Sunday, February 22, 2015

Snow Day!

This blog is being cancelled on account of snow. And contest entries that I have to judge and return with comments. Also known as procrastination...



This isn't Boston, that's for certain, but my shoulders don't know that--having shoveled the walk, the steps, and two entire parking spaces.

And now, after a good dose of ibuprofen, I'm off to get the judging done...

Have a good week, everybody. Stay warm!


Sunday, February 8, 2015

Popular Culture: Some Like It Hot

My erotic romance novella, The Dom of My Heart, comes out in the erotic romance anthology Hot Encounters released by Soul Mate Publishing on February 26, and I couldn't be more excited. I read an excerpt from chapter one last night at Lady Jane’s Salon - SilverSpring.

Normally, I write hot contemporary romance. And in most of my stories, I toe that line between steamy sex scenes and erotic romance. This time, I boldly stepped over the line. Why, you might ask? Mostly, because I like my romance hot and, this time, I wanted to explore the concept of power dynamics between two characters. I love writing sex scenes. I've never been one to shy away from writing them. I don’t like the bedroom door closed in the romance I read and write because, for me, it’s all about the emotional and physical connection between two people. Romance and love is tightly intertwined with the mating ritual of sex. Period. For years, women have been ridiculed and put down for reading trash or mommy porn if they read romance or erotic romance novels. And romance writers, of all genre writers, often bear the brunt of sly, back-handed compliments and snikers about the smut they write or they experience out-right sexual harassment because they celebrate women who are sensual creatures--those characters who are not afraid to discuss and explore sexuality and the dynamics of sensuality between them and their lovers.
Mackenzie Lucas reading at LJS

Romance is primarily a genre written by women for women. Erotic romance celebrates the beautiful sensuality at the core of the mating ritual. It is a genre where women get to define and redefine what it means to be sexy, smart, strong, beautiful, and powerful for themselves. So the next time someone ridicules you for reading or writing romance, give them that knowing smile and tell them you’re redefining hot. Because what you do when you read or write romance is tap into the human condition and celebrate the most beautiful connection in the Universe. And that’s a pretty awesome.

Later this week (Feb. 10 & 11) I’m attending and also coordinating Washington Romance Writers volunteers at the Library of Congress’s What is Love? Romance in the Digital Age conference--an event that’s free to the public. At the conference, they’ll be screening The Popular Romance Project’s documentary, Love Between the Covers. I’m excited about this event because panel after panel is filled with educated, articulate women who write, study, and read romance novels. I’ll be interested to see what they have to say about the state of the romance novel, erotic romance, and the peek the romance genre gives us into our popular culture and the human condition. I have a feeling they’ll say romance is thriving.

Sunday, February 1, 2015

RED

 

I recently spent a weekend sorting through my fabric bins. Grays in one pile, purple in another, low volume over there, blue over here, with sub-categories of turquoise, aqua, navy, periwinkle, and, well, blue. Same with the greens. Chartreuse, lime, emerald, mint, grass. Purples (lavender, fuchsia, grape, raspberry sorbet). Oranges that look so fabulous with blues and greens. Finally, red was divided into pinks and red. That's it. No other sub-categories. No brick and cherry and pomegranate and merlot. Just a very small pile. Obviously, I don't own a lot of red fabric. I don't tend to gravitate towards it in stores, I'm not sure I own any red clothes - well, a tee-shirt, maybe. Not much else.

When I think of the colours that I normally surround myself with, it is generally blues and greens of varying shades. Colours of the beach, of the Ireland, of the forest, of wine bottles, of leafy green vegetables, blue cheese and even Fresca. I wear green and blue almost every day from my jewelry to my reading glasses to my clothes. It makes me calm and at home, like browsing in a bookstore or sitting on the couch with my dog. Cool as a cucumber.

It is one thing to be aware of a preference or like. To know that I prefer a house that alludes more to a beach than a Victorian front parlor. But being risk adverse and in a rut can be mistaken for remaining calm and even tempered. I reached the end of last year and wondered was I any different than I had been in January? Had I gone anywhere? Tried anything new? Umm. No.

I have a strong memory of me as a child, maybe 4 years old, during show-and-tell at school. I wanted everyone to know I'd got new shoes. Red maryjanes. There's photo of me at about 2 in a blue corduroy dress, and yes, red lace up shoes. I was not always RED-adverse. I was joyful and wanted to go forward into the fun that only RED shoes could take me.


And that's why this year I am going RED. RED isn't calm. It isn't subtle or tranquil or peaceful. Don't get me wrong. I am a big fan of those things. But I am finding that action is needed in my life. Emotion. Risk. Not just to breathe but to gasp. And perhaps, like the child I was, it is time for me to put on my red shoes and go forward into whatever 2015 has for me.