UPDATE: THE winner of A DROP OF RED and THE PATH OF RAZORS by Chris Marie Green is Karin! Congrats! Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.
Win Two Signed Trade Copies from Chris Marie Green’s Vampire Babylon series!
Below the streets, the vampires gather. Erotic, beautiful, secretive…dangerous. Dawn Madison, an ex-stunt woman, takes up the hunt for these enthralling creatures, first in Hollywood, then in London. As the Undergrounds’ secrets spill into her own life, shaping it, illuminating her own muddled past, she must face these underground Vampire Babylons.
Or die trying.
The Vampire Babylon series uses trilogy arcs to tell one basic story, much like the way JK Rowling used seven books that didn’t solve every plot thread book-by-book to tell Harry Potter’s story. While each individual novel focuses on a central mystery that’s solved by the end, the three books together build character and mythology arcs/mysteries until everything culminates in the third books of the trilogies.
The first trilogy is known as the “Hollywood trilogy.” It contains these books:
NIGHT RISING MIDNIGHT REIGN BREAK OF DAWN
The second trilogy continues the adventures of Dawn Madison and the vampire hunting team, and this three-book arc is known as the “London trilogy.” It consists of:
A DROP OF RED THE PATH OF RAZORS DEEP IN THE WOODS
To gear up for reading DEEP IN THE WOODS, you now have the chance to win the first two books in the London trilogy! By commenting below, one person will win signed trade copies of A DROP OF RED, Book Four, and THE PATH OF RAZORS, Book Five.
Question of the day: In urban fantasies, setting plays a huge part. What have some of your favorite UF settings been? Why? Where would you like to see more stories set?
I was the middle school girl who used to blush in sex ed class when the teacher said “penis.”
No joke. I thought I was going to flunk that class, although I’m not sure it’s even possible to do that. If you had told me in sixth grade that, not only would I be typing the word “penis” on my keyboard quite frequently, but I’d actually be using several more adventurous ways of describing this portion of the male anatomy in published books, I would’ve denied it with every mortified breath in my body.
But here I am today, writing super fun, hot sex for Blaze, paranormal nookie in urban fantasies, and warm-hearted love scenes for Special Edition.
So if I can do it, anyone can. But what are some ways to dive into a love scene and not just “get through it”? How can these scenes be some of the best-flowing and most rewarding writing you’ll ever do?
Here are just a few little tips to consider:
Making It Memorable
When you talk to your friends about sex, it’s likely that the best stories have to do with the times you had unexpected experiences…like when a crazy boyfriend took you to an old house in New Orleans, made it up to be a bordello with a choice of erotically themed rooms, and rocked your world in every one of them. (Yes, that was kind of in one of my Blazes. And I wish.)
Even if you’re not writing erotic romance, think of your wildest fantasies and just put them to paper. Don’t be afraid to push that envelope. As the wonderful Brenda Chin, the senior editor of Blaze, would tell you, it’s easier for an editor to tame what you’ve already written than to push you forward. If you’re going for sexy, be a wild woman. Go for it, even if you decide to erase what you’ve just written. (You probably won’t.) If you’re writing a less sexually intense book, you can tone down the graphic words and situations and still make it memorable (like when a boyfriend took you to an old house in New Orleans and romanced you there, bringing you into an old-fashioned room and seducing you by pouring water from a porcelain pitcher and giving you a slow basin bath and… You get it. ).
But, as we know, it’s not just the situation that makes for a truly affecting love scene, and that brings us to…
Transformation
This second point is pretty obvious, but I look at love scenes as a most intense opportunity to develop the characters. A love scene is never a throwaway scene—it’s never just about how body parts are reacting from point A to point B. It’s about what’s going on inside the characters, too.
The characters’ interaction is transformative—and if it’s not, that’s something to explore, as well. Why wasn’t the hero or heroine touched by the experience? And if they were emotionally overwhelmed (and, let’s face it, that’s usually the case), this is a springboard for more character development. Does it make your characters more vulnerable in some way? Does it make them stronger? How can what just happened between them affect the push/pull of their developing relationship?
The List
On the practical side, I keep a list of words for my love scenes. Provocative, vivid words that not only inspire action, but provide sensuous images. Synonyms like “brush,” “skim,” “trace,” “coax,” for when I want to describe a hero caressing the heroine’s…face. Words for everything from foreplay to entry (“churn,” “ram,” “thrust”—and I do believe that’s enough to give you an idea of what I’m talking about).
I can’t tell you how many times one of these words has propelled a scene. We can get stuck on technical stuff like word choice, and this way, I just look at my list and off I go. If you’re an organized personality like I am, you might want to write down every “love scene” word that comes to mind right now. Then you can even put them into groups (like foreplay and entry, etc.). Keep it at your side during the next love scene and see if this gives things any extra oomph.
Speaking of Imagery…
This point goes along with the characterization and imagery I already mentioned. Something that gives a love scene another dimension is when I use a character’s point of view and inner growth to create an imagery arc. What sort of symbolism can you use during the scene that explodes at the end into a climactic moment that will work for the reader, too? If you’ve got a heroine who is scared to death that her world is going to break apart, can you use mirror imagery during the foreplay and build up, then use some kind of crashing glass to describe her release? Symbolism can add an extra layer to the scene and make it a more emotional experience.
Amaretto Over Ice and Wild Orchid
If you’re just not feeling a love scene—or you need an extra push to get started—you might consider outside help. Back when I was writing my first Blaze, I was ready to go, but I kept thinking about what my friends and family would say when they saw other descriptions for the word “penis” in a book with my name on it. (If this were a Blaze or one of my urban fantasies, I’d write the word. ) So I consulted the experts--my favorite sex movie ever, Wild Orchid, and a splash of amaretto over ice in a fancy glass.
Now, I’m not telling anyone to booze it up. I was using the prop of amaretto over ice in a crystal glass because it makes me think I can be sophisticated and wanton at the same time. (Okay, it made me a bit giddy, too.) And Wild Orchid? It is so wicked and corny. They are a perfect Blaze combination for me. You no doubt have other triggers, and I’d suggest trying those and then going to the keyboard to see what you get.
I hope these sparked something, either for your love scenes or a very special Valentine’s Day in real life. (If there are any guys reading this, try Wild Orchid, amaretto, and add chocolate. Guaranteed winner.)
Have fun with both!
Chris writes urban fantasy as Chris Marie Green and romance as Crystal Green. BREAK OF DAWN, Book Three in her Vampire Babylon series, has just been reissued in mass market format and book six, DEEP IN THE WOODS, is hitting shelves March 2. To learn more, you can go a number of places—www.crystal-green.com, www.vampirebabylon.com, Chris’s blog (http://crystal-green.blogspot.com/) , Facebook (at http://www.facebook.com/people/Chris-Marie-Green/1051327765 ) or Twitter (at http://twitter.com/ChrisMarieGreen).
**An abridged version of Chris's article, "Loving a Love Scene," was released in our company newsletter earlier this month. This is the first release of the full-length version.**
LOVERS ROCK WEEK (Day 3): Hosted by Chris Marie Green
UPDATE: The winner of THE PATH OF RAZORS by Chris Marie Green is Mariska. Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.
How many of you out there wanted to be Princess Leia?
Was it because of her butt-kickin’ attitude? Because she got to swashbuckle-swing across a Death Star chasm with Luke Skywalker? Or perhaps you spent hours in front of the mirror trying to get your hair in those buns?
Nah. It was totally because she ended up with Han Solo, wasn’t it?
And that’s why I’m dedicating this Valentine’s Blog to a couple whom I consider to be one of the most romantic in existence—Han Solo and the Princess.
They had a rough start. She yelled at him a lot. She called his co-pilot a walking carpet. She even insulted Han’s spaceship (and you just don’t do that to a man). She blew a hole in the Death Star cellblock corridor just inches away from his goodies and told him to hop into the garbage chute.
And he damn if he didn’t like every minute of it.
Yeah, she shared a gross little kiss with Luke before she knew he was her brother. (Thank you, Star Wars, for warping my childhood with this and Luke’s sliced-off, castrated hand. But that would be a different blog entry.) Heck, I even started off adoring Luke Skywalker, too, with his non-threatening surfer dude amble and golly-willickers outlook, before The Empire Strikes Back came out and something went “twing” in my body. We all go from boys to more dangerous men at some point in our lives, and although I suspect Leia never did hold any lust for the Skywalker, she’s no different.
Like us, she couldn’t say no to the sparks—the scoundrel grin and low-riding holster.
I guess I love Han and Leia because, when she dished it out to him, it was because she didn’t know how the heck to deal with her feelings. When he gave it right back, it was because he wanted to get her to admit to her emotions. It was a game to him at first, and he didn’t even know what to do when he was confronted with how he felt about her. When she blurted out her love to him while he sank into the carbonite pit in Cloud City, all he could do was be a smart ass. (Oh, those immortal words of affection: “I love you.” “I know.”)
But no matter how many barbs were traded, you always knew that they had unflinching respect for each other, and that only grew scene by scene. Why else would Leia have been so disappointed in Han when he left the rebel base to take his bounty money to Jabba the Hutt just before the big Death Star attack? She knew he’d be an asset. (She also thought he was unbearably hot, but that’s beside the point I’m trying to make here.)
Their relationship is certainly a model for a lot of stories that we read, watch, and love today—especially in paranormals and action-adventure. Look at how Buffy and Angel worked together, wiping floors with vamp blood. Vaughn and Sydney put the bad guys away on ALIAS as they spied their way around the globe. These characters weren’t just in love—they were partners in every way, solving problems, saving the world, knowing that when the chips are down, both were capable of taking up each others’ backs.
Also, the heroes always seem to depend upon the heroines in a way that goes beyond warming the bed or heart. The heroes will send the heroines on the most dangerous of missions because they’re as good as any man, although the heroines always give the heroes more than any mere war buddy. My own urban fantasies definitely have that “Han and the Princess” dynamic, too. From Camille and Sarg in my first vampire book, The Huntress, to Dawn and The Voice in my Vampire Babylon series, there are many I-love-you-I-know beats.
May the Force be with you on this Valentine’s Day! Oh, and if you’d also like to spend some time with a giveaway, I’ll send a signed copy of THE PATH OF RAZORS, Vampire Babylon, Book Five, to one person who leaves a comment here. The winner will be randomly drawn and announced tomorrow afternoon.
Chris writes urban fantasy as Chris Marie Green and romance as Crystal Green.
UPDATE: The winner of signed copies of NIGHT RISING and MIDNIGHT REIGN by Chris Marie Green is Kirsten! Congrats!!! Please email your physical addy to contests(AT)knightagency.net.
Today, Chris Marie Green is stopping by to give away two signed mass market copies from her Vampire Babylon series! Read below for details on how to win!
Below the streets, the vampires gather. Erotic, beautiful, secretive…dangerous. Dawn Madison, an ex-stunt woman, takes up the hunt for these enthralling creatures, first in Hollywood, then in London. As the Undergrounds’ secrets spill into her own life, shaping it, illuminating her own muddled past, she must face these underground Vampire Babylons. Or die trying.
The Vampire Babylon series uses trilogy arcs to tell one basic story, much like the way JK Rowling used seven books that didn’t solve every plot thread book-by-book to tell Harry Potter’s story. While each individual novel focuses on a central mystery that’s solved by the end, the three books together build character and mythology arcs/mysteries until everything culminates in the third book of the trilogies.
The first trilogy is known as the “Hollywood trilogy.” It contains these books:
NIGHT RISING
MIDNIGHT REIGN
BREAK OF DAWN
The second trilogy continues the adventures of Dawn Madison and the vampire hunting team, and this three-book arc is known as the “London trilogy.” It consists of:
A DROP OF RED
THE PATH OF RAZORS
DEEP IN THE WOODS (to be released March 2, 2010)
By commenting below, one person will win signed mass market copies of NIGHT RISING, Book One, and MIDNIGHT REIGN, Book Two.
Question of the day: What as-yet-unproduced paranormal series would you love to see on TV or the movies? Who would you cast in some main roles? Have fun playing!
This contest will close tomorrow, January 27th, at 12pm ET.
Guest Blogger Chris Marie Green Talks About Her Latest Release, A DROP OF RED
A new Underground, a new adventure for Dawn Madison and the vampire hunting team!
Last time, Dawn and her friends brought down the Hollywood community of vampires, but now, in book four of the Vampire Babylon series, there’s a new threat, and it’s in London.
I have to say that this is some of the most fun and interesting research I’ve ever done for a book, because I actually took a trip to London in order to choreograph scenes, brainstorm the story, and record many details that I put to good use in the pages of A DROP OF RED (as well as books five and six, THE PATH OF RAZORS [8/09] and DEEP IN THE WOODS [TBA]). Here are a few highlights that you’ll find on March 3, when A DROP OF RED hits the shelves…
Bleak, gothic, gorgeous. Perfect place for some vamps to be lurking, yes?
Kingswood School
Here’s a haunted house in St. Albans, the city where I decided to locate the new home of the vampires. Things like the architectural quirks you see here really allow a place to come alive. Haunted House in St. Albans Crossbones Graveyard
Crossbones Graveyard in Southwark, across from the new headquarters for the vampire hunting team. I knew I had to use the building across the street because of its proximity to this cemetery, which boasts cards, ribbons, and other mementos on the gate because people often go there to remember the people (and prostitutes) buried in this unconsecrated ground.To read about more of my trip, click here to visit my blog!
And for more information about the series, check out www.vampirebabylon.com. There’s even a link to a contest, where I’m giving away this gorgeous print:
Happy Hunting,
Chris Marie Green
"Take Home Tuesday" Alert:Leave your name in the comments below to enter the book giveaway for A DROP OF RED by Chris Green (Ace, March 2009). The winner will be announced tomorrow morning.UPDATE: The winner of the March 3rd edition of "Take Home Tuesday" is Margay. Congrats! Please email your physical address to contests(at)knightagency(dot)net. Thanks to all our participants!
Below the streets, the vampires gather. Erotic, beautiful, secretive…dangerous. Dawn Madison, an ex-stunt woman, takes up the hunt for these enthralling creatures, first in Hollywood, then in London. As the Undergrounds’ secrets spill into her own life, shaping it, illuminating her own muddled past, she must face these underground Vampire Babylons.
Below the streets, the vampires gather. Erotic, beautiful, secretive…dangerous. Dawn Madison, an ex-stunt woman, takes up the hunt for these enthralling creatures, first in Hollywood, then in London. As the Undergrounds’ secrets spill into her own life, shaping it, illuminating her own muddled past, she must face these underground Vampire Babylons.
To gear up for reading DEEP IN THE WOODS, you now have the chance to win the first two books in the London trilogy! By commenting below, one person will win signed trade copies of A DROP OF RED, Book Four, and THE PATH OF RAZORS, Book Five.
To gear up for reading DEEP IN THE WOODS, you now have the chance to win the first two books in the London trilogy! By commenting below, one person will win signed trade copies of A DROP OF RED, Book Four, and THE PATH OF RAZORS, Book Five.
