tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post704432885798586392..comments2024-03-22T03:27:19.859-04:00Comments on Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors: Fireworks: The Secret of Sexual TensionAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12914920560584429315noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-80187509423634056522008-07-04T19:07:00.000-04:002008-07-04T19:07:00.000-04:00Hi Cindy! Hee hee, my characters are always tryin...Hi Cindy! Hee hee, my characters are always trying to jump one another. It's actually sort of fun to torture them, but you gotta let it rip eventually! And sex DEFINITELY doesn't have to mean the end of tension. When it's working right, I think it often adds to it.<BR/><BR/>Cheryl, you're totally right...can't please everyone. I try to bear that in mind when I get a review I don't love:-) And I don't think there's a secret formula for sexual tension anyway. I don't have criteria for when the h/h get busy, myself...as long as I'm interested, I'll keep reading. The only constant I've found is what I wrote about: if the hero and heroine are genuinely compatible people, no matter how different they are, I'll probably follow them anywhere.Kendra Leigh Castlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10254059079950439368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-52846832102911949562008-07-04T16:21:00.000-04:002008-07-04T16:21:00.000-04:00Once again, it's hard to please everyone. I've hea...Once again, it's hard to please everyone. I've heard some readers say they stop reading if there's no sex in the first three chapters, and some who get mad when there is!<BR/>I love sexual tension. It's what makes you want to keep reading. But sometimes that's all you've got. <BR/>Remember "Moonlighting?" Once Bruce & Cybill did the deed, the show was over. Sad, but true. <BR/>It's hard to keep coming up with ways to keep people apart long enough for the tension to build, and sometimes the reasons seem flimsy to the reader, but to the character, it may mean a great deal!Cheryl Brookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11464377381132807409noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-10686723146727487382008-07-04T14:17:00.000-04:002008-07-04T14:17:00.000-04:00Happy Independence Day, Everyone!Great post, Kendr...Happy Independence Day, Everyone!<BR/><BR/>Great post, Kendra! Yes, sexual tension is one of those magical, mysterious ingredients. Too much and the story is spoiled, too little and why bother? <BR/><BR/>I try to let the tension build between my h/h, but most of my characters tend to be like me (imagine that!) and are not very patient. Generally, they are jumping each other long before *I* planned for them too. :-) But, just like in real life, ya gotta go with what feels right!Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02217492654108300014noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-9584794306249668262008-07-04T12:22:00.000-04:002008-07-04T12:22:00.000-04:00Happy Fourth of July, everybody!Marie, I agree...t...Happy Fourth of July, everybody!<BR/><BR/>Marie, I agree...the "almost" sex is fine once or maybe twice, but any more and I get grouchy. Timing really is everything!<BR/><BR/>And Terry, I know what you mean about the conflict. I have stopped halfway through a book before because the couple "did it" and, well, there went all tension, period. I was happy and everything, but I quit being interested in whatever story was left. This is my greatest fear when I'm writing my own stuff...is there enough conflict?<BR/><BR/>Robin, I am all for backloaded tension! Like I said , as long as we as readers know they're totally compatible, it's all good:-)<BR/><BR/>Christina, LOL about the movie rewind. It's like, I love the movie Highlander, but seriously? The love story was the dumbest, most abrupt, most unbelievable thing ever. I was like, "Er, did I miss something?" I love the "sexy" scenes as much as the sex scenes...they're even mroe fun for me to write than the actual getting busy:-)<BR/><BR/>Have a great day, you guys! Thanks for coming by on a holiday!Kendra Leigh Castlehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10254059079950439368noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-34337165488579575542008-07-04T11:01:00.000-04:002008-07-04T11:01:00.000-04:00Kendra, what a terrific tie-in to the holiday! Yo...Kendra, what a terrific tie-in to the holiday! You are so right. I have the same beef with movies. I hate it when the movie's "couple" is getting together simply because they are the two biggest stars or the two best-looking people in the movie, rather than a pair that have anything in common or any sparks flying. I saw a movie once where the kissing started and I had to rewind and watch again because I didn't understand how it had happened. There was just nothing between these two people. As far as books go, I appreciate sexy scenes that actually add something to the story or tell us something about the characters, rather than just being there because it's a "genre requirement". The funny thing is that real hot chemistry between characters will make me forgiving of a not-so-fabulous plot. <BR/><BR/>As to sexual tension, I agree that there is a point when it becomes too frustrating for the audience. We know that any real-life couple would have already been in the sack a dozen times over, and there's got to be a pretty good reason for these two being apart or I'm calling it the "genre-requirement" problem again and suspecting a lazy author at work.Christina Harlinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03573077374647045372noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-91549391631750138652008-07-04T10:21:00.000-04:002008-07-04T10:21:00.000-04:00That sounds good to me, Robin. The more sex the be...That sounds good to me, Robin. The more sex the better! LOL! In the book that I think will be my second one for Sourcebooks (we're still deciding that) my main couple has sex right away and then it takes them a long time to get there again. So I have back-loaded the tension, too, and it's just as much fun.Marie Forcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00550719567520289405noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-60694237411281609042008-07-04T09:50:00.000-04:002008-07-04T09:50:00.000-04:00Marie~I guess I've always been pretty impatient. B...Marie~<BR/><BR/>I guess I've always been pretty impatient. Both couples in my books have sex almost immediately. I tend to back-load my sexual tension. That way when it begins...they know what their missing and it makes them crazy. <BR/><BR/>Still, it's there and it's a powerful thing. <BR/><BR/>Happy Fourth of July!<BR/><BR/>Robin :)Robin Kayehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16262933225938609682noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-69645154951695386902008-07-04T09:36:00.000-04:002008-07-04T09:36:00.000-04:00Great post, Kendra! The best advice I was ever giv...Great post, Kendra! The best advice I was ever given has to do with AFTER the fireworks are over. If we don't have conflict, then halfway through the book or whenever the couple finally "do it," the story is over. We've been hooked through to the big build up...we've finally reached the sexual climax and then, bam! They go to sleep, happy as two little bedbugs. Nope! Got to add the conflict back in there or it's the end. And to me, that's half the fun--discovering what problems they might encounter to think, oh-oh, they shouldn't have done that. :)Terry Spear/Terry Lee Wildehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04368056078063438342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2802601138878132017.post-24231969532756735162008-07-04T08:56:00.000-04:002008-07-04T08:56:00.000-04:00I totally agree with you, Kendra. Sometimes too mu...I totally agree with you, Kendra. Sometimes too much tension is exactly that--too much. I also hate romances where they keep "almost" having sex. COME ON, people, enough already. One of the things that's fun about writing romance, however, (at least for me) is deciding when that first time should be. Timing is as important in fiction as it is in real life. <BR/><BR/>Happy Fourth of July!<BR/>MarieMarie Forcehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00550719567520289405noreply@blogger.com