It's been a while, eh? I am bogged and buried in renovation, quite near the legless lizards in the dunes habitat of LAX. B-o-r-i-n-g.
Let's move on to something sexy.
WHY I WRITE HOT – and Why Others Read It
By Melodie Campbell
I write comedies – screwball, caper, fantasy, you name it. The laugh gene is part of me and always will be. But lately, I find my fiction has gotten hotter.
Why? Why now, after more than 20 years of writing fiction, would I be changing my style to incorporate breathless scenes of sexual passion along with the fast action I am known for?
The shocking answer came to me, when I posted this recently on my Facebook Author page:
Readers often ask if any parts of my novels are based on real life. Not really. But occasionally I will draw from the past. This dialogue, from my current work in progress ROWENA AND THE VIKING WARLORD, was once spoken to me by a man. Lars says it to Rowena:
"It is odd,” he said. The look in his eyes was something almost religious. “Most times when I look at you, my body throbs to lust. But other times, you are so beautiful, it takes my breath away. I see you as a thing of splendour, too precious for any man to touch. It calms me just to feast my eyes on you.”
My voice caught in my throat. This was the most stunning thing a man had ever said to me.
"It is odd,” he said. The look in his eyes was something almost religious. “Most times when I look at you, my body throbs to lust. But other times, you are so beautiful, it takes my breath away. I see you as a thing of splendour, too precious for any man to touch. It calms me just to feast my eyes on you.”
My voice caught in my throat. This was the most stunning thing a man had ever said to me.
My shock: In writing that fiction passage, I was reliving the past.
Youth is gorgeous. I can still remember times when I would walk into a room and all male eyes would turn to me. Times when the air around me was electric with attraction.
And even more excruciating – those few times when a man would do anything, say anything, lie, beg…to (how do I say this gracefully) satisfy his overwhelming want of me.
That doesn’t happen anymore, at least not with anything like that intensity. But I remember it still. Wistfully.
There is an old adage: Writers live twice. Whether unconsciously, as I did here, or with deliberation, writers sometimes pull from their pasts to move their imagined plots forward.
I discovered today that when I write hot scenes, I am reliving the way a man wanted me. The power of it. The utter joy from it. The feeling of life teetering to the point of no return, and nothing else being more important than that moment.
So I’ve come to this conclusion: Common thought is that women read hot romance/suspense books to experience the ideal romance or carnal encounter they never had. Maybe so, but that isn’t all. I think many women read them to relive the giddy sexual power they themselves once had over men. That power is fleeting, as we all know.
Certainly, my books reflect this. Rowena experiences many of the things I once did. I write in first person, so I invite you to slip into her skin, and experience what she does.
Relive that sexual passion.
AUTHOR’S QUESTION: What about it, men? Do male writers and readers see their past selves on the printed page? Do you relive your sexual past in the books you write?
Melodie Campbell achieved a personal best this year when Library Journal compared her to Janet Evanovich. She has over 200 publications, including 100 comedy credits, 40 short stories, and 5 novels. She has won 6 awards for fiction and is the Executive Director of Crime Writers of Canada.
ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL, book 1 in the Land’s End series, ON SALE for 99 cents until Sept 30!
ROWENA AND THE DARK LORD, book 2 in the Land’s End series, is NOW AVAILABLE
Looks like another terrific book to add to my reading list. I imagine every writer puts a bit of themselves in their characters--that and colorful characters they encounter, be it a total stranger, friends, or close family. In one of my forthcoming books called "Pulitzer," I took what I felt were my worst traits and highly exaggerated them. That was a fun experience. Thank you for sharing, Marta!
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Carole!
DeleteI read both of Melodie's Rowena books and LOVED them. Reviewed them on Amazon, too. They are funny, imaginative and HOT!
I usually don't read hot stuff-- gets me too distracted-- but her books were worth the divergence from the straight and narrow. :)
Hi Carole! think the thing that shocked me is that I've always claimed that my writing is strictly from imagination. (Some writers say that almost everything they write is based on reality.) But I've discovered lately, that in writing certain emotions, I unconsciously borrow from the past. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteI do write some things from my own experiences, but I've never had a man speak to me the way he spoke to you. Wow! Do I feel like a wallflower or what?! I love your honesty, Melodie, and your books are great.
ReplyDeleteMarja McGraw
Thank you, Marja! I must be getting brave in my old age. Also, I'm floored that I didn't realize all this until now.
DeleteMarta, you won't believe this...but ROWENA THROUGH THE WALL is sitting at #1 Time Travel and (I'm going to faint) #142 ALL BOOKS on Amazon.com right now! Many thanks for the guest spot.
ReplyDeleteWow, Melodie. A guy said that to you? I think I hung around the most unromantic guys in my youth. I can remember a few "Hey, babe, wanna get it together", but nothing like what you reported. And you got to live it twice. I'm jealous. I think British men must just be more romantic than Americans.
ReplyDeleteTo answer your question ("What about it, men...") I do revisit memories of sex, and I admit I sometimes make it better than it was.
ReplyDelete