Friday, March 22, 2013

Kitty tells all: How Hotel Sex Turned Me Into A Romantic Comedy Writer



Fellow OCC/RWA member Kitty Bucholtz possesses a bigger-than-life personality. In person, you're struck by her dynamic smile, and go-get-'em personality. She tends to write romance that's a bit more "sweet" than, say, mine. OK, a lot more sweet, but also a lot more funny. Today's guest blog is a perfect example of her humorous side coming out.

I spent last weekend in a hotel with a couple hundred romance writers. The daytime events were fun and interesting and useful, but the nights were good, too.

I love nice hotels. The pillows and comforters seem softer than the ones at home. The bathroom is brighter and cleaner. (Maybe I should hire a hotel maid for home. They obviously do a great job.) Plus, I don’t have to cook or do dishes!

But I think the best part of going to a nice hotel is the hotel room sex. It just seems more fun! Of course, that could be because from the start I’ve always thought of hotel room sex as just a bit naughty.

You see, when John and I were on our honeymoon, we were getting ready to check out and he came in from loading the car, all wide-eyed. In a low voice, he said, “I think the people next door heard you last night.”

“What?” I gasped and covered my mouth. Surely not. That was about the most awful thing I could imagine when I was 22.

“I was taking the suitcases down,” John continued, “and this older couple from next door walked out of their room and when they saw me, they both smiled. The guy gave me a thumbs up and nodded toward our room and grinned. I think they heard you.”

“Oh my gosh!” I buried my face in John’s shirt. I wanted to hide. Or hurry away before anyone else saw us and said anything.

John’s chest shook under my cheek. I wanted to cry, but John doesn’t cry. Why was he - ?

I looked up at him and he burst into laughter. He laughed so hard he almost fell over. He leaned against the wall and tried to talk.

“I can’t believe it,” he said between gasps of laughter. “I can’t believe you believed me!”

What I really couldn’t believe was that my brand new husband was capable of such trickery! But over the past twenty years, I’ve learned that not only is he good at embarrassing me, he’s also got a good memory for reminding me of every single stunt he’s ever pulled. He may not remember our home phone number, but he remembers my expression that day. And he’s more than happy to embarrass me again in front of new friends.

That’s how I started thinking of hotel sex as naughty. (The night before is how I started thinking of it as awesome!)

That’s also the beginning of my journey toward writing romantic comedies. As I told a reader last weekend, sadly, yes, all of my heroes are tall, dark and handsome. I can’t seem to write them any other way. (John, standing next to me at the time, smiled and winked and said, “I’m her inspiration.”)

It’s true. Matt, the hero in my chick-lit style Little Miss Lovesick, is based partly on the actor from those old Diet Coke commercials, and partly on John.

Joe, the hero of Unexpected Superhero (book one in The Adventures of Lewis and Clarke, coming out in April), is half Hugh Jackman, half John.

I tried to make Danny from Love at the Fluff and Fold (to be released summer 2013) different. He’s a little shorter and has straight sandy-brown hair. (I don’t know how long that will last. The cover image I like has a tall, dark and handsome man in it.) But when I’m writing the best parts of Danny falling in love with Cassie, I picture John.

I can’t help myself. I think John is one of the sexiest, funniest, most handsome men I’ve ever known!

So I was pretty happy when he decided to join me at the hotel Saturday night. Because he came in late and I already had the room, it felt like a tryst.

“Listen,” I told him, “I’ve got a condom upstairs with your name on it and I really want to use it before I fall asleep!”

True to hero form, John pulled me tight against him and hit the elevator button several times. Upstairs, our door hadn’t fully closed before clothes were flying off.

Research. Gotta love it!

Little Miss Lovesick

Sydney Riley hears voices in her head...

Voices that keep her sane and voices that drive her crazy. The one thing they all agree on - forget Dirk the Jerk and move on.

So Sydney lets her friends drag her into the wilds of Northern Michigan where Little Miss Lovesick, the loudest voice in Sydney’s head, runs into - literally - the perfect man. Is hot fishing guide Matt Engel the man to vanquish heartbreak?

With the vacation flirtation behind her, Sydney is ready to start again. Soon after, however, a difficult - and must keep - client demands Sydney work with his new contractor. Yes, one and the same Matt Engel, hotter than ever and right here in town.

But when Matt’s past comes between them, Sydney wonders how to prevent another broken heart. As the rest of her life spirals out of control, she learns that sometimes a plan isn’t enough without friends to share the load.

Maybe together they can even help Little Miss Lovesick find what she’s been fishing for.






About the Author:

Kitty Bucholtz decided to combine her undergraduate degree in business, her years of experience in accounting and finance, and her graduate degree in creative writing to become a writer-turned-independent-publisher. Her first novel, Little Miss Lovesick, is now available in print and ebook format. Her next novels, Unexpected Superhero and Love at the Fluff and Fold, will be released in 2013. Her short stories can be found in the anthologies Romancing the Pages and Moonlit Encounters, available in both print and ebook format. Follow Kitty on Facebook or on Twitter.

Visit Kitty Bucholtz Online:
http://kittybucholtz.com/
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21 comments:

  1. Thanks for hosting me, Louisa! And your introduction was so awesome! I'm blushing! LOL! :)

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  2. She may write sweet but i see the naughty. You must have brought it out, Louisa! LOL Great post, Kitty. : )

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    1. LOL! Tara, I keep telling John, "I was a very good girl before I met you!" But it seems he's not the only one to not believe me. I don't understand! ;)

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  3. Um...yeah...I had to drive Kitty and John to their hotel after they got married. Kitty, if this blog made you blush, should I write something about THAT experience :) JK...I love you both...just the way you are!

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    1. LOL!! Ah, yes, I know who this is. :-P I guess you were there when it all began. We've both been incredibly lucky and blessed in love and everything that goes along with it, haven't we? :-D

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  4. Oh. My. God. I SAW the two of you before you went upstairs for your hotel sex! I feel like a voyeur now. Kind of. If you'd been in the room next to me, I would've been banging on the wall and yelling to keep it down. Just to mess with you. ;)

    John's a super cutie and it is way too sweet how you two are still so in love!

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    1. I wondered if you'd say anything, Tameri. We were quite...focused on each other when we were chatting with you guys. LOL! We have learned to have our own little song and dance to make people laugh, though! Glad you thought we were funny!

      (And you're right, he IS a super cutie! I do love my Arm Candy. LOL!)

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  5. Truly, funny! I was literally LOL. I know I was heard in the next room. Maybe, (for me anyway), it was amplified because I know Kitty and John personally. So, I can totally picture the interaction. More importantly, it makes me WANT to read ALL of your short stories, Kitty. I'm definitely going to stay posted and collect all of your stories. So glad you did this guest post. I've been looking for a good piece of fiction to read next. Now, I've found it. :-)

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    1. :-D So glad I made you laugh, Judy! That's one of my favorite things in the world, making people laugh. :) Since you know us, you already have kind of an idea about what my heroes are like, so I think you'll like my stories. LOL! If you decide to get an autographed copy (available on my web site: http://kittybucholtz.com/books/) I'll have to get the Hero to sign it, too. That would be funny! :)

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  6. Kitty - what the heck do you mean, you were a good girl before you met John? You have known him for more of your life than you haven't known him, so I think that means the naughtiness in you in firmly entrenched and irrevocable. Your good girl claims are ancient history :)

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    1. ROTFLOL!! Hey, come on, Ger! John might read this and then I have no defense against him. Come to think of it, I don't know that my defensiveness has been working for a long time. You might be right, but I'm not ready to admit it! :-P

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  7. Your bouncy personality and inner joy are simply irresistible, Kitty. You and your husband make a wonderful pair! It was so nice visiting with you this weekend at breakfast. Hmmm. No wonder you both were smiling!

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    1. Aw, thanks so much, Kathleen! What a wonderful thing to say! :) It was fun having breakfast with you. And now my secret is out! LOL!

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  8. Hmmm. I believe I was one of the people shooing you out of the hotel bar and saying, "go have sex. Go. Go!" Of course, I might be imagining it...nah. We hugged and everything, right? But as my hubby says - "what happens at conference STAYS at conference", lol! Huge hugs, hon! And yeah, your hubby is a total hottie. Just sayin'.

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    1. LOL! Yes, you *were* one of the people pushing us out the door! Thank you for that, Christine! LOL!! I agree, he's a hottie - and a keeper! LOL! Big hugs back!

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  9. Great post! When hubby and I traveled, it was arrival, hotel sex, long nap. Good thing we always traveled alone.

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    1. LOL!! Yes, it would be hard to explain to your friends why you needed to take hours to settle in and then go hang out together! LOL!

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  10. See, a good writer is a good writer! We all LOVE romance. It doesn't matter the sub genres! Thanks for the good time, Kitty!

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    1. Thanks so much for having me, Louisa! This has been so much fun! I'm glad I could make people laugh - and all the comments made ME laugh!! Perfect combination for my birthday weekend! :-D

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  11. I wasn't there for your "hotel sex" (and I'm sure you're glad about that) but I did enjoy sitting next to you at the book signing!

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    1. It was great meeting you, Janie! What fun the book signing was! Hopefully we'll be crossing paths at the next one! :)

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