November 17th, 2008 | by Susan Lyons |
On November 7, my Unwrap Me co-author Melissa MacNeal mentioned holiday themes, and how they can inspire you. Well, when Kensington asked me if I wanted to contribute a novella to the next Christmas anthology, I had my theme cut out for me, so to speak.
Hmm. What kind of sexy romance could I write that had something to do with Christmas? I brainstormed about all the things I associate with Christmas and ended up with a spicy mix indeed.
Lots of people love Christmas, right? Well, that would be my hero, Nick Buchanan (named after St. Nick). But others pretty much hate it. That would be my heroine, Jude Benedetto, who’s been abandoned on Christmas. Twice!
How would they meet? Well, how about a Secret Santa gift? Jude’s girlfriend rigs the Secret Santa draw so she can play matchmaker, and she gifts Jude with a hot firefighter (the girlfriend’s brother-in-law).
How’s a guy who loves Christmas going to persuade a Grinch to get in the holiday mood? Hmm. Remember the song, “The Twelve Days of Christmas” (a.k.a. “A Partridge in a Pear Tree)? When Nick realizes he met Jude exactly 12 days before Christmas, he has the brilliant and sneaky idea of giving her a special gift each day, themed to match the song – but so cleverly that anti-Christmas Jude won’t catch on.
Day 1, the partridge in the pear tree is Nick himself, her Secret Santa gift. For Day 2 (two turtle doves), he gives her two orgasms that have her cooing (well, more like screeching
Anyhow, suffice it to say, much fun was had by my hero and heroine, and by me too, as we progressed through those very sexy 12 days. And as Nick slowly persuaded Jude to open her heart and trust in him, and rediscover the loving spirit of Christmas. And that, after all, is the most fundamental Christmas theme, isn’t it?
Do you have a favorite Christmas-themed book or movie (or Hanukkah or Kwanzaa themed)? What kinds of lovely (or not so lovely) things do you associate with December holidays? To get us all in the holiday spirit, I’ll give away an autographed copy of Unwrap Me to one of the people who comments.
By the way, if you’d like to read an excerpt from my novella, “Unwrap Me,” check it out on my website at http://www.susanlyons.ca.
Susan, your story sounds incredibly hot! That’s a very creative way to celebrate 12 days! (Hmm…) Anyway, I’m a bit of a sap when it comes to Christmas stories, so I’ve really enjoyed Debbie Macomber’s stories that feature her Christmas angels. I like to associate Christmas with giving and redemption and family, so those stories tend to fit the bill for those reasons. But hot presents is an idea I can get behind, too!
That spirit of generosity! Thanks for the fun post, Susan, and congrats on this anthology!
by Fedora · November 17th, 2008 at 1:56 pmThanks, Fedora. I definitely think a Christmas story needs a touch of poignancy too. We all want to have a pleasant sniffle and get out our hankies.
by Susan Lyons · November 17th, 2008 at 5:15 pmIt sounds like you had great fun thinking up those 12 gifts to correlate with the different ones depicted in the song!
For a book that I love in this season, I re-read Truman Capote’s A Christmas Memory every year. It is so beautifully written.
Things I love about this particular holiday have to do with the vast array of food and the sharing of it with loved ones. Something that I am not fond of is the stress that one or two family members evoke with their insistance that everything and everyone be perfect for the big day…no matter the emotional toll that might take on us.
by Little Lamb Lost · November 17th, 2008 at 7:02 pmLittle Lamb, I don’t know the Truman Capote story. I’ll have to look for it.
As for that “perfection” thing - I think that’s such an unhealthy approach. Nothing can ever be perfect, right? We’re human, and we should enjoy our humanness, which includes the right to do silly things, mess up, etc. etc. I’m with you that it’s the sharing that counts. And sharing silly stuff and imperfections is way more fun than sharing perfection, IMHO!
by Susan Lyons · November 17th, 2008 at 7:35 pmHi Susan,
by Sharon Page · November 17th, 2008 at 10:28 pmThis sounds like a fun, hot, and wonderful story. I love your creative gifts. I think I’d enjoy orgasms much more than geese-a-laying. Though the lords a leaping have potential…
LOL, Sharon. Let’s face it, orgasms top pretty much anything else.
by Susan Lyons · November 17th, 2008 at 11:56 pmAnd the winner of an autographed copy of Unwrap Me is Fedora. Email me at susan@susanlyons.ca with your snail mail. Congrats!
by Susan Lyons · November 19th, 2008 at 12:36 am