Aphrodisia Authors :: Blog

I’m so sad to hear that one of my favorite writers has passed away. Dick Francis died on Valentine’s Day, at the age of 89. He was born in Wales, was a very successful jockey, then turned his hand to writing mysteries. More than 40 of them, and they almost always had something to do with the world of horse-racing.

I think I’ve read every single one of his books, and I’d happily read them again. And again. They’ll be on my keeper shelf forever. Yes, I love horses and I always enjoy a good mystery, but the real hook for me is his heroes.

Oh my God, do I love his heroes! They’re not always the biggest, most muscular, super handsome guys. What they are is strong in all the ways that count. They’re leaders, the kind of men who solve problems and save lives, who are intensely loyal and passionately devoted to doing the right thing. They have guts and integrity. And they never boast. They’re the quiet, unassuming kind that always comes through in a crunch. They’re also dead sexy and have a dry sense of humor.

Is it any wonder that every hero I write has a lot in common with the heroes in Dick Francis’s books? Of course, mine do tend to be super handsome because, after all, I write romance rather than mystery and we women do like our hot guys!

My January release, Sex on the Beach, has three sexy heroes. It’s a collection of three interrelated novellas all taking place in Belize, in the week before a destination wedding.

The first hero, Free Lafontaine, is an unusual sort of hero because he’s actually trying to stop his best friend from getting married – but he’s doing it for noble reasons: he believes the bride is a money-grubber and he’s honouring a promise to his friend. Of course, he’s going to realize he’s dead wrong – with a little help from wedding planner Sarah McCann!

The second hero, Ric Nunez, is the perfect man for Tamiko Sato, the fragile victim of sexual abuse. He’s gentle and sensual, and awakens the passionate woman inside her. Every woman deserves a lover like Ric!

And then there’s the third hero, James Moncrieff. When he was married to Giovanna, he was a stuffy professor who was definitely not the right match for the vibrant but immature Italian girl. Now, though, he’s about to show his ex that he’s a far different – far sexier! – man.

What I want to hear from you is, who are your favorite heroes? Writers who you’ve loved for years? What makes for a perfect romance hero?

By the way, I’m thrilled to announce that my December book, Sex Drive, is a Fresh Pick at Fresh Fiction today, and it will also be Cosmo “red hot read” for May!

Happy reading, and happy Olympics!

I do! As I write this, the rain is pouring down outside my window. OK, that’s Vancouver, BC, and that’s pretty much the story in winter. For me, I prefer this to snow (though snow is definitely prettier!) because when it’s raining the temperature is at least above freezing, and I hate being cold. Here’s a photo of Vancouver, BC in winter. Lovely, eh?

Often, I think that I’d rather do away with winter. Except, then I remember a kids’ book I once read. Did anyone else read the Pookie (the rabbit with wings) books, about all those cute woodland creatures? I loved those books! In one, Pookie Puts The World Right, he makes the mistake of wishing there’d be no winter. Well, of course that totally messes things up, upsetting the whole balance of nature. So, okay, I guess we kind of need winter. I try to remember that, as the rain pours down.

The thing is, I thrive on sunshine and warmth. I inherited that from both my parents, who had the habit of pulling me out of school in winter and driving down to Mexico.

Anyhow, it was this kind of thinking that, once upon a time (as they say in those wonderful kids’ books), led me to the idea for my January release from Berkley Heat, Sex On The Beach. (Yeah, the drink. And yeah, the other kind too – LOL.)

It’s set in Belize. Seriously, wouldn’t you rather be in Belize right now?

That’s exactly what I thought. And what do people do in Belize? A lot of them get married. In winter, tropical places are prime for destination weddings, where the bride and groom invite their family and close friends for a tropical holiday plus a wedding celebration.

That’s the setting for my book. And no, the bride and groom aren’t one of the couples, though they have a subplot and lessons to learn and teach. The book features three different romances.

In “War of the Sexes,” wedding planner Sarah McCann learns that the groom’s best friend, Free Lafontaine, intends to save his pal from the mistake of marriage. It’s an all-out war between the sexes – a war that just might have two winners!

In “Sex With the Proper Stranger,” model Tamiko Sato comes to the wedding as arm-candy for the groom’s deep-in-the-closet uncle, so what’s she to do when resort manager Ric Nuñez proves far too tempting? Is Ric the man who can heal her wounded heart?

In “Sexy Exes,” Giovanna Moncrieff and her ex, James, mix as well as Italian olive oil and English tonic water, so it’s embarrassing – and exciting! – to discover the flame of passion still burns. Is true love possible the second time around?

I had a lovely time escaping to Belize while I wrote that book. I hope readers will enjoy the same kind of mid-winter escape.

So, what I’d like to know today is, how do you feel about winter? If you’re a skier or snowboarder, you probably love it. Personally, I’m a walk-on-the-beacher – in summer, in bare feet! What do you like or hate about winter? If you could be anywhere right now, where would it be?

And hey, while we’re at it, what are your favorite kids’ books? As well as Pookie, I’ll put in a plug for the Penelope books, written by one of my local writing friends, Sheri Radford. You can check them out here: http://www.sheriradford.com/ They don’t have rabbits with wings, but they have a spunky little girl heroine with lessons to learn, and some great artwork.

It’s been a while since we’ve had a sexy post here at the Aphro site. I figure, it’s the season to be jolly, and what’s more jolly than . . . sex in interesting places!

When I started my Wild Ride to Love series, the concept was that three sisters would travel home by planes, trains, and automobiles to their baby sister’s wedding – and along the way, each would have a sexy romance. Fun idea, isn’t it? A physical journey, and the sexy journey of falling in love.

So, I started writing the first book, Sex Drive, which is out this month. Repressed professor Theresa Fallon, the eldest sister, lives in Sidney, Australia, so of course she has to travel home by planes to Vancouver, BC. One flight from Sydney to Honolulu, then another from Honolulu to Vancouver. And of course I had to give her an ultra-sexy seatmate, in Damien Black, thriller writer and one of Australia’s 10 sexiest bachelors!

Well, there they were, eating and drinking and flirting, on that first very long flight and . . . well, it’s an Aphrodisia book so we know the in-flight entertainment is going to get down and dirty, right? On a plane. Have you ever done it on a plane? There’s not all that much room, or privacy, is there? And yet, somehow Theresa and Damien manage. Where there’s a will, there’s a way!

Still, I couldn’t imagine restricting their sex scenes to the confines of an airplane (I have an imagination, but it’s not that creative!), so I gave Damien a stop in Honolulu for a reading/signing at a bookstore, and he persuades Theresa to overnight there with him. And that opened up other interesting possibilities. Yes, the hotel room has a bed, but Waikiki Beach by moonlight just begs for a little skinny-dipping, don’t you think? What’s better foreplay than skinny-dipping?

[Want to view a book video of Sex Drive?]

I’ve written outdoor “maybe we’ll get caught” sex before, particularly in Champagne Rules. I’ve written firehall and firefighter training center sex in Hot in Here. Sex on the front deck of a sailboat; that’s in “Too Hot to Handle” in Men on Fire. Hmm, what are some of the other ways that inventive lovers can find to hook up?

Time for you to get into the act. What have you done, read, written, seen, imagined? What’s the most inventive place you can think of to have sex? Let’s share some spicy stuff and heat up this holiday season!

We all want our heroes to be heroic, and traditionally romance readers love heroes who are SEALs, covert ops guys, police officers, and firefighters.

Okay, but seriously… What’s it like to be in love with a man who risks his life on a regular basis? To have kids with him and hope he’ll be around to see them grow up? To hope that when you both swear those vows “till death you do part,” that death is going to be a long, long way off?

Do women just try not to think about it, or do they recognize the fear but find the strength to handle it?

In my November story “Too Hot to Handle” (in Men on Fire), heroine Jade Rousseau’s dad was a cop. When he was almost killed on the job, she and her mom were so traumatized that her mom persuaded him to switch to a desk job.

Jade herself became risk-averse. If you play it safe, you can’t get hurt, right? Well, her beliefs are challenged when her girlfriends “buy” her the wrong guy at a bachelor auction. She needs a faux fiancé and wants a nice, traditional white-collar guy. Instead, she gets sexy Quinn O’Malley.

Quinn lives on a sailboat, rides a motorbike, and – oh, yeah – he’s a firefighter. Not only a firefighter, but one who has a personal vendetta against fire. It claimed his family, and it’s not going to take any more lives if he has anything to say about it. So, on the job, he’s a risk-taker.

What does a woman like Jade do when she starts to fall for a man like Quinn? Well, to find out how that particular romance turns out, you’ll just have to read the story. Okay, you know how it turns out – it’s a romance, after all! – but to find out how the two of them resolve their pretty major differences, you’ll have to do some reading. If you’d like to start with an excerpt, go to the MEN ON FIRE page at my website: http://www.susanlyons.ca. I also have behind-the-scenes notes, blurbs for all 3 novellas, a discussion guide, and recipes for the “it’s raining men” cocktail and decadent chocolate Nanaimo bars!

Anyhow, what I’d like to know today is how you feel about high-risk heroes and the women who love them. Or, in reverse, women in high-risk occupations and the men who love them. In fiction, and in real life, what kind of person does it take to love someone who endangers their life on a regular basis?

And, as a reader, what’s your favourite kind of hero: the high-risk ones, the billionaires, the brilliant scientists, the doctors who save lives, the lawyers who fight for justice, or ????

Last weekend I was at the fabulous Emerald City Writers Conference and participated in the book fair. I had a couple of books for sale, plus cover flats for three upcoming titles. It was really interesting to see which covers readers gravitated to.

OK, call it a mini focus group. What most appeals to women readers of sexy romance?

Of course, we writers usually have very little input when it comes to covers. And of course, our expertise is in writing, not marketing, so maybe that’s a good thing!

What I’ve noticed, especially for the steamier romances, is that there are two trends these days: the hottie guy and the clinch – often headless, in both cases.

Among the women who stopped by my signing table on Saturday, I’d say there was roughly a 50/50 split as to who preferred which.

I’d like to know what you think. Here are covers for my two next books. The first (late October) is MEN ON FIRE, and the cover says it all, doesn’t it? It’s a sexy anthology with three hot firefighter heroes (written by Rachelle Chase, Jodi Lynn Copeland, and me). The second (late November) is SEX DRIVE, the first book in my Wild Ride to Love series. It’s a sensual, romantic, attraction of opposites love story. And again, isn’t that exactly what the cover conveys? And then, in Anne Rainey’s post (below Devyn’s), there’s the cover for the March antho I’m in with her and Kate Pearce, SOME LIKE IT ROUGH (and you can see from the comments to that post, readers love that cover too).

So hurray, I think Kensington did a great job with all these covers. But how about you? Which one would you pick up first if you saw them – face out, of course! – on the shelf in your local bookstore? MEN ON FIRE, SEX DRIVE, or SOME LIKE IT ROUGH? What stands out for you about that particular one?

I’ll draw a name from among those who comment, and you’ll win autographed cover flats for all three books. I’ll announce the winner on Sunday, in the comments to this post.

Do you ever wonder what this world is coming to?

Hmm, that’s something my mom often used to say. Am I turning into my mother? Oh well, there are worse things – she was a smart, classy lady!

Anyhow, in general I’m an optimist. I believe the glass is half full rather than half empty, and I see the best in people.

But, recently. . .

• A friend told me about her tenants, who totally trashed the apartment just before moving out. And that’s after they asked for their damage deposit back early and she, trusting them, gave it to them.

• Another friend told me about a relative who doesn’t insure his vehicles though he can well afford it. He’s self-centred enough to really not give a damn about protecting anyone he might injure.

• I see authors lamenting the fact that readers are stealing their books. People who probably wouldn’t think of walking into a store and stealing something off the shelf are doing it all the time through e-piracy sites (like somehow, if it’s on the internet, that makes theft okay?).

• I could go on with examples, but it’s too depressing.

How do people get to be self-centred and mean? What makes them not care about hurting other people? In a way, I feel sorry for them. But I feel way more sorry for the people they harm.
However, that’s the “glass half full” side of things. There are lots of wonderful examples of kindness and generosity and I see a lot of them in the writing/reading community. Like:

• Readers who take time out of their busy lives to send fan mail to authors and to go online and post glowing reviews, and who blog about our books and recommend them to their friends.

• Authors who promote each other’s books and help each other out in dozens of other ways – when in fact we’re all in competition for purchasers’ book-buying dollars.

Generosity of spirit is a wonderful thing. Fortunately, it’s characteristic of many romance readers and writers. And of course, it’s a quality that all our heroines and heroes must have – if not at the beginning of a book, then by the end. In our fictional world, self-centred and mean-spirited people will never win love, and I suspect that’s pretty much true in the real world as well.

Last week, it was my turn to pick the next title my book club would read. The ladies tend toward literary fiction (it’s a Canadian thing ) so I dutifully suggested two rather intriguing literary novels. But I offered a third option, because I had a craving . . . to read an old James Bond novel. So I suggested that we each read a Bond book and, much to my surprise, that’s what my book club decided, unanimously, to do. Thus illustrating the amazing appeal of 007!

Okay, what is it about Bond? Why is he such a powerful hero image?

When I was a teen, I loved those old Ian Fleming books, and thought James Bond was the hottest guy on the planet. Sean Connery brought him to sexy life for millions of women, as did the actors who followed him, up through Pierce Brosnan and now, of course, the (gasp!) blue-eyed, blond-haired Bond, Daniel Craig. James Bond is a hero who seems to have timeless appeal.

We all have our favorite Bonds, and mine happens to be Sean Connery. To me, his Bond is the perfect mix of skill, debonair charm, killer (pun intended) looks, and edge. Pierce’s Bond is charming, no question, but to me he didn’t have the same dangerous edge. Daniel’s has plenty of that edge, but in my opinion his charm just can’t match the Connery 007 for sophistication and worldliness.

How about you? Are you a Bond fan? What appeals to you about the character? Which actor’s interpretation is your favorite – i.e., which version of Bond would be most likely to seduce you to tell your deepest secrets? And why, in your opinion, has Bond remained one of the world’s most popular heroes?

Here I am in Washington, DC, in the middle of the Romance Writers of America national conference. Along with 2000 other women and a handful of men.

For an introvert who’s used to spending her days at the computer playing with imaginary friends, it’s pretty wild – and overwhelming! I’m living in some weird state that’s half adrenaline buzz and half stunned exhaustion.

Here are some conference highlights so far:

- DC itself. The drive in from the airport was the nicest I’ve ever seen: all water and parks and flowers. Georgetown is charming and the hotel is situated so you can wander outside and walk a block to cute little restaurants. The sunshine is lovely (we won’t talk about the humidity, which is quite an experience for someone who lives by the Pacific Northwest ocean).

- Hurray, I won a Booksellers Best Award for SHE’S ON TOP. Very cool!

- I’ve had a chance to sit down for nice long talks with both my Kensington editor and my Berkley editor, and they’re warm, intelligent, charming women. I am so lucky to be with editors like them.

- Both the bookseller of the year (Rosemary from Rosemary’s Romance Books in Brisbane, Australia) and the librarian of the year (Deborah Schneider from the King County Library System) are women I’ve known and respected for several years now, and I’m delighted to see them honored this way. They so deserve it.

- It’s so nice to actually recognize a few people amid the 2000 registrants. The first year I went to an RWA National, I knew my roommate. Period. Each year I go, I know a few more people. It’s especially great to talk to some of the other Aphrodisia authors in person rather than by email.

- At the literacy signing, real live readers came along to tell me they loved my books. That’s something I will never get tired of.

- At a luncheon I sat beside a very nice young woman and found out she was Kris from Love Letter, the German romance magazine. A while back, she asked me to do an article on Vancouver, BC, since my Awesome Foursome series is set there, and it was great to have a chance to chat with her. (By the way, if anyone wants to read the English version of the article, “Awesome Vancouver,” it on the Articles page of my website at http://www.susanlyons.ca.)

- I’m looking forward (nervously!) to presenting a workshop called “Look Who’s Talking: Mastering POV and Tense.” Oh my gosh, I’m actually presenting a workshop at RWA National! And it’s being taped for posterity. Yikes…

- And I guess really the biggest highlight is knowing that there are 2000 great women (and a handful of men!) who are writing romance, whether they’re published yet or not, who respect the genre and are working on their craft and business skills, and are investing the time and energy to get together at this conference. The energy is amazing and the mutual support is terrific. And Romance Writers of America is an incredible organization. I think the majority of us at this conference would say that our careers wouldn’t be what they are today if we hadn’t discovered RWA.

Or at least, when it comes to reading sex scenes?

My critique group got into a discussion on this subject (yes, they’d been reading my sex scenes ) and we decided it would make a great topic for an Aphrodisia blog.

What hooks you into a sex scene so deeply that you get turned on yourself? And what throws you out of a scene and maybe even grosses you out?

Of course we all have different taste – when it comes to sex in person, and sex second-hand in the books we read. So today I’d like to hear your pet peeves and your favorite turn-ons.

Let me start out with a few:

• Yes, firefighters turn me on. And so do hot guys. They say women aren’t visual, but I sure am!

• My biggest turn-on is when a sex scene finds the perfect balance of emotion, physical detail, and sensuality, the lovers truly connect with each other, and I can imagine myself as the heroine.

• I get thrown out of the scene if the story’s a contemporary and the issue of protection isn’t dealt with.

• The phrase “male nipples” makes me laugh. If she’s exploring the hero’s chest, what the heck other kind of nipples is he going to have?

• I know there are no “rules” in romance, but doesn’t it seem that the guy almost always has to give the heroine an orgasm either manually or orally (or both!) before they get to have actual intercourse? Isn’t that making sex kind of formulaic?

• It annoys me that every romance heroine seems able to enjoy wonderful orgasms through intercourse, when in fact many real live women are unable to have orgasms through intercourse.

• In one of my love scenes, the hero sucked on the heroine’s toes, and a couple of my critique partners said this was just icky. (Yes, she did have clean feet!) Seems to me, lovers suck on things that are inherently way more icky than clean toes. LOL.

• Does detailed description of male genitalia turn you on or turn you off? I’ve been urged to avoid too much mention of bulging veins .

OK, I’ve shared some of my thoughts. How about you? I’d love to know what turns your crank, and what leaves you cold.

One person who comments on this post will win an autographed copy of the very hot cover from MEN ON FIRE, a firefighter antho from Aphrodisia that’s coming in November (and available for pre-order now).

Authors all know about bad reviews. We’re hyper-sensitive to any criticism of our books (after all, they’re our babies!). But the reality is, not every book appeals to every reader, and – gasp! – some books actually are better written than others. Reviews are important in helping readers decide what they want to read. A large part of my own reading list comes from reviews. Not primarily from which books get the highest number of stars, hearts, cups or whatever, but from what the reviewers say about the books: story line, strengths, weaknesses. Tell me a book is romantic, emotional, and thought-provoking, and I’m there!

Some authors read the reviews of their books. Others say it’s a crazy thing to do and you’re only going to get upset. You might get 20 lovely reviews but if you find one bad one, you’re likely to agonize over it. Which is silly because, really, it’s only one person’s opinion, and maybe they were having a bad day, or just don’t like your type of book. But on the other hand, if that review is at the top of the list at Amazon.ca and it’s a real stinker, you can get pretty darned upset. But would any of us go so far as to sue the reviewer?

Well, it happened recently, in Russia. Not with an Amazon review, but with one in a newspaper. The book author said that, as a result of this bad review, he suffered physically and emotionally, and his career was damaged – and he wanted $150,000 in damages. Well, guess what? He won! Only $1,000, but all the same, he won. You can read about it here:

http://www.loc.gov/lawweb/servlet/lloc_news?disp3_1279_text

Now, if a review is a deliberate, mean attempt to sabotage an author’s career, and that can be proved, then maybe an author ought to be able to sue the reviewer. But in the huge majority of cases, reviews are an honest expression of the reviewer’s subjective opinion on a book. Isn’t that what a review is supposed to be? What if every review said, “This is a fabulous book written by a wonderful author. A definite keeper and the author is going on my must-read list.” Then reviews wouldn’t be very useful, would they?

The article also asks, if an author can sue a reviewer when she doesn’t like the review, will a reader be able to sue an author if she doesn’t like the book she paid good money for? (No, please no, a thousand times no!) As they say in law, it’s a slippery slope. Is it one we should start climbing? What do you think?

(And on a lighter note, what do you think of the cover for MEN ON FIRE, a firefighter anthology from Aphrodisia that will come out in November?)