Please welcome one of my favorite erotica authors. Her characters, mermaid, vampire, witch and human struggle with the same things we do , love fiercely and are always super hot!
In every book I
write, I explore the meaning of love, and how it’s expressed. That applies to
my paranormal stories as well as my contemporary ones. When I started my
writing career, I was told that readers absolutely didn’t want cross-genre
fantasy/romance. Now it’s called paranormal romance, and it dominates the
shelves, to the point my husband complains it’s hard to find a classic fantasy
of the Piers Anthony or Raymond Feist vein.
Ah well. Be that
as it may, the paranormal romance genre is just as capable of delving into the
meaning of love as any other. Over the years, due to my passion for movies and
books that explore love, there’ve been a lot of lines and scenes that resonated
with me, moments that made me think: “Yes, that’s
it.” I know you know what I mean. Here are a few examples…
I wished for you, too. That’s from the movie Practical Magic. Sally, who’s a witch,
tells Gary, a Texas lawman, that he’s only come across the country to find her
because she cast a spell when she was young, wishing for a man who couldn’t
possibly exist, to avoid falling in love. She tells him he can’t stay with her,
because he’d never know if it was because of the spell or not, even though
she’s falling in love with him. As he walks away, digesting that, he turns and
looks at her and says, “You know what? I wished for you, too.” And she starts
to cry. Never fails to make me cry as well.
As you wish. Who can forget Wesley’s remarkable words
in The Princess Bride? We all
understood how significant those three words were. When he spoke them, they
meant “Anything and everything, I will give all that I am to you. I love you.”
“It was not Truth. And I have come to
Thee… Thou art my husband, and I am thy wife—helpmeet, with no rule but love
between us.” - Flowers
in the Storm by the incomparable Laura Kinsale, when Maddy, a strong
young Quaker woman, commits herself to a powerful but troubled nobleman. Yeah,
this is not a paranormal example, but the book was so darn perfect it was
magical, so I’m including it (laughter).
As I noted
above, the exploration of love—the sacrifices, the vulnerabilities and the many
unexpected treasures that come from loving someone—is a big focus of my work. Though
I won’t reveal any spoilers, there’s an exchange I like very much in my upcoming
May 2013 book Taken by a
Vampire. In this snippet, Evan, my vampire, is being addressed by
Niall, his Scottish servant of over three hundred years.
Reaching out, Niall touched his face,
startling him with the gentle possessiveness and authority in the touch. “It’s
not about wanting someone to love you the way you love them. It’s about knowing
in your soul when they’re loving ye with all their ability to love and more,
pushing themselves further than they thought they could go, whatever shape or
form that is, and realizing what a gift that is. Though it’s a guid long life,
it’s never long enough for any of us to refuse love when offered. Sic as ye
gie, sic wull ye get.”
Then there’s love revealed by great sacrifice, in the midst of perilous times. This is from A Mermaid’s Kiss, when the mermaid Anna is trying to reclaim her Jonah’s soul from the Dark Ones (Jonah is an angel):
Ignoring the shuddering in her
limbs, the throb of her broken arm, the fact that she could hear her organs
pumping, desperately working as the weight grew upon them, Anna moved forward a
step. Then another, struggling against that building energy, tears of effort
mixing with the hemorrhaging to hold Jonah’s gaze.
Oh Goddess, it hurts. Help me. Help me reach him. Touch him just once
more.
His fingers tightened on
the blade, the angel fire surging blue and strong along it, though laced with
that terrible blackness. But then she was there before him, looking up into his
face, so temptingly close. That firm, sensuous mouth and sloping cheekbones,
the hair like silk fluttering around his face. Her arms felt too heavy to lift,
but she lifted the unbroken one anyway.
Perhaps the world around them
had burst into flame, for now, this close to him, she seemed to be surrounded
by conflagration. There were no details beyond the two of them, two beings
trapped in a cyclone of Hell. When she touched his skin, it was like poison,
black death rushing through her skin and into her veins, making her jerk, her
fingers clutch.
“You are death and destruction,”
she said fiercely. “In order to bring mercy. To those who know only evil, you
bring them oblivion. You keep things safe so that good can survive, so that
evil can never fully take over. You protect me, and everyone like me.
“Put your hope and faith inside of my heart, and I’ll make sure it’s always there for you. After every fight it will be here, inside me, even if it’s just inside the memory of me.”
Yep, the two of
them have a pretty intense relationship (lol). Now for a little bit lighter, this
is a scene from Something
About Witches, when the sorcerer Derek Stormwind remembers his first
time with Ruby Divine, a witch he’s loved from the moment he met her:
In today’s modern world where
the decision to have sex was treated as casually as the choice of candy in a
vending machine, he’d been surprised and humbled to find she was still a virgin
at twenty-two. When he realized that, he’d made sure it was special. He’d taken
her to one of his favorite places, a small private cabin perched on a
breathtaking overlook in the Smoky Mountains. The bedroom had a wall of windows
to watch the sunset, and an oversized king bed that could accommodate his frame
and give him plenty of room to show her all sorts of wonderful things. Maybe he
did that; he couldn’t really remember that part. What he most remembered was
how many wonderful things she showed him, things he
hadn’t really ever felt for another human being before. He’d been in love here
and there, but never this all-consuming need to bond he felt with her.
She’d been tense, anxious. But
then he’d realized it was not because of the act, but because she was afraid
she’d disappoint him. The absurdity of that had broken his heart wide-open.
He’d been gentle, patient,
overwhelmed by her trust in him, the wonder in her eyes after the initial pain
was out of the way. He’d told her beforehand he could keep her from feeling it,
but she’d taken him to task.
“You’re just being silly, Derek
Stormwind.” Those gray-green eyes glistened with passion and more poignant
emotions at once. “It’s just a moment, but it’s a really important moment. I
want to have it to hold, to remember. The pain as well as the good stuff.”
To have and to
hold, until death do us part . . . He should have married
her that very weekend. Marriage had never crossed his mind until he met her.
Mainly because he had no idea how long he would live, and she was mortal. In
all his centuries, he’d never aged past the appearance of a rugged
forty-something. But looking down at her now, he knew, despite the craziness of
the idea, he wanted to marry her. Hell, he’d probably known it then. He wanted
that sacred bond, wanted to put a ring on her finger, give her another baby.
He did a Rejuvenation Ritual
every hundred years, an essential step to keep his mind and heart from getting
jaded, an unfortunate side effect of his kind of immortality. However, even
with that, he’d never felt the urge to make that kind of commitment. He’d
thought it was because it was unrealistic, unfair, whatever. But with Ruby,
even when her bones were dust and the world had left her memory far behind, he
wanted to be wearing the ring that said she’d been his wife. And he’d been her
husband.
Maybe in terms of his life span,
he’d have her for only a moment, but it was as she said. It’s
a really important moment. I want to have it to hold, to remember. The pain as
well as the good stuff. Because that was what made life so damn
precious.
* * * * *
So…hmm. One more
example, and it should be a hot one, right? I write erotic romance, after all,
and I see no reason that such strong emotions can’t be combined with intense
physical desire. In fact, the best sex is propelled by intense emotion. So I’m
going to finish with a hotter excerpt exploring the meaning of love.
Lyssa and Jacob are one of my
favorite paranormal couples. So much so, I’ve actually written three books with
them as the protagonists in the nine-book Vampire Queen series.
But this is from the first one, Vampire Queen’s
Servant, and it’s about when Lyssa gives Jacob the second mark, which
will allow her into his mind:
It had not been this way
with her former servant, Thomas. Giving him the second mark had been quiet,
almost gentle. She’d been amused by her monk’s scholarly attempts to mark every
transition as she pushed through the shields of his mind. He’d acted almost as
if he was going to prepare a paper on it for a science periodical.
This was pure possession. She
obliterated Jacob’s shields, bludgeoned them into tiny pieces that became a
part of the blood she took into her body. From here forward, she could plunge
into this jungle whenever she chose to do so. She knew it would test her. His
thoughts would make her feel things she’d never felt before.
She made it brutal. He was right. She reveled in the war between his desire to submit and his need to challenge her invasion. She felt his primitive urge to take back control by invading her mind as she was invading his. While she knew he couldn’t do that without her permission, she found she didn’t know where her mind ended and his began at the moment.
When she raised her head, he
clamped his mouth over hers, sucking his blood off her lips, using his teeth to
score her as she brought him to violent climax. His hot seed jetted over her
wrist and arm, even the front of her shirt, the warmth contrasting with the
cold shower of water.
She savored the insistent rock
of his body against her as she drained him and he came to a jerky halt. Against
her lips, he cursed her for not letting him fuck her. But even as he did so,
his hands gentled and he raised his head to let his gaze sweep her face. There
was a wonder there, a reverent awe mixed with an expression that made her feel
he was seeing something in herself she’d never seen. Raising his thumb, he
brushed blood off her lip and held it there. Slowly, she licked at his fingers
with the tip of her tongue, feeling like she’d gone from raging lioness to wary
kitten in a blink. These moments, which should be inequitable matches of
physical prowess, kept ending up on a playing field where she wasn’t so certain
she was the victor. Or if it was a playing field at all.
* * * * *
Hot and passionate, quiet and intense, soft and gentle, funny and joyous, angry or sad, disappointment and frustration… As we grow and evolve, our understanding of love deepens and expands. I’ve been married over 23 years, and I continue to learn things about love every day, so I’m never quite sure how people can say that loving the same person can get old. There’s a whole universe in each of us, and that’s a lot of territory to explore. Being bound together gives us the privilege and opportunity to take that journey into one another together.
GIVEAWAY!
USE THE RAFFLECOPTER FORM AND LEAVE A COMMENT
telling us about the love scene or snippet from book or movie that exemplified
the meaning of love to you, and one person will win the
book-of-your-choice from my existing titles. Giveaway is open to all, including
international. Thanks for coming to spend time with me on this lovely topic!
Fan forum: www.jwhconnection.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/JoeyWHillAuthor
Twitter:
@JoeyWHill
Thanks Joey and THANKS ALSO FOR DONATING a $25 Gift Certificate to the GRAND PRIZES Packages!
The Time Traveler's Wife. The whole dang thing. Book and Movie. Gah! That's the sort of love story that just rips your heart out the whole way through.
ReplyDeleteFrom Joey--
DeleteAroquet, Time Traveler’s Wife is one of my favorite books! It’s on my keeper shelf. I couldn’t stand the movie, though (lol). They followed it faithfully enough – almost too faithfully. Kind of came off as cliff notes, with no heart to it, and thought the actors came off really flat. Maybe it was because the book just tore my heart out (like you said!). I wanted the movie to do the same, and it just seemed to fall short. But that book is a piece of art.
i really enjoyed the hob bargain by patricia Briggs because it showed that the love was foremost acceptance and it wa sso well described
ReplyDeletebut lately, it's your book a mermaid's kiss that troubled ^^;; i was crying like a baby at the end, a completely wreck since was immersed in the story and was on teh first stage to see anna suffering so much
thank you for the international giveaway
From Joey--
DeleteMiki, Patricia Briggs is a wonderful author. I read the first of her Mercy books and enjoyed the way she draws you into her characters. I’ll have to put Hob Bargain on my list. So glad you loved Mermaid’s Kiss – even if it was through a lot of tears! And you’re very welcome on the international giveaway. So glad to have my international readers!
One of the stories that come to mind is Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon. The things he did for what he thought was love and to get it thrown back in his face the way it was, was just heartbreaking.
ReplyDeleteFrom Joey-
DeleteMary, those tormented heroes just grab us, don’t they? I’m so far behind in Sherrilyn’s series (I’ve read the first three – reading when you’re an author can sometimes like finding time to get a haircut when you’re a barber – grin), but I’ve heard so many good things about that one.
It's Jamie Fraser's idea of love. He's suffered horribly and yet it doesn't interfere with his ability to love so many. Especially his beloved Claire. Outlander. Love it.I also love your Witch series.
ReplyDeleteCarol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
From Joey --
DeleteCarol – another one of my favorite books/series. Jamie was everything that a man should be – loving, generous, brave, honorable, loyal to family and friends – and though he’s so larger than life, he is so REAL. Guess that’s part of what makes him a favorite hero. That scene in the first book where he and Claire are arguing and he tells her she’s ripping his guts out, and he just sits down, somewhat defeated, gets me every time. And thank you for the compliment on my witches! There’s a character interview with Derek Stormwind on the fan forum, if you’d like to learn a little bit more about him (wink). Forum is www.jwhconnection.com. Little bit of a logon process to prove you’re not a spammer, but after that you can go to the forum section and look under Character Interviews. If you get lost, don’t hesitate to ask directions. They’re a great group out there.
Great post, Joey! Practical Magic is one of my favorite witchy movies. Ok, here is an oldie but a winner, "If Tomorrow Never Comes" by Sidney Sheldon! The book rocked and the made for TV movie was incredible, too. Thanks for supporting the event, Joey. :-)
ReplyDeleteFrom Joey --
DeleteDana, oh wow! I devoured his stuff in high school (does that date me or what?! lol). I was so into reading anything about the mafia, which of course drew me to Rage of Angels. I think I read everything he did during that time, but I may have to go back and read If Tomorrow Comes to be sure I didn’t miss a good one!
Okay, the very end of Lover Awakened when Bella comes back to Zsadist to tell him something and when she finds out he is learning to read...for her...and when he writes those 3 little words on the paper and hands them to her...and he is so shy and...OMG!!! That is one of the best scenes of the personifcation of love, that I've ever read!!!
ReplyDeleteFrom Joey -
DeleteElizabeth, you guys are so on my wave length today. Lover Awakened is my absolute fave to date of the BDB series. Up until that one, I was kind of like “oh, well, these are good”, but after that one, I was a devoted fan of the series. The emotional depth of that book was just a cut above all the rest, IMO, and ever since then, they just get better and better. And once again, we have the wonderful tormented hero…(I don’t know if our love of that says we’re a tad sadistic AND sympathetic? I’m sure there’s a psyche term for that…lol)
BDB...V's book. When he tells Jane, I'll keep loving you even after you don't know I exist! *Swoon* *sigh* I love that male!
ReplyDeleteFrom Joey -
DeleteRedheaded Bookworm, oh yeah…see my reply to Elizabeth above. Love that series…
Hey everyone thanks for coming. It's wonderful to read how affected everyone is by the stories they love.
ReplyDeleteSteph, thanks for having me here. I'm loving the comments as well - Valentine's Day is such a great holiday! We all get to talk about love endlessly. It's female bliss and a male nightmare (laughter).
DeleteJust about every love scene in the movie Love Actually! Love the BDB, too, especially the scene between Qhuinn and Blay in Phury's book when they are in the infirmary...I read that over and over. So hot and heartbreaking!
ReplyDeleteFrom Joey -
DeleteAmanda, I think I would have the cut two of them – the one about the two stand-ins for the adult movies and the one about the kid going to America to pick up super models. I loved all the others – particularly love the scene at the end where Hugh Grant gives Martine that indescribable look after he puts her down. It’s love, understanding, connection, etc. Oh, and of course the proposal in the restaurant, the little boy getting through the airport…you’re right, too many good scenes to count. I must watch that movie 2-3 times a year. As far as Quinn and Blay…freaking hell, is it spring yet?!! We’ve waited forever for that one, right? :>
I wouldn't say I have a fav. scene but actually a fav. series as a whole is The Night Huntress Series by J. Frost. I included my fav. quotes
ReplyDelete“If you run from me, I will chase you, and I'll find you....”
“Kitten, you need to make a decision. Either we stay here and behave or we leave now and I promise you”—his voice dipped lower and the words fell against my lips—“if we leave, I won’t behave.”
“Careful, luv. I might be angry with you, but that doesn't mean I don't still want you. So if you do that again, I'll shag you right here, right now, and sod anyone who wants to watch”
From Joey -
DeleteSilverlight, marvelous quotes. Gotta love a man who has a poetic way about his erotic threats (laughter).
I'm with Silverlight. I adore cat and bones.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the chance to win!
Froggy
froggarita@gmail.com
From Joey -
DeleteFroggy, I’ll have to go read me some more Jeaniene Frost. I had the lovely experience of sharing a workshop panel with her at Authors After Dark, and she was pure class.
Every book I read has some elements of love that resonate with me. However, the scenes in the last book of the Fever series were amazing. Got to love Barrons!
ReplyDelete"You're Mac. And I'm Jericho. And nothing else matters. Never will. You exist in a place that is beyond all rules for me. Do you understand that?"
-- Fever series, Karen Marie Moning
From Joey -
DeleteJosette, now the Fever series is one I haven’t had the opportunity to read – I’ll add it to the TBR list! I’m sure I can’t go wrong with any of Karen’s books. Thanks!
Since I was 15 it has been Moulin Rouge. The scene is after Satine has broken Christian's heart to save him from being killed by the Duke and Christian shows up on opening night to pay her for making him believe she loved him. When he is almost out the door she sings "come back to me and forgive everything" tears my heart out every time and builds into the most spectacular finale of all time.
ReplyDeleteFrom Joey -
DeleteAmanda, some musicals can just capture our emotions in a way simply saying the words wouldn’t. I cry every time I hear Richard Harris sing Camelot at the end of the movie, when he’s grabbing for a scrap of hope that his dream wasn’t totally destroyed, or Fantine in Les Mis singing I Dreamed a Dream (Especially if she does it the right way, pure heartbreak and hopelessness versus singing quality. I think Anne Hathaway does an awesome job with that).
The Notebook. When he explains to his kids why he's moved into the home. Even though his love doesn't remember him, but he remembers her and will always be with her
ReplyDeleteRoni, maybe it's my age, but I enjoyed the "golden years" perspective of that book/movie even more than the "when they were young and in love" part, though I did like the book overall. How people deal with dementia in their spouse really does define the meaning of love. My mother has a friend who's taken care of his wife for well over a decade now, and they're both elderly. An amazing example of loving through for better or for worse. Good example, Roni. :>
DeleteJoey,
ReplyDeleteLovely article and wonderful excerpts from you books. Only a paragraph from Niall, and I almost needed a box of tissues! I am so looking forward to Taken By a Vampire being released in May.
Thank you for this Valentine's day gift!
(aka BRF)
Proud Bookworm, thank you! Glad you enjoyed it. This one is going to be a bit of a tearjerker, but hopefully the tears will all be worth it. :>
DeleteOh Mistress Joey there are so many books or movies that make me think about love and how it's supposed to be. Take any of your books from Nature of Desire, Knights of the Boardroom, Daughters of Arianne or Vampire Queen, there is a part in all of them that makes me yearn to have that type of love. Another favorite is Jamie Fraser from Diana Gabaldon's Outlander and the part after they get back to the castle and Claire thinks he already cheated on her. He says "I am your master and you are mine. Seems I canna possess your soul without losing my own." As always love reading you and btw Practical Magic is one of my favs as well as Hope Floats.
ReplyDeleteJess
Bones46@hotmail.com
Jess, I'm so happy Jamie Fraser is popping up a lot in the comments. I agree that his and Claire's love story really does an in-depth exploration of the meaning of love. That scene you describe is a prime example, as are the others that have been cited here. And it's remarkable that Diana Gabaldon is taking them through their life's journey together (think they're in their fifties now?), something we usually don't have the opportunity to experience in romance reading.
DeleteOh, Hope Floats is a great one. Still love Justin's line "mostly I noticed you were single" (that's not the exact line, but I'm shooting from the hip here - lol). Harry Connick was irresistible in that role, and it was a great exploration of love from a lot of different viewpoints - mother-daughter (both adult-adult and adult-child), husband-wife, father-daughter (the scene where Bernice's dad leaves her kills me every time). Beautiful movie.
Annnnnd of course, I LOVE the fact you included my books in your assessment (beaming!)
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon - Jamie Fraser to Claire - “When the day shall come that we do part," he said softly, and turned to look at me, "if my last words are not 'I love you'-ye'll ken it was because I didna have time.”
ReplyDeleteAn amazing story and series where love overcomes all.
Happy sigh... Christi, see my note to Jess,just above yours. The Outlander series is one of the few keeper books I have on my shelf, and specifically for writing like that. I'm not a fan girl type, but the one time I had the chance to speak to Diana Gabaldon and shook her hand, I was shaking. It was silly of course, but the mastery of those books gave me a chronic case of "awe and worship" in her presence (grin).
DeleteFinally got here. Hi Joey!!
ReplyDeleteSince it is my all time favorite at the end of Afterlife, Rachel's dream " the big adventure I dreamed about was falling in love with someone and loving him wiht all my heart and soul, for the rest of my life." In my opinion that is all anyone can hope and dream for.
raeannnew@netzero.net
Hey, Moira! I loved Rachel and Jon. As I told you all when it came out, Rachel was a heroine that grabbed my heart from the first page. There's something about a woman hitting her forties...I think it's a time we're standing on the top of the hill, looking at where we've been and where we hope to go, and wondering about dreams chosen or missed... Rachel had so many disappointments, but she continued to love generously throughout all of them, so Jon was a perfect reward for the type of person she is. And he turned out to be far more intriguing than I expected (wink).
DeleteOh, and I agree with your assessment of that line. I think Marcie of Hostile Takeover said something similar. She was speaking from the perspective of a 23 year old, whereas Rachel was speaking from a perspective 20 years older, but they both had the same perspective - binding your heart to someone else's isn't a prison sentence, a limiting of your options - it's a way to open them up in ways you never expect!
DeleteFunny, I'm one of those people who can't pick out a "happy" scene to define "love." I always seem to go for the painfully poignant scenes. This one, from Joey's "Natural Law" when Mac has convalesced from a nearly fatal gunshot wound but only with Violet by his side, always, always gets me:
ReplyDeleteIt was the hardest she’d ever cried in her life, Mac was sure. What was more, he knew the cause of every single tear that dampened his shirt front.
For nine months, he had watched her suppress every tear, every complaint, every worry for him behind an inhuman level of energy focused on making him better. Now, at last, she cried for each awful moment since that terrible night in the dungeon. For every time she’d been vicious to him to make him take his medications. Every countless instance she’d bullied, coaxed or teased him into resting so he wouldn’t kill himself with the frustration of inactivity. All the times he’d felt her lie awake for hours next to him, barely breathing herself as she’d kept a hand on his chest. Her terror that he would leave her in the night had been a palpable thing. Too weak to hold her or comfort her, at times he’d wished he could die, just so he wouldn’t cause her such pain.
But she wouldn’t let him, and he learned that a person could love too much.
Thanks for the awesome blog post Joey and the cover to "The Vampire Queen's Servant" remains my all-time favorite, hottest, smexy book cover. Love that view of Jacob's back!
Sue V
suzanne(dot)voris(at)gmail.com
Sue, I'm so flattered you used Violet and Mac's story! And that is one of my favorite scenes in the book. I think you also made a good point. Love is SO multi-faceted, there's no limit to the ways it can be presented - which is probably why so many of us love to read love stories. ;> Glad you enjoyed the blog post.
DeleteI love the VQS cover as well, though my favorite is probably the second one in the series, Mark of the vampire Queen. Just love the frontal shot of Jacob with her scraping her nails down his chest, and the way the belted jeans look on him. And the cuffs...and the dark, mystical look of it...lol.
One of my favorite movie scenes is from Ghost, the scene where they are at the pottery wheel always remains a favorite of mine.
ReplyDeleteI have read & loved a few of your books and can't wait to read more. Thanks so much for the great giveaway.
June
manning_J2004 at yahoo dot com
June, that is a classic, awesome scene! Probably my second favorite would be when they dance together...how many of us wish we could have a single moment with those we love who are now departed, even if it's to do nothing more than hold them in the form we remember them, one more time?
DeleteThanks for the kind words about my books, and good luck in all the great giveaways!
I'm feeling the love story from "The Vow". To be able to love again, even through memory loss, is true love. Any story that starts as kids and ends up with them together as adults is a great love story to me (maybe because that's my love story with my husband? Who knows, lol)
ReplyDeleteNicki, I think we do tend to identify with the love stories that match our own. My husband and I met when I was nineteen, and he proposed ten weeks later. So here we are, 23 years later, and I think that's why I also appreciate love stories that show the richness that years of experiences, disappointments, maturing and little joys can bring.
DeleteI admired the real life couple from The Vow. I was disappointed that Hollywood kept any spirituality from the film at all, when the real life couple made it clear that it was their faith that got them through. Maybe one day Hollywood will realize about 98% of the world believes in some kind of divinity/higher power (Christian, Buddhist, Wiccan, etc) and we're okay seeing films about other people who do as well. :> Of course, seeing Channing Tatum made up for my pet peeve...lol.
the love story between maddox and ashlyn from Lotu series. ashlyn offers her live for helping maddox.
ReplyDeletesunshine_pinkystar(at)yahoo(dot)com
Another for my TBR list. Thanks, Olivia!! Offering one's life for the one you love is definitely part of loving someone, and in some senses when we commit to one another forever, we're doing just that. We're promising to compromise and deal with the less pretty things about that bond as well as the wonderful ones.
DeleteThough from the more dramatic side of things, making a conscious, premeditated decision to offer your life to save that of the one you love...that's pretty powerful, given that survival is one of our strongest base imperatives.
I love the dynamics between Kate Daniels and Curran. He has her pinned against the wall and they are so hurt and angry with each other and then he says he misses her and worries she will get hurt and he won't be there for her and she decides to make the leap in their relationship. This is not an easy HEA. Both of them have to grow as individuals and as a couple. Love your stories!
ReplyDeletelizsemkiu at gmail dot com
Nice! That's the best kind of love story, I think. I like to read and write them that way. Lots of obstacles, physical and emotional, and no easy fixes, because that's the way real life relationships often are. And the harder you work at it, the more rewarding it can be. Think Laurell K Hamilton did a blog on that not so long ago, referring to her own marriage and how much hard work it really takes for a couple to learn to love one another and stay together.
DeleteThanks for the lovely words about my books! I'll have to check out Kate and Curran!
June is the winner of my book giveaway. Yay, June! Congratulations! I've sent you a direct email requesting which book you want and that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteAnd of course everyone is still welcome to keep posting their thoughts on the meaning of love, since it's one of our favorite topics to discuss - we are romance readers and authors, after all! (lol)
Regardless, thank you to everyone who came out and commented on my post, and thank you FWFD for inviting me to participate in your wonderful Valentine's festivities.