Romance, What Does it Mean?

I hope you have come here from Teresa Keefer's site. If not, don't forget to pop by and visit her. 

Today's question comes from the talented Jenna Da Sie.  

Romance. There are many different meanings. What does it mean to you? 

Wow, thanks to Jenna for that extremely thought provoking question.

As a romance writer, I’ve put a lot of thought into this. Initially I was thinking of long walks together, quiet dinners. Laughing and sharing small moments. You know, dating things.

Ultimately i decided that romance isn’t just one thing. It begins with attraction, progresses through getting to know each other and carries on. Romance is a journey.

Where does it go? That too is a difficult question. It goes places you’d never think possible. It leads into doing things you never wanted to do because the person you love wants you to try them. It leads to hardship and sacrifice and loss. You learn to give up a lot for the one you love. It’s a sacrifice, but at the same time it isn’t.

But it isn’t all bad. Romance is when the one you love does little things for you without seeking approval or recognition. When they put your happiness before their own. It’s dinner and dancing and laughs and tears. Joys and sorrows. Fun and games. Small laughs and big sorrows. It's being there for one another.

 

It’s knowing that his smile is for you and you alone. It reaches deep inside you and touches your heart and makes you glad. It’s knowing that he’d do anything for you, and that you make his world brighter just by being there for him. It’s that soft kiss for no reason. Wanting to hold his hand and him wanting to hold yours.

But mostly it’s giving and taking and caring. Romance is a two way street.

Romance is doing things, big and small to put the happiness of your partner before your own. I don’t mean being a door mat, I mean helping and supporting. Both ways. Your for your partner. Your partner for you. Everyone giving 110%, all the time.

It isn't a profound thing, nor is romance easy to describe, but it is beautiful.

The next stop on our hop is to delve into the mind of Meggan Connors. Click her name to go there.

http://megganconnors.wordpress.com/blog

FLASH FICTION: RWW Pink, Sweet Kisses

 

Welcome to the Romance Writer's Weekly Blog Hop.

 I hope you've come from Veronica Forand's blog at  http://veronicaforand.com/ If not, stop by and pay her a visit. She's an awesome author who spins a great yarn. 

Today's blog idea comes from the lovely and talented Fiona Riplee at http://fionariplee.com/blog 

 

What is the topic you ask?  Why mini flash fiction of course. The challenge is to use 10 words or less to describe a kiss. Include the words pink & sweet.


I'm taking a weird tack on this one ...

Attempt One: 
Dressed  in pink my granddaughter gave me the sweetest kiss.
Attempt Two:
His hot, wet, sizzling lips pressed against my pink ones. (Crap, missed sweet.)
Attempt Three: 
Chris lowered his head and devoured her sweet pink lips.
Attempt Four:
Sultry, steamy, hot, wet, deep, flushed, aroused -- wait where was I going with this?

Now, head on over and visit J.J. Devine http://definingjjdevine.weebly.com/ramblings-of-a-writer

Be sure to follow the hop all the way around, you might just discover yourself a new favorite writer.

PS: You can find out more about Romance Writer's Weekly here:
                                   https://www.facebook.com/RomanceWritersWeekly?fref=ts

Hugs and kisses
Katie

Stories, Conundrums and Characters. Oh my!

I hope you've come from S. C. Mitchell's blog.
 
Let me start this post off with an apology. I've been missing in action for way to long. Life has been busy. Lots of writing stuff happening, and lots of family stuff too. I shall endeavor to keep you updated on my work and my life with greater efficiency in the future.

The impetus for today's post comes from Raine Balkera  who wants to know what everyone is working on ATM. Details & conundrums, plus five bonus points for including a wee bit of your favorite scene.

What I am working on is diverse to say the very least. I'm a bit disorganized with my work. I typically have three or four stories in various stages of completion. Right now, I have book one of my small town series at my agent's for editing. I'm editing the extremely rough draft of book two. I've got three erotic novellas underway. I'm working on a novella for a box set, and a novel for an anthology. It's a wonder that the stories don't get mixed up in my head.

This excerpt is from the first of a series of erotic vignettes I'm working on. They'll be short stories that all tie together, but also stand alone. Keep in mind that it is in rough form, exactly as it was written on the first draft.

“Look, Macy, I know it isn’t something we would normally do, but I think it might be worth considering.”

“No.” Was he out of his mind?

“Just no? You aren’t even going to consider it?” Jack stared down at her, daring her to deny him. “Isn’t our marriage worth it? Aren’t I worth it?” 

His shoulders were tense, his hands fisted at his sides. The corded muscles of his arms bunched and twitched with tension. He was angry, he was disappointed in her, but she couldn’t do what he asked. There was no way in hell.

“Jack, it is insane too freaking insane. I can’t believe you would even suggest such a thing.” God, where did he get these retarded ideas? She refused to even consider it. Surely people didn’t actually do things like that? Did they? She couldn’t really be that naive, could she?

“Look,” Jack sighed. “Just think about it. I’m not asking more than that. Just consider the idea. I’m on night shift tonight. I’m heading out for dinner with Jason before our shift starts.” He gave her a pleading look. “Please, Macy. For me, for us, consider it. Because if we can’t figure out where things went wrong between us, I don’t think I can keep living like this.”

She didn’t blink, she didn’t even move. She sure as hell didn’t cry. She just stood there motionless, her entire body tensed up to control the shivers that wracked her curvy body. She stood, and watched his shoulder droop in defeat before he turned and walked away from her. Five minutes later she heard the garage door open, his jeep flare to life and tires peel as he drove away, the garage door rumbling shut behind him.

She fell to her knees, unable to stand any longer. Anger, tension, disappointment and confusion battled within her robbing her of all her strength. She knelt there her arms wrapped around herself for comfort until her knees and back ached from the strain. Unable to stand the strain any longer, she dropped to sit on the floor, pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and punched in the number of her best friend, Ashley. 

Ashley would know what to do. Ashley always had answers. But more importantly, four years ago, Ashely and Jason’s marriage had been on the rocks too but they had found a way to pull it back together and now they were happier than they had ever been.

“Ash,” Macy whispered when her friend picked up. “Come over. I have a Ben and Jerry problem.”

“How bad?” Ashley asked.

“Chunky monkey, black cherry, vanilla and butter pecan bad.”

“Give me fifteen minutes. I’ll drop the kids at Mom’s and hit the grocery store.” The phone clicked in Macy’s ear. The silence was deafening.

Was this what she faced with Jack gone? Total silence? God she couldn’t stand that. 

What the hell had gone wrong? Seven years ago they had been madly in love, now they barely spoke. They were like two ships passing in the night. Three weeks ago, Jack had moved out of their bedroom and Macy hadn’t slept since.

She crawled to the fireplace and hit the switch and it roared to life. She held her hands towards the gas flames. It wasn’t a real fireplace, but it blasted heat and warmth, and she was cold. So cold. Chilled to the bone, it felt like her heart was frozen. She couldn’t lose him. God, she couldn’t live without him. But she couldn’t do that.

She could barely think the words he had hurled at her in his disappointment. How could she even say them, let alone do it? People didn’t really do that did they? Surely it was all made-up for movies and books.

But Jack said it wasn’t. He had told her he looked into several options. 

Several options? She remembered shouting at him. She hadn’t known such a thing even existed, but Calgary had several options? Holy crap. She felt monumentally naive.

She knew the city had escorts, everything from cheap street walkers to high end escorts that earned more in one night than Macy did in a month. But she had no idea that the city boasted at least four, and her mind whispered the words, swing clubs.

God, she blushed to the roots of her hair and down to her toes just thinking of the words and Jack wanted to go to one. The idea was certifiable, insane, ludicrous and completely out of the question. But what if it were her only option to keep Jack? Then what?

She jumped to her feet and paced the room. What the hell was keeping Ashley? She pulled out her phone to call again and realized it had only been minutes since she called. Damn.

How was she going to explain this to Ashley? They had been friends for years, since grade nine, and they shared everything. But this? Sure Ashley had talked about her own marital trouble and the group they visited to get things back on track, but how could Macy approach this? Logically, she knew that every marriage had rough spots and that many couples failed to make it through. But this was crazy beyond belief.

She paced back and forth across the room, into the kitchen, through the dining room, up and down the stairs. She couldn’t stay still, she couldn’t bank the frustration and fear coursing through her. She circled the coffee table and stopped in front of the fireplace and picked up a framed photograph of her and Jack taken last year at the finish line of a fun run to raise money for cancer research.

They looked like hell, it had been nearly thirty degrees and they had run the entire twenty kilometers. They dripped sweat, their clothing hung limp and sweat sodden, their faces were red, their hair slicked back and untidy. But their faces were wreathed in smiles of happiness and pride that they had accomplished their first run together.

She stroked a finger down the image of Jack's face. Even beat and exhausted, he was gorgeous. He was easily the most handsome man she had ever met. She had fallen for him at first sight when the guys from his fire station had come to inspect the office she worked at.

Dark brown eyes, dark brown hair that was thick and lush. He was always smiling. He was ripped. Muscular and strong, his arms, legs and back were well muscled. She loved to watch those muscled bunch and flex as he worked in the yard or around the house. And that soft, welcoming look he gave her every time their eyes met just made her want to melt inside.

God, she missed those looks. He never looked at her like that anymore.

That's it for a taste of Macy and Jack.

Now, hop on over to Brenda Margriet's blog  blog to see what's up there.

Thanks for stopping by.

Hugs

Katie

Vacation Follies: Get Me Away From Winter

Today's Romance Writer's Weekly blog hop topic comes from the talented  A.S. Fenichel -
It's cold in most places. What's you're favorite vacation spot? This can be someplace you've been or someplace you dream of going. If you have a book with a terrific vacation spot, work it in, too. :)

Jo Richardson, Author.

I hoped you've stopped by from  Jo Richardson's Blog. http://jrrichardsonfics.weebly.com/the-blog


A person has to love winter to live where I do. Calgary, Alberta, Canada is cold. Very cold.
Okay, that may be a wee bit of an exaggeration this year. Today we are sitting at a balmy -4C. (That's about 25F for those of you who haven't gone metric.) Pretty nice weather for here.

Our summer place. In late April.

Calgary has special weather. Freezing cold, then a Chinook hits and bam, Chinook headache caused by all that warm air rushing in. But the temp can change 20 degrees in an hour. It's great for keeping the snow down. All that warm air and wind sweeps the snow away.

But, today we are talking vacation. Hubsters and I spend a lot of time in our holiday trailer at our summer place. In the summer it is awesome. Tons of trees. Lots of warm (not hot) weather. Good friends, great neighbors, family.

I'm not one for warm weather. I like a nice even plus 15C. Warm enough for shorts, but not melting my fat-arse off. Hubby and I have taken a few vacations. We spent a week on a floating lodge salmon fishing in British Columbia. That was awesome.

My favorite Canadian vacation spot is Newfoundland. We had a blast there. Seriously, how cute are these buildings? And the fish chowder is to die for! And only in St. Johns does it take two kegs of beer for two teams to play three games of lacrosse! 

We've been to Prague, Manchester and London for lacrosse tournaments. Ya, hubsters still plays lacrosse a couple times a week. It keeps him fit and hot. (Fans face.) Scotland was amazing. Such great people and harsh but pretty scenery.
When I am famous and raking in the big bucks, I'm going back to London to spend a week writing in Trafalgar Square. Writing, reading, people watching. All with a steaming hot cup of coffee and a pasty in my hands. And don't go getting all technical and telling me that if both hands are full I won't be able to write. I'm dreaming big here.

Author Jami Denise

Swing by Jami Denise's place for another vacation perspective. http://jamidenise.com/blog



Do you have a favorite vacation place? Tell us about it? Where do you go and what makes it so fabulous?

Hugs
Katie

Reading Extravaganza: What's In my To Be Read Pile

Today Elizabeth Janette wants to know what's on your TBR list. This week's blog hop focuses on just that!

I'm hoping you came over from Sarah Hegger's blog at http://sarahhegger.com/sarah-hegger
If you haven't come from there, be sure to pop back and check out her posting.

My to be read pile is tall. Too tall to imagine actually. I have a huge list on my profile on Goodreads and a wish list on Amazon. My Kindle is full to overloaded and my house is full of unread books. (We won't get into the crates of completed books.

First on my list is  Nobody's Angel by the above mentioned Sarah Hegger

In this evocative new series from author Sarah Hegger, a woman returns home after a long absence--and wonders if two wrongs really can make a right. . .

Nine years ago Lucy Flint ran away to Seattle, taking her friend's boyfriend and leaving her high school sweetheart without a word of explanation. Now she's back in Willow Park, Illinois, to help care for her ailing father--and it's no surprise that her ex, Dr. Richard Hunter, is still angry.

Still, she's a different Lucy now. Sober, wiser, ready to make amends to the long--make that very long--list of those she mistreated during her wild younger days. Falling for Richard all over again would mean wreaking havoc in both their lives and possibly squandering her opportunity for redemption. But here, in the place where everything went wrong, is the one person who always felt right, and a second-chance that could be the best mistake she ever made. . .

Trouble is, I can't even buy it yet. I've pre-ordered my copy and hope you will to.

Second on my list is
J.J. Devine's

Vampires and Witches: Are they mythical creatures or something that walks amongst us every day without our knowledge?

To Raven, a twenty-five-year-old, extremely sheltered woman, they are nothing more than something to be read about in a book. To Dragon, an eight hundred-year-old vampire, they are a way of life.

Raven truly believes she is going mad. Erotic dreams fill her nights, causing her to question her sanity by the light of day. They lead her into a world she never knew existed and a heritage that can only be found in nightmares.

Dragon wants nothing more than to own the mortal soul of the beautiful Raven, a woman who can make his ancient scars disappear, proof that she is far from mortal.

Together they seek out the dark heritage of her past. What they find is much more than either of them bargained for. A destiny lies at her doorstep, one that could bring her salvation and an eternity at his side. Or, it could seal her fate and rip her from his world forever.

Lucky for me, this one is sitting on my Kindle waiting for me.

I highly recommend that you visit
The Romance Writer's Weekly Facebook Page to find out more about these talented authors and dozens of others. So much reading, so little time.

Next up on our blog hop is Rhenna Morgan at http://rhennamorgan.com/blog

Thanks for stopping by.

Be sure to comment and tell me what's on YOUR reading list. I'm always looking for new reads by great authors.

Hugs
Katie

You Did What?

Welcome one and all to another exciting episode of the Romance Weekly Blog Hop. Hopefully, you're arrive here from Fiona Riplee's blog.

A Day in the Life: What do you do when you’re not writing? Today's question comes to you from Xio Axelrod.

I'm a writer, I'm pretty sure we've already established that. (And a bit sarcastic at times too, which goes without saying.) But it doesn't take all my time, just most of it.

If I spent as much time writing as I do on social media crap and promotion, I would have a much bigger back-list. But, efficiency is definitely not my middle name. I'm easily distracted and have trouble focusing some days. Where was this discussion going?

Oh. Ya. A day in the life ... Let's see, what do I do. I suck back gallons of coffee, lay on the couch eating bonbons fed to me by a bulging Adonis of a man who caters to my every whim. Crap ... dreaming again.

I wish I could tell you that I have an exciting exotic life full of travel and hot naked men. But alas, I cannot. I lead an ordinary, work-a-day life. I spend a lot of time writing and doing related tasks. I do as little housework as I can ... enough that if I actually clean up Hubby asks who's coming over. I spend as much free time as I can playing with my three adorable grand babies. In a past life, I was a longarm quilter and had a quilt pattern company, but I've given that up to devote myself to writing. But I still putter a bit at quilting. I love lacrosse (watching, not playing) and often feature lacrosse players in my stories.

So basically, my life is like yours. I cook. I clean. I write. I spend time with family. And when the weather is above +2 Celcius, I spend my time up north, staying in a holiday trailer writing and building campfires. I have a super easy, low stress life and a wonderful husband who supports my time consuming, low paying ambition to be an author.

Be sure to swing by Ronnie Allen's Blog  for her take on this topic. Her life is radically different to mine!

Hugs
Katie

 

Welcome to our blog hop. We are doing three questions this week and they come from JJ Devine.

If you are coming from visiting  Gemma Brocato thanks for stopping by. If not, please come in, sit a spell and see what we're all about.

You’re moving right along with a storyline and suddenly it takes an unexpected twist. Do you go with the flow and follow where the twist leads you or do you conform your story to your way? 
This is an issue I have battled on a number of occasions. I have had two heroes and one secondary character refuse to do my bidding. My solution, lock them in the dungeon and break out the whips. Wait, forget I said that. Sometimes it seems that the character is right, and I do it his way. Sometimes, I stick to my plan, after all, I am the author and this is my story. Oh wait, maybe it’s his story … Nevermind. Generally speaking, I start with a rough plan and flesh it out as I go, so altering things isn’t that difficult. I believe that the recalcitrant character is my subconscious giving me a kick in the butt to wake me up to a better plot.

What time of year is your Best time for writing? Winter, summer, fall, spring? 
This is going to sound crazy, but the best time to write is Master’s Lacrosse Season. Ya, pathetic I know. I go to my husband’s games and huddle up in the stands with my laptop and write. I do my best writing there for some reason. (Pretty sure it isn’t all those scantily clad hunks running around.) Other than that, we have a place we camp at during the warmer months. I can write quickly and smoothly there because there are no interruptions.

When looking for a publisher do you chose a traditional press, indie route, or one that does both, ebook and print? 

My first (published) novella was through etopia press, at that time they were strictly ebooks, now they are digital and print. My others are indie. I am still submitting to traditional press, but I believe in keeping my options open. I don’t believe in limiting my options, and believe there are some pretty amazing indie authors out there and I support them wholeheartedly. 




For more on the inner workings of a writer's mind, visit  Collette Cameron.

Thanks for stopping by, come back and visit soon.

Hugs
Katie 

True Love's First Kiss

Welcome to this week's installment of Romance Writers Weekly. I hope you are stopping by from Leslie Hachtel's blog at http://lesliehachtelwriter.wordpress.com. If so fabulous. If not, welcome. Come in sit a spell and enjoy a story of love's first kiss.

Okay, I have to admit that my first kiss was a long time ago. A very very long time ago. It was with the creepy brother of the creepy guy my sister was dating and it was brutally awful. I shudder to think about it. And not in a good way! Therefore, I am not sharing that story, instead, I am using one from a work in progress.

I met him a long time ago. I knew from the first time I saw him that he was special and that he would become very important to me. We met through mutual friends and had hung out with the group a few times. Last week he took me to dinner and a movie. The food was delicious, and our conversation flowed like we had known each other for years. He's so easy to talk to. He didn't kiss me goodnight, and I was a little, no, a lot disappointed. I wanted him to kiss me, but I didn't have the guts to initiate it myself. I let him walk away and I hated myself for being too shy to kiss him. God, sometimes I'm useless like that.

But he called me when he got home. "Hey Kiddo," he greeted me. "I just wanted to say thanks for a great evening. I really enjoyed being with you. But,"

My heart fell, here it came, the big drop. He's going to dump me. Social skills and self-confidence had never been big items in my bag of tricks. "But," I whispered.

"But I have to warn you that next time you aren't going to get off so easily. There WILL be a goodnight kiss next time. It was all I could do to keep my hands and lips off you," he said huskily. The soft caress of his voice sent shivers down my spine. "I'm going to kiss you until your knees go weak and you grab my shoulders to keep from falling. I'm going to devour your soft, delicious lips until I have memorized your sweet taste and you never want to kiss another man."

"Oh," I whispered, stunned and aroused by his words.

"Let me buy you lunch tomorrow. Stop by the office around one. Good night, sweet lady. Sweet dreams," he said quietly and disconnected, without waiting to hear if I had other plans.

Part of me resisted his forcefulness, but most of me was thrilled that he wanted to see me again and so soon. I did a little happy dance, and I confess I went to see him the next day.

He met me with a warm smile. Pleasure filled his soft golden brown eyes. He seemed happy to see me, and his approval made be a bit giddy. He offered me a tour of the office and showed me around. He led me into his private office and closed the door. "This is my space," he said. "I spent most of the day here and some days it bores the hell out of me."

He took a small step towards me his hand raised slowly and he traced one finger down my cheek. "I'm glad you came," he said softly. "I didn't think you would."

I had no words. Something about him, his nearness, the scent of his aftershave, the hunger in his eyes left me speechless. I felt frozen, hot. I wanted to kiss him.

"I can't wait any longer," he said and his hand slid around and cupped the back of my neck. His long fingers spanned my neck and nudged into my hair. Slowly, he moved towards me, his hips bumping mine. His arousal pressed up against me.

Geez, he was hard already. Hard and long and I felt my insides melt and my arousal bloomed. His readiness moved me, but it scared me a bit too. He had a bit of a reputation as a ladies man. I took a small step backwards and bumped into the door.

"Don't be afraid," he said, looking me in the eye. "I won't hurt you. But I need to kiss you. Jesus, I've needed to kiss you from the first time I saw you. I've waited almost a year for this."

I searched his eyes. I found nothing but kindness, longing and arousal. My eyes drifted shut. Did I want this? So soon. We had only had one official date.

"I'm going to kiss you," he said. "Open your eyes. I want you to know who you're kissing."

"Shouldn't that be my line?" I quipped nervously.

He looked down at me, his gaze lingering on my mouth where I chewed my lip.

"So, my reputation precedes me," he chuckled. "Don't believe everything you hear. I don't date much. And I don't sleep around." He placed his hand on the curve of my hip, his fingers caressing me softly.

"That's not what I heard," I managed to blurt out. "Lots of women talk about you ..." I trailed off. I didn't want to talk about him and another woman. I hated the thought of him kissing anyone else.

"The truth is that a lot of women come onto me," he said with a shrug. "I don't take them up on it. I don't sleep around. I haven't been with another woman since I met you." He glanced away and then back at me, a hint of red coloring his cheeks.

"You want me to believe that? With your reputation?" I whispered, pushing the words past the lump in my throat.

“Sweetheart, I took one look at you and every other woman disappeared."

Deep inside I knew that his slick words were an integral part of him. He was a charmer. Women loved him, men liked him. He was warm, outgoing, friendly, and panty wettingly delicious. But I didn't believe for a minute that he was even remotely celibate. But I still wanted him. Not because he was attractive, but because of who he was inside. He was kind, generous, giving, and more. He spoke to something deep inside of me. That was why I showed up at his office, because I couldn’t stay away.

He edged forward another inch, his hard, hot body pressing up against mine, pinning me to the door, daring me to try and escape.

“I’ve waited long enough,” he warned. “I’m going to kiss you now. This is your last chance to stop me.” He trailed one finger along my hairline, traced the curve of my ear and slid down the length of my neck. Heat burned where he touched and he scalded his way to the top button of my blouse. I sucked in a breath and licked my suddenly dry lips

.

“Don’t do that,” he growled and brushed his lips lightly across mine.

I melted like a pat of butter in a pan. Heat rushed through me, my knees went weak and desire pooled between my thighs. No man had ever turned me on like this. Ever. And certainly not with just a kiss.

My hands crept up, wrapping around his neck, burrowing in his hair. I pulled his closer. God, he tasted divine, like mint and coffee. He smelled of citrus aftershave and masculinity. I breathed deeply, memorizing his scent. 

His tongue traced the line of my lips, asked for entry. I let him in, our tongues danced. My hands flew everywhere, following the lines of his muscles, feeling the iron of his biceps, clutching the curve of his ass and delving, just a little, under the waistband of his dress pants.

He explored my curves, cupping my breast and squeezing one nipple lightly. I groaned.

“Shh,” he whispered. “Someone will hear you.”

Suddenly, reality was back. I was in his office for Christ’s sake. Anyone could walk in and catch us. God, the idea thrilled me. I shouldn’t want to get caught, it could ruin him professionally, but the idea titillated me all the same.

I dropped my forehead to his chest. Heat bloomed in my cheeks.

“Sorry,” I whispered. “I kind of got carried away.”

A low rumbled of laugher passed through his chest and tickled my ear. “Never apologize for your passion. It is your zest for life and passion for living that drew me to you in the first place. He nuzzled the side of my neck. “Never ever apologize for your responses.”

His mouth crept lower, his lips leaving a hot damp trail down my neck towards the curve of my breasts; I sighed and pressed hungrily against him. Damn, I wanted, needed, more.

****

Hope that kiss wets your whistle. Swing by and visit  Xio Axelrod http://www.xioaxelrod.com  for another view of a kiss.

Hugs

Katie 

(Just as a note, this blog hop usually goes live at two eastern. So if the links don't get you where you want to go, please, please, please pop on back and try again. This group of authors has a lot of good things to share.)