Swooning tips for kick-ass heroines

I recently read a blog post by a fellow author who dislikes weak heroines. Girls with no backbone, wimpering and swooning at the slightest hint of danger, who never take charge and always wait to be saved by a powerful hero. I must say, I sympathize. I have read stories like that too. Stories in which the girl was constantly whining and fainting and getting on everybody's last nerve. I mean, come on! Are we supposed to read this as typical feminine behavior? 
There is much to be said for kick-ass chicks who can hold their own. Strong female characters should have a personality and that includes problem-solving strategies and intelligence too. Otherwise they're just decorative elements like the typical Bond girl used to be, you know, before they were allowed to know martial arts and be agents themselves.
Okay, I'm rambling. The point I was trying to make is: even strong heroines should be allowed their weak moments. Sometimes a girl wants to be saved. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying let's all go back to the 50s and behave like headless chicks or something. But don't you just love to read a story in which an old-fashioned gentleman swoops in at the right moment and offers the desperate heroine a strong arm or a shoulder to cry on - or, come to think of it, any other masculine body part in her support?
I always go all mushy and fuzzy inside when the hero sweeps the heroine off her feet and carries her out of danger / to a strategically placed bit of furniture to kiss her senseless. I love it when he goes all protective and won't let her walk on her own even if she could. Hell, even if she possessed super powers and was able to kill the villain and save the world all by herself it's neverthelss lovely to know that he cares about her and wants to protect her.
What does this say about me? I don't know and I really don't want to analyze the psychological implications of this. I'm just saying, bring on the strong heroes so a girl can swoon a bit once in a while (before she goes back to saving the world single-handedly, that is).

A few safety tips, before you to try this at home:

a) Make sure you are standing in easy catching distance of the hero so he can prop you up BEFORE you actually hit the floor.

b) Do not try to faint quietly! Eighteenth-century men may have had faint detection radar but nowadays you will have to be specific. Make sure you have your hero's full attention (turn off the TV if necessary) then let him know that you are going to faint (you could for example say "Oooh, I think I'm going to faint." Raise one hand to your forehead and let your eyes roll up into your head before you begin to sway on your feet. Then let yourself fall into his arms (make sure you fall towards him, not away from him, so he'll be able to catch you).

c) Make sure there is a comfortable piece of furniture nearby - especially if you're a stronger built like myself. You don't want to give him back pain (that can totally destroy the romantic mood). If he just stands there, holding you upright, not knowing what to do with your senseless body, you might want to suggest (in a very faint voice, of course) that he lower you onto a bed, a sofa or even a chair (as demonstrated here by the divine Sarah Bernhardt). Once you are safely (and seductively) reclining, he can concentrate on reviving you, or kiss you senseless (see above).

In case you were wondering what motivated this post: I am currently working on a contemporary erotic romance story which made me reconsider my approach to heroines. It's easier to write the swooning type in a historical romance (although even there you don't want them to be totally brainless weaklings, right?). By the way, if you want to read more about interesting techniques to revive a swooning heroine, have a look at my story HOT BUTTERED STRUMPET (please note carefully-placed publicity here). But in contemporary romance it would take a little more to make a heroine faint. Like tying her up, flogging her a little and then... Did I mention it's a BDSM story?
More to come.

Have you ever swooned strategically? Do you like swooning heroines or would you rather like to see a swooning hero once in a while? Let me know in the comments!

"Sunday snog"

My fellow TEB author Victoria Blisse has come up with a lovely idea - the Sunday snog. For those other non-British people out there: a snog is a kiss (a long one) or maybe you would call it a smooch? Whatever you call it, the idea is that we are all going to post toe-curling, mind-blowing or just sweet and sexy kiss scenes. If you want to read more more, head over to Victoria Blisse's blog.

So, without further ado and for your enjoyment here's a kiss (and a little more) from HOT BUTTERED STRUMPET:

Annie wondered just what they were going to do to her when Thomas told her to lie down in the middle of the bed, but she soon forgot to worry when six hands and three mouths began to explore her body, pleasuring her with their combined caresses.

Wren, who was kneeling on her left, was kissing her, slowly, thoroughly, running his fingers through her hair and stroking her face almost lovingly. His lips were soft but his kiss was firm and demanding, his tongue expertly exploring her mouth, while Robert was sucking her right nipple, massaging both her breasts and occasionally teasing the other nipple with his fingers. Annie’s eyes drifted closed as their gentle teasing sent ripples of pleasure through her body, straight down to her toes. The fact that she couldn’t see what they were doing intensified the feelings until every fibre of her body seemed to hum with intense pleasure.

Want more? Get your copy of HOT BUTTERED STRUMPET here.



When Wren Delahaye and his brothers take the lush barmaid Annie up to their room at the pub none of them is prepared for the intense sexual encounter the four of them are about to experience. Certainly none of them has ever seen a woman faint from sheer pleasure. But Wren and Annie are even less prepared for the feelings stirring in them.
Can they overcome the difference in social status that separate them and find true love? Will Annie be able to overcome her past and embark on a future with the man of her dreams? Wren is sure that he can convince Annie to become his wife, but he'll have to find her first…


HOT BUTTERED STRUMPET
by Mina Dorian

published by Total-E-Bound
ISBN: 978-0-85715-585-6

Guest blog by Tanith Davenport - In dreams

Today I have the great honor of welcoming my first guest to this blog. The lovely Tanith Davenport is going to tell us a little bit about how she came up with the idea for her first novel "The Hand He Dealt". You can also read a juicy excerpt from the novel below, plus you have the chance to win a copy of "The Hand He Dealt" (see details below). Thanks for stopping by on your book tour, Tanith!

Tanith Davenport: In Dreams 

I've been asked a lot where I got the idea for "The Hand He Dealt". My answer is always that it came from several different ideas combined, which is true - I had "sorority" written in my notebook way ahead of time. But the initial idea, the initial spark?

Nice clichéd answer. It came to me in a dream.

Dreams are invaluable for literary inspiration. Mine tend to be very emotional, very intense. They give me the chance to live through parts of the story, an opportunity not available from thinking and mind-mapping.

And, of course, after dreaming of a passionate threesome sandwiched between a cute blonde girl and a hot blond guy, writing it down is irresistible.

Of course, I don't include every aspect of a dream in a story. For one thing, not all of it will make sense in the cold light of day. For another, sometimes the scene in question has no place in the plot. Oh, how hard I tried to insert that specific threesome sequence into "The Hand He Dealt" - but the plot had developed so much by then that there was no room for it. Fortunately there was plenty of room for two other scenes of equal intensity.

The same stood for the character development of Astra and Harry. I woke up with the idea of a boy who thinks he's gay and his girlfriend who wants to be a man, and after some pruning I had Harry's inner turmoil and Astra's secret urge for masculinity. I also had a hot scene involving Harry that we get to view through his bedroom window - at least I was able to keep that one in!

Now I've been able to release "The Hand He Dealt" to the public and I'm working on two more, which also developed in my sleep, and I hope to be describing their genesis in interviews before too long - that would really be a dream come true.

The Hand He Dealt

by Tanith Davenport

ISBN: 978-0-85715-570-2

Genre: Contemporary Erotic Romance

Publisher: Total-e-Bound

Book Description:

Astra Scott likes to live life to the full. A sorority girl and Gaming Management student, she spends her days studying and practicing guitar, and her nights partying or working at the Fountain Casino, where she has an internship as part of her final semester. The only blot on her landscape is Ash Drake, her best friend Sasha’s boyfriend. Arrogant, physical and blond, Ash has never forgiven Astra for her rejection months earlier and enjoys annoying her at every turn.

But when Astra’s boyfriend Harry reveals a shocking secret, Astra responds in the only way she can think of: by finding a way to take on a more attractive, masculine role in the relationship. Her experimentation with sex toys finds a surprising outlet in Sasha, but when Ash discovers their secret and wants to get involved, Astra finds herself torn between dislike and desire… and as their undercover relationship grows, Astra finds herself falling in love, a path she feels can only end in heartbreak.

For Ash may be the only man whose own fantasies are a match for hers, but can she knowingly steal his affections from her best friend?  

http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=1244 

EXCERPT:

Two hours later, and Astra stood in front of her bedroom mirror, holding in one hand the toy she had bought from Amy’s Delights.

Rubber underwear was laced through her fingers, a small plastic remote control dangling below on the end of a long cord. And attached to the front—

Well.

It was a strap-on.

It was a strap-on dildo.

And it was purple.

A purple length of shiny plastic. A perfect simulacrum of a veined, circumcised penis, five inches long and of a thickness Astra considered average, just the right width to wrap a hand around.

She stared at her reflection for a long time, contemplating the dildo, before slowly drawing it back towards her body, holding it against her stomach.

No.

One foot through the straps, two feet…rubber caught against denim-clad legs, but after a moment’s struggle the strap-on dildo was in place, and Astra’s image stood in front of her, the purple dick jutting out in front like the hilt of a sword.

Slowly she rotated her hips, watching the dildo glide from side to side, before stopping abruptly with a giggle.

Shit. It looks like a fucking light sabre.

Watching herself in the mirror, she closed one hand around its length, giving it a tentative stroke.

Nothing. Unsurprisingly.

She tried it again, this time holding the remote control and flicking the switch. A sudden buzzing, accompanied by a muted vibration through her jeans, made her jolt sharply.

Interesting.

Flipping the switch again, she rocked her hips slowly, her eyes glazing. In her mind formed a picture of Harry’s smooth back and bare buttocks, thighs parting to receive her, Harry’s voice gasping, begging for more, more, please, more…

Oh.

The switch snapped off.

Astra eyed herself coolly, squaring her shoulders, her legs automatically widening into a masculine stance.

Author Bio:

Tanith Davenport began writing at the age of sixteen as a way of utilizing her ability to drift into daydreams at any hour of the day or night. Her interests range between rock music and modern cinema to medieval literature and classical singing. She loves to travel and dreams of one day taking a driving tour of the United States, preferably in a classic 1950s pink Cadillac Eldorado.

“The Hand He Dealt” is Tanith’s debut novel and was released by Total-e-Bound Publishing on 13 June 2011.  

http://tanithdavenport.blogspot.com/

Would you like to win an ecopy of The Hand He Dealt?

 

One copy is being given away tour wide.

 

To enter just leave a comment at one or all of the stops along the tour

 

A winner will be chosen from all the tour stops after the tour ends. The winner will be announced on the Bewitching Book Tours site.

Happy Birthday TEB!

My awesome publishers - Total-E-Bound - are celebrating their birthday on Friday, 8 July. Come and join the party!
Meet fabulous authors and enjoy a 25% discount off all eBooks today only!