My guest today is a special friend of mine. We’ve shared the First Chapters Romance contest together, moaned over the results, the promotion, and the angst. We’ve critiqued and encouraged each other. I’m happy to say she won. She’s a damn fine writer.Please welcome, Romance Author, Starr Ambrose, to Over Coffee. Starr’s stories are a good blend of humor, sassy, independent heroines, hot hero’s and she writes ‘get the fan honey, cause it’s getting hot in here’ love scenes. I would never, in a million years, have thought writing sex was difficult for her. Her scenes are so natural and very well written. Yet Starr admits:
I confess to a secret, a particularly embarrassing one for a romance writer. I don’t know if other romance writers share it, and I’ve struggled to overcome it, but I doubt I ever will. I just hope my readers can’t tell.
I hate writing love scenes.
And yes, by love scenes I mean sex scenes. The hero and heroine in their most intimate moments, described in detail. The very heart of a romance story. By the time we reach this part of the story, we are usually deeply invested in the ultimate happiness of our hero and heroine. We want their lovemaking to be as beautiful and fulfilling as possible. And we want to experience every breathless moment along with them.
I understand. So it frustrates me that as soon as I get my hero and heroine in bed (or on the couch, or the floor, or wherever) my mind freezes and the words stop flowing onto the page. I know what happens next, I just can’t describe it. Not a good thing for a writer.
Before you think I may be doing it all wrong, let me assure you that in addition to my own humble opinion that I can write one hell of a sex scene, reviewers have called my books sensuous, sexy, hot – all those good adjectives that mean I did it well. So why does it take me hours, days even, to get those scenes written?
Here’s the problem: While the brain might play an important part in sexual stimulation, no one wants sex to be a thinking activity. We want the heroine to lose herself in the hero’s strong arms, to be swept into a state of mindless bliss. Her nerve endings are tingling and her heart is swelling with emotion. This is no time for her to wonder if her fingernails are leaving marks on his back or if his muscles are shaking from the strain of holding her against the shower wall.
But I have to. I have to be inside her head, feeling what she feels, besides standing beside the bed, giving the play by play.
So what’s my problem? Is it modesty? Am I writing the wrong genre?
Couldn’t be. I love a good romance, and I want to share all these stories in my head. I must just need more practice. So…
Okay, characters, one more time -- take off those clothes and get in bed!
Our Little Secret Blurb
Lauren Sutherland's sister made a big mistake when she married the powerful and much older Senator Creighton. The senator's son Drew agrees. But the newlyweds have disappeared and even the FBI can't find them. Venturing into the elite Washington social scene, Lauren and Drew discover an elaborate web of explicit photos and blackmail, and a fiery attraction they can barely control...
"Our little Secret will delight romantic suspense fans who want a light, fresh, sexy spin on love and danger!"Best-selling author Roxanne St. Claire
Writers: What kind of scenes do you have problems writing?
Readers: What do you think makes a satisfying sex scene in a Romance?
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Starr Ambrose writes contemporary romances about heroines with a confident attitude and a sense of humor. Add a smart, sexy hero and put them together with a little mystery and a lot of sexual tension for a fun romantic suspense adventure!Starr is a small town girl at heart, born and raised in Michigan, and graduated from Michigan State University with a BA in English. She and her family live in rural S. E. Michigan on a small farm with horses, chickens, cats, and dogs. She enjoys the abundant local wildlife, except for raccoons, which should learn to keep their evil paws off her chickens.
Starr's Website has excerpts to both of her books and a blurb on the sequel to Lie To Me.
For dog lovers, my blog for Coffee with a Canine: http://www.coffeecanine.blogspot.com/ . If you're a dog owner, check out this cute site!
