Leona Pence
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I started reading romance novels in high school. The
library only allowed us to check out four books at a time. I got four, my
sister, Judi, got four, and in two
weeks, all eight had been read by me, Judi and mom. We read every Emilie Loring
book we could find. I spent an hour trying to think of her name today. I
checked Amazon and found a lot of her books, but only one in Kindle format.
It’s free, and if you read this, you won’t regret it. Emilie Loring: The Trail
of Conflict.
Then I discovered Regency Romance books by Barbara
Cartland - my all-time favorite. The
Dukes, Princes, Lords etc. may have been rakes, but the heroines were always
virginal and stayed that way until they were married. The romance was powerful. I’ve also read a
gazillion Harlequin romance books.
It’s no wonder I write romance. My story has one thirty-three year old
virgin. My daughters laughed until tears ran down their faces at the idea. My
two other heroines were a little more worldly. I don’t mind reading sexual scenes
in good romance novels. I’m not crazy
about graphic descriptions though. In my writing, I prefer to leave more to the
imagination. Maybe it’s my age, but I
have too many grandchildren who will read what I write. I have to be able to
look them in the eye.
Leona Pence is a widow who started writing late in life after she lost her husband of forty-four years. She has written one novel, yet unpublished,
and hopes this will be the year it happens. She's a mentor in F2K, a free online
writing course.
Hey Leo!
ReplyDeleteI just know this will be your year. You have been a great inspiration for countless writers, myself included. Thank you for this sneak peak of your motivation to write romance.
Thank you for your knd words, TJ. I hope this is indeed my year.
DeleteLeo, your blog post made me smile. I love that you, your mom, and your sister all read those 8 romance books each time. :) I bought that book just now. I can't wait to check it out.
ReplyDeleteI love reading romance and I'm trying really hard to write one, but those sex scenes will be the death of me. I keep thinking about what my children will say so I know exactly how you feel. LOL! This WILL be your year for publication! Don't give up.
Love scenes ARE challenging! It takes me a while to get them right. The most important thing about them, I think, is making sure they fit the tone of the story and don't simply leave the plot. I've read plenty of love scenes that you could pretty much just extract from one book and insert into another with little noticeable difference :)
DeleteOne book you might want to check out is "The Joy of Writing Sex" by Elizabeth Benedict: http://www.amazon.com/The-Joy-Writing-Sex-Fiction/dp/0805069933/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360165531&sr=8-1&keywords=the+joy+of+writing+sex
Great excerpts from various genres of books and tips on how to fit them into certain scenarios.
Thanks, Von, surely two predictions of this being my year to publish can't be wrong. I won't give up anytimee soon. Good luck with your book.
DeleteThanks for the book suggestion, Mysti! I will definitely check it out. I'm so nervous about writing the love scenes that I keep abandoning my novel!
DeleteLeo:
ReplyDeleteI wish you well on your own journey into the writing world. As TJ pointed out, you have been helpful to so many others, it may be time to be helpful to yourself. As Tinkerbell once said, "You just have to believe!" That is a loose quote.
You also have to be a real human as a writer. If you hadn't had a sex life there wouldn't be any grand kids eyes to look into. Give yourself an opportunity, Leo. You definitely deserve it!
Thanks, Tom, you make a good point about the grandkids. lol
DeleteI appreciate your good wishes.
Thanks for sharing, TJ. I think a lot of writers struggle with the idea that someone they know, family or friend, will read their hot romance scenes. It gives me pause. :)
ReplyDeleteSo true, Lisa. Thanks for reading my post.
DeleteLeo, I'm with you on the graphic sex issue. I write a lot of fanfics and tend to keep those scenes more sensual than sexual, in fact some of my fellow fanfic writers refer to it as Mum's brand of smut lite.
ReplyDeleteI know Romance publishers have a very specific format that they like. Don't let it stop you from telling a story the way you want to.
Best wishes on getting your novel published.
Smut lits ... I like that. lol
DeleteThanks, Mum, for your good wishes.
Hello Leona! I read loads of Barbara Cartland too! I'd completely forgotten reading her. Thanks for the reminder :) Yes, writing `romantic' scenes can be a challenge because it's so easy to cross that line into smut LOL I've read some scenes that ended up being hilarious because it was too detailed and I don't think that's the reaction any author wants their readers to have when reading a bedroom scene :) Wonderful post!
ReplyDelete
DeleteThanks, Amelia, and I agree it's not a good sign when you can laugh through the sex scenes.
Hey Leona,
ReplyDeleteThanks for letting me know about that book. I went to Amazon and got me a copy too.
I've read your book and I KNOW it will be published. You did a FANTASTIC job with it. Everyone will want a copy.
Good luck!
Lindainbama