October 2nd, 2009 | by PJ Mellor |
Some things are indelibly written in our DNA, like handedness, eye color. . .and our sense of humor. I believe, just as most writers will say they have no choice, writing chose them, for some of us (like me, for instance) writing with humor is not a choice. It happens, in spite of any contrary intention. My husband always tells me I look at things “differently”. I’m going to assume, for his safety, he means it in a good way.
In a creative writing class, years ago, I had what I considered a brilliant idea for a romantic suspense story. It had it all: sexual tension, hot love scenes, stalking, home invasion etc. I even wrote what I considered the ultimate creepy scene where the psycho ex of the heroine broke into her house and exploded a rat in her microwave. Why did my instructor wipe tears of laughter from her eyes as she read it to our class? Well. . .upon the heroine’s grizzly discovery, her very next thought was she wanted pizza for dinner. Now, the instructor thought this was hilarious, that my heroine saw all the exploded rat guts and it made her crave pizza. My intention, however, was—besides being grossed out by the mess and the act—she realized she could never cook in that microwave again. I guess humor is in the eye of the beholder.
I write humorous erotic romances, pretty much by accident. I didn’t intend to write humor, although, now that I think about it, sex can be kind of funny. By the way, husbands in general—mine in particular—don’t share your humor when you laugh during sex.
I’ve always had a fascination with sexual “aids”—you know, sex toys, edible underwear, body frosting, that type of stuff. I used that in my February 2008 book, MAKE ME SCREAM, with a hero who wrote catalog copy for sex toy manufacturers. Having no personal experience with such things, I made up the toys, which was a lot of fun. I did, on occasion, sample various body frostings—strictly for research, of course. Did I mention I have a sensitivity to certain chemicals? Someday, I swear, I’m going to write a heroine who attempts to be adventurous with body frosting and has her tongue swell. But, for now, it’s so not funny.
How about you? What’s happened lately to make you laugh? Leave a comment and you could win a copy of my latest release, a Christmas anthology written with Crystal Jordan and Lorrie O’Clare, UNDER THE COVERS. My story is ESCAPING CHRISTMAS and has a heroine who finds herself in more than one humorous situation. Go figure.
Hi, PJ! I think it’s great that you write humor naturally. I’m not so sure it comes that natural to me. The most recent thing that happened to make me laugh involved my granddaughter and my bad habit of screaming not so nice words at my computer when it freezes on me. I also tend to smack my keyboard. So the other night, it happens, the computer freezes. I’m smacking my hands on my keyboard screaming sh**, sh**, sh**. So here’s my 22-month old granddaughter sitting on the floor with an extra, old (broken) keyboard on her lap, smacking it with her hands saying sh**, sh**, sh**. After smothering my laughter, I tell her to say shoot, shoot, shoot…dog gone it. It didn’t work.
by Anna Kathryn Lanier · October 2nd, 2009 at 10:39 amThanks, Anna! LOL! Babies are great for immitating–especially things we don’t want immitated! Thanks so much for stopping by and leaving a comment!
by P.J. Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 11:24 amPJM
I love humor in a book! It is always fun to have a good laugh while reading! As far as the last time I had a good laugh. Well, honestly I laugh pretty much every day, I have 4 kids, ages 10, 8, 5 and 3…3 boys and the youngest is a girl. They are always saying stuff that makes me laguh. But there one story about my 5 year old that still makes me laugh.
So I had made a roast for dinner, with the cream of mushroom soup, potatoes, carrots, the works. We were all sitting at the table eating…wellk, my kids complaining because they don’t like anything if it is not pasta or cereal. But my 5-year old son holds up his fork and says “I do not like turds!” My husband and I look at him, and on his fork is one of the little mushrooms from the soup! We have to explain to him that first of all, we do not talk like that, especially at the dinner table, and secondly, that is not turds, it is a mushroom. He turns to his older brother and says ” I do not care, I am not eating those turds.” And he was totally serious! My husband and I had to both leave the table we were laughing so hard. The older boys thought it was funny too of course, so dinner was pretty much a flop from that point on.
Oh from the mouths of babes! They sure do keep things interesting though!
Thanks for the fun topic!
by Amy M · October 2nd, 2009 at 11:49 amAmy M
The allergy scene in the story Wild Thing in the book Give Me More still cracks me up just thinking about it.
You have a special talent, PJ.
by Suzan H. · October 2nd, 2009 at 12:08 pmI think humor and eroticism can go together quite well. Guys who make me laugh are sexier than guys who can’t. (Which makes Patton Oswalt absolutely hunky, in my eyes.)
by Daria Drake · October 2nd, 2009 at 12:51 pm-Daria (daria-drake.blogspot.com)
I figure life, and sex, definitely require lots of laughter – and you write humor so well, PJ.
One of my cute things for this week was being at a writer/reader festival, staffing our local RWA Chapter booth. A very attractive young woman, arm in arm with her boyfriend, was watching us very closely. I asked if she was a writer. No. I asked if she read romance. No. Yet she didn’t go away. So I asked if she liked romance, and got a big smile and a yes. Then I asked if she liked sex, and got a bigger smile. So I handed her my brochure and said, “Then you and your guy might like my books.” They walked away, grinning at each other.
I turned to make an “aren’t they adorable?” comment to the other woman who was staffing the booth with me, and my peripheral vision caught a woman who’d been standing at the neighboring booth – the mystery/crime writers. She snuck up to our table, grabbed my brochure, and scuttled off.
My booth-mate and I just broke up laughing!
by Susan Lyons · October 2nd, 2009 at 12:51 pmAmy M! thanks so much for stoppiing by and commenting! TURDS?? LOL! I can just hear one of our 3 boys saying something like that. In fact, I remember our oldest telling our middle son–quite scornfully, in fact–not to eat with his fingers, to use his testicles! To this day, we tease him about it. Kids are so funny!
by P.J.Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 1:08 pmThanks again,
PJ
Hi, Suzan! I can’t believe you remember the allergy scene in WILD THING ! SO glad you remember and enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting!
by P.J.Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 1:09 pmPJM
Thanks Daria! Patton Oswalt? Really? Hmm. Although, now that Ithink about it, I always thought Chevy Chase was kind of cute…for an “old guy”. You know, now you really have me thinking about this–and I realize I’ve always been attracted to comedic actors, so maybe there is a connection. Or is it just me being wierd?
by P.J.Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 1:13 pmPJM
Thanks, Susan! Your post made me smile.
by P.J.Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 1:14 pmI love reading books that make me laugh, and if there are some hot and sexy scenes in those books…all the better
by Cheryl McInnis · October 2nd, 2009 at 2:42 pmHmm, the funniest thing that happened to me recently was a few days ago when I was walking my dog down the street. We walked past a house where there was a cute little female toy poodle tied in the front yard.
The poodle, being a poodle of course, barked and barked as we walked past. My Lab, Jake, turned his head to check out the poodle as we walked by, and ended up walking into a telephone pole. After I doubled over giggling, and checked his poor head for injury, I just had to laugh and think to myself that all males are the same…no matter the species~
I can tell you one time when my spouse and I both cracked up while….ahem…anyway, we were having a wonderful time when we both sensed, at the same time, that we weren’t alone. Looked to the side of the bed, and there was our two and a half year old daughter, blankie in hand, thumb in mouth, avidly watching Mommy and Daddy. Talk about a mood killer! it amazes me that any child ever has siblings…said little girl is now 36 with three kids of her own, so I know she and her spouse figured it out!
So glad you’ve joined us here in the blogosphere. Now, it really wasn’t that painful, was it?
by Kate Douglas · October 2nd, 2009 at 3:22 pmWow, Cheryl! You have a macho dog!
Yep. I think it’s the Y chromosome thing–in all species! Thanks for commenting!
by P.J. Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 4:23 pmPJM
Kate! OMG! Did your daughter say anything? Did you have to give her some sort of palusable explanation about what her mommy and daddy were doing?
The closets we ever came was our youngest son waking my husband up by sticking his wet fingers in his ear. 
by P.J. Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 4:26 pmThanks for commenting and no, joinging the blogosphere wasn’t all that painful…yet, anyway.
PJM
It’s good to have a few laughs. Can’t think of anything humorous that has happened to me recently, but I’ve been having a few laughs while watching some new sitcoms like “Modern Family.”
by Jane · October 2nd, 2009 at 6:31 pmThanks for stopping by, Jane! I haven’t watched Modern Family yet–I’m so excited about the new TV season and all the choices available! Not that I will have that much time to actually watch anything…
by P.J. Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 6:39 pmPJM
Hi, PJ! Just finished Pleasure Beach recently–what a fun read! Today I spent the day at my kids’ school as a parent helper for photo day–it’s funny how the girls mostly are very concerned with how they’re going to look while the boys are concerned with acting as if they couldn’t care less
And eavesdropping on kids’ conversations is always very entertaining! Helps make up for the frustrations of parenting somewhat 
by Fedora · October 2nd, 2009 at 7:47 pmHi, Fedora! I’m so glad you enjoyed Pleasure Beach! I had so much fun writing it. Yes, kids are funny–especially when they’re trying to impress!
by P.J. Mellor · October 2nd, 2009 at 8:50 pmThanks,
PJM
hi Pamela: hate to admit i haven’t read your books yet, but i promise i will. sent my hubby to get a new nightlight for the bathroom. its a new kind i guess and when you push the button, it either lights up white, blue or red. hubby says when you “want it” push the red button. i thought that was funny and worth a laugh. laughter is after all the best medicine and doesn’t cost us a thing, except good health, and great sex. Hee hee.
by ariane crabtree · October 2nd, 2009 at 11:09 pmThanks so much for stopping by, Ariane! Wow–an “in the mood” nightlight! Who knew?
Of course, my “red” selection would rarely be pushed! 
by P.J. Mellor · October 3rd, 2009 at 9:17 amI hope you get a chance to read my books soon and enjoy them.
PJM
Mega thanks to everyone who stopped by yesterday for my very first blog post. I’m on the schedule for the 2nd of each month and hope you will visit again!
AMY M is the winner of a free book! Please contact me personally with your snail mail address.
by P.J. Mellor · October 3rd, 2009 at 9:21 amPJM
PJ, you know I’m a big fan of yours!
I still giggle when I remember some of the stuff from Pleasure Beach…like the guy how stubs his toe on the rock, then gamely marches home, thinking the heroine will see how brave his is.
You have a knack for capturing us in all our humorous best (or worse) and making your readers giggle, chuckle and laugh out loud.
I know when I read a PJ Mellor book, that I’m going to get a sexy hot read and plenty of laughs. What can be better?
Keep it up!
by Lynn Lorenz · October 3rd, 2009 at 10:38 amI have been helping my parents transend into an “assisted” life style. My mother decided it was time to purchase her head stone and place it at the family cemetary near the Kansas/Oklahoma line. So, we take off on the adventure to go buy this headstone and then to the cemetry to mark where it should stand. One problem — my mother is blind, or nearly blind. She has only 30% eyesite in one eye. We keep going through little town and have finally exited the last little town that she remembered. I was to look for a little sign tacked to a wooden fence across the street from a house with a pole and a whirling bird on top of the pole that goes down a gravel road. ???? They are all gravel roads! What was I thinking when I agreed to this trip? As we are traveling along we come upon a silo. She says she doesn’t remember the silo. Wonderful, we’re lost. So I turn around to go back. Finally, we find the little street with the sign that is about 8″ long, 3″ high under the “Watch for stray cows” sign which is much larger. I couldn’t help but laugh — Walker Cemetary underneath the cow sign. They certainly value their cows more than the cemetary. Seriously, there were so many funny episodes during that trip where the blind was truly leading the blind. We had a great time though and will never forget that trip.
by Jan Crow · October 3rd, 2009 at 11:22 amAw, thanks so much for your praise, Lynn!
I’m so happy you stopped by and said such wonderful things about my books. I hope to see you soon!
by P.J. Mellor · October 3rd, 2009 at 8:04 pmPJM
Hi, Jane! You’re a good daughter to go to such lengths for your mom. My mother freaked out when she and Dad went to look at plots at a Veterans cemetary when she was told they stacked the coffins if she wanted to be buried with dad–she’d definitely be WITH him. Her concern? “Who gets to be on top?”
by P.J. Mellor · October 3rd, 2009 at 8:08 pmThanks for stopping by, Jane–see you soon!
PJM
Thanks so much PJ! Now, I am embarrassed, but I don’t know how to get in touch with you!
I tried to e-mail you through your website, but they kept getting returned! I am sure that the way to do it is right in front of me and I cannot see it! Sorry, if you could point me in the right direction I will get my info off to you right away!
Thanks again-
by Amy M · October 4th, 2009 at 9:47 amAmy M
I love your books, PJ! The humor in them is wonderful.
Like you, when I write inevitably something happens and its funny. Now, I go with the flow.
Since I have fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue every day is an adventure. No telling what I’m going trip over, run into or what I might say.
I made coffee the other day and couldn’t find the carafe. I needed my caffeine. So I started looking.
Finally, found it in the refridgerator. Who knows, why I stuck it in there. I’m just glad I found it.
Your blog was wonderful!
by Tambra Kendall · October 5th, 2009 at 7:23 pmHugs,
Tambra
Humor is great – I couldn’t get through a day without it.
Although, some of us need to learn that there is a time and place. I was taking a career seminar once, and we were asked to name our dream job. I thought, and considered, and pondered, and wrote down the only thing I could even consider
doing for the long term. Of course, I got called on to share with the class and had to admit that I wrote down…..heiress.
Go figure, right?
by JonettaC · October 5th, 2009 at 8:44 pmJonetta, I thought your answer was great. Hey, somebody has to do it, right?
Hugs,
by Tambra Kendall · October 6th, 2009 at 12:56 pmTambra
Thank you Tambra! I’m so glad you enjoy my books! I totally understand about the coffee pot! My husband makes coffee for me every morning before he leaves for work–probably in sefl-defense!
by PJ Mellor · October 6th, 2009 at 1:12 pmPJM
Oh, Jonetta!
I want to be an heriess too! 
I think it was a fine answer.
by PJ Mellor · October 6th, 2009 at 1:14 pmThanks so much for reading my blog and commenting. I really appreciate it!
PJM
PJ,
It sounds like you have a keeper for a hubby.That makes the writing and the dreaming so much easier.
Hugs,
by Tambra Kendall · October 6th, 2009 at 1:41 pmTambra
Oh, its so important to have sensual humor. It makes years of togetherness so much more amusing and quite motivating.
by Armenia · October 7th, 2009 at 11:25 amI love to be able to read something sexy then get smile on my face because something happens that is real that you can see it happening. The more real a book is, the better the picture is in my head of what is going on.
My funny is that my bf and I were “having fun” and we both got kind of loud. I didn’t remember that I had moved the dresser out from in front of the heater vent. Luckly we had closed the door. Well, he spanked me, and I said ouch in a joking manner. Next thing I know, my 3 year old came in the room. We heard the door open so he rolled off of me rather quick. My son came up to the side of the bed and told him to stop making his mommy get owies. WOW.
The other one is that my bf lives with a roomate who has kids. When we first got together, we went back to his house. The house was dark so we just went straight to his bedroom. Well things happened. The next day his roomates 9 year old daughter to him that she doesn’t like it when I come over because there are strange noises that come out of his room. I don’t go over there when the kids are there anymore.
by Gina · October 8th, 2009 at 4:21 amAbsolutely, Tambra! Besides, I’ve kept my husband too long to return him now.
by PJ Mellor · October 8th, 2009 at 8:51 amPJM
I agree, Armenia! Being able to laugh is a must! Thanks for commenting!
by PJ Mellor · October 8th, 2009 at 8:53 amPJM
Oh, wow, Gina! How did you and your bf explain things to your 3 year old?
I had a freind once who told her little boy they were wrestling and he asked if she needed his help b/c daddy looked like he was winning. 
by PJ Mellor · October 8th, 2009 at 8:56 amI don’t blame you–I wouldn’t go to bf’s house anymore when his rommate had the kids either!
Thanks for stopping by and sharing!
PJM