Because you're dying to know...

So, after a glorious four day weekend in which I ate too much, drank too much, exercised just enough to keep those extra calories from sticking to my thighs, shopped too little and wrote next to nothing, I am finally emerging from my holiday hangover. Don’t you just love those long weekends filled with food, friends and fun? I can’t think of anything much better – except for maybe a trip to New York City.

I’m off to Manhattan this weekend where I’ll be attending a small press book fair in the heart of Midtown. Then, I’ll mosey on over to Rockefeller Center to gawk at the giant tree and take some snaps of people falling on their asses in the ice skating rink. Afterward, I’ll wander the streets of SoHo ogling cute boys, eat some chocolate from Kee’s, grab a latte at Caffé Reggio, and then hop on a train bound for New Jersey to attend the birthday party of my dear friend, the poetess. And to help celebrate the birth of such a talented human being, I’m sure I’ll consume lots of wine and pass out under the piano.

Well, how do you celebrate birthdays?

Then it’s back to Los Angeles where I’ll park my butt in front of my computer and (hopefully) pound out some pages. Or, I’ll take a nap. After 72 hours in NYC, I’m sure I’ll need one!

Ciao,
Lucie

Happy Tofurkey Day!

Ok, so, technically speaking Thanksgiving was yesterday, but I'm sure most of you are eating holiday leftovers in your pajamas and wondering just when in the hell did everyone in your family suddenly find God, give up meat and quit doing drugs?

Take Aunt Betty for instance. I mean, last year she was eating turkey and ham with the rest of the family, but this year she brought some strange incarnation of a soy bean meant to taste like turkey. Yep, Aunt Betty has discovered the joys of tofu. And she's sharing it with the rest of the family.

And what about Uncle Larry? You remember him. He's the guy who always dressed up like Santa at Christmas and usually ended the evening belly up with a bottle of pinot noir clenched in his fist. Well, Larry found Jesus and now he's on the straight and narrow. And this year, instead of bringing a case of wine with him, he's brought along some literature from his church and really wants to share his story of recovery with you.

Oh, and let's not forget about your cousin Kelly. Last Thanksgiving she wore fishnet stockings under her black minidress and was caught smoking hash in the basement with her boyfriend Snake. But this year, she's dressed like a Talbot's catalog model and she's brought her new girlfriend Tina with her.

It can only mean one thing. The world as you know it, has come to an end. Maybe it's global warming, or the never-ending war in Irag, or that Britney and K-Fed split up. Who knows really? But it's certain that the world is changing. People are looking for fulfillment in places other than a slab of beef, a bottle of booze, or a handful of pills. People are looking inside themselves and discovering their true selves.

So, I say yay for Aunt Betty, Uncle Larry and Cousin Kelly. But just don't get caught up in all the whirlwind changes going on in your family. Remember to be true to yourself, too. Even if that means eating Twizzlers for breakfast, downing dirty martinis with the girls after work, and shopping for yourself before everyone else this Holiday season.

Happy Thanksgiving!
Love,
Lucie

Give it to me...later

As a reader and writer of erotic romance, I've been wondering lately, just when is there too much sex too soon? Personally, I like to take things slowly. I like to get to know the characters before they start going at it like sex-starved rabbits who've been living in separate cages for far too long. I like to know what the stakes are for these people, what their interests are, and why they're even having sex.

Don't get me wrong, I love those delicious sex scenes where the characters practically leap off the page and into your own bed. But I like the agonizing build up, too. The seduction. The slow burn, if you will. I also like the "will they/won't they" drama. And, basically, if you're reading erotica, you pretty much know that they will eventually. But torture me a little. Tease me. Make me beg for it! Don't just give it to me handed on a silver platter like a piece of pork tenderloin.

Erotic Romance is blossoming these days, and it seems that the market is demanding more, more, more. Does that mean sooner? Faster? Even at the expense of the story? No. In some cases, certain stories will work with sex happening on page three. But other times, I feel the author is rushing me into bed with these characters. And I'm tired of it.

Basically, if you've got a great story started, I'm going to stick with it. I'm going to keep turning those pages. I like living in the characters' worlds for a while before hopping into the sack with them. Get me into bed too soon, and I'm just going to feel cheap and dirty. Or worse, cheated out of a good story.

My opinion on the matter may not be a popular one right now what with publishers demanding hotter scenes sooner, but I'm sticking to my beliefs. It is romance after all.

Ciao,
Lucie

P.S. For a great erotic chick-lit that doesn't sacrifice story for sex, check out Isabel Sharpe's ‚"What Have I Done for Me Lately." It's great fun! And smokin' hot!

Romance Under Fire

Bear with me a moment while I gripe about something that seems to be a recurring theme in my writing career. I'm really tired of having to defent what I write to people who have outdated ideas about what romantic fiction is and the type of women that read and write it. I recently had the "pleasure" of listening to a man who had quite a lot of things to say about my gender and my genre that were caustic, abrasive, and obviously uninformed. How can this man have any respect for me when I write about romance, which in his opinion is deluding women into believing that monogamy is possible and there is a guaranteed happily ever after.

And for the record, I do think monogamy is possible. It's a choice a person makes because he or she is in love and knows that cheating would most likely ruin that. And you have to examine why one cheats. Are they unhappy with the relationship? Unfulfilled? So, instead of talking to their partners about it, they just avoid the issue all together by cheating. I think if you don't believe in monogamy, then you don't believe in respecting the person you're with.

If you're in a serious relationship and opportunities to cheat arise, you have to ask yourself whether or not ruining your relationship for what will most likely be a one night stand is worth it. And if your relationship ends for other reasons, you can be glad that you didn't cheat on your partner because that would have clouded the real issues between you.

And no, not I nor 99.9% of modern American women believe in a happily ever after. We are smart and confident and know the difference between fantasy and reality. But we also know that there are good men out there who will treat us well and whom we can love and maybe marry. And we are all aware that marriages could end. It is a partnership, a commitment that must be cultivated and maintained. So 50% of all new marriages end in divorce. So what? Relationships can end. It happens, but that doesn't mean you should never marry because you "know" it's going to fail. You can't live in fear of failure. If I did, I wouldn't even get out of bed in the morning.

Obviously, this has been stewing for awhile in my head, and I just wonder how on earth this man can have any respect for me when he has such a hatred for romance. Does he think that because I believe in and enjoy romance that I'm setting myself up for disappointment in the real world? That I'm not able to separate fact from fantasy? Does he think I'm that gullible? I read romantic fiction because it's fun and entertaining. It's a fantasy I get to escape to at the end of a long day in the real world. A place to relax, laugh and enjoy learning about the romantic experiences and adventures of fictional friends.

Ok. Forgive my rant, but I just had to get that off my chest.