Friday, July 13, 2012

Romance by the Numbers with K D Grace

What a great topic K D brings today -- how does one define romance? Help me welcome this stimulating writer.



I’d like to thank Louisa for having me on her lovely site. It’s such a pleasure to be here!

I’d like to talk about romance. There now, that’s a real surprise, isn’t it? I had a fabulous review recently for Body Temperature and Rising. One of the reasons the reviewer liked BTR was that it was NOT a romance. I read that bit of the review with a raised eyebrow and a silly smile on my face because I’ve always considered BTR to be a paranormal erotic romance, though I can certainly see where people might think otherwise. And frankly I’m very okay with that. Some people don’t like romance. I’ll be the first to admit I’m a sucker for it, but I’m very happy to write something that pleases people both sides of the romance line.

When I wrote Body Temperature and Rising, it was in my mind to create a coven of witches who practiced a rare form of sex magic, and because it was sex magic, the coven was, in a lot of ways, a polyamourous marriage. Because of the battle the Elemental Coven is involved in, the bonds within the group are very tight and run very deep. Because the magic practiced is sex magic, the relationships between all of the coven members are sexual.

The review got me to thinking about what romance really is. To my delight, the topic of romance is a book within itself, but not one I have time to explore in one blog post so here’s a very boiled-down version of what I learned from the Free Online Dictionary.

Romance can be a love affair. It can be an ardent emotional attachment or involvement between people. It can describe something of mysterious or fascinating quality or appeal, something adventurous, heroic, or strangely beautiful. It can be a fictitious tale of heroes and extraordinary or mysterious events, usually set in a distant time or place. In the case of BTR, the English Lake District is the setting, a setting which is very beautiful and evocative, and way more distant from me that I wish it was. And BTR is definitely a tale of heroes and extraordinary and mysterious events. Romance can also be an artistic work, such as a novel, story, or film, that deals with sexual love, especially in an idealized form.

Yup! I’d say based on the good ole FOD’s definition, Body Temperature and Rising is a romance … of sorts. The fact that it appeals to non-romancers as well as romancers is just the icing and the cherry on top.  

I’ve always enjoyed pushing the boundaries of romance because complicating a relationship by adding another person or two or more makes for more conflict in the story, and in such a situation, someone is always wrong-footed. Whether or not the three plus people can find their Happy For Now or their Happy Ever After is always a crap shoot, and that’s a part of the fun. The Elemental Coven has way more than their fair share of complications, enough to last for three novels and then some. But then you’d expect romance as a group activity to be like that, wouldn’t you?

*****
American transplant to the Lake District, MARIE WARREN, didn’t know she could unleash demons and enflesh ghosts until a voyeuristic encounter on the fells ends in sex with the charming ghost, ANDERSON, and night visits from a demon. To help her cope with her embarrassing and dangerous new abilities, Anderson brings her to the ELEMENTALS, a coven of witches who practice rare sex magic that temporarily allows needy ghosts access to the pleasures of the flesh.
DEACON, the demon Marie has unleashed, holds an ancient grudge against TARA STONE, coven high priestess, and will stop at nothing to destroy all she holds dear. Marie and her landlord, the reluctant young farmer, TIM MERIWETHER, are at the top of his list. Marie and Tim must learn to wield coven magic and the numinous power of their lust to stop Deacon’s bloody rampage before the coven is torn apart and more innocent people die.
More info, excerpt and buy links: http://kdgrace.co.uk/books/lakeland-heatwave-book-i/

*****
K D Grace was born with a writing obsession. It got worse once she actually learned HOW to write. There's no treatment for it. It's progressive and chronic and quite often interferes with normal, everyday functioning. She might actually be concerned if it wasn't so damned much fun most of the time.

K D's critically acclaimed erotic romance novels, The Initiation of Ms Holly, The Pet Shop and Lakeland Heatwave Book 1: Body Temperature and Rising are published by Xcite Books and are available from all good paperback and eBook retailers.

Her erotica has been published with Xcite Books, Mammoth, Cleis Press, Harper Collins Mischief Books, Black Lace, Erotic Review, Ravenous Romance, Sweetmeats Press and Scarlet Magazine.

Find out more about K D Grace on her website, http://kdgrace.co.uk. She's also on Facebook and Twitter.

1 comment:

  1. Thanks for having me on your fabulous site, Louisia! It's such a pleasure to be here!

    KDx

    ReplyDelete