It's my pleasure to introduce Monica Burns, award-winning author of spicy historical and paranormal romances. Monica's historical romance, Pleasure Me (a prize offered today), was the 2011 Winner RTBookReviews Reviewers' Choice Award and 2012 Winner Gayle Wilson, Award of Excellence-Historical Category.

Hi everyone.

I’d like to thank Bronwen for inviting me to chat today. Since her blog tour is called Invitation to Romance, I tried to come up with something pithy and funny to write about being a romance writer. I failed miserably. I’m neither funny nor am I capable of anything other than “carriage wit,” a phrase attributed to my favorite romance hero of all time, Sir Percy Blakeney, AKA the Scarlet Pimpernel. For those of you who don’t know what carriage wit is, it’s that moment on your way home when you come up with that witty retort you wish you’d come up with at the time of the actual conversation. Usually, it’s one of those things you could have said to put someone who’s just insulted you, or put them in their place.

I’m hopeless when it comes to a quick comeback when in the presence of others. I always come up with a funny statement or snappy reply long after the moment when it would have made me look brilliant or at least told the bully to back off. At the very least, I would have looked intelligent. While my ability to find the right words at the right moment in real life is non-existent, as a romance writer that’s not the case.

I get to write the right retort for my hero or heroine when it happens. It might take me several moments, hours or days to write the comeback, but as a writer I have the luxury of taking my time when it involves come backs. For example, in my self-published book Obsession, there’s the seductive exchange that occurs between a hero and heroine that builds sexual tension between them. In the following exchange, Sebastian’s been injured by a bullet and Helen, the heroine, it sewing up the wound. 

“Damn it, Helen. Take care with that weapon of yours.” His hand immediately jerked away from her, and the urge to smile made her quickly bow her head.

“I’m sorry, Sebastian. I was preoccupied for a moment.”

“A distraction?” There was a note of amused satisfaction in his voice, and she looked up at him again to see dark ingots glittering with an emotion that alarmed and excited her. “Was it a pleasant one?”

“More like an annoying fly,” she retorted, dismayed to hear how breathy her response was. The man was far too attractive for his own good.

A woman on the edge of sin…

Helen Rivenall is willing to do anything to escape the brutality of her uncle’s home. But a promise of honest employment is a ruse. Drugged and auctioned off in a notorious London brothel, she finds herself won by a man who wants nothing from her except her participation in a harmless charade. Left with no choice, she reluctantly agrees, but as their web of lies grows, so does temptation and the realization that pleasure and sin are often one and the same.

A man about to lose all control…

Sebastian Rockwood, Earl of Melton is haunted by a dark secret in his past. One that taught him control is a personal trait to be valued above all others. He also learned never to give his heart to anyone. The risk is too great. Yet where Helen is concerned, his prized control is slowly giving way to temptation, and all too quickly he discovers nothing can protect him from the ultimate obsession—love.
 

Then there’s the verbal exchange that creates conflict or is the direct result of conflict. I happen to enjoy a good fight and so my characters tend to be rather scathing when they’re trying to protect their hearts. In the example below. Sebastian has been attempting to make Helen believe they belong together, but he’s not able to say those three little words that every woman wants to hear. Instead, he’s trying to convince Helen that because the sex is good between them they should be together. We all know how men can equate sex to that tender emotion they’re unwilling to admit too. Unfortunately for Sebastian, Helen is not about to be swayed by his argument.

“If I’m arrogant for believing what we have is special, then so be it,” he snarled. “But I’ll be damned if I let you throw it away over some ridiculous notion that we’re not meant for one another when our bodies say something different.”

“Desire is a finite emotion, my lord, and where you’re concerned, I find the emotion overrated and a poor substitute for another man’s embrace.”

Sometimes the witty retorts require inner thoughts as well. For instance, in Pleasure Me, which won a 2011 RT BOOKReviews award, one of the exchanges between the hero and heroine is stretched out over several paragraphs as the readers are given insight into the characters and their reaction to each other at the beginning of their relationship. Ruth has made her living as the mistress to a number of aristocrats, but she’s approaching the age of retirement. Garrick who’s a virgin, and plans to stay that way, finds himself struggling with desire for a woman he knows he can never have. The push and pull of the small scene below is one of my favorites from the book, simply because it reveals the reluctant desire between the two characters. Desire they’re both aware of, but unwilling to surrender too.

Worse, his treatment of her, whether intentional or not, differed little from the contempt Marston had shown her. The sound of the hothouse door slamming shut jerked him out of his stupor, and he ran after her. As he stepped out into the snow, he saw her making her way quickly, yet cautiously, down the slight hill toward the garden. He easily caught up with her before she could reach the barren rose trellis.

           “Ruth…I’m an ass.”

           “Of that I have no doubt,” she bit out viciously.

           He touched her elbow only to have her yank herself free of his grip to continue toward the garden. She’d only taken two steps when her feet went out from under her. Her soft cry propelled him forward, and he caught her in his arms as she fell. The scent of her swept over him as a soft shoulder pressed into his chest. He’d never realized a woman could smell so delicious all in one breath. The sound of her ragged breathing stirred something deep inside him.

           It was a predatory response on his part. He knew it wasn’t the fall that had affected her breathing, and it excited him. A tremor shook her body, which only heightened the sensation. Desire barreled its way through him as he glanced down to see his fingers splayed against her stomach, mere inches from the lush fullness of her breasts.  [CLUE TWENTY-NINE: HE]

           An image of her naked, her nipples stiff and begging to be licked flashed through his head. Almost immediately, his cock swelled in his pants. Christ Jesus, the woman was temptation personified. Her head was slightly turned away from him, exposing a delectable neck he wanted to nibble on. Without thinking, he bent his head toward her, his mouth barely brushing across her skin.

           Her sharp gasp made him jerk his head up. Where the hell was the control he’d always managed to maintain with other women and the desire they’d aroused in him. He’d already erred with her twice and had no wish to repeat his mistake. He immediately pulled back and helped her straighten upright. The minute she pulled away from him, his body protested with a strength that tightened every muscle in his body. A stark hunger gripped his insides as he noted the slight flutter on the side of her neck. He crushed his urge to reach out and drag his finger across the spot. Instead, he took a step back from her.

           “I made a mistake.”

           “More than one,” she snapped.

           “Perhaps we might start over.”

           His gaze met her wary one as he watched her mulling his suggestion over. Her violet eyes darkened suddenly, and a composed mask settled over her features.

           “I see no point in doing so, my lord. I have no wish to enter into a new liaison with any man. Particularly one who thinks gaining access to my bed is little more than a simple monetary transaction. I’m not ashamed of the way I make my living, but I offer a great deal more than the ordinary whore you mistake me for. Even Marston, for all his faults, knew that much.”

Dialogue in any form can make or break a scene. If an author can convey emotion through verbal exchanges between characters, it makes for a powerful scene. As a reader, I always enjoy it when characters are having an argument. It’s part of the tug and pull of their relationship. As the saying goes, “there’s a fine line between love and hate. I love using that type of dynamic in a scene because underneath the anger there’s the buildup of sexual tension. An author can pull the reader along with the characters and build up that anticipation that something really awesome is about to happen as the hero and heroine move to the next level in their relationship. In a second scene from Pleasure Me, Ruth’s been away for several days and Garrick’s not happy. Their argument evolves out of Garrick’s demands to know where she’s been, and his possessiveness alarms Ruth. But she’s also angry because after a less than pleasant conversation with his sister, Ruth thinks Garrick’s been attempting to buy his way into her affections, something she’s already said she won’t allow him to do.

“Angry?” She shook her head sharply, the strength of her anger surprising her. “I’m furious. First, you offer to buy the Hall for me. When I refuse, you decide to take pity on me and help me acquire the estate by not bidding against me.”

“I did not do what I did out of pity,” he growled.

“No? Then why did your sister think I was planning on retiring to the country—permanently?” She flinched as she remembered his sister saying they’d discussed her. “Don’t bother answering the question. I already know. You told her all about me. She said so herself.”

“You seem to know quite a bit about my motivations and actions after just one conversation with my sister.” His voice was a menacing rumble as anger made his eyes a piercing blue.

“Don’t try to deny the fact that you discussed me with your sister,” she snapped.

“I won’t deny that your name was mentioned. But I said nothing about the conversation you and I had at Crawley Hall.” He scowled as he leaned into her. “I simply told Lily that we were friends.”

“She didn’t believe you.” Ruth held her ground, unwilling to let him see he was intimidating her. Her heart slammed into her chest as an odd expression crossed Garrick’s face.

“I don’t give a damn what she believes. What do you believe?”

Now that I’ve shared some of my favorite dialogue between my characters, can you share with me some of your favorite scenes from books you’ve read?

Reader’s choice of Pleasure Me, eBook or print format, and a copy of Obsession (eBook only). Contest open to International, limited to countries The Book Depository ships too.

Wow! I've read Pleasure Me and it's fantastic! I thoroughly recommend it. What an awesome prize, Monica, thank you! You can buy all of Monica's books, including her new release, Obsession,  at Amazon and B&N and most other book websites and stores.