Sayer Adams's Blog
August 24, 2011
The Big Question
The big question when it comes to romance novels is about love or sex scenes. How far into the book should the first one be? How often should the characters be having sex "onscreen?" How explicit should the sex scenes be?
In my first book, Blindsided, I modified the old maxim regarding saving your work: sex early; sex often. Chelsea and Nate get busy rather quickly and perhaps faster than a lot of people would in real life. But a lot of people DO jump into bed quickly, and this made sense for those characters.
In my new book, the characters are taking things a little bit slower. They have some baggage and jumping right into sex isn't who they are. (If you live for sex scenes, don't worry. There are some smoking flashbacks early on.)
On to frequency. I like to let my characters' sex lives flow from the rest of their interactions. Since romance novels follow the beginning of a relationship, a lot of sex is not out of the question, but it needs to make sense.
In terms of explicitness, I think of my scenes as R+ or maybe X-. They're not the most explicit scenes in the world, but they're certainly not appropriate for children. Some of my word choices vary by character since everyone thinks about sex a little bit differently. I try to make everything make sense for my characters because I hate reading books where this isn't the case. An uptight heroine who can barely stand to look at herself naked is unlikely to think in the same terms as a heroine who is a worldly, hyper-sexual temptress.
What do you think about the love scenes in romance novels?
In my first book, Blindsided, I modified the old maxim regarding saving your work: sex early; sex often. Chelsea and Nate get busy rather quickly and perhaps faster than a lot of people would in real life. But a lot of people DO jump into bed quickly, and this made sense for those characters.
In my new book, the characters are taking things a little bit slower. They have some baggage and jumping right into sex isn't who they are. (If you live for sex scenes, don't worry. There are some smoking flashbacks early on.)
On to frequency. I like to let my characters' sex lives flow from the rest of their interactions. Since romance novels follow the beginning of a relationship, a lot of sex is not out of the question, but it needs to make sense.
In terms of explicitness, I think of my scenes as R+ or maybe X-. They're not the most explicit scenes in the world, but they're certainly not appropriate for children. Some of my word choices vary by character since everyone thinks about sex a little bit differently. I try to make everything make sense for my characters because I hate reading books where this isn't the case. An uptight heroine who can barely stand to look at herself naked is unlikely to think in the same terms as a heroine who is a worldly, hyper-sexual temptress.
What do you think about the love scenes in romance novels?
August 23, 2011
A bit about me
I'm feeling narcissitic today, so I figured I'd write a little bio for anyone who is interested.
The most interesting thing about me is that I'm a full-time RVer. This means I live in my motorhome. I don't have a permanent residence. My husband works for a Major Corporation and is able to do so from wherever we are with just an internet connection and decent cell phone coverage. As a writer, I have what I like to call "geographic freedom" as well. We change locations approximately once every two months. In the winter we stay in one place for about four months simply because about half of the country is too cold.
Right now, we're in the panhandle of Idaho. It's very pretty here. Before I started traveling extensively, I had no idea that Idaho was a beautiful, mountainous state made up primarily of National Forests. My six years of living on the road have taught me a lot!
If you have any questions about RVing, travel or favorite spots, I'm happy to answer them!
The most interesting thing about me is that I'm a full-time RVer. This means I live in my motorhome. I don't have a permanent residence. My husband works for a Major Corporation and is able to do so from wherever we are with just an internet connection and decent cell phone coverage. As a writer, I have what I like to call "geographic freedom" as well. We change locations approximately once every two months. In the winter we stay in one place for about four months simply because about half of the country is too cold.
Right now, we're in the panhandle of Idaho. It's very pretty here. Before I started traveling extensively, I had no idea that Idaho was a beautiful, mountainous state made up primarily of National Forests. My six years of living on the road have taught me a lot!
If you have any questions about RVing, travel or favorite spots, I'm happy to answer them!
August 4, 2011
As Yet Untitled
I'm working on my as yet untitled second installment of the With the Band series. I'm doing so at the lake house we've rented for three weeks. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting distracted by kayaking, loon watching, swimming and reading in a tube in the water. It's probably good that I don't have an actual publisher to answer to at this point.
August 3, 2011
Hello!
I'm never sure how to write a first blog post. Do I introduce myself? That seems silly since my name is at the top of the page. Instead I'm going to introduce you to the hero and heroine from my newest book, the second in the With the Band series. They're more interesting anyway!
Tasha Reynolds is an orthopedic surgeon living in an idyllic small town along the Hudson River in New York. She has worked hard to create a life of order and habit for herself. A life that is far from the chaos that a certain bad boy once brought before he broke her heart.
Sean Monroe is the drummer for the now-retired band Blindside. (You may have met the singer, Nate, in the first With the Band book, Blindsided.) Sean finds himself adrift upon retirement from his rock n' roll lifestyle and walks back into Tasha's life, hoping he can get back what he knows they had.
These two are having fun messing with me. Every page they seem intent on showing me a new facet of themselves. It's a heck of a ride and I can't wait to share it with you!
Tasha Reynolds is an orthopedic surgeon living in an idyllic small town along the Hudson River in New York. She has worked hard to create a life of order and habit for herself. A life that is far from the chaos that a certain bad boy once brought before he broke her heart.
Sean Monroe is the drummer for the now-retired band Blindside. (You may have met the singer, Nate, in the first With the Band book, Blindsided.) Sean finds himself adrift upon retirement from his rock n' roll lifestyle and walks back into Tasha's life, hoping he can get back what he knows they had.
These two are having fun messing with me. Every page they seem intent on showing me a new facet of themselves. It's a heck of a ride and I can't wait to share it with you!
