New Release, Contest, and Book Giveaway!
Thank you, Sarah, for letting me take over your blog today. I'm Randi Alexander and I write cowboy erotic romance. I'm published with The Wild Rose Press' Cowboy Kink line. My second Cowboy Kink, Her Cowboy Stud, was released March 23.
I love your tagline, Sarah. Where Dangerously Sexy and Happily-Ever-After Collide. What a perfect way to describe sensual romances. While erotica writers provide the dangerously sexy, sexy romance writers and erotic romance writers focus just as much, if not more, on the romance.
The weekend before last, I traveled to Florida to present a workshop with my Wild and Wicked Cowboys blog sister Sayde Grace. We taught aspiring romance writers to enhance both the physical and the emotional aspects of a scene.
For instance, here's the "before" paragraph, taken from my new release, Her Cowboy Stud but stripped of all emotion and sensuality:
Trace stood close, not touching anywhere but her hand. As the sun slid below the horizon, the barn darkened around them. Crickets chirruped. Trace put his other hand on the gate, corralling Macy with his arms and chest. His hip bumped her backside then pressed closer.
A perfectly good paragraph. It tells us what's happening, but it needs something more. We asked the participants to think of ways to spice it up, and we had a lot of interesting ideas coming from the group.
This is the way the paragraph was actually published in the book.
Trace stood close, not touching anywhere but her hand. She wanted more. A wave of awareness rushed down her spine. Chills wiggled through her body. As the sun slid below the horizon, the barn darkened around them. Crickets chirruped, welcoming the coming evening. Trace put his other hand on the gate, corralling Macy with his arms and chest. His hip bumped her backside then pressed closer. His scent seemed different now, more musky, with a little bit of horse tossed in. She inhaled deeply, trying to draw him closer by sheer will.
Does the second paragraph feel different to you? It lets you in on what Macy's experiencing, both in her head and in her body. (Oh, and in her heart, too!) That's the fun part of writing a romance. We want our readers to be deep in our characters' heads. To feel everything right along with them.
It's an exciting process. I try to imagine myself as the character as I write in their point of view. I "channel" the character, talk like them, use their mannerisms, become them. It's easy usually with the heroine, but sometimes the hero proves a challenge. I find myself acting tough and speaking in a low tone of voice. Sometimes I watch a cowboy movie or a military action film to be able to get into the super-macho, alpha-male point of view.
But wherever – or whoever – I am in the story, I never forget to go deep into my characters because I want my readers to love them as much as they love each other.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. As readers, what do you enjoy most when you read a spicy romance? The dangerously sexy scenes of sexual tension and physical loving? Or do you prefer the more romantic, emotional, heartfelt chapters that lead us to our happily-ever-after ending?
EXCERPT: Over 18 only please.
Macy looked at the horse's regal head and soft brown eyes. “Can I touch him?”
“You sure can." Trace winked. "Put your hand on top of the gate.”
She set her hand carefully on the wood railing. The horse came over and sniffed her. “So, why the confusing name?”
Trace breathed deeply, but on the exhale, chuckled a couple more times. “He was a rodeo bronc. Started out with some odd French name, but when he’d come out of the gate, he’d spin more than buck. So he got the nickname. And it stuck.” He ran his big hand down the horse’s nose. “Huh, old guy?”
Not sure if she dare pet the horse yet, Macy asked, “He’s old?”
“He’s gettin’ up there. But he’s still a damn good stud. Nearly every one of his foals is high-caliber buckin' stock. The mares like him, too.” He stepped behind her, took her hand from the gate, and lifted it to the horse’s nose. “He’s gentle and slow.”
He wasn’t talking about the horse any longer. His drawl stirred hot desire down low in her core, imagining him taking his time with her, pleasing her with patient licks and decadent touches. Her skin tingled where his palm pressed against her hand, guiding her fingers over The horse's soft nose. When the horse turned, he eased her hand across the side of his neck.
Trace stood close, not touching anywhere but her hand. She wanted more. A wave of awareness rushed down her spine. Chills wiggled through her body. As the sun slid below the horizon, the barn darkened around them. Crickets chirruped, welcoming the coming evening.
Trace put his other hand on the gate, corralling Macy with his arms and chest. His hip bumped her backside then pressed closer. His scent seemed different now, more musky, with a little bit of horse tossed in. She inhaled deeply, trying to draw him closer by sheer will.
“He likes a little foreplay, too,” Trace continued, his voice dropping low and seductive.
A tiny sound escaped her lips. This man was irresistible, and she had no desire to resist. “How?” she asked, the question not quite relevant. One by one, her brain cells began snapping off, preparing for the sensual bliss of what was coming next. “What kind of foreplay?”
“Mmm.” Trace took her hand back from petting the horse and ran his palm up her arm. He did the same on the other side. “Touchin’.” His calloused fingers traced her bare shoulders, along the strap of the halter top. “Your skin is so soft.”
Every nerve ending jumped and jittered at his touch. She closed her eyes, fully experiencing the contact. Her core hummed with desire and her nipples pebbled with need.
His palms spread across her bare upper back then down her sides. “You’re so small.” His hands wrapped around her waist, nearly spanning it. “You smell so good…” He pressed his face against her hair and took a deep breath. “Flowers.”
She wished she could tell him the name of her perfume, wished she could say anything. Her thoughts flowed muzzy and thick, like honey. Inside, her muscles heated and her bones melted. When she leaned back slightly, she found him there behind her, his hard chest touching her back.
His hands spread to cover her stomach, warming her through her shirt. She prayed, willed his hands to slide upward, to cup her breasts. Her tight nipples tingled with invitation as her head whirled in anticipation.
He gently turned her to face him, his hands on her shoulders.
The spin disoriented her and she clutched his arms to steady herself. Forcing her lids open, she saw his eyes, dark and dilated, shining with desire. His face so intense, it rattled a spasm through her, centering its heat in her pussy, convulsing her deep inside, sending moisture streaming from between her lips onto her panties. “Kiss me, Trace.”
To celebrate the release of Her Cowboy Stud, I'm giving away, to one lucky *commenter, an e-copy of my first erotic romance, Chase and Seduction. Just leave a comment today and we'll choose a winner tomorrow. *Commenter must be 18 years of age or older to win.
I'm also giving away a custom-made messenger bag and a $50 gift certificate to Pureromance to one subscriber to my newsletter. For more details, and to sign up for this contest, please go to my website, RandiAlexander.com And while you're there, you can read the first chapter of Her Cowboy Stud.
Good luck, and thank you!
Randi
RandiAlexander.com
WildAndWickedCowboysBlog
Her Cowboy Stud available at The Wild Rose Press Wilder Roses
Kindle version is available at Amazon.com
Thank you, Sarah, for letting me take over your blog today. I'm Randi Alexander and I write cowboy erotic romance. I'm published with The Wild Rose Press' Cowboy Kink line. My second Cowboy Kink, Her Cowboy Stud, was released March 23.
I love your tagline, Sarah. Where Dangerously Sexy and Happily-Ever-After Collide. What a perfect way to describe sensual romances. While erotica writers provide the dangerously sexy, sexy romance writers and erotic romance writers focus just as much, if not more, on the romance.
The weekend before last, I traveled to Florida to present a workshop with my Wild and Wicked Cowboys blog sister Sayde Grace. We taught aspiring romance writers to enhance both the physical and the emotional aspects of a scene.
For instance, here's the "before" paragraph, taken from my new release, Her Cowboy Stud but stripped of all emotion and sensuality:
Trace stood close, not touching anywhere but her hand. As the sun slid below the horizon, the barn darkened around them. Crickets chirruped. Trace put his other hand on the gate, corralling Macy with his arms and chest. His hip bumped her backside then pressed closer.
A perfectly good paragraph. It tells us what's happening, but it needs something more. We asked the participants to think of ways to spice it up, and we had a lot of interesting ideas coming from the group.
This is the way the paragraph was actually published in the book.
Trace stood close, not touching anywhere but her hand. She wanted more. A wave of awareness rushed down her spine. Chills wiggled through her body. As the sun slid below the horizon, the barn darkened around them. Crickets chirruped, welcoming the coming evening. Trace put his other hand on the gate, corralling Macy with his arms and chest. His hip bumped her backside then pressed closer. His scent seemed different now, more musky, with a little bit of horse tossed in. She inhaled deeply, trying to draw him closer by sheer will.
Does the second paragraph feel different to you? It lets you in on what Macy's experiencing, both in her head and in her body. (Oh, and in her heart, too!) That's the fun part of writing a romance. We want our readers to be deep in our characters' heads. To feel everything right along with them.
It's an exciting process. I try to imagine myself as the character as I write in their point of view. I "channel" the character, talk like them, use their mannerisms, become them. It's easy usually with the heroine, but sometimes the hero proves a challenge. I find myself acting tough and speaking in a low tone of voice. Sometimes I watch a cowboy movie or a military action film to be able to get into the super-macho, alpha-male point of view.
But wherever – or whoever – I am in the story, I never forget to go deep into my characters because I want my readers to love them as much as they love each other.
I'd love to hear your thoughts. As readers, what do you enjoy most when you read a spicy romance? The dangerously sexy scenes of sexual tension and physical loving? Or do you prefer the more romantic, emotional, heartfelt chapters that lead us to our happily-ever-after ending?
Trace McGonagall’s quiet life on his Houston stud ranch is shaken up when gorgeous Macy Veralta arrives to claim an inheritance left to her in his uncle’s will. Trace sees her as just another gold digger, but he also can’t resist her curvy body. When she hints at being the perfect submissive to his Dom, he has to have her.
Macy wouldn’t have been three months late to claim her inheritance if she’d known Trace was sin in jeans. The cowboy’s dominant bearing and the smoldering glint in his eyes send shivers to her toes and stirs images of being bound in his bed and disciplined at his hand. But could Trace’s perfect seduction be part of his plan to reclaim her inheritance?
EXCERPT: Over 18 only please.
Macy looked at the horse's regal head and soft brown eyes. “Can I touch him?”
“You sure can." Trace winked. "Put your hand on top of the gate.”
She set her hand carefully on the wood railing. The horse came over and sniffed her. “So, why the confusing name?”
Trace breathed deeply, but on the exhale, chuckled a couple more times. “He was a rodeo bronc. Started out with some odd French name, but when he’d come out of the gate, he’d spin more than buck. So he got the nickname. And it stuck.” He ran his big hand down the horse’s nose. “Huh, old guy?”
Not sure if she dare pet the horse yet, Macy asked, “He’s old?”
“He’s gettin’ up there. But he’s still a damn good stud. Nearly every one of his foals is high-caliber buckin' stock. The mares like him, too.” He stepped behind her, took her hand from the gate, and lifted it to the horse’s nose. “He’s gentle and slow.”
He wasn’t talking about the horse any longer. His drawl stirred hot desire down low in her core, imagining him taking his time with her, pleasing her with patient licks and decadent touches. Her skin tingled where his palm pressed against her hand, guiding her fingers over The horse's soft nose. When the horse turned, he eased her hand across the side of his neck.
Trace stood close, not touching anywhere but her hand. She wanted more. A wave of awareness rushed down her spine. Chills wiggled through her body. As the sun slid below the horizon, the barn darkened around them. Crickets chirruped, welcoming the coming evening.
Trace put his other hand on the gate, corralling Macy with his arms and chest. His hip bumped her backside then pressed closer. His scent seemed different now, more musky, with a little bit of horse tossed in. She inhaled deeply, trying to draw him closer by sheer will.
“He likes a little foreplay, too,” Trace continued, his voice dropping low and seductive.
A tiny sound escaped her lips. This man was irresistible, and she had no desire to resist. “How?” she asked, the question not quite relevant. One by one, her brain cells began snapping off, preparing for the sensual bliss of what was coming next. “What kind of foreplay?”
“Mmm.” Trace took her hand back from petting the horse and ran his palm up her arm. He did the same on the other side. “Touchin’.” His calloused fingers traced her bare shoulders, along the strap of the halter top. “Your skin is so soft.”
Every nerve ending jumped and jittered at his touch. She closed her eyes, fully experiencing the contact. Her core hummed with desire and her nipples pebbled with need.
His palms spread across her bare upper back then down her sides. “You’re so small.” His hands wrapped around her waist, nearly spanning it. “You smell so good…” He pressed his face against her hair and took a deep breath. “Flowers.”
She wished she could tell him the name of her perfume, wished she could say anything. Her thoughts flowed muzzy and thick, like honey. Inside, her muscles heated and her bones melted. When she leaned back slightly, she found him there behind her, his hard chest touching her back.
His hands spread to cover her stomach, warming her through her shirt. She prayed, willed his hands to slide upward, to cup her breasts. Her tight nipples tingled with invitation as her head whirled in anticipation.
He gently turned her to face him, his hands on her shoulders.
The spin disoriented her and she clutched his arms to steady herself. Forcing her lids open, she saw his eyes, dark and dilated, shining with desire. His face so intense, it rattled a spasm through her, centering its heat in her pussy, convulsing her deep inside, sending moisture streaming from between her lips onto her panties. “Kiss me, Trace.”
To celebrate the release of Her Cowboy Stud, I'm giving away, to one lucky *commenter, an e-copy of my first erotic romance, Chase and Seduction. Just leave a comment today and we'll choose a winner tomorrow. *Commenter must be 18 years of age or older to win.
I'm also giving away a custom-made messenger bag and a $50 gift certificate to Pureromance to one subscriber to my newsletter. For more details, and to sign up for this contest, please go to my website, RandiAlexander.com And while you're there, you can read the first chapter of Her Cowboy Stud.
Good luck, and thank you!
Randi
RandiAlexander.com
WildAndWickedCowboysBlog
Her Cowboy Stud available at The Wild Rose Press Wilder Roses
Kindle version is available at Amazon.com
