Osiyo~

I’ve turned the Ranch, or at least the round pen, over to my guest today. Let’s show Flame Arden some Ranch love!

 …a Lady gets?

Perhaps, if you are an author, and decide to write her story.

But what if what the lady wants is not good for her? Or for the hero I’m reading one of those stories now.

What if the two are like poison to each other and bring out their worst traits?

Or he gives her hives? My husband made my nose itch when we first met. His bath soap was the culprit, so I only had to toss the soap, not my future mate.

What if the man is exactly who the heroine needs and wants, but is the kind of man she promised her father she’d avoid. Good conflict, but may be a difficult story to write.

What if she can’t please herself and her family. What will she decide to do? Can love conquer all? Write the story and find out.

Suppose the hero is the absolute worst choice for a mate, but she’s constantly drawn to him, and her thoughts go to him whenever he’s not around. Could she make it work? she wonders.

Not if she tries to change him, and not if she’s counting on him to change, but if she loves him with all her heart — warts and all — she can overlook his faults if he has enough good qualities to attract and sustain her love. This might be the easiest story to write, because unconditional love is at its heart.

No woman wants a doormat for a mate. Give your hero some backbone. Let the couple disagree on principle, but lovingly come back together through compromise.

I don’t care for heroines who are barracudas, eating their way through life at someone else’s expense. A little assertiveness goes a long way. Have your heroine stand up for her beliefs, but refuse to step on someone else’s toes when she does.

Men prefer their women soft and yielding. I like to write about a feminine heroine with unshakeable inner strength. Like the early settlers who crossed the prairie in covered wagons, a woman never knows what she’ll be called on to bear, and her strength will come in handy if her mate loses his job or becomes disabled and she is forced to give up her sheltered life and become head of the household.  Give her the skills she’ll need to succeed, and a willing heart.

It’s all right for your type-A hero to set goals and strive to attain them, but allow him time to stop and lend others a helping hand along the way. Don’t allow him to make enemies so everyone can look up to him. In other words make him likeable, and he’ll jump right off the page and into your reader’s heart.

In Christmas Eve, my recent release from Evernight Publishing, Eve Adohr is a successful but unfulfilled Real Estate Agent. Nick St. Clair owns a Las Vegas hotel and casino, but his personal life in non-existent. A snowstorm on Christmas Eve bring these two strangers together, but pheromone sensors, sexual attraction and a taste  of romance keep them there, allowing  the couple time to fall in love.

Here’s a blurb:

In a blinding snowstorm on Christmas Eve, the jaded owner of a posh Las Vegas casino mistakes the stranded real estate agent at his door for the classy call girl he’s expecting to heat up his holiday.

Passions ignite. Eve has learned men believe bedding her the most direct route to her wealth. Nick’s female companions always want the keys to his Ferrari and to his safe deposit box, never to his heart, so he distrusts the entire lot and expects to simply walk away unscathed when his brief time with Eve ends.

Neither expects to give marriage a try, but hearts have a way of going where cautious souls refuse, and after screwing their heads off for six days and nights Nick and Eve discover without love their former lives were little more than empty shells.

And an excerpt:

Finally. Nick St. Clair took one last look around. Everything seemed in order. Don’t let your irritation at your hired date’s tardiness show. She might have a reasonable excuse for being late.

Straightening the lapels of his hip-length robe, he crossed to the door. Beneath the robe, black silk pajama pants provided minimal warmth but kept him decent.

“I’m sorry to disturb you,” the statuesque woman on his porch said with a bright smile, “but I’ve done something really stupid and wondered if you—”

“Don’t just stand there.” Nick opened the door wider, anxious to see what his credit card had purchased this time. “Come in.”

“Thanks.” After a slight hesitation, the woman stepped gracefully inside. Ice crystals clung to the fine wool scarf wrapped loosely around her neck, and to her stylish boots. She was all bundled up in a long coat, but Nick’s mind’s eye had no difficulty sketching what he hoped was hidden underneath.

The lady wore far too many clothes.

“I’m afraid my boots are wet.” She glanced first at him. His welcoming smile seemed to stun her. She stared at her boots. “Where would you like me to stand?”

“By the fire.” Nick indicated the hearth. “You look frozen.” Although in need of a woman, he had no desire to bed an icicle. He wasn’t that desperate. Yet.

She crossed the room at a slow pace, her fluid movements an aphrodisiac to him, although each tentative step left behind a patch of melting ice. Sex-deprived man that he was, his living room suddenly felt too warm. Things were looking up.

“I’ve been busy on the computer,” he said, surprised by the sudden gruffness of his usually smooth voice. He joined her before the fire. “I hadn’t noticed it had begun to snow.”

A soft-looking, hooded leather coat covered her to her ankles. What lay beneath all those layers?

To his surprise, the unknown whetted his appetite. “Here, let me help you out of that coat.”

“No.”

No? Her response drew Nick up short.

“That won’t be necessary,” she said, her sexy eyes wide. “I’ll just keep it on, since I’m hoping we’ll be going right back out.”

Out? Was this some sort of sex game played to excite him?

“Problem is…” She paused, smiling up at him, even daring to bat her eyes.

Unusual eyes, those. Emeralds, flecked with gold, and about all Nick could see of his date at the moment. He found the situation so damned erotic he began to sweat.

“… my car slid in the ditch next door,” she added, drawing his thoughts from what treasures her long coat might hide. “I wouldn’t bother you, but this mountain seems to be out of my cell phone’s service area and I wondered if I might use your phone to call for a tow.”

The dimple nestled in the satiny cheek nearest Nick flirted with him as she spoke. Intriguing. Might as well play along. “Sure.”

***

What, or who, is your favorite hero or heroine? Leave a comment for a chance to win a download of Christmas Eve.

Flame Arden sounds like a well-bred Southern lady. Nothing could be further from the truth. She claims to write sex scenes with ‘squirm factor’. You be the judge as she opens the boudoir door to one-man, one-woman erotic relationships and gives you a glimpse inside. A happy and lasting marriage has prepared Flame to write sizzling love scenes, and she doesn’t disappoint.

Flame Arden hangs out here:

http://flamearden.wordpress.com/ 

http://www.flamearden.com/index.html

http://www.flamearden.com/page4.html

http://twitter.com/FlameArden

And you can download Christmas Eve here:

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/flame-arden/ 

Or from your favorite eBook store.

Thanks Flame! And be sure to come back on the 21st to meet another guest who’s touring right now. Until Friday!

Dodadagohvi~