In lines like Blaze, you might expect to find glamorous models and rich playboys who have nothing to do but party all night and spend all day in bed, but one of my favorite things about our line is the vast expanse of professions and work that our characters do for a living. You find everything here, from characters who work to start their own retail shops, to those who run corporations. I have written dog trainers, lawyers, computer experts and hackers, shop owners, restaurant reviewers, Texas Rangers (and a host of other law enforcement officials), and when I pick up a Blaze, one of the first things I look for is what the characters do for a living. For me, that is part of the fun of the book, and it all serves to make our characters more real.

In my books this year, I have had a tabloid reporter, a heroine who runs a bakery and her hero who is a professor and scientific consultant, and upcoming in my Christmas book, the hero is a race car driver, and the heroine runs a vineyard (here in Central New York, actually — my first locally set book). After that, I have a soap shop owner and a bodyguard (June 2011), and a line up of other interesting heroes and heroines with their unique ways of making a living.

Part of the fun for me is choosing my character’s profession, and in many cases, researching it, as I am not a professional in all of these areas, obviously. I do research in a number of ways, both on the internet, reading, and contacting people who can answer questions or explain to me the finer points of what they do.

For instance, I have never been to a professional car race, so I had to do a lot of research there, reading a lot on the internet, but also asking friends, family, and a lot of folks on FaceBook and Twitter specific questions. Television can even help (Dirty Jobs had a great episode on Coopers, barrel-makers, that was very helpful in my Christmas book.)

I learn a lot! A year ago, I had no idea even what the difference was between NASCAR and F1, but now I know enough that I was able to hold a conversation about it on vacation with someone we met at our inn. For my soap shop heroine, I employed the expertise of a woman who makes her own soaps and lotions here in CNY, and she has been so helpful in sharing her love for her work, which really helped me show how much my heroine loves what she does, as well. I have to admit, I enjoy writing and researching law enforcement officers; any excuse to talk to them is a rush for me.

In general, I have always found people to be very generous when asked to share their expertise so that I can make my characters’ worlds as real as possible. For that, I am very thankful.

What are some professions we don’t see in Blaze, or other romances? Are some more preferred than others? Why, do you think? What are some of your favorites?

Happy Fourth of July weekend, everyone! So, this is the weekend we celebrate our country’s Independence, the brave men and women who stand up and defend it, and the traditions are usually parades, fireworks and of course, food! I love the Fourth of July, as one of those holidays, like Halloween and Thanksgiving, that comes with very little pressure and expectation, and just a chance to get together with folks and have fun.

I have a love/hate relationship with fireworks. As a kid, I loved sparklers the best, especially the large or multi-colored ones, and those little weird tablets you could set a match to on the sidewalk, and it would explode into a long black snaky-thing. Too much fun. I never get tired of a big fireworks display, either, and try to see one each year, though we’re lucky enough to be able to see one of them from our house, so we can just peep out the window on years we don’t want to fight crowds and traffic. What I don’t like is when the neighborhoods are alive with the sound of firecrackers at 3am, or for several days, especially as it can spook pets. To that end, if you haven’t read it, check out this link to the Humane Society for how to keep your pets safe and comfortable this weekend.

I am not much of a parade fan, either, I have to say. I don’t go to them, but I do love the cookouts. We’ll have one with the family, but also, I have bought groceries with a mind to cooking out all weekend. Bring on the macaroni salad, the sausage sandwiches, and the lemonade! To that end, I want to share one really good dessert recipe we have made for years. I am not a Jell-O fan — it’s never been my favorite, but I love this particular dessert, so I’ll be making it this weekend. If you don’t like strawberries, you can use raspberries, too, and add in blueberries for a red, white, and blue theme! Enjoy!

Jell-O and Pretzel Dessert

Ingredients:
2 cups crushed pretzels
3/4 cup melted butter
1/4 cup sugar
1 tub (9 ounce size) Cool Whip
1 cup sugar
8 ounces cream cheese
2 packages (3 ounce size) strawberry Jello gelatin
1 package (16 ounce size) frozen sweetened strawberries
1 cup boiling water

Bottom Layer: Combine pretzels, butter and 1/4 cup sugar. Press into 9 x 13 baking dish and bake at 350F for 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature.
Middle Layer: Cream together cream cheese and 1 cup sugar. Fold in Cool Whip. Spread over pretzel crust.
Top Layer: Dissolve gelatin in boiling water. Stir in frozen strawberries, Chill until partially set, about 1 hour and spread over white layer. Chill until set and serve.

If you have any traditions, recipes, or favorite fireworks, please do share! And have a safe and wonderful weekend,

Sam

Six years ago when we moved into this house, we went from the closing meeting to the house and immediately started ripping things down, completely redoing each room in our own style. So we thought. It took six years of living in the place to realize what we really liked, what worked with lighting, our habits, etc and while nothing we did then was bad, a new plasma TV purchase (NCIS on the large screen — YES!) and some other new purchases provided the excuse to completely repaint and reorganize the downstairs. We moved furniture, changed around rooms, and that was just the start of it.

We’ve spent the week in a painting marathon — you know how it is — you buy one new piece of furniture, reorganize some of the rest, and now you have to completely repaint three rooms. I had my latest book in for edits (I’ll Be Yours For Christmas, Blaze, out December ‘10!) and finished my proposals for 2011 books, so the idea was to spend a week repainting and getting gardens in shape before we left on vacation (leaving tomorrow morning!) so that when we come home, it’s all done and we can enjoy summer (or at least we can come back to work without thinking about the other 20 things that need to be done).

But even in the process of doing of it, we had to make changes. As I started repainting my kitchen on Wed, I didn’t like the color once I got it on one wall, and so I was off to Home Depot for more paint — a whole new set of colors — which worked perfectly. Saturday, as we were repainting our two-tone living room (upper and lower halves separated by a chair rail) the new cinnamon color on the bottom half worked perfectly — love it! But then we started the upper color, didn’t like it, and realized the original gold we had there worked so well with the warm cinnamon, that we wanted that. Luckily, a local paint store can work magic — we took a chip from the wall and they made paint exactly the same color! It’s gorgeous.

Then, we had two area rugs that we loved — until we moved them to get them out of the way for painting, with the intention of sending them out for cleaning. When they were gone, we realized how much we love the bare wood floors. So one rug will perhaps go upstairs, and the other, a Persian, we’ll probably trade in at a local rug dealer to get a smaller Persian throw. We thought we’d be painting the trim in all of the rooms, but when we saw how nice the natural wood looked next to the cinnamon paint color, we decided to leave that, too.

It’s very much like when I write — you have a plan going in, but you have to be open to changes because you might find something better as you go along.

So…I’m under no illusions that this is the last batch of changes we’ll make to this house. Change seems to be the way of things in life, whether it’s with writing or anything else (speaking of which, I will have revisions/edits waiting for me when I get home from vacation, too, so it’s a good thing the painting is done!). Everything is subject to revisions, our paint colors, gardens, hair color, personal styles, reading habits, etc. What have you revised lately?

Is there anyone who doesn’t love cookies, or who doesn’t have a special cookie in their life? Maybe one your mom made, or one your family loves? Or decadent ones at the store that you only let yourself buy for a special treat?

In my spankin’ new release, MAKE YOUR MOVE, Jodie Patterson owns a Chicago bakery, and the frosting on her special “Passionate Hearts” cookies is very popular. With the help of a special formula created by her best friend and business partner, Dan, a scientific genius, the frosting provides a little erotic kick to female pheromones, helping women who eat them get any man they desire.

Now, I have never had a cookie that did that, exactly, but a few that come close. One family recipe for a cookie we often make is my husband’s favorite, and when I make them, he certainly gets a spark in his eye — a rich cookie wrapped around a mix of fudge and nuts, dusted with powdered sugar. I brought some to the Toronto Harlequin offices on my last visit, and I don’t know if they sparked any libidos, but I did get notes from people who seemed to like them just as much as my friends and family do. My own personal favorite is a simple but delicate sugar cookie I make (and I do shape them into hearts and frost them) and they really melt in your mouth. I grew up making cookies, especially all kinds of ethnic, Italian and Ukrainian recipes that I learned from my mom and her friends, and they are a regular fixture at Christmas and holidays.

However, I love store cookies, too. Pepperidge Farms make the most sinful ones, I think, especially their Amaretto Milanos, though Brussels are my absolutely favorites. On a more everyday level, I won’t pass up an Oreo, and love Nutter-Butter cookies, too! I will say one cookie I never did enjoy was a Fig Newton, but I know several people who love them.

So what is your favorite cookie? Does your family have special cookie recipes you always use, or that everyone loves? Share, and one commenter will win a copy of MAKE YOUR MOVE along with these gorgeous Harry and David cookies (US shipping only), and two others will win signed copies of MAKE YOUR MOVE (all eligible).

Watching Survivor the other night, and kibitzing with my husband over our favorites, he said “this is going to be a divisive Survivor season for us, isn’t it?” LOL (I like Boston Rob, and hubby admires Russell’s game). We are competitive people, and we can be very competitive with each other, though over the years we’ve found how to make that more of a plus than a negative. Competition is good and healthy — it sparks you to push yourself a little harder, to do a little better. It can add a little spice to life, and emphasize the things you care about. And let’s face it, it’s fun to win, or to be on the winning side. It’s also nice to see someone deserving win, and to see someone take loss gracefully. But things can get heated in the spirit of competition, and it’s sometimes hard to maintain that cool.

I remember when my in-laws visited, and we all played Cribbage. In Cribbage, you can “muggins” someone and take their points if they are not paying attention. In-laws would politely point out to each other when they had not been paying attention and were horrified at dh and I gleefully muggins-ing each other. We were horrified they would point out the lack of attention and give up the points. Because if you are going to win, you should earn it. This is how we played games with our kids, and I don’t come from a family where you let someone win. I know this makes raising kids difficult, too. I have mixed feelings about the “everyone wins” philosophy when it comes to kids — I know we don’t want kids feeling bad or left out, but really, does it set the right example? If everyone always wins, do they ever get a chance to learn how to lose well, and to know that is okay? (thinking about last week’s Desperate Housewives, which took this up in an really great way).

The only time I find myself angry about a loss is when it seems unfair — like Rob getting voted off because Coach is a weenie…(okay, I’ll stop…). But seriously, Rob is a solid competitor who deserved to be there. Similarly, on shows like the Amazing Race, you have fantastic teams who lose because they get a bad cabbie in the last leg. Total luck of the draw. I guess the appeal of these shows is much like sports, for those of us who enjoy the competition, watching the challenges, and rooting for our favorites, but those things we can’t control that throw everything sideways are so hard to watch.

And of course, we all have the stories of how/when it can get out of hand, especially in the arena of sports (kids sports, in particular). Respect has to be part of healthy competition — the only way a win is worth it is if you are up against a worthy opponent, and while you can dislike losing, you can simultaneously be happy for the other person’s win. I really dislike when players (and fans) treat each other badly. As a Red Sox fan, I don’t root for the Yankees, but I have to respect the team and the fans. They give us worthy opponents, and great games to watch. Being a Red Sox fan wouldn’t be half the fun without the Yankees, after all.

Anyway, this was just something that popped up into my mind to blog about as the baseball season starts, and Survivor hits it’s critical point. Have you ever felt really bad about your team or player losing? I’ll admit it, I was sulky about Rob being voted out, but it’s how the game goes. I don’t know why it bothers me so much, but competition can be a very visceral thing. We’re probably acting out all kinds of archetypal dramas.

It’s 80+ degrees in Syracuse today, so I am probably outside doing yard work with dh — I wonder who will outchop, outclear, outmulch? I will stop by, and if you pop in to share a thought on competition, and it’s part in your life, personality, or reading/writing (or TV watching), I’ll pick someone to receive a copy of my May Blaze, Make Your Move, by the end of the day (just a little contest in the spirit of competition!)

I’m thrilled to announce my March release, the second part of Blazing Bedtime Stories, Vol IV, a novella titled “I Wish He Might…”

The back cover copy sums it up nicely: Nina Larson has a personal genie…seductive, sexy Alec! Her every wish is his command…and does she ever have some X-rated wishes! Each desire he fulfills propels her into another, even hotter one. But Nina holds the key to Alec’s freedom. Problem is, she’s not sure she can surrender the most fantastic sex of her life.

I’ve always been a fan of I Dream of Jeannie and Aladdin and The Arabian Nights. When asked to write a bedtime story, it took me about two seconds to exactly what I story I wanted to write. In “I Wish He Might…,” I build on some of the familiar ideas we have about genies, and create a new world for them, which can be as dangerous as it is sexy.

Nina, the heroine, is granted three wishes, of course, and it got me thinking a lot about wishing. How many times in a day do we unconsciously say “I wish. . . ” What if there was a genie over our shoulder, making those wishes come true? When we’re kids (and even adults) we love wishbones in turkeys, wishing wells, and making wishes on falling stars. Our lives are full of wishes, it seems.

If a sexy genie appeared in your life, what would you wish for? What would you worry about (after all, there is the old saw, watch what you wish for!)

Share, and I’ll pick a winner at the end of the day to win one of these lovely bars of handmade soap, aptly named “Wishing,” (though not inspired by this book, it still fits!). These soaps are made right here in Central York, and are lovely. I will also add in a few fun bath items and a copy of Blazing Bedtime Stories, Vol. IV. Let’s chat about wishing!

Today is mine! I love birthdays — how can anyone not? Gifts, cake. . .and more cake. And sharing it with you all on the blog is just more added fun. I had my birthday party last Saturday, and dear hubby outdid himself — a home made spaghetti and meatballs dinner with bread and a cake, all made from scratch. I received some lovely gifts from family and friends, and a Wii Fit ahead of time from hubby (much fun, after you get past the trauma of the chubby Mii, LOL), who also says he has some extra surprises in store. But as much as I enjoy the goodies, I am just so thankful for all the wonderful people and things in my life as I enter this new year. Those are the real gifts.

Anyhoo, I was doing some research on birthday lore for a book a while ago, and found out some really interesting things about our own personal holidays. Such as that ancient people used to celebrate death days more than birthdays, as your death signified your return to God. (I’m really glad we turned this one around!) Birthdays as we know them are pagan in origin, as are so many of our holidays and traditions. (And as everyone knows, pagans know how to par-tay).Greek celebrations, specifically, were tributes to Artemis. The Greeks would make honey cakes for her each month, lighting them with candles to make them look like the moon. Traditionally only men were celebrated on their birthdays, until in Germany they started doing so for children, and the tradition grew. In many countries, birthdays are still considered mainly a religious ceremony. Hindus don’t celebrate their birthdays until they are sixteen years old, but on their first birthdays, however, Hindu babies have their heads shaved to rid them of any evil spirits, which is also the idea behind singing, spanking, or making of loud noises. Wishing someone Happy Birthday is a wish for bad luck to stay away from them in the year coming.

So, that’s a little folklore lesson on b’days. Kind of neat, I think.

As a gift to YOU, if you will tell a b’day story or share a tradition or go out and find a piece of birthday folklore and share it in the comments, I will choose a winner at the end of the day to receive a copy of my March Blazing Bedtime Stories w/Kimberly Raye (mine is “I Wish He Might” a story about a tabloid reporter who meets a sexy genie), AND a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate (US Residents Only). Three other winners (everyone eligible) will receive signed copies of the Bedtime Stories book.

I hope a lot of you will come by to celebrate my special day with me. I may be out and about, but I will pop in to comment as I can…

Sam

We’re heading out to see the new Sherlock Holmes movie this weekend. While I didn’t think I wanted to see it when I first saw the previews, it hits me as the best of the Christmas/New Years offerings, and I am a horrible movie person. Hubby wanted to see Avatar, and I was so thankful when he changed his mind after reading several reviews.

I don’t know why — it must be some kind of entertainment ADD — but I can sit and watch 3-4 hours of TV (I am a complete TV addict, but I think it’s a mixture of the variety, something new every 60 minutes or less, and I can get up and take breaks), but making a 2 hour movie can be a stretch, and ones that are longer than that seriously challenge my ability to sit still. It was torture for me to go through the LOTR series with my husband, who loves it… when he rewatches them at home, at least we can get up, take breaks, walk around — but sitting through them in the theater was my version of movie hell.

Though at least the stories were good — one thing that put me off of Avatar is that people only talk about the special effects. I could care less. Give me a great story with no special effects, please — the story is what carries me through and makes me forget I am sitting in one place for 2+ hours. If the characters are compelling and the story makes me want to see what’s going to happen, it’s worth the money. I stay clear of movies where people’s recommendations hinge on “but the cinematography was amazing” or “you have to see the special effects.” No thanks. Of course, most movies have some kind of effects, but I think the point is more that the effects shouldn’t be the point of the movie — they can enhance it, but a movie should still be about the story and the characters.

That’s what’s so nice about books (and TV, when you think about it — the special effects in Buffy were often rough and hokey, but look how much we love it). They can’t rely on special effects, it has to be all about the story. If the story fails, you’re toast, and I’m thankful for that.

Are flashy effects enough for you when you spend at least $11 (usually more) on a movie ticket? Or do you want to be carried away by compelling characters (Jason Bourne, for example — few special effects, amazing movies, all) and great plots? Have you been to see any movies over the holiday, and what did you think? I’ll share my opinion of Sherlock Holmes after we get back, and I’ll look forward to hearing yours.

Happy 2010!
Sam

I watched The Proposal this past weekend (really cute movie) and the heroine mentioned reading Wuthering Heights every Christmas. Do you read one special book every holiday? Are you looking forward to receiving a gift of books this year, or do you expect to be too busy to read (gasp!) this season? What books are you giving?

I tell family and friends never to buy me books — a gift card is fine, but I buy far too many of my own for anyone to know what I’ve read or haven’t, so books as gifts never work for me, but I do enjoy giving them. I try to make notes through the year of books I think family members will find interesting or fun, though sometimes I don’t wait. When my MIL visited this past September, I bought her the first four Karen Marie Moning Fever books because I was too anxious for her to read them to wait for Christmas. As for books we read every year, I don’t really have any particular book I return to over and over again. Last year, my husband had their Uncle’s enthusiastic reading, which he enjoyed, too. It’s nice for kids to have books as well as TV shows for their annual traditions, I think, even though I love many of the TV specials we grew up with.

I will be reading a lot through the month, working through my Kindle TBR and enjoying curling up in the evenings with some good reading. I am reading Charlaine Harris’s Grave Secret at the moment (not very Christmassy, I know, but it’s a good book), and have a list of romances (including some Blazes, of course) that I am looking forward to, as well. Are you reading any holiday-oriented romances you would recommend?

So what books are you reading, or do you want to curl up on a holiday evening and read this month? Share your current reading and I’ll pick two winners to receive a signed copy of my previous Christmas Blaze, Talking in Your Sleep, along with a tin of hot chocolate and a pretty mug. If you have this book already, just let me know if you would like it signed for someone else, and maybe it can be one of your gift items this season. Merry, Merry, and best wishes for a happy and peaceful month, whichever holiday you celebrate.

Sam

Writing sex often gets mistaken for writing love in a lot of articles and workshops — a love scene and a sex scene are not the same thing, though they can overlap, obviously. Love scenes imply a certain emotional commitment has been made, and I think people tend to see the love scene as more acceptable than the sex scene for that reason. For those of us who write erotic romance, we often write sex that happens before love. While the we know these two characters are meant to be together, and that they will have their HEA, they will fall into bed (or into a closet or onto a table, or whatever)–a lot–before they fall in love.

Writing good sex isn’t easy, and it intimidates a lot of new writers. I assume we all know the sex should be relevant to the story–and that there should BE a story–and the plot, so what I am talking about here, is how to best approach the actual writing of sex itself (just to be clear). So I thought I would see what advice was out there for writing sex.

One of the most available and reproduced articles I found was this one, by Steve Almond, who offers 12 “rules” for writing sex. I liked all of them except rules 6 and 9, which I didn’t agree with at all. People’s sexual experience is wide and varied — we simply can’t make these assumptions about how fast climax happens, or slow, or if it happens at all. And we should consider all three scenarios when we’re writing sex.

I also disagree with him on not “using the rude words” — and in fact, I don’t find sexual words rude. I like to use all the words at my disposal, and many times my characters like using them, too. And maybe his characters would never talk to each other during sex, or announce their pleasure, what they like, or what they want, but that doesn’t mean that’s a general rule. Lots of people love dirty talk — it’s the basis of an entire phone sex industry, right?

Another resource is an entire book on the subject, Elizabeth Benedict’s The Joy of Writing Sex, and it gets some good reviews online, though I haven’t read it, but it looks like it might be a good resource for those looking for advice on writing sex. If anyone has read it, please let us know what you think.

This is also a fun discussion, if you have time to read through it.

I’ve always thought that the key thing to keep in mind if you are writing sex is that everyone’s sexual experiences are different, and in that difference, you have a broad range of what can happen. No two people ever have sex or think about sex in the same way, and that gives writers a lot to work with. There are no limits — almost.

Here is my own list of tips for writing sex:

1) Beware of the “ick factor.” In general, you can assume anything dangerous, violent, insulting or demented, anything which would make most reasonable, open-minded people back away, will qualify as “ick.”

2) Beware of being too tame. Keeping the “ick” factor in mind, don’t be afraid of the kink, and use whatever words you need to make it happen.

3) Make sure the sex in your book is true to the character having it, as you have described them. If they are experienced or a virgin, or have various kinds of backstories, make sure the sex is consistent.

4) Beware of falling into a rut. Characters in different books should have their own sex lives, not the same sex as characters in the last three books. What do these people like? what makes them unique?

5) Switch it up. Use different locations, positions, toys, kinds of sex, etc. Have your characters explore and surprise each other. If you don’t know about something, do your research. (Online, or otherwise, it’s up to you).

6) Have fun! Don’t be afraid of the humorous, awkward, or sticky moment in a book. On this note, make sure your logistics work, be clear in your physical descriptions, i.e., This Side Up, etc.

7) Don’t make a public service announcement out of your sex scene. i.e., birth control, STDs. Smart characters will act responsibly, and should, but there are a lot of ways to work around this without dampening passion or spontaneity.

8 ) Be clear on what the sex is about. Even if it’s not about love, be aware what emotions are in play. For more on this, I wrote this blog on Sexual Motivation that people seemed to like.

9) Remember (and this comes in handy when people mistake your characters’ sex lives for YOURS), This is about your characters, not you. Once an editor wrote me a line edit “Is this really sexy?” I thought about it, and could only say, “It is for her.” To me, the heroine was clearly enjoying herself. Readers seemed to agree.

10) What do you find sexy? If you can communicate that, it will probably be sexy for your readers, too. Likewise, don’t write anything you are uncomfortable with, because once it’s on that page, it’s there for good.

So what would you add to the list, as a reader or writer? What makes the sex really great to read, and to write? What have been some of your favorite sexual moments in books? Share your ideas, thoughts, and I’ll send out a book to two lucky winners at the end of the day.