We have two brilliant author’s this week. It’s the successful writing duo of Chris Power and Terri Beckett with their book Nettleflower. I love this cover. I bought the book on the cover alone. It’s hot and male and wantable. Next week’s brilliant author is Carol Lynne and Garron’s Gift.Nettleflower: The Blurb
It is the winter of 1046 and on the Marches between England and Wales there is an uneasy peace. Leofric is the young thane of Staneleigh, a holding close to the Welsh border. He is mourning a dead bride, but now finds himself falling for Regan, his childhood friend, who is herself in mourning and intending to take the veil. The attraction is mutual. Dafydd, attached to her household, is a traveling bard, but unknown to Leofric and Regan is also an undercover agent for the Welsh extremists who raid across the border. Dafydd's loyalties become divided—he has found friendships he did not expect, and love, not least for Edwina, a girl in Leofric's household.
Welsh raids, the political machinations of Godwin Earl of Wessex, and Leofric's meddling household mean that nothing is straightforward in this tangle of Anglo-Saxon and Welsh passions!
The Interview
1. You have some sizzling sex scenes in your book. How hard is it to write sex and make it convincing?
Terri: Not difficult if it’s okay with the characters. If they don’t want it, then forget it! But I want to avoid any gratuitous sexual athletics. It has to be a necessary part of the plot.
Chris: If it flows along as a natural progression of the plot and the characters, it's not difficult - the trickiest part is to avoid repetition in the sexual choreography when there are more than a few sex scenes!
2. Romance and the condom. How hard do you find to slip it in or on when the action is hot between characters?
Terri: They didn’t have condoms in 11th century England. Or in Victorian England. (Well, okay, they did then. But our hero is too much of a gentleman to expect sex before marriage.) Currently it does even figure in the paranormal piece. Not sure about ‘Under Siege’. The hero is a good Catholic boy…
Chris: Very hard! It wasn't an issue for our 'Nettleflower', as it's an historical. But I didn't mention it at all in 'Argent Dreaming', the story just accepted by CP. Maybe I should have? It's a necessary part of modern loving, but...well...it seems sort of clinical. And not very sexy. We'll have to think very hard around that one for 'Under Siege'! BTW, I think they might have had condoms back in the 11th C.
3. Do you think romance just happens or do you make your characters work for it?
Terri: It’s best when it just happens. In ‘Under Siege’ they both need to work for it. Poor babes…
Chris: Both! Which ever way fits the characters’ characters, if you know what I mean :)
4. What is it about your hero that makes him irresistible to women?
Terri: Leofric is my ideal – strong, passionate, with GSH, and gorgeous. He’s also (anachronistically, perhaps) a ‘New Man’, compassionate and loving.
Chris: Oh, strewth! Um...Leofric is strong but vulnerable, caring, protective without being possessive, has a sense of humor... The hair. I prefer my men to have some length to their hair. Not keen on short crops.
5. Do you think readers want to escape or do they want to identify with a character?
Terri: If they don’t care about a character, they won’t keep reading! But ‘escape’ is a tricky definition.
Chris: I'd say both. Identifying with or empathizing with the characters are part of what draws a reader into a story and keeps them reading. And in a story, all the problems are solved, the hurts and griefs healed.
6. What do you think is the most important thing to remember when writing romance?
Terri: The characters need to be believable, ‘real’ people. The plot is secondary.
Chris: Care about your characters. If the writer doesn't feel for them and know them inside out, then the reader won't give a damn either.
7. What are you working on now?
The Interview
1. You have some sizzling sex scenes in your book. How hard is it to write sex and make it convincing?
Terri: Not difficult if it’s okay with the characters. If they don’t want it, then forget it! But I want to avoid any gratuitous sexual athletics. It has to be a necessary part of the plot.
Chris: If it flows along as a natural progression of the plot and the characters, it's not difficult - the trickiest part is to avoid repetition in the sexual choreography when there are more than a few sex scenes!
2. Romance and the condom. How hard do you find to slip it in or on when the action is hot between characters?
Terri: They didn’t have condoms in 11th century England. Or in Victorian England. (Well, okay, they did then. But our hero is too much of a gentleman to expect sex before marriage.) Currently it does even figure in the paranormal piece. Not sure about ‘Under Siege’. The hero is a good Catholic boy…
Chris: Very hard! It wasn't an issue for our 'Nettleflower', as it's an historical. But I didn't mention it at all in 'Argent Dreaming', the story just accepted by CP. Maybe I should have? It's a necessary part of modern loving, but...well...it seems sort of clinical. And not very sexy. We'll have to think very hard around that one for 'Under Siege'! BTW, I think they might have had condoms back in the 11th C.
3. Do you think romance just happens or do you make your characters work for it?
Terri: It’s best when it just happens. In ‘Under Siege’ they both need to work for it. Poor babes…
Chris: Both! Which ever way fits the characters’ characters, if you know what I mean :)
4. What is it about your hero that makes him irresistible to women?
Terri: Leofric is my ideal – strong, passionate, with GSH, and gorgeous. He’s also (anachronistically, perhaps) a ‘New Man’, compassionate and loving.
Chris: Oh, strewth! Um...Leofric is strong but vulnerable, caring, protective without being possessive, has a sense of humor... The hair. I prefer my men to have some length to their hair. Not keen on short crops.
5. Do you think readers want to escape or do they want to identify with a character?
Terri: If they don’t care about a character, they won’t keep reading! But ‘escape’ is a tricky definition.
Chris: I'd say both. Identifying with or empathizing with the characters are part of what draws a reader into a story and keeps them reading. And in a story, all the problems are solved, the hurts and griefs healed.
6. What do you think is the most important thing to remember when writing romance?
Terri: The characters need to be believable, ‘real’ people. The plot is secondary.
Chris: Care about your characters. If the writer doesn't feel for them and know them inside out, then the reader won't give a damn either.
7. What are you working on now?
Terri: ‘Under Siege’ – a contemporary thriller set on Malta. The Victorian
Romance with the working title of ‘Rakoszy’s Pledge’ is fermenting quietly away in the back of my brain. As is an untitled paranormal romance-thriller.
Chris: We're working on 'Under Siege', a modern-day mystery set on Malta, with 'Rakoszy's Pledge', a historical, temporarily on the backburner. In solo stuff, I have 'Fox Hunt', a modern vampire story, on the backburner as well.
**Amarinda – are these girls interesting or what?
***Click on the cover and buy the book!***
Last week’s brilliant author – Elaine Lowe and Scandalous Passion
As always…our blog serial is a must read. So check out www.annycook.blogspot.com to see what obscure thing Anny has foisted on our heroine and then on Thursday go to www.kkirch.blogspot.com to see if Kelly is going to give anyone orange nipples again.
www.freewebs.com/janetdavies
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4 comments:
Excellent interview as alway! Under Siege sounds very interesting. Why Malta?
Amarinda, I was very good. I cannot be responsible for Kelly's nipples, though.
My nipples are fine, thank you. And if I did that again, you'd just wake up from another dream. Pfft! I still think you cheated on that one.
well, all I can say are the gloves are off and you want to take this somewhere weird? Then okay...look out Friday
Kelly! What'd you do?
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