Do You Believe in Love?
By guest blogger Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy
I’m excited to be a guest here on Romance Junkies and finishing up my blog tour for my newest release, The Wild Irish Sea. Even though my stories are categorized as romantic suspense, they are weighted far more heavily on the romance side than the suspense side. That’s because I happen to be an incurable romantic. That’s right, while you might not guess it just by looking at me, and those who don’t know me well (and a few who believe they do) will be surprised, I believe in love!
Go ahead and hum that old Huey Lewis song along with me, because that’s the kind of love I like to write about. The kind you hope for but can’t quite let yourself expect. Then it sneaks up on you and BOOM!
This is what happens to my hero and heroine in my latest release, The Wild Irish Sea, and I had a lot of fun watching them get unexpectedly broadsided by love and then earning their happily-ever-after.
My heroine, Amber O’Neill has only felt genuinely close to one person in her entire life, her twin brother, Parker. Mostly, that is due to their mental connection that they’ve shared since birth. Unfortunately, their unique ability also singled them out and led to adults trying to exploit them and treat them like lab animals. The twins quickly learned that they could trust no one except each other.
Trust issues led to Amber being very unlucky in love. At the beginning of The Wild Irish Sea, she’s recovering from a recent and painful divorce. Her brother and husband didn’t like each other, and so Amber never confided completely to her spouse about her mental connections with Parker. Consequently, the marriage crumbled. This issue never arises when she meets Kevin Hennessey, the hero of The Wild Irish Sea, because she quickly discovers she has a mental connection to him that she’s never had with anyone else. The connection she shares with Kevin is unique even from the one she has with her brother.
Kevin Hennessey is a man with a dark and tragic past. He once had everything – wife, child, and career – but lost it all in a disastrous series of events for which he blames himself. Fortunately, he continues to have that noble quality which prevents him from turning away a person in need. Also, no matter how devastated and unworthy he feels, he still carries that tiny spark of hope and longing in his heart.
And it is up to Amber to fan the spark and convince him he is worthy. Throw in the mystery and suspense elements, and she certainly has her work cut out for her (as did I)! But I had lots of fun along the way writing about those first tingles of attraction, the anticipation of spending time with the person, or even just seeing them again, the tentative first conversations and the discoveries of learning about someone new. And of course, the good old Ka-POW as love strikes you when you least expect it.
Since this is a blog dedicated to romance books, I know you all believe in love (Hurray)! But please tell me some of the things you most like to read about a couple falling in love. Is it the first kiss? Their denial of the obvious when the other is near? Their cautious moves to see if their feelings are returned? All of the above or something completely different? And please, how do I get this Huey Lewis song out of my head?
I’m giving away a copy of The Wild Irish Sea to one commenter (chosen at random).
Hi Quilt Lady,
Glad you’ve heard some buzz about TWIS! That’s always a good sign that my efforts to get the word out are working. Thanks for dropping by.
Hi Maureen,
Yes, that first promise of a happily-ever-after is lots of fun to read… and write! I hope you enjoy The Wild Irish Sea!
AC
Hi Carol,
I like “the Dance” as you call it, GREAT description for the ‘rituals’ connected to falling in love. Actually, my 37 years have not all been with the same guy. 😉 That was Donna. But good for you in still believing in love!
Hi Valerie,
Thanks for dropping by all the way from Germany! I love that big build up of sexual tension too. Like you said, when it finally explodes THEN the fun begins!
AC
HI Mariska!
Thanx for being such a supportive fan!
Hey Fedora,
I love it when the H/H are somehow FORCED to spend a lot of time together and therefore ramping up the sexual tension. FUN!
AC
I like it when they first start tenatively thinking of each other as someone they see in their future.
For me it would be denial! I love all types of romance though! Your new book sounds fabulous and I have been hearing a lot of good things about it!
Hi and thanks for the fun post. I enjoyed reading it.
What I love to read about is when a couple meets and they are both in denial, even though the attraction is very, very strong. They feel for some reason, they cannot take a chance on love. Then the sexual tension is very high…wound up real tight, so when they finally give in to their feelings, it is pretty explosive…phew!!!!
Valerie
valb0302@yahoo.com
in Germany
Hi Loucinda,
I enjoyed reading your post and I definitely have The Wild Irish Sea on my TRL. I so believe in the newness of love. The pursuit, butterflies in your belly just from the sound of his voice and nearness of the man. 🙂 The begining of the Dance I like to call it. Beautifully choreographed by both. Congrats on your almost 37 years. Good for you. 🙂
I also have been married and divorced twice and I still love the idea of love and romance. 🙂
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com
Hi, AC! I love it all! I do confess that sometimes I really enjoy a story that starts with the characters disliking each other (often because they have wrong assumptions about each other) and then being forced into a situation where they must spend time with each other. Verbal sparring occurs and then they get to see each other’s strengths and eventually the romantic tension is too much to resist 😉 Can’t wait for TWIS!
Hey AC !!
i love reading romance when their denial of the obvious when the other is near 🙂
I’m sooo want to read The Wild Irish Sea, AC ! please please make me the lucky ones 🙂
Hey Caren,
Thanx for stopping by. I love your description of “the masks we wear” and how love involves peeling away those masks.
Also, thanks for bringing up the stories of old acquaintances or former/current lovers who must deal with the fall out of some secret or new revelation. I’ve never written a story like this but I do love reading them!
Hope you enjoy The Wild Irish Sea!
AC
Aunty Cindy, what a great post! My favorite part of a romance is when each starts to see behind the other’s “curtain”. That’s how I think of the mask we wear for new love interests. We all hold something back or act on our best behavior. We hide certain things about ourselves. So, when one partner is exposed, s/he feels incredibly vulnerable and may even get really angry at being “found out”.
It’s all silly, most of the time, but we take ourselves so seriously! Remember how terrifying it was to undress for your beloved the first time? Agony! What if s/he doesn’t like the way you look? We’re all so insecure at first!
I also love stories about couples who have been together a long time and find out they STILL haven’t seen everything behind the mask. We all have secrets, though most of them are pretty harmless. I love it when those old, buried secrets are unearthed at last and everyone must deal with the fallout.
A very thought-provoking post!
Thanks for stopping by Linda!
And hang in there, you never know when that HEA will happen for you! I was almost 40 and a divorced single mom before it happened to me. 🙂
Glad you like the cover. The Sourcebooks Art Dept. does a terrific job. Hope you enjoy the story.
AC
Hi Jo-Mama!
Again, can’t thank you enough for all your wonderful critiques on this book!
Ah yes, those strong emotions between the characters are so much fun to read about.
AC
Hi Jane!
Thanx for sticking with me through this blog tour!
I love it when the unsuspecting characters get caught by love too!
Hope you enjoy TWIS,
AC
Well I’ve been married and divorced twice, so I never got my HEA, but I firmly believe in love and marriage. I read romance for not only the HEA, but for the pure joy and pain of love. That first glance, first touch, all the trials and tribulations they have to go through to get to each other. The emotional pull between the couple, I enjoy reading all that. I love the cover for this book, I love anything Irish.
Hi, Cindy!
Great blog. Falling in love with a big kabam is the best. I love this book and think, in many ways, it’s your best. Kevin’s a great hero and I love the relationship between Amber and her twin.
In a romance novel I love when the H/H hate each other and work their way around to falling in love. Lots of sparks and energy.
Hi Aunty Cindy,
Congrats on the new release. I love it when love sneaks up on the unsuspecting hero and heroine and seeing how they eventually accept it.
Here are a couple of songs that usually work for me… (hey, one of them is bound to work, and when THAT song drives you nuts you can try replacing it with one of the others). 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_-p8bOoFlPo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBYjZTdrJlA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdFIXsrjkXI
xoxoxoxox
~Lindy
Gabrielle J.
LOL! If you care enough to want to jump into the book and knock some sense into the characters then I’d say the writer has done a good job on hooking you. 😉 I know what you mean, though, there have been a few times I wanted to yell at my own characters for being so dense! Love will do that to ya sometimes.
AC
Hi Joye!
My grand-nephews are fraternal twins and they helped inspire me to write about twins. I hope you enjoy the way I portrayed the relationship between Amber and her brother Parker.
AC
I read a little of the post and it was intriguing. What I like most when I’m reading about a couple falling in love? Is the denial of the obvious, some author have characters continuously think that it’s only lust that is driving them together and not love. At least up until the very end of the book.
I really like that because it makes the book more fun to read but it also frustrates me sometimes because in certain moments I just want to jump in the book and knock some sense into them.
Enjoyed reading the comments. Can’t wait to read this one since I am a twin and want to see how you wrote about twins.
I like to read stories where they gradually realize they are in love. None of that Love at first sight stuff for me.
LOL Donna on being an old married woman.
We KNOW you were a child bride… 😉 But 37 years is an accomplishment worth bragging about!
There is something so irresistable about falling in love, that wonderful giddy feeling that is such a wonderful experience. No wonder we like to read about it over and over!
Thank you for the kudos, I hope you love The Wild Irish Sea,
AC
Hi Gigi!
Chalk up another vote for suspense in just getting the couple together. I agree that it is so much fun to see a couple so obviously at odds but also hopelessly smitten with each other. 🙂 There’s a lot of truth in that old saying about opposites attracting!
AC
Hi Peg,
Thank you for reminding us that it is the little things that lead up to a courtship that makes it interesting.
I appreciate you dropping by today.
AC
Hi Lindy,
Thanks for stopping by to comment. I too think that sense of newness and discovery is very appealing in romance, and is a bit part of the popularity of our genre.
Please DO recommend another song… This one IS driving me bonkers!
AC
Hi Cindy!
Here’s the deal. I’m an old married woman. Been married 37 years come November. But whenever I read a good romance, I remember what it was like to be pursued. To have someone sacrifice a little to win my attention and consideration. To see admiration in someone’s eyes that you yourself admire. I know about happily-ever-after, I’m living that daily – but I love falling in love all over again.
You know I love your books. This one is no exception.
Donna
I love reading a story where there shouldn’t be romance because it isn’t good for either hero and heroine and whammo they both get thrown for a loop and fall madly in love with each other.
The first kiss and bedroom scene is awesome but I don’t need to read everything little thing that happens that is what I use my imagination for.
I also like more romance than suspense in a romance suspense. Heck, just getting the main characters together is suspense enough for me.
The best part to me is the beginning of there romance reading all they things that lead up to there courtship.
I think one of my favorite parts of reading about a couple falling in love is that sense of newness, that fresh excitement. I also love that moment when the characters realize their feelings are reciprocated. Such delicious feelings!
I think the best way to get a song out of your head is to put another one in its place, and hope it’s less annoying than the original song. Ha! I’d offer to help stick a new one in your head, but I can’t guarantee it won’t drive you bonkers! 😉
~Lindy
Hi Molly!
I really appreciate you popping by and reading my post. Isn’t is amazing how many of us are so often in denial? Been there myself once upon a time! 😉
I LOVE your comparison to the beautiful dance keeping the suspense in romance. I couldn’t agree more!
AC
Oh my, I *love* denial of the obvious. Just shared a sweet story with my husband over breakfast this morning about a couple we know who *almost* missed out one of the loveliest relationships I’ve ever seen unfold. To be courted and won is a beautiful dance between two people in love. That fact alone forever will keep the “suspense” in romance. Best wishes for great success with THE WILD IRISH SEA. ~m