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Monday, August 10, 2009

What Almost Killed My Happily Ever After?

HEA afficiandos, please welcome Serena Shay, our guest blogger. She’s a new author and *today* is the very magical day of her first release, THE CHALLENGE, a shapeshifter erotic romance from Liquid Silver Books.

What Almost Killed My Happily Ever After?

By Serena Shay


Happy Monday, Everyone!!!

My thanks to all of the wonderful authors here at the Happily Ever After blog for having me here on the release day for my very first story, The Challenge. ~Happy Snoopy Dance~

So what to talk about? I've been wracking my newbie brain for a good topic to discuss today that is related to Romance and the Happy Ever After. I could go with sex, love, the character background that allows for a HEA ending to all stories...What? Yeah, I made that one up as I was falling asleep last night, amazing how fantastic it sounds at that moment just before the sleep rolls in, doesn't it.

Then I thought, hey how does my hero compare to Prince Charming? Erhm, well he doesn't. At least not in a little girls fantasy kinda way. Nope, Bastian is a full-blooded jaguar shifter. A pride leader. A takes what he wants, when he wants kinda guy. He's the has his (heroine) cake and eats it too type of hero, but when he loses said cake, another intensely intimate bodily function goes right along with her! It's okay, Bastian, it happens to a lot of men...

Yep, I gave my hero a case of erectile dysfunction. Thunk, what? Huh??? I can hear it all now, the question that ran through my newbie brain day after day of working on this story...how the heck can I give the hero of my erotic romance, ED?

This development in the story left me with many a wordless day and quite a few losing battles with Bastian himself, always ending with me sniping at him "You're killing my happy ever after!" and him calmly replying, "That's what happened, write it!"

After much cajoling and hours at the storyboard, we did finally settle on an acceptable medium ground. A way to keep the ED for awhile, make it work for the story and be resolved for a HEA. Only by then he had another nasty surprise to throw my way. He was determined to make me work for my Happy Ever After!

So that brings me to my questions for you out there, What was the biggest obstacle to the Happy Ever After you've ever written and/or is there anything that could truly stop the HEA from happening?

Thanks again for having me here today! I'd like to leave you with the blurb to The Challenge, and a small snippet to introduce you to Bastian. Have a great week!

The Challenge, Releasing today at Liquid Silver Books...

Blurb:

Marina Jamison is a mystery. As a half-breed shapeshifter, she lives on the fringe of were-jaguar society. Though her love for pride leader Bastian LaRue is forbidden, she finds herself tied to him by a bond stronger than their individual wills, a psychic link born from their one-night stand. When her secret is revealed, she is scorned and excluded. Neither Bastian nor the pride can accept a half-breed queen.


Snippet:

“We’re here.” His hand reached out, palm up, ready to assist her from the car. He left her breathless with his considerate gesture. How many men these days opened car doors? A symphony of nature met her as she rose from the car. Water lapping onto the shore and a fresh pine bouquet filled her with a wild yearning. She could run here, be free here. Maybe she could be more, here.
They moved along the dock towards a giant gazebo outlined with twinkle lights. Silky netting hung suggestively around a raised pedestal in the center of the room, a bed hidden within its depths. They were alone, and the incredible man at her back demanded her full attention.
“Shh, pretty kitty.” Bastian wound himself around her, calming the shakes racking her body. When had those started? “There’s probably a minimum of a hundred things I could call you.” His tongue dragged lightly over the whorls of her ear. “But do you know what I would like?”
She tingled as pictures raced through her head. Her body sprawled over the hood of the car, the warm metal teasing her breasts as he pounded into her from behind.
“Wha—what?”
“Your name, darlin’, what do I call you when I demand your release?”
~~~~~~

Where else can you find Serena Shay hanging out?
http://serenashay.com ~
She contributes regularly to
SHAPESHIFTER SEDUCTIONS blog.
Her blog is
MY MIND WANDERS.
http://myspace.com/authorserenashay ~

18 comments:

Savanna Kougar said...

Serena, welcome to HAPPILY EVER AFTER ~

Lindsay Townsend said...

Welcome, Serena! I love the whole idea and world of your shape shifters and it's great to have a hero 'wounded' in that way! It's a real issue, very rarely addressed in any fiction, and kudos for tackling it.

Happy Release Day! I hope you sell and sell!

I always have a struggle with my HEA, because I always go down with 'Three-Quarter Book-itis'. I've written most of it and then tend to stop for a bit while I think it's a pile of junk. I have to fight through that and then I love going for the HEA!

Jane Richardson said...

Hi Serena, great to meet you! Well, I can honestly say I've never written THAT particular obstacle to the HEA! ;-) Biggest obstacle to the HEA, hmm, actually force the h/h apart by distance, I suppose. Is there anything that could truly stop the HEA from happening, well, I guess there might be, but...nah! Not in my world! Great post, lots of luck with your release!

Jane x

Gem Sivad said...

This is the big day. Drum rolllll.....Counting down with you. Big congratulations.

gem

Serena Shay said...

Hi Savanna,
Thanks for inviting me over! :)

Serena Shay said...

Hi Lindsay,
Thank you! Yep, it is definitely a real issue, but I have to say I was so shocked when the idea for it popped into my head. I thought for sure, this story was going to go on my list of "I'll have to finish it later" WIP. LOL

But no, Bastian growled at me until it was finished...Yay for him!

'Three-Quarter Book-itis' Now that is the perfect name for it! I just want to scream when that happens. :)

Serena Shay said...

Hi Jane,
It's great to meet you too! LOL, yep ED was totally not something I expected to have in my story, but Bastian wouldn't take no for an answer and well, when the hero insists, I must follow. :)

Ooh, distance would make a very good obstacle. In this high technology day, it could make for some very interesting love scenes though! ;)

Serena Shay said...

Hi Gem!
Yay, it is the big day!! I can't wait to see my pretty lady up on the site tonight! Thanks for stopping by and counting it down with me!!

Bekki Lynn said...

Hi Serena --

I'm so thrilled you're here.

Happy Release Day!

As I read your blog, I thought, wow - just like me. My characters and I are always fighting. They always win.

I love that you tackle ED - I love the 'out of the norm' real issues in romance.

Your book sounds wonderful. It's on my TB list.

Serena Shay said...

Hi Bekki Lynn,
Thanks, I'm thrilled to be here. :)

Yay!! Someone else who fights with her characters!! Oh yes, they do alway win. The tiresome creatures have a way of getting reeeeeallly quiet until we cave, don't they! hehe

Now the embarassing question...have you ever been busted by someone, while you fought with your characters??? LOL, yep Dear hubby caught me once and said simply, "Is it time to make that call, sweetheart?"

The big, heavy candle I threw at him convinced him to move along!

Thanks, I hope you enjoy Bastian and Marina as much as I do...:)

Jane Richardson said...

LOL Serena, I never thought of the distance aspect that way - long distance love, yes, but long distance love scenes, now there's a challenge! ;-)

J x

Savanna Kougar said...

Hey, Serena, I had to think about your question.
Mainly, it's getting time to work out the happy ending and actually get it written, escpecially if I don't have a general idea of how that's going to happen.
The three quarters point, yeah, I understand that when penning toward a certain word count because somehow the plot and the HEA have to come together as one.
Sometimes that is THE CHALLENGE ... lol...

Serena Shay said...

Let's hear it for long distance love scenes!! I've got a mind full of them right now! ;) LOL

Serena Shay said...

Hey Savanna,
LOL...yep it is indeed sometimes THE CHALLENGE. :) Or for me, most of the darn time. I swear most of my WIP end with...A miracle occurs and thay all live HEA... and then I'll come back in edits and work my way around it...hehe

Trenae Evans said...

I think the ED thing is actually kinda funny too. Not only is it not really tackled but it's just funny to think of an alpha having that type of issue - for sure gives him a vulnerablity.

I know Bastain will find a way to overcome that minor obstacle of his(minor yeah right!).

Wishing you the best on release day and always wishing you much selling success!!!

Serena Shay said...

LOL...Thanks Trenae! Yeah, the ED gave that sexy alpha some vulnerability for sure, and it made him a snarly cat to work with much of the time. hehe

Thanks for listening to what I'm sure amounted to hours of my whining about him! ;)

Bekki Lynn said...

Serena,

My family is so used to me, they don't think twice.

Serena Shay said...

Bekki,
That is a very good thing!! :) I hope to get my family there one day, too!