Wednesday, March 21, 2012

Writing Sex Scenes Guest Blog and Giveaway with Sibelle Stone



Romance authors face one of the most challenging obstacles a writer can face. We often include scenes in our books that show the consummation of a relationship. We write about sex. Sometimes graphically, sometimes with a great deal of innuendo. It depends on the author the type of book and the story.

But what we really do is describe something that you can pretty much bet most of our readers have done. And they probably consider themselves at least fairly good at it, if not an expert. So, how do you craft a love scene so that it’s fresh, new and interesting?

Who Are These People and Why Should I care?

• Establish your characters first, put them together for a reason, (a good reason) and then let them have at it.

• Sex scenes should still be advancing the story. Consider why you have this scene at this point in the story.

• Consider why you are putting this in? Is it because you think by a certain page the relationship should be consummated? Or, does this advance the relationship to the next level?

• Is there chemistry between the characters? If they’ve been fighting for fifty pages and then suddenly fall into bed with each other, the reader is going to wonder why.

Slap and Tickle


• Sexual Tension is fun, seduce the reader with a series of encounters and build anticipation for the love scene. We enjoy banter, because it builds a relationship with talking. Talking to each other when you are falling in love is a good thing. That’s how we learn if this person is truly a mate we want to commit to long-term.

• Tease the reader. Set up situations that bring the couple together, and not always under stress. Even in an intense book, the characters need to stop and take a deep breath once in a while.

• Focus on Emotion and making the reader care about the characters. Keep asking yourself – What is the character feeling? How do I show this?

• Give hints – nudity, bath scenes, lingerie. Create sexy situations, and it doesn’t have to be a nude scene. One of the sexiest women ever, Elizabeth Taylor, did more with a slip than most women could with pasties and a garter belt.

Using Tools (From Your Writer’s Toolbox – What did you think I was talking about?)

• Where? Use your setting whenever possible. In Beneath A Silver Moon, I found a way to put my couple in the haymow on the ranch. It’s private, it’s filled with lovely, soft hay. Well, use your imagination!

• How?

Avoid clichéd phrases and euphemisms (and “Oh God!” is one of those).

Don’t use Part A fits into Slot B because the reader knows where those parts go.

Medical terms are boring, but be historically correct. Find out what people called their parts and use the names.

Know your audience and their expectations. A “hot” really is different from a “steamy”. “Red hot and steamy” - well - you get the idea.

It’s not a football game and we don’t need an announcer

• Sex is funny, use humor to provide comic relief. Imagine if aliens dropped in to see a human couple... coupling. They’d probably fall on the floor laughing.

• You can leave some things to the imagination or be explicit – it’s up to you.

• Vocabulary – use words that incite the imagination and are provocative

• Dialogue enhances a love scene and can show emotion. Pillow talk is fun.

Whose Bed-Head Are We In?

• Single or Multiple (POV)? It’s your choice but be consistent. Or you can alternate POV of hero and heroine. What does he really think of her?

• What are we learning about this character?

• Who has the most to lose? That’s often our POV character.

Expectations


• Know the boundaries of the genre you are writing.

• Know what the Editor/Publisher likes.

• Be aware of what YOU are comfortable writing

Writing these scenes can be challenging but a good love scene can also emotionally engage your reader.


Whistle Down the Wind


Book One The Mystic Moon Series - Featuring the Glyndwr sisters

Elemental witches!

Genre: Historical romance with paranormal elements
Publisher: Moon Valley Publishing
ISBN: 978-0-9839103-2-9
Page count: 360

Blurb:

Escaping from the persecution of the European witch hunts, a beautiful witch with the power to control the wind joins forces with a handsome Cavalier on a mission to save the King of England and the colony of Virginia.

Catlin Glyndwr is a tenth generation Mistress of Elements -- a hereditary witch who can call upon her elemental spirits for assistance in casting spells.

Accused of witchcraft in seventeenth century England, she faces the hangman. Even though she took a vow never to hurt anyone with her magic, if her true powers are revealed, she’ll be executed.

Sir Griffin Reynolds is on his way to the colony of Virginia, on a secret mission to locate Puritan rebels intent upon seizing the throne of King Charles II. When his best friend becomes deathly ill while interrogating a beautiful Welsh maiden accused of using magic to attack a local official – Griffin is forced to strike a bargain with her in order to save his friend’s life.

When Catlin and Griffin travel together on a voyage to the American colonies, they try to resist the pull of erotic sensuality that flares between them. It is a temptation they both soon crave. But danger lurks aboard ship and evil haunts Catlin. She must learn how her destiny is linked with that of the man who has vowed to protect her.

In a dangerous and unexplored world, where superstition exists along side the new discoveries of science, powerful elemental spirits are capable of assisting the magical adepts. But there is always danger in harnessing magic and a price to pay when one calls to the spirit world for help.

While Griffin tries to deny his attraction to Catlin, she works her own special magic on his heart and he discovers he cannot resist falling under her sensual spell.

Together, Catlin and Griffin learn that a journey of the heart requires courage, trust and the ability to believe in the astonishing gift of love.

Tagline: A beautiful witch discovers there’s more then one way to be wicked!

Short Blurb:

Whistle Down the Wind
By Sibelle Stone

Escaping from the persecution of the European witch hunts, a powerful witch with the ability to control the wind joins forces with a handsome Cavalier on a mission to save the King of England and the colony of Virginia while a dangerous stranger hunts them both. Book One: Mystic Moon Series.

Author Bio


Sibelle Stone is the pseudonym for award winning historical romance author Deborah Schneider. Sibelle writes sexy steampunk and paranormal stories, filled with magic, mad scientists, dirigibles, automatons, and creatures that would scare the panties off Deborah. In her spare time Sibelle enjoys dressing up in Victorian ensembles, modding play guns into something that looks a bit more sinister and wearing hats.

Author Bio: Deborah Schneider

A lifelong love of American history led Deborah Schneider from teaching high school to writing novels. Her first book, Beneath A Silver Moon won the Molly award for “Most Unsinkable Heroine” from the Heart of Denver chapter of RWA and was later a finalist in the New Historical Voice Contest in 2000. Her most recent release Promise Me won the 2011 EPIC Award for Best Western Romance. Her first steampunk story, No Ordinary Love was published in fall 2011. Deborah is employed by the busiest and best library system in the U.S. She’s received the “Open Book Award” from Pacific Northwest Writers and was named “Librarian of the Year” by Romance Writers of America in 2009.




Sibelle is giving away a copy of Beneath a Silver Moon -winner’s choice of format -either a free Ebook or a print copy- and a One $10 Starbucks Gift Card open to US Shipping- To enter fill out the Rafflecopter


a Rafflecopter giveaway

2 comments:

Mary Kirkland said...

That sounds like a really interesting book. This is a new author for me and I love finding new authors.

Anonymous said...

great giveaway thanks