Hi Terra! Hi Yankee Romance Fans! Terra, thanks for having me as your guest on Yankee Romance Reviews. I love your site and I’m looking forward to having some fun here.
One of my favorite bits of a romance novel, whether I’m reading or writing it, is the first kiss. It’s always one of the major turning points in a story, and usually it means trouble for the hero and heroine. I love it when lead characters are in trouble!
It can be that moment when lightning strikes and they realize this is the person for them, however much they wish it wasn’t true. It can be that moment when they realize no matter how they resist, the physical attraction is too strong and they’re going to have to give in to it sooner or later. It can be that moment when the person who thinks they’re in a position of power realizes they’re completely overwhelmed by the what’s happening to them in this relationship. A first kiss can mean a multitude of things, but it almost always signals change in some form, a dangerous hairpin bend in the road to love!
In my first Avon historical romance CLAIMING THE COURTESAN, the first kiss takes place just after the Duke of Kylemore kidnaps the heroine Verity/Soraya (you’ll have to read it to get the point of the double name, bwahahahaha. How’s that for a cunning plan?). He kisses her to prove he’s got the power and she’s not immune to him, whatever she says – but he finds himself completely lost to desire. She’s utterly sure that she can resist any lures he casts her way – but she forgets her anger in a passion which scares the life out of her because as long as she’s angry, she’s safe. See what I mean about a shift in power?
In UNTOUCHED, my second Avon romance, the first kiss is perhaps even more significant. After fighting the attraction he feels for the heroine Grace, Matthew is finally driven beyond his control and drags her into his arms and makes a complete mess of it. This prompts him to admit that he’s never before touched a woman – a big moment in my hero’s life!
In TEMPT THE DEVIL, which comes out on 30th December, the first ‘real’ kiss comes after quite a bit of bedroom action (it’s one of THOSE kinds of books!). It’s a very
dramatic scene in the middle of a rainstorm in Hyde Park. It’s the moment my hero and heroine, the Earl of Erith and Olivia Raines, who avoid anything that hints of emotional commitment like the plague, realize there’s more going on here than just an affair. They’re in big, BIG trouble now and they both recognize it. London’s most notorious courtesan and the infamous rake who is desperate to reconcile with his family can have no future together – so what are they to do with the overwhelming passion that stirs between them?If you want to read the first couple of chapters of TEMPT THE DEVIL, why not call over to Love Gives Back? This is an Avon Books initiative which gives readers sneak peeks at upcoming books and with every page you read, you contribute to literacy charities. How good is that? http://browseinside.harpercollins.com/index.aspx?isbn13=9780061234934
So let’s talk about kisses. Do you like kissing scenes? Do you have any favorite kisses in movies or books? Did they change things between the hero and heroine? My top pick answer gets a signed copy of my next release, TEMPT THE DEVIL, after its release on 30th December. Good luck!
54 comments:
Hmm, yes, kisses are the best. I try to have my kisses (in my books) as early as possible at an unlikely moment. More fun that way. :)
Great post, Anna!
Hello Anna,
I've been hearing some really good things about TEMPT THE DEVIL ~ can't wait to read it.
I love the kissing scenes. If done well they can build the sexual tension and be very hot. I think once the hero and heroine kiss it's like they've crossed a line and there's no going back. LOL
In the book SILENT IN THE SANCTUARY by Deanna Raybourn there is a kiss that I just loved. The heroine, Lady Julia Grey, surprises the hero, Nicholas Brisbane with a kiss and it takes him completely off guard to the point that he can't think of a response before she walks away.
Terry, I think the placing of a kiss is really important! And an unlikely moment works a treat. With CTC, it was early. With Untouched, it was a fair way into the story. With Tempt the Devil, it's even further into the story, and as I said, after the characters have had a few bedroom scenes. Each time, the kiss had something important to say about the relationship.
Hi Leslie! Actually so far, the reviews for TTD have been amazing. And I swear no money changed hands! ;-) I absolutely agree with you about that first kiss drawing a line in the sand and the hero and the heroine can't go back to where they were before. That's one of the reasons I love a good first kiss in a romance novel! It's the moment when you know the hero and heroine aren't going to get out of this unscathed!
I loved Silent in the Sanctuary and I know the kiss you're talking about. It's great! There's a great one in the first in the series, Silent in the Grave too. That one really made the characters face up to the fact that they were more than just partners in crime solving, I think. And man, it was sexy! ;-)
Hi Anna :-)
I adore kisses. I can't wait to read all the kisses- especially the first one -in TTD!!
My favorite kissing scenes are the ones that really push the emotional stakes. And even better, push the h/H off their comfortable assumption that they can handle whatever the other one is dishing out *g*
Hi Anna, congrats on the great reviews already.
Yes, kisses are the best and do change things, whether you're ready or not for that next stage of romance, intimacy. Two of my favorite movie kisses - the one in the rain in Breakfast at Tiffany's, and From Here to Eternity, in the waves on the beach. Then, there's Dain and Jessica in the lamp post in the rain in Chase's Lord of Scoundrels, that sense of wonder he experiences.
Kisses are great and the first kiss is more often than not the first step into a relationship for the hero and the heroine. Then, of course, it gets better and better!
I love reading abput kisses too. The kind of kiss depends on the what is going on at the time. A kiss is the most glorious form of affection shared between lovers.
The Wedding Date with Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney. He just talks to her in a whisper (he whispers: Close your eyes. Close your eyes. Close... your... eyes. You're safe. You can relax. I'm not going to kiss you. He's gonna be so sorry he lost you, so stop worrying. Forget the past. Forget the pain. And remember what an incredible woman you are. You do that and he'll realize what he lost.) as she leans back against the car and though he doesnt kiss her, the look on her face as she beleives he is going to kiss her is so ummmm "sigh" sexy.
G'morning, Anna! You are the wild-kiss-writing-woman, for sure. I tell ya' they just sizzle in Untouched and CTC. Well they sizzle in Untouched once Matthew gets the hang of it. Heehee.
Can't wait for TTD!!! I know I've said it before, but it's so true!
Kiss scenes are some of the most important and really, delicate, scenes a writer can write. As you said, and Tawny said so beautifully, it's the point of change, or turning or "OS!" for characters. Sometimes one, sometimes both.
Of course, it's also a fab tool to make a character realize that this ISN'T the one for her/him. That kiss that should be sizzling and just...isn't. Ha!
And arent't those the worst in real life too? The kiss that just...isn't? :>
HI, Anna, popping over from the Lair to read your most excellent post on kissing.
Ah, don't we all love that scene? In many ways the "kiss" scene is far more important than the consummation scene, isn't it?
I like your plan, Terry, -- "as early as possible at an unlikely moment." How clever!
The TTD kiss scene reminds me of "Pretty Woman," where Gere and Roberts reserve the "kiss" until they've fallen in love. Sooooo romantic! The "business" arrangement developes into so much more.
Awesome covers!
No need to enter me; I'm just dropping in to say hi. I've posted about this over at Win a Book, so expect more friends to drop by.
Oh yes, I love kissing scenes!
The first kiss that stands out most in my mind is from Lover Awakened by J.R. Ward. Zsadist has never known much tenderness in his life, so he is shocked when Bella just leans over and kisses him. He is experiencing so many new emotions during that scene, and he is embarrassed that he doesn't have any experience with kissing. It is such an important moment in their relationship. Zsadist is finally getting a chance for someone to show him warmth and affection and to feel attraction. It's one of the best scenes I have ever read in a romance.
Thanks for such a great blog topic, Anna.
Good Morning Everyone and Welcome Anna!!! YUMM what a subject and a good one too. I really think the kissing is the best part of the entire book most times. Having a maiden get her first kiss by choice of by chance just sets the blood to tingling. The more the kiss is described just draws you in and makes you want to be the heroine and experience it in the same way she does.
Hmmmmm........I love kissing. Kissing is so intimate and even better than touching. Oh gosh, I'm going from hot flash to power surge here just talking about it.
Anna I have to say I an guilty and have not had the pleasure of one of your books yet but now I must have them. I will find time inbetween ARC's just for your kissing scenes. Guess I will make a trip to Barnes and Noble and buy myself a few Christmas gifts and enjoy them on Christmas day. What better day to enjoy kisses.
I hope all of you enjoy Anna's article and make sure to check out her website. Delicious!!!
huggs,
Terra
Hey Anna!!!
I love those first kiss scenes, the way they make you intake a sharp breath of air from the intensity.
Love the cover!
Renee
Ooooh, Leslie, I love that scene is Deanna Raybourn's book. There's surprisingly little "romance" in the book, but the tension is oooh-la-la!
Raven99, I agree. Few authors do that alpha-male brought to his knees quite like JR Ward!
MWAH!!! Big sloppy kiss for my Bandita FoAnna!
Terra, you are in for a TREAT with CTC and Untouched. The first kiss scene in the latter really got to me with its poignancy! Can't wait to read TTD.
AC
Anna, I love kissing scenes that tempt and tease. I love the almost kiss that is interrupted, a breath away from the touch. I love real kissing scenes that start gentle and end up passionate and the ones that start angry, then gentle.
Get the idea I like kissing?
Hi Anna,
I love everything about the first kiss between a H/H.
I love the intesity it creates. That heart stopping moment just before their lips meet when you know that the world around them is going to dissolve.
It's what we all looked for or are looking for. That 'WOW' factor when you kiss someone, that moment of excitment, and the tingling of every sense.
Yep - LOVE the kiss. Now where is my hubby when I need him...
Great topic! Thanks
Hi ANna -
MMMM...love kissing scenes, though I'm not sure I agree with Jo. Those consummation scenes are..well, let's just say I like a good consummation as well *g*.
I like how you defined the difference between the first kisses in your books. Can't wait to read Tempt the Devil.
Hi Tawny, my Bandit Buddy! Absolutely! They're the kisses I love - the ones that raise the stakes! The ones that make the hero and heroine realize they're in BIG trouble here. Always works for me!
Oh, Pam, what a great choice! That Breakfast at Tiffany's one is amazing - and it IS a changing point in the story (although it's at the end). It's when all the masks come off, isn't it? And that one in From Here to Eternity - ooh, la la! Actually one of my favorite movie ones is in another Audrey vehicle - the kisses in the closet in How to Steal a Million. If you haven't seen that film, grab it. It's a delight from beginning to end.
Hey, I'd forgotten the kisses in LOS. The kiss in the garden at the ball is pretty special too. Sigh.
One of my favorite kisses ever is the one at the end of North and South, the TV series. Have you seen that? Wow!
Pollyanna, thanks for dropping by. I think you're right about one of the things that makes a first kiss great - it's the gateway to everything else. It's that first really serious physical contact (or in the case of Tempt the Devil, emotional contact). Nothing can be the same afterwards so the reader is left to ask "what happens next?" And we LOVE readers asking that question!
Oh, Jeanne, I didn't think of the kiss that isn't. I was concentrating on the one between hero and heroine. But you're right! I've read a few of those where the heroine is convinced she can't possibly love the hero because she loves Mr. X and then she kisses Mr. X and blah! Hey, glad you enjoyed the kisses in CTC and Untouched. I must say I LOVE writing first kisses. They're always one of my favorite bits of a book. We have a writing contest in Oz for the first kiss from a romance novel. I think that's a great idea because writing a first kiss is a definite art, as you so perspicaciously point out! Hope you enjoy Tempt the Devil!
Oh, Kimmy, that kiss in that movie! Well, almost kiss! I was weak in the knees and so was the Debra Messing character! Yum! Great choice.
Actually, the weird thing, Jo my Bandita friend, is that I agree with you. I think because generally a kiss is the first contact. The kiss makes it clear that this relationship IS going to move on to something else. By the time they're in bed together, the cards are on the table in many ways. Not that love scenes can't raise the stakes and move the story on and everything else. But the will they, won't they before a first kiss is just magical.
Oh, I didn't think of Pretty Woman and I should have! In Tempt the Devil my heroine is another courtesan and she doesn't kiss - it's one of her unbreakable rules when she takes a lover. So when she kisses Erith, it really means something, much more than when she gives him her body. Well, at least in the first encounters anyway.
Susan Helene, thanks for plugging the blog! Let's turn this into a partay! ;-) Thanks for saying you enjoyed the column!
Hey, Raven, nice kisses are fun, aren't they? In ANY sense! LOL. Hey, you're right about Bella kissing Zsadist - he's completely overwhelmed, isn't he? It's a lovely scene. Poor Zsadist, he just broke my heart! Those BOTBD books are great, aren't they?
Hey, Terra, thanks for inviting me today! It's a fun topic, isn't it? It sort of sprang out of another blog I did where I was talking to someone who's read Tempt the Devil (Marisa from RNTV) and she said she absolutely loved the big kissing scene (thanks, M!). I told her how it was inspired by the kiss in North and South - that kiss really IS amazing for anyone who hasn't seen it! And then I started thinking about great kisses I'd read about or seen.
If you like big luscious kiss scenes, you really should get my books. How's that for a plug? But it's a scene I always like to make a meal of, ahem! As you and a couple of other people have said, in many ways, the first kiss is more significant than the love scenes!
Actually I've thought of two more kisses I love out of romance books. There's a wonderful first kiss in Linda Howard's Mr. Perfect. Seriously, it's tsssssst hot and goes on for pages. And there's a great kiss in an old Loretta Chase Regency called Knave's Wager. It really changes the hero's mind about the heroine and makes him vulnerable in a way he never expected to be vulnerable to a woman. It's delicious!
Hi Renee! The cover is kinda pretty, isn't it? She said, wiping the drool from her chin! LOL! I wonder if I love first kiss scenes so much because I read so many Harlequins when I was growing up. The first kiss is always such a big deal in a category romance!
Jo, and doesn't that kiss just spike the tension to breaking point? I love it!
Hey, it's a Bandit invasion! Good morning, Aunty Cindy. Well, at least it's morning in Oz! Hey, fantastic you picked my kisses out as special! Mwah back to you!
Hey, Mary, I think you're among friends there! I like the angry ones that turn into passion too. I know they've been done to death but if they're done well, they work a treat! Ilove the teasing ones where you get to a point of screaming, "Get on with it, for Pete's sake!" I love the first kiss in An Affair to Remember where they stand on the steps and all you see is their feet. Everything's left up to the viewers' imagination. There's a great first kiss in Blade Runner too. Sigh.
Candi, I hope you found your hubby! I think he's hoping you found him! What a great reply. You're right - it's magical, isn't it? Thanks for dropping by!
Hey, Donna! Another Romance Bandit! Actually I remember both the kiss and the consummation in the Education of Mrs. Brimley being pretty special, Donna. Oh, I'm by no means dissing a good consummation. But I do love a great kissing scene!
Oh, definitely have to have the 'kissing scenes'. I love those unexpected kisses...you know when the man and woman don't admit they care for one another and then that 'unexpected kiss' happens and it is so powerful at that moment that I just love it.
I think a few of the kisses in "Dying For You' by Beverly Barton were very powerful and tension breaking plus led to many changes in a few of the couple involved. loved the book!
As a writer, I love how you can get across different messages with just a kiss:
I'm angry with you.
Let's see if I can get you hot.
I don't *want* to want you.
You're mine.
I've got to have you.
You want me but can't have me.
I love you.
I need you.
Let's explore the possibilites.
The list goes on and on. As far as I'm concerned, it's one of the most important tools of a romance, and it seduces the reader as much as the hero and heroine.
I love the kiss where the hero is staking his claim and ends up being the one captured. Like the first kiss in "A Hunger Like No Other". Lachlain kisses Emmaline to reinforce his conviction that she is his mate. And Emmaline finds herself wanting him quite against her will. Yummy stuff!
Anna, your first two chapters of TTD are delicious. I can't wait to get my hands on the book! CTC is on my all time favorite list and from the bit I've seen, TTD will soon join it there.
Wonderful blog! Fun as always. :)
Laurie
Ooooohhhh, five chapters! Dialup is so slow to load that I thought there were only two. Can't wait to read the rest!
Laurie
Hi, Anna--
The film "first kiss" that comes to mind is Princess Leia and Han Solo in The Empire Strikes Back. That kiss changed things between them, though they fought against admitting it for most of the next film.
Nothing else is coming to mind, maybe because I just finished giving my last exam. Yay!
Interesting analysis of kisses, though, and I like the way you described the ones in your wonderful books. Kissing seemed to have special significance in Claiming the Courtesan, especially to the heroine, if I remember right.
Looking forward to TTD!
Ooh, yes, Shari. I love those too. I love the ones where they hover on the bring seemingly forever too. You know, they stare and they stare and... Honestly, you just collapse after all the suspense when they finally get to the lip lock! I haven't read the Beverley Barton. If it's got a great kissing scene, I'm there!
Hi Laurie! Actually the kiss you describe from the Kresley Cole definitely describes that first kiss in CTC when they're in the coach. LIKE those kisses! Thanks for checking out the start of TTD - delighted you enjoyed it! There's plenty more pashing and passion before they're finished! And so glad you like CTC! Laughed at you only just discovering there's another three chapters on the site! I know I'm weird (no comments, thank you!). But I don't like reading excerpts. If they're good, they just leave me pining for the rest of the story!
Nancy, lovely to see you! Thanks for popping over to offer us the benefit of your wisdom. You're right about Han and Leia. I hadn't thought of that one. Excellent news on finishing the exams! Put your feet up and grab a margarita, Bandita.
Thanks for those lovely words about the books. In CTC, the kisses are really significant to Verity/Soraya. In Tempt the Devil, kisses are even MORE significant to Olivia. That's when she surrenders to passion, not when she sleeps with the hero. It was nice to play with that in the story.
Hi, Anna!
I love it when a h/h kiss for the first time and get hit by a ton of bricks or when the seducer becomes seduced.
There is a lot that can be achieved in a kiss, it's a great way to establish how the relationship will develop.
I can't wait for the first kiss in TTD, if it's anything like what I've already read, it's a wonder your computer didn't have a melt down when you wrote it. :)
Great blog!
If Aunty Cindy and Nancy get Margarita's I'm pouring one too. :> Hey, it's after 5 pm where I am....
Great blog today Anna!
Anastasia! How great to see you! Ahem! Yes, there was steam coming out of the keyboard when I was writing that story. Lots of naughty stuff going on! I can see you're another kiss fan! Yay! As you say, you can use the kiss to give such a pointer to how the relationship is going to develop.
Jeanne, OK, here's your margarita! I should have known you'd turn up the minute I opened that bottle of tequila!
Anna, you always come up with the most interesting blog topics! Ah, the kisses, yes, they are the best part of any book or movie. Especially the first one, the moment of discovery...ah, okay, what was the question?
I think a pretty cool one was in the Keira Knightley version of Pride and Prejudice when Darcy asks what endearment he should call Elizabeth and she wants him to call her "Mrs. Darcy." So he does - as he slowly kisses various features on her face before he ultimately reaches her lips. I want to be called "Mrs. Darcy," too!
OF course I did, Anna. I can hear Tequila open from 5000 miles away...SNORK! :>
Margay, I love that scene too. Of course that Richard Armitage train scene kiss in No&So? Maggggggic.
Darling Anna!
I adore the kisses you never see coming, the ones that startle both the hero and heroine with an unexpected boot to the head. As Keanu Reeves would say, "Whoa."
Then again, I'm also a fan of the "almost" first kiss. You're waiting for it, your lips are actually parted as you read because you know it's about to happen. You're all coiled up, just like the hero and heroine, that sexual tension is all a-sizzle. Then comes the interruption. Suddenly you're just as frustrated as the H & H, and by GOD you're going to turn the page, and the next page, and the next page until mouths meet at last.
Love, your pal,
Oldbitey
I saw a youtube video of that scene - now I want to see the whole thing! Is it on dvd?
Hey there, Anna! What a great topic *g*
I love first kisses! Whenever I start a new book I usually know very few things - but one thing I always know is the first kiss scene :-)
Some of my favorite first kisses include Ross and Rachel on Friends, Chuck and Sarah on Chuck and my absolute favorite, George and Mary in It's A Wonderful Life!
I love the scenes in Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer. They try to be so casual because of course Edward is a vampire and could actually eat Bella up at any moment. LOL
They find though that things heat up fast and Edward is always the one that pulls away to preserve Bella's life. It's just magical and so truly sweet.
Deidre
deidre_durance at hotmail dot com
Deidre, I was going to say that, too, but I was afraid people might think I was a super geek for being so enthralled with a "teen" movie. I love that scene - especially when they start to get so carried away that he pulls himself back and hits the wall with a lot of force. Wow. That's all I can say.
My favorite kiss was between John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara in The Quiet Man. Maureen and John had that special something that made me love to watch them. My Dad and I had many special times watching old movies together when I was little.
Margay, I've only recently seen the US ending to the new P&P. It wasn't in the version released in Aussie cinemas. We finished with Donald Sutherland yelling out he had plenty of daughters to give away in marriage. I know a lot of purists didn't like that ending - but I sure did. But then, I like kisses ;-)
Jeanne, you've got great taste in kisses (even through the tequila haze!).
Ooh, Old Bitey! I can see why you got the master's degree in popular fiction! You had me on the edge of my seat, my mouth parted, my heart beating, my... Thanks for popping over to say hello! Lovely to see you! And congratulations again on the big graduation!
Oh, Margay, now you've spoilt it if you see the whole show! Sigh. It's definitely all worth seeing and RA as John Thornton is definitely heart-stoppingly gorgeous! You can get it on DVD! It's a BBC release.
Beth, I always think a first kiss is such a major turning point in a love story. It's something I tell people who ask me to read their synopses to include. I want to know those major signposts - meeting, first kiss, first love scene, black moment. Glad to see you're a fan too! Oh, I'd forgotten It's a Wonderful Life! What a great movie!
Deidre, a Twilight fan! I haven't read it or seen the movie. Guess I should get off my backside and check it out if it's got a great first kiss like you describe in it! Sounds fantastic! Thanks for popping by to say hello!
Hey, Margay! Now I've definitely GOT to see Twilight! That sounds fantastic! And it it's good, why does it have to be just for teenagers? Everybody should see/read it!
Val, I LOVE the Quiet Man! I love the chase through the village when he's finally had enough of her shenanigans. Yeah, I know it's not PC but it's great fun! Weren't they great together? Truly magnificent and such fire in the air between them. There's an old movie called McClintock that they both star in and it's great too - fantastic sizzling sexual tension! Hey, what a great addition to our lexicon of luscious lip action!
Hey, thanks, everyone for a great day on Terra's blog! And lovely to see some new faces! Terra, thanks for having me as your guest today!
Don't forget to check back to see who won the signed copy of TTD!
Oh yes! I tend to love the first kiss scenes in the romances i read. More then anything I LOVE to see how they at least start to change how the hero and his lady feel about each other. Personally my favorite romances have a bit of struggle between the two and its great and a lot of fun to see how they grow to love and respect each other. *hm*
(perhaps it says something about me - partly due to my fiance and my first kiss changing our whole relationship too lol)
Ooh, Scorp, sounds like that was some first kiss! I think a kiss can change things both in books and real life and I think it's a really great turning point in a romance novel. As you say, it's kind of that point of no return, isn't it? Thanks for calling in!
I love kissing scenes, especially the ones that change the whole relationship. The ones that happen when the couple is about to part, for a long time or maybe forever (like before a battle) can be great, too. I can't think of any good movie kisses other than the ones already mentioned, but do love the kiss in Pride & Prejudice.
Cynthya, another P&P kiss fan! It is a nice one, isn't it? I love those big significant kisses too. There's a great one in an Anne Stuart romantic suspense called Nightfall. It comes right towards the end and it's really amazing. Thanks for coming by!
Like Cher said, its in his kiss! No turning back after a really searing kiss especially if there is a little trepidation at first and then it's all systems go.
florida982002[at]yahoo[dot]
Post a Comment