Book & Author Details:
The Australian by Lesley Young
(Crime Royalty Romance #2)
Publication date: March 27th 2015
Genres: Adult, Romance
(Crime Royalty Romance #2)
Publication date: March 27th 2015
Genres: Adult, Romance
Synopsis:
Soon, Charlie’s immersed in a whirlwind of international espionage that takes her from the hip streets of Sydney to the majestic Great Barrier Reef and the wild, desolate outback. A dangerous trap’s being set, but how will Charlie protect herself and prevent a tragic betrayal, when she can’t even sort out what her heart’s telling her?
Purchase:
AUTHOR BIO:
Lesley Young is a genre-defying author of unforgettable heroines who experience thrilling life- and love-altering journeys. Her debut novel was Sky's End; her most recent stand-alone series, Crime Royalty Romance, includes The Frenchman and The Australian. She loves to hear from readers.
Author links:
Author links:
Why We Want Australian Men
How Lesley Young imagined her dude from down under in her romance novel The Australian
If you’re picturing a Hemsworth right now, you already know of what I speak. Let’s face it, dudes from down under have something special. After all, they’ve been stealing leading roles for years (think Russel Crowe, Eric Bana, and Hugh Jackman). In writing the second book in my Crime Royalty Romance series (the crime is light! the love is not!), The Australian, I had to sort out just what it was that makes those Aussies boys so special and layer it into my hero. Here’s how:
May the surfer culture live on Of course, tan and fit surfer men are not on every Aussie street corner, but they are more common down under. And while my hero, Mr. Jace Knight, was not a surfer, I did want him to embody that casual, laid back attitude that makes those boys so charming. Not only does Jace look smoking hot in his cozzie (strine for swimsuit)—as noted on the book’s cover—he’s so playful and open, you forget he’s one of the most powerful men in all of Australia.
They own rugged masculinity What does that even mean? Well, let’s just say that I don’t know for sure that Australian men can single-handedly wrestle a crocodile, make dinner and pitch a tent out of surfboards while cracking a few adorable jokes. But what really matters is that we think they can. That kind of rugged masculinity is rare, exclusive and highly valued by North American females who tire of Channing Tatum’s pretty boy dance moves. My Australian is ruggedly masculine in every way, and proves it in a pivotal scene in the wild Outback that requires life-or-death bravery.
They’re down to earth I’ve been told Australian men treat everyone the same—they fight for the underdog and have basic, fair expectations about life and what it has to offer—and that the same goes for their women. My Australian doesn’t play games, or put out pretenses. And he expects the same from his heroine Charlie Sykes. Unfortunately, she’s caught up in a web of lies that force her to try play him (she is, of course, wholly inadequate).
The Australian is a coming-of-age love story between a highly intelligent, awfully literal heroine and a man whose moral code is questionable, but whose honor is not. I layer in lots of culture, and descriptive details of some of Australia’s most popular tourist sights. The ride is wild—literally and figuratively.
Thanks for featuring my post. The Australian is available at http://amzn.com/B00V89O7EC. Sign up for news about my next book at lesleyyoungbooks.com and visit facebook.com/lesleyyoungbooks and @lesleyyoungbks.
3 Rules For Writing a Hugely Successful Sex Scenes
Author Lesley Young shares her handy tips for writing super-realistic, super-hot sex scenes
I don’t claim to be an expert at writing sex scenes. In fact, I’m downright embarrassed and weirded out when I read my own. “Did I write that?” *gasp* Or, “Please, don’t let me mother ever read this.” *cringe* But I must be doing something right since one recent reviewer at Wicked Reads—a great book blog—did recently make the following hugely complimentary proclamation about my latest romance novel, The Australian: “I have to say absolutely the best virginity losing scene I've read in a book so far.” So, feeling buoyed, I thought I’d share a few totally unproven tips that I deploy.
I never script a sex scene. By “script a scene,” I mean I don’t plot out when and how romantic relations (see I am feeling self-conscious here), ahem, sex, occurs. I certainly do outline primary storytelling components, which in the end gives me the bones to my chapters. And that means I will generally know when hero-heroine encounters take place to move the plot forward. However, I let the love story components happen 100% naturally, whenever it feels right, just like it might happen in real life. I am so deeply into my characters’ hearts and minds that their first kiss, their first interlude, and the big moment, almost happen to me as it happens to them. I like to think that’s what makes it so thrilling for readers, too. As for how the scenes unfold, again, I’m so caught up in the experience, I literally don’t think about where his hand goes next, or who sighs. I just experience-write it in the moment.
Benefit: Spontaneously written sex scenes are original. You can’t screw up your flow, tone or description because you’re not over thinking anything. I would go so far to argue that if you have to script your sex scenes, in other words, preplan every detail, edit, and edit, something’s wrong. Either you’re not into your characters, or you’re forcing something. Step back. Assess.
I focus on sensual empowerment. I write first-person novels, so I never have to write from the mind of a man, and the truth is, I couldn’t. I only know what I know, which is how a woman feels when she’s having sex, and . . . here’s the really important part—what she wants or imagines the man to be feeling. I stay focused on her experience, oh sure, I describe the physical pleasure, but never without or separate from her mind and her sensual pleasure and how it relates to the hero she is with. Not only is this far more realistic, you can’t help but empower your heroine in the sack when you do this. I find so many romance novels forget that sex is an exchange of pleasure—not just being had by a man.
Benefits: There are two benefits to writing this way. The sex is not only more realistic, it is heartfelt. And when the heart’s on the line in the bedroom, the sex is high-stakes. Second, you will find that your hero’s actions in bed are that much more impactful and original. Why? Because he’s not necessarily thinking or feeling what the heroine thinks he’s feeling, if that makes sense. There’s room for the unexpected, and the surprise when it happens is stronger because the reader was caught up in the heroine’s expectations.
I try not to idealize sex (within reason—I am writing romance here). I’ve written two virgin-losing scenes now, in The Frenchman and The Australian—believe it or not, I do not only write about virgins!—and in both cases I was advised by people to alter or modify those scenes slighly. I was torn because the advise in the first book was to tone down the pain Fleur experiences when Louis takes her. The advise in the latter was to tone down Jace Knight’s reckless blind desire to take his heroine. I ended up taking the advice, but only after I gauged whether I was falsifying the experience or somehow idealizing it. No sex scene in real life is perfect or scripted—unless it’s porn. And I don’t write porn. I write romance.
Benefit: We do enough idealization in romance novels by making our hero super fit (show me a romance novel where the dude’s got a paunch). And so, I prefer my heroes to be imperfect in the bedroom. It makes the sex more realistic, but also it makes him more endearing. He might express the wrong desire in the wrong moment, or the two of them might not orgasm in every scene, but you appreciate him the more for it. The point is to play with the bedroom tropes, and where appropriate protect the concept of mutual respect.
Finally, don’t forget to describe all the senses. I hope these tips help with your next sex scene! The Australian is available at http://amzn.com/B00V89O7EC. Keep in touch with me at lesleyyoungbooks.com, facebook.com/lesleyyoungbooks and @lesleyyoungbks.
No comments:
Post a Comment