NOTE: Since tomorrow is Valentine’s Day (and since I am on my 9th day of the worst flu I ever had), I thought it would befun (and easy) to repeat one of my very favorite blogs on romance, so that’s what I’vedone, updating it with a new excerpt or two. Appropriately, one of thoseexcerpts is from my Irish Love Story, ALight in the Window, which, in honor of Valentine’s Day, has been reducedfrom $7.38 to $3.99 for a short time only. So I hope those of you who haven’tread it, will consider doing so now at Amazon,B&N or Smashwords. NEWSFLASH!!! A Hope Undaunted, book 1 in my second series, Winds of Change, is available for FREE DOWNLOAD RIGHT NOW so PLEASE take advantage of downloading it and help a sick broad out, okay? It's not a dog, I promise—it was on Booklist's Top Ten Inspirational Fiction for 2010 right below Francine Rivers and two above Deeanne Gist, so PLEASE spread the word and download it yourself right here at Amazon, B&N or CBD. After all—how risky can it be to download a free book that has 131 five-star reviews AND can be used as a doorstop if you don't like it?? Trust me—there are government bonds riskier than this, so go for it! My throat and my sinuses thank you!
Happy Valentine’s Day and Happy Reading!
Stupid in Love(First postedFebruary 2011)
Okay, I’d like to go on record right now and admit that I’mnot an easy person to live with. Yeah, yeah, I know—big surprise. But the truthis that I am afflicted with MSS—otherwise know as Martha Stewart Syndrome. Manyof you already know that yes, I actually have piped dinner guests’ initialsinto their twice-baked potatoes, made lemon napkin-holders out of real lemonsto hold lemon green beans, and have actually drawn blueprints of dinner platesto ensure the most attractive placement of food. However, you will be happy toknow that I am currently in therapy.
Since I’ve been banned from having dinner parties by myhusband, I have now transferred my perfectionist tendencies to other thingssuch as revising manuscripts (at least 60 times on A Passion Most Pure alone) or pinning every earring or Christmaspin collected over a forty-year span on my sweater for a Seeker blog called WhenIt Comes to Writing … Sometimes Less is More. Or driving my artist husband crazy when he designs my newsletter,which those of you who receive it know is pretty darn impressive, almost solelybecause of him, and here’s a peek at my last one, Julie’sFall 2012 Newsletter.
Such was the case one day when I stood over his shoulderwhile he worked on a recent newsletter, the next of which, by the way, will beout in March, so if you are not signed up for it, you can do so here: Signupfor Julie’s Newsletter.
“Wow, babe, it’s absolutely perfect!” I said, excitementbubbling in my voice. “Uh, except for a few tiny things … Would you mindtilting those pictures a little bit more? Oh, and the excerpt from A Light in the Window needs to beindented and all book titles italicized. Not sure I’m crazy about that font—canwe change it? And those dingbats gotta go—maybe little squiggles instead? Ooops… forgot some pictures from our vacation, and for the love of Photoshop—mydouble chin in that picture just has togo!” Sigh … and that was only the firstgo-round. However, you will be happy to know that my husband is currently intherapy.
What’s my point besides that sharp thing on my head? Well,my point is that after hours of putting my husband through the paces, I wasmore than a little curious as to just why he puts up with a CDQ like me(caffeinated drama queen), so I hugged him in the kitchen, eyes misty withlove. “I don’t deserve you, babe,” I say for the 2,000th time. “Iknow,” he says with a quirk of a smile. “And I don’t deserve you either.” I laugh and feather his stubbled chin with mythumb. “Why do you do it?” I ask, suddenly serious, not sure if he was aglutton for punishment, short on brain cells, or both. “I don’t know,” he says,giving me a quick kiss on the lips. “I guess I’m just stupid in love.”
And there you have it—“stupid in love.” The very thing everywoman craves for herself and one of the biggest reasons that romance sells likeit does. Women want to be cherished. To be made to feel they are beautiful,sexy, the most important person in the world to the man that they love. A man strong enough to be worthy of them, but gentle enough to make them feelcherished. In short, a man so “stupid in love” that he’s willing to relent, togive of himself for the woman he loves. Few things are more irresistible towoman than that, and few things are more irresistible to romance readers than ahero who’s “stupid in love.”
So, in honor of Valentine’s Day, instead of a lesson plan onwriting, I thought it would be fun to show some of the ways I like to depictheroes who are “stupid in love” without sacrificing their strength ormasculinity.
1.) A Hero Who Can Admit When He’s Wrong.In this scene from A Passion Denied,Patrick O’Connor comes to his senses after months of sleeping at the Herald following a horrendous argumentwith his wife.
He stared at theempty door, unable to comprehend the love he’d just seen. His pulse droned inhis ears as he slumped in the chair, body buzzing and mind numb. She’d forgiven inthe face of her anger. He dropped his head in his hands. In total obedienceto God. Unlike him. And total love for the man who spurned her. Wetness welled inhis eyes and he choked on a sob. An aching realization stabbed within, but itspain was kind, unlike the agony of guilt. Conviction lifted the blindness fromhis eyes, and he knew he had failed. He’d turned his back on God as well as hiswife. And for what? Wounded pride that had yielded nothing but his demise. Andhers. Two souls for theprice of one sin.He thought ofMarcy, and for the first time in months, he could see her clearly, unscathed byhis anger. A woman, pure of heart and strong of character, loving God whileloving him. He thought of the damage he’d done, and his heart fisted in grief. Oh, God, forgive me—I don’t deserve her.He leapt to hisfeet, sin no longer weighting him down, and bounded the steps, two at a time.The hall was dark, but his step was light, and he prayed for mercy as neverbefore. He neared their room and could hear her weeping, muffled and wrenchinghis heart like it should. He stopped in the doorway, staggered by what he’ddone, and watched as their bed shivered with her grief. She didn’t hear himuntil he knelt by her side, and when he spoke, she jerked in surprise. “Marcy…”The hitch of herbreath was harsh in the dark. He pressed a handto her wet cheek, sick inside at the pain he’d caused. “God knows I don’tdeserve it, but can you … will you … forgive me for being a fool?”
2.) A Hero Who WillDefend The Heroine’s Honor: In this scene from Steven O’Connor’s story, A Love Surrendered, Steven O’Connor is aprohibition agent who defends the heroine’s honor from his partner and bestfriend.
Barely outside thedoor, Joe spun around and pushed Steven back. “What the devil is wrong withyou? You’re acting like a jerk.”Steven shovedback, and several couples scattered away from the railing where sparks ofmoonlight glittered on the water … not unlike the anger in Joe’s eyes. “Yeah,well at least I’m not acting like Brubaker, trying to take advantage of a kid.”Joe propped hisarms on his hips. “She’s almost eighteen, Steven, two years past Massachusettslaw of consent.” He paused, eyes sharp as if gauging Steven’s reaction to whathe was about to say. A faint smile flickered on his lips. “Besides, one look atthat sweater she’s wearing will tell you she’s not a kid.Steven hit him sofast, Joe never saw it coming. He staggered back with a hand to his jaw, eyesblazing. “I knew it! You have a thing for her, don’t you?”
3.) AHero Who Stops When He Doesn’t Want To: Here’s a scene from A Passion Most Pure where womanizer CollinMcGuire, who never says no to his lust, finally does so with the woman heloves.
She started to protest when his mouth met hers, warm and sweet as hekissed her, and the heat that coursed made her dizzy in his arms. His kissremained gentle and lingering, so unlike his kisses of the past, and she foundherself returning it with a vehemence that shocked them both. He drew back,lips parted in surprise, and in the catch of his breath, the gray eyes heatedlike molten lava. With a low groan, his mouth took hers once again, evoking asoft moan from her lips. She could feel his breath, warm against her skin, anda jolt of heat seared unlike anything she had ever felt, except with him. Suddenly he wrenched away, eyes filled with longing. Inhaling sharply,he shoved the hair in his eyes away from his face, and the trademark smilereturned with a vengeance. “Yep, we still got it,” he whispered, exhaling againwhile his fingers threaded his hair. Her mouth slacked open. “You stopped!” He eyed her, his brow slanted in surprise. “Give me a little credit,will you? A guy has to learn a lot of restraint living in a trench.”
4.) AHero Who Doesn’t Stop When He Does Want To: In this scene from A Passion Denied, the last thing heroJohn Brady wants to do is kiss the heroine Lizzie O’Connor, but his truefeelings win out:
“Beth, are we okay?” He ducked his head to search her eyes, thenbrushed her hair back from her face. A smile shadowed his lips. “Still friends?”Friends. A deadly plague only a kiss could cure. Resolve stiffened her spine.“Sure, Brady … friends.”He smiled and tucked a finger under her chin. “That’s my girl. Now whatdo you say we pray about some of these things?” He leaned close with another quickkiss to her brow, and in a desperate beat of her heart, she lunged, uniting hermouth with his. She felt the shock of her action in the jolt of his body, andshe gripped him close to deepen the kiss. Waves of warmth shuddered through herat the taste of him, and the essence of peppermint was sweet in her mouth. “No!” He wrenched back from her hold with disbelief in his eyes. Too late. She had never felt like this before. Years of seeking romancefrom flat parchment pages had not prepared her for this. This rush, this desire… her body suddenly alive, and every nerve pulsing with need. All shynessmelted away in the heat of her longing, and she pounced again, merging hermouth with his. JohnBrady, I love you!A fraction of a second became eons as she awaited his rejection. Hisbody was stiff with shock, but no resistance came. And in a sharp catch of herbreath, he drew her to him with such force, she gasped, the sound silenced bythe weight of his mouth against hers. He groaned and cupped the back of herhead as if to delve into her soul, a man possessed. His lips broke free towander her throat, and shivers of heat coursed through her veins. In raggedharmony, their shallow breathing billowed into the night while his armspossessed her, molding her body to his.
5.) AHero Who Is Caring: In this scene from AHope Undaunted, Luke McGee fishes a Life Saver out of tipsy KatieO’Connor’s mouth after putting her to bed before her father finds out she’sbeen drinking.
Her chest rose andfell with the rhythm of sleep. Luke leaned close and squinted. He sighed. Sleepwas good. But not with a Life Saver lodged in her throat. “Katie,” hewhispered, “Did you finish the candy?”“Mmmm …” Hereyelids fluttered open before closing once again.With a wearyrelease of breath, he bent to pry a finger into her mouth and swiped hertongue. Reaching for his handkerchief, he pocketed the half-dissolved disk ofcandy that adhered to his finger, then leaned to press a gentle kiss to hercheek.At his touch, herlips tilted into a dreamy smile. “Mmmm … I love you, Luke McGee,” shewhispered, and then rolled to her side with a soft, little snort.He rose to hisfeet and stared, his heart comatose in his chest. Drawing in a deep breath, hebent to tuck the sheet tightly to her chin, finally exhaling shaky air. What hewouldn’t give to make it so. But he knew better. His lips tightened. Alcoholhad a way of distorting the truth. He bent to grazeher cheek with his fingers one last time, then slowly lumbered to his feet. “Ilove you, too, Katie Rose,” he whispered.And he wasstone-cold sober.
6.) AHero Who Does Something Out of Character For Heroine’s Sake: Sean O’Connoris a gentle, easy-going man, but in this scene from A Heart Revealed, he becomes a no-nonsense bully when Emma’s life isat stake:
He turned, handsloose on his hips and gaze slatted enough to know she had a fight on her hands.“I mean I’m not leaving you here so that lowlife can hurt you again. You’llstay with us for the foreseeable future, until I feel it’s safe to come back.”“With you? At your house?” Her voice edged towardshrill.His lips cementedinto a hard line. “There or at Charity’s, take your pick. But either way, Emma,you’re not staying here, and that’s final.”“But I can’t! Mrs.Peep needs me … and my cats.”“Mrs. Peep lovesyou and wants you to be safe. She’ll watch your cats, she already told me so.”The blue of his eyes steeled to gray as he peered at her, the flicker of adormant temper glinting in his eyes. “I won’t stand here and argue with you,Emma. I’m not usually a volatile man, and you know that, but this is tooimportant. Trust me on this—I will take you by force if I have to. So I suggestyou pack your bags while I warm up the soup.” He turned away, disappearing downthe hall where sunlight streamed into her kitchen.
7.) AHero Who’s Pushed to Dominance: In AHope Undaunted, Luke McGee is in love with Katie O’Connor, but she onlywants to be friends after leading him to believe there could be more, asituation that drives Luke to the breaking point:
“Wait!” She ran tograsp his arm in a death hold, fingers clenched as tight as her stomach. “Don’tdo this, please—don’t just walk away. I care about you, Luke, and I need yourfriendship. And you need mine.”His gaze fixed onher hand where Jack’s diamond glittered in the lamplight, then slowly rose toher face, his blue eyes almost black. “No, Katie,” he whispered with a threadof pain in his voice, “I need your love.”Her heart crashedto a stop. She removed her hand and lowered her eyes, gaze fused to the fringedtongue of his brown leather shoe. “I … care about you, Luke, I do.” Her voicetrailed off, fragile and reedy with regret. “But please … why can’t we just befriends?”Taut fingersgripped her chin and jerked it up, the dominance of his hold matched by theanger in his eyes. “Because it will be lovers or nothing, Katie Rose. Thechoice is yours.”
8.) AHero Who’s Driven to the Edge: In A PassionRedeemed, Charity O’Connor literally drives Mitch Dennehy to drink with thepull she has over him.
He felt the whiskey dulling his senses, and he took another swig, hisbody relaxing into the sofa. All at once, Kathleen’s sweet face distorted intoCharity’s sensual body. Heat jolted through him that had nothing to do with thealcohol in his bloodstream. A curse slurred from his lips. Just one flash of athought, and the want was so strong it made him dizzier than the drink in hishand. He drained the whiskey and dropped the empty glass by his side, his handfalling limp on the couch. Images swam in his mind: the loving granddaughter,the hard-working clerk, the innocent little girl, the flirt. Sometimes shy,often nervous, always seductive. “She’san enigma, our Charity. A real puzzlement,” Mima had said. Mitchgroaned through the fog in his brain. She was, indeed. A puzzle he had noinclination to solve. Friendship or no.
10.) A Hero Who Can’t StopThinking About Her: In A Passion MostPure, Faith O’Connor so gets under Collin McGuire’s skin that he can’t gether out of his mind.
Collin had never felt like this, and it scared him. She scared him, and he didn't want anything to do with her. Fromthat moment in the park when he kissed her, it was like he’d been possessed,cursed to dream of her, think of her, want her. He’d known woman far morebeautiful, far more accommodating, far more easy to control. But this! Twoencounters and she traveled his system like poison, the very same poison thathad killed his father. It was moments like this he almost wished he believed inher God so he could pray to be rid of her. If truth be told, his soul craved tolove a woman like that, to the depth of his being. But the risk was too high.That kind of all-consuming love could destroy him. She could destroy him. Better a love restrained than a love thatcontrolled. Like his for Charity.
11.) A Hero Who Is Disarmed bythe Heroine: In Dare to Love Again,book 2 of the Heart of San Francisco series, cranky tough-guy police detectiveNick BaronÄ“ is armed and dangerous … untilAllison McClare—the socialite teacher who’s whacked him with her pointer stickno less than three times in their past—disarms him by accidentally falling intohis arms. To set up this scene, she apologizes for her salty tongue whilestanding on a chair in her classroom where she’s been pinning a bulletin board.
“Forgiven, MissMcClare,” he said with tease in his tone, “and I sure hope apologies are on thecurriculum, ma’am, because you do them so well.” He extended his hand with acock of his head. “May I help you down so we can start over?”She drew in a deepbreath and released it with a nervous smile of relief, placing her palm in his.“Yes, please.” Voice as soft as her touch, she startled when the dainty tip ofher oxblood kid leather shoe accidentally kicked the pin box to the floor.“Oh!” she squeaked, the crash of the pins apparently leaving her off kilter.With a look of abject horror, she flailed in the air for several panickedheartbeats before finally thudding hard against his chest, his arms fusing themtogether in a state of mutual stun.He blinked,paralyzed by the warmth of her body, the flare of her eyes, the scent ofchocolate from parted lips so lush, the fire blazing through him could havemelted the candy in her bowl. As if hypnotized by the shape of her mouth, hisgaze lingered there, feeling the pull …“Uh, Mr. BaronÄ“?”The lips appeared to move in slow motion, their soft, pink color luring himclose … so very close.“Mmm?” Barelyaware, he felt his body lean in, breathing shallow and eyelids heavy, thatperfect mouth calling him home …“Mr. Barone!” Her tone couldhave been a whack of her stick, jerking him from his fog with the reminder thata woman still dangled in his arms. Sucking in a harsh breath, he dropped her toher feet so fast, the poor thing teetered like his sanity in even thinkingabout kissing a dame from Snob Hill. “Forgive m-me, Miss McClare,” he stutteredin a gruff tone, “I … I don’t know what came over me.”
12.) A Notorious Rogue Hero Who Is Reformed by his Love for the Heroine: InA Light in the Window, PatrickO’Connor, the Southie neighborhood’smost notorious rogue, changes his ways to win the love of Marceline Murphy, theheroine who once slapped him soundly for advances he made.
He puffed out asigh. “Well, I guess I’ll see you at the center, then. Good night.” He turned away,and in a stutter of her pulse, she grasped his fingers, halting his retreatwith a shaky rush of words. “It would appear, Mr. O’Connor,” she said with acasual tone that was anything but, “your reputation as the Southie’s mostnotorious rogue has been highly overrated.”Shock glazed hiseyes as they flicked from the hand clutching his to her face, muscles shiftingin his throat. “What?”Suddenly shy,she quickly released him, feeling like a little girl when she clutched herhands behind her back. A nervous smile flickered at the edges of her mouth asshe teased him with a bold jut of her chin. “A little gun-shy, are we?”He blinkedbefore a crooked grin stole across his lips. “Aye, Marceline, all it takes isone good wallop to keep this rogue in line.” He rubbed the side of his jaw withthe back of his glove, then paused, his gaze caressing her face. “Or formerrogue, I should say ...” She arched abrow. “A quick study—I like that.”Her stomachswooped when he moved in close, eyes fused to hers with a heat that made herforget she was cold. “I surely hope so,” he said softly, cupping her face inhis hands. “I’m in love with you, Marceline, and as God is my witness, from themoment I saw you, no other woman could even come close.” Her heart stopped whenhis eyes sheathed closed to gently brush her lips with his own, more fragilethan the snowflakes floating from the sky. “Say you’ll let me court you,” hewhispered, his mouth as warm as the swirls he produced in her belly, “and Igive you my word—I will move heaven and earth to win your heart.”
So now it’s your turn. How do you do it—what ways do YOUshow a hero in love so the reader feels the pull the heroine has over him? I’dlove to hear your scenarios or just leave a comment and you’ll be entered intoa giveaway for your choice of any of my books including my upcoming release, Love at Any Cost.
And may all our heroes—fictional and real—be so “stupid inlove,” they’re downright smart!
GIVEAWAY:
Leave a comment to be entered in my giveaway for winner's choice of any of my books including my April 1 release, Love at Any Cost. Download A Hope Undaunted and let me know, and I'll enter you twice. Good luck and stay healthy!
Hugs,Julie
Hiç yorum yok:
Yorum Gönder