It's In His Kiss......

I'm ankle deep into writing my next book for Harlequin Special Edition and like always, fall a little in love with my hero. This one is extra special...cowboy, widowed single dad...you get the picture. So, I'm at the kissing part...their first kiss. The kiss that will never be had again. And there's the usual pressure to 'get it right'. The right place, the right moment, the right mood.

Which of course got me thinking about favourite kisses...that's 'screen' kisses.

 

Like the scene in The NoteBook where they're kissing in the rain

Or When Richard Gere and Julia Roberts kiss in Pretty Woman ......sigh.....

 

Or when Chris Hemsworth kisses Natalie Portman in Thor.....still sighing....

Here's an old favourite, but still relevant.....

 

Do you have a favourite screen kiss?

It's In His Kiss!

by Robyn Grady

We have some incredible heroes visit this blog. Lots of great discussions on what makes a man sexy, intriguing, fun, worth the wait. All those great qualities, like a sense of humor, intelligence, determination, conscience - as well as the oh-so-lovely physical attributes we adore – are super important.

And what about when anticipation is at its peak? When we know in a book – in a movie – this is *it*. The moment when the fireworks truly begin. The heart-stopping KISS. (We have some amazing smooches here!)

For me (and I’m guessing some others) when his lips meet hers we let out that breath, smile and sigh to our toes. In a love story, that’s what we’ve been waiting for. The instant that means *everything*... the moment that exceeds all our expectations, as well as theirs.

Here’s what I mean.

No. 3 counting down on my shortlist is when Rhett Butler kisses Scarlet on that desolate bridge. He’s abandoning her to fight a battle already lost. He holds her in those big Yankee arms, and while she squirms and objects, Rhett’s lips brush hers as he murmurs, “Kiss me. Kiss me... once.” Clark Gable’s girlfriend, Jean Harlow, was on the set to see that one. She was a good sport :)

 

No. 2 is the amazingly delicious collision when Noah Colhoun and Ally finally, finally get together. (In case anyone doesn’t know the scene, the movie, I’m reliving "The Notebook".) Soooo good...although I’m always a little afraid their teeth are going to hit. Quite possibly they do.

 

No. 1 (in my humble opinion) is when Andy Garcia as Michael Green kisses Alice (Meg Ryan) in "When a Man Loves a Woman" with a longing and sincerity that brings tears to my eyes. And speaking of eyes, aren’t his sensational?!

 

Any kisses you’d like to add? Book, film or, perhaps, your own. They say real life can be better than fiction!

Stay up to date on Robyn's latest news and releases at www.robyngrady.com

In romance, how real is too real?

by Robyn Grady



One of the reasons I love romance fiction is the fact that there seems to be a story for everyone! Harlequin offers a wide range of tones, with various levels of sensuality (from sweet to scorching!) as well as lines that provide pure fantasy to real life grit and anywhere in between.

I love fantasy. There seems to be endless variations on the Cinderella theme. The movie Enchanted literally takes the fairytale and drops it dead centre of the realities of New York. An old hobo steals the princess’s tiara. A divorcing couple get nasty at the lawyer’s office. But the flavour is still deliciously light.




Then there’s Nicholas Sparks’s The Notebook (yes, I know he writes ‘love stories’ but the romance in this tale is monumental.) While there are lighter moments, the deeper subject matter propelling this story is dark: unfaithfulness, debilitating illness, treachery on a level that turns your stomach even while you sympathise with the reasoning. The close of the book is poignant – we feel hope and gut-wrenching sadness as well as a frightening sense of: ‘This could happen to anyone. This could happen to me’.

I like light. I love the escape! But I think I like heavy more. Not ‘hand to the brow’ over-the-top drama but fiction reflecting real life issues, particularly in romance where a happy ending is guaranteed no matter how tough the battle to get there.

My latest Presents - Fearless Maverick - is part of an editorial-driven continuity (that is the editors create the characters and general story arcs). Early in the story we discover that the heroine was in an accident and wears a lower-leg prosthesis. Some readers/reviewers loved the story! Romantic Times awarded it four and a half stars and said,
‘This fast-paced romance will grab readers from the start and not let go, with unforgettable characters, excellent witty and descriptive dialogue and a plot that gives us incredible in-depth detail -- it reads like a much longer novel.'

But other readers felt – well, the term I’d use is betrayed. They weren’t happy that a story, which is meant to be filled with high-stakes, should get this close to reality.

I puzzled over the responses to this book being so polarised. They loved it or, well, they didn't. Which leaves me with an interesting question about how to approach future works. But I have to say that I’d much rather have a strong response to my characters and their stories than mediocre ones.

Do you have any examples of what’s too far in romance for your tastes? Or what’s just right!