called PLAY WITH ME, a whole lot. It’s very sexy but also very emotional.
That, to me, is the key. The emotion.
I have written some really sexy stories and when I look back to my very first few, it seems like I’ve taken huge leaps in sexiness from my early Temptation days. Writing these sexy scenes which included sex-with-a-stranger, some light bondage, and that role-playing, probably wouldn’t have entered my mind a decade ago. (I remember being really torn about Into The Fire, my 4th book, where the hero & heroine have sex on a trampoline an hour after they meet!)
But when I really look at it, even my sexiest books have a very deep level of emtion beneath the sexy outer layer. I’ve found that strong foundation of emotion has been my safety net and has allowed me to really push farther and farther in terms of the sensuality of my books.
I guess you’d say strong emotion is my personal line when it comes to my writing, and my reading, sexy books. If it’s there, I’ll go pretty far. But if I ever feel that it’s not, no matter how sexy a story it is, I just lose interest, both as a reader and as a writer.
Anybody else have any personal lines that determine how far they go in their reading and/or writing tastes? I’d love to hear them!
PS: I am SO excited–just got my author copies of my November book, a 2-in-1 Encounters book called MORE BLAZING BEDTIME STORIES.
My story, called “Once Upon A Mattress” is my take on the Princess and The Pea fairy tale, with a wolf hero and a bad-ass-rebel princess heroine. (Julie’s is a fabulous, funny and sexy take on Jack and the Beanstalk with a fairy godmother for a heroine!)
We really loved working on it, and have so far gotten great feedback. Romantic Times gave it 4 1/2 stars, saying, “Blaze gifts readers with two more modern fairy tales, told with romance, humor and lust…. These wonderful stories are funny, romantic and sexy.”
Since I have all these copies, and since Julie gave away two on Plotmonkeys the other day, I figured I’d offer two of them here today. Just comment and you’re entered to win one!
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I’m just not into stories that are into violence just for the sake of crulety and not justified in the story line. Erotica too I can handle until it gets destructive/ painful/life threatening.
Hey Les, glad I was able to get here so early this morning. Congrats on receiving your author copies. I love the cover of your Blaze with Jules…can’t wait to read both stories. I love the emotional pull in stories, and I think that is why I love your books so much. I can always connect with the characters on more than one level. I haven’t even gotten close to thinking about writing sensual scenes…my comfort level, as a writer is not there yet…but as a reader, I have no problem going there. After reading so many Blazes, you would think I would be desensitized by now and be able to write my own sex scenes, but I am not there yet. Hopefully, I will get there one day soon. I am very excited for another Leslie Kelly book. Have a wonderful day blogging here. See you in the jungle and the Cyber Lair.
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Leslie, I need to feel strong emotion in my reading too. I’m fine with what goes on between the characters as long as I can feel it. Congrats on the new release with Julie! Can’t wait to read both stories.
(C) Yes, strong emotion plays a big part in my reading and if I can feel their happiness and their heartache it pulls me in even farther. I do not want to read anything that leaves you shaking your head asking “What in the world was that all about and what exactly does that have to do with what is going on in the story? I have read some of those and quickly put it down with a lot of disappointment.
(D) Congrats on the 4 1/2 stars on the new book. I can’t wait to read it for myself.
Sounds like you and Julie did a fabulous job on giving those fairy tales a twist of your own. I agree . . . strong emotion in a book tends to pull me into the story.
Congrats on the 4-1/2 stars. I know there’s many more great reviews to come.
I totally agree with previous posters and you: strong emotion is SOOO necessary, and, yes, the storyline must make sense or you’ve lost me. I too have read some books where I say to myself, “Huh?” I’ve gone back to read previous pages in case I “missed something”, but, no, I haven’t. I shake my head and continue, but I’ve lost the flow of the book and am looking for more holes in the storyline. If I find them, then I start skipping pages (if I haven’t already), and eventually skip to the ending. It had better be a Happily Ever After ending too!
As an aside, I read a book perhaps 20 years ago (so I don’t remember its title or author) and it didn’t have a HEA ending. I was so mad that I threw the book across the room in disgust. Then I didn’t pass it on to my girlfriends. I threw it in the garbage instead. (Today I would recycle it, note the author’s name and book title, and never buy another book by that author. I would also tell others, in person and/or on the Web, about this in case they too would like to do some boycotting.)
BTW, fairy tales aren’t a bad thing to read in life, so thanks for writing your take on an old story and for offering a couple of giveaways!
I will read anything as long as the storyline is good.
That is the most gorgeous cover! I love it — can’t wait to read this one. I am editing my March Blaze Bedtime story, and now this has me all fired up!
My personal line is much like yours, Leslie — it has to come from the characters and their relationship, their emotions. I’m comfortable taking them anywhere they want to go, but it has to be genuine to their personalities and emotions status at the time.
Also, it has to be FUN — for me, for characters, and for the reader. We should smile and feel good, have a good time reading it, and that’s a huge part of where my line is drawn.
Sam
I like to be able to believe that there is an emotional connection between the hero and heroine.
Having been brought up in a time when sex was more or less a forbidden topic I have trouble reading books that have just sex and no story to go with it. I agree with the others there has to be strong emotion in the story.
I too need a strong emotional connection with the characters. And an identifying trait helps too. I like stories that “flow”. If they seem too far fetched for me, or are choppy in any way, I just can’t get into the story.
Love the new cover. Can’t wait to read it.
-Pamela
For me the line appears when the characters haven’t shown me they care about each other beyond hot sex. The “we’re soul mates so we’re instantly in love and can now dow this….” loses me every time. Outside paranormals it’s the same thing. Hot sex = love or Great Orgasms = Love. Sex scenes that are meant to be hot or would have been hot had I felt the two actually loved or cared about each other. A sense of intimacy to the sex. Because no matter how well written, how hot, how “fantasy”… if I don’t get that relationship build up in a believable way that I can feel? The story leaves me :-S and feeling like it’s reached that line really quickly for me.
Julie
I can connect with characters more if the story has strong emotion. Your and Julie’s stories sound great.
A strong emotional connection between characters is a must. I want to feel as if they’re worth investing my time in. And although conflicts are part of relationships, I want it to be a realistic obstacle. Not something stupidly petty, which is where I draw my line.
Congrats on the new release and great review!!
I am one that also wants emotions to jump out of the pages. The book I have in hand has to have depth to it. I want to laugh and cry and sigh with the book… see and feel what the characters are going through to enjoy the best part, The Happy Ending! (F)
My thoughts seem to echo everyone else, I think emotion is what every romance reader is looking for when they dive into a book, a sex scene is that much steamier and involving when it’s written as more than skin deep.
I love good sex…books.
My hubby’s a fan, too … when we read our bedtime stories together. What a um…bonding experience that is! Sex in books is fun, but without the connection between the characters, it’s just porn. And porn is okay … but unfulfilling.
I also love to write. But why is it that as soon as I get to a part that requires much touchy feely, I can’t do it??? Why do my fingers stall, then hit the delete, then bypass that section entirely? I’d sure love to sneak some in sometime when my fingers aren’t paying attention. I guess it just takes practice … right?
I don’t think I can handle reading a story where animals and children are abused.
Ooh, I do love when bedtime stories are updated and changed, especially when they become naughty. lol
Deidre
Also, don’t have too many boundaries in my reading, but every now and then something might make me uncomfortable or if it hits too close to home.
Deidre
I am like everyone else and like a strong emotional tie in the book. If it’s just about sex I don’t want to read it. There has to be emotional involvement to pull me into the story. I don’t like cruelty in books either. I still want a story to have a happy ending.
If there is strong emotion between the h/h, I am absolutely fine with anything that happens between them, as long as they are in a monogamous relationship.
Congrats on the great review from RT.
Patricia
Thanks for the great feedback today, everyone, I really enjoyed hearing your opinions! I picked two random winners, they are:
PAMELA J
and
LINDA HENDERSON
Drop me a note with your snail mail address, author @ authorleslieparrish . com (no spaces) and I’ll get your book right out to you.
Congratulations!
Congrats to Pamela and Linda! I hope that you both enjoy the book, which I am sure you will. Les’s bedtime stories, and her other books, are wonderful reads, every time…
Peace and love,
Paula R.
Thank you so much. I really appreciate winning your book. Congratulations to Pamela too.
Hi, Leslie! Popping by late to say hooray for your latest–looking forward to picking it up! I agree, emotion’s the key in the stories I enjoy. Like some others have said, I do prefer monogamous relationships but within that, I recognize that there are many different ways of expressing the love and commitment, and can enjoy reading stories along all parts of the spectrum
Congrats, Pamela and Linda! Happy reading!
I don’t think that I’ve come across a limit in my reading so far. I’m guessing the fact that I use excerpts to help me decide whether to read a book probably helps. Ultimately, most of the time I’ll read just about anything so long as the story line is realistic.
Congrats to Pamela & Linda!!! (*)
Thank You! I can’t wait to read it! And Congrats to you too, Linda.
-Pamela
congrats on teh book so hot (Y)