By Katherine Sharma

What better start-of-the-year topic for a fiction blog than sex. In this case, I want to pass along a humorous and cautionary reminder that even great writers can pen sex scenes that leave readers stunned–by incoherent, clichéd and unintentionally comic results. At the end of last year, the London-based Literary Review announced the winner of its 22nd annual Bad Sex in Fiction Award, and I would like to thank friend Maxye Henry for alerting me to this important event via a link to a Wall Street Journal article by Literary Review senior editor Jonathan Beckman.

For aspiring sex scene writers, Beckman provides advice based on the missteps of the many distinguished, best-selling authors who find themselves nominated for the unwanted bad-sex accolade. Beckman’s rule No. 1 for writing a good sex scene: Just Make Sense. Consider this passage from 2014’s bad-sex nominee The Snow Queen by Pulitzer Prize-winner Michael Cunningham: “It’s this, only this, he’s lost to himself, he’s no one, he’s obliterated, there’s no Tyler at all, there’s only…He hears himself gasp in wonder. He falls into an ecstatic burning harmedness, losing, lost, unmade. And is finished.” The reader also is lost in this confused stream, with a painful bump against “harmedness.” Rule No. 2: Don’t Destroy The Universe.

The 2013 bad-sex-award winner Indian-American Manil Suri scored his booby prize with a passage that began “Surely supernovas explode that instant…” as the lovers “dive through shoals of quarks and atomic nuclei.” Rule No. 3: Don’t Get Carried Away by Metaphor. Consider 2014’s bad-sex-award winner: The Age of Magic by Ben Okri, a past Man Booker Prize recipient. Okri begins with a character apparently mistaking his lover for a lamp: “When his hand brushed her nipple it tripped a switch and she came alight.” He proceeds to the-earth-moved clichés (“the universe was in her and with each movement it unfolded”) and concludes with a giggle-producing pop: “Somewhere in the night a stray rocket went off.” For more of Beckman’s amusing article, go to http://www.wsj.com/articles/when-good-writers-turn-bad-in-bed-1416503002

ABOUT  KATHERINE SHARMA

Katherine Sharma’s family roots are in Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas. But after her early childhood in Texas, she has moved around the country and lived in seven other states, from Virginia to Hawaii. She currently resides in California with her husband and three children. She has also traveled extensively in Europe, Africa and Asia, and makes regular visits to family in India. After receiving her bachelor’s degree. in economics and her master’s degree in journalism from the University of Michigan, Katherine worked as a newspaper and magazine writer and editor for more than 15 years. She then shifted into management and marketing roles for firms in industries ranging from outdoor recreation to insurance to direct marketing. Although Katherine still works as a marketing consultant, she is now focused on creative writing.

How to find out if he’s right for you.

Many states require a blood test for prospective marriage partners, but no state requires any test to determine whether a prospective mate has any personality deficiencies which are much more likely to destroy a union.

Whether you plan to marry a man or live with him first, the following test can help you rate your chances of working out a successful relationship with him, at least so far as your estimate of his capabilities are concerned. Answer these questions about him to the best of your ability. Score each “Yes” answer according to the points assigned. If you answer “No” the point value is zero. Scoring chart at the conclusion of the test will tell you your probability of success in such a relationship, to the extent that he is capable of contributing to it.

1. Is he willing and able to communicate? (10)

•  Can he express his feelings easily? (5)
•  Can he explain his needs to you honestly? (5)
•  Can he express anger without blowing his top? (5)
•  Is he willing to listen to your needs? (5)
•  Would he prefer to discuss rather than argue? (5)
•  Is he willing to compromise or does he insist upon his own way? (5)

2. Is he self-confident? (10)

•  Does he like himself? (5)
•  Is he sure of his manhood and his abilities? (5)
•  Does he acknowledge faults readily? (2)
•  Does he handle interpersonal relations easily? (2)
•  Does it take much to fluster him? (3)
•  Does he speak up for his rights? (3)
•  Is he sure of himself in his relations with you? (2)

3. Do you find him attractive? (10)

4. How knowledgeable is he about women? (10)

• Is he considerate of female mood changes, i.e., premenstrual mood swings? (3)
• Does he know how to respond to your moods without being hit over the head? (2)
• Is he honest with you but at the same time tactful? (3)
• Does he try to understand you? (5)

5. Does he have a generous nature? (10)

• Does he do things that make you happy? (5)
• Is he interested in giving rather than taking? (5)
• Is he generous about money or how it is to be spent? (5)
• Does he have a forgiving disposition? (5)
• Is he willing to consider your wishes and not insist upon having his own way all the time? (5)

6. Is he flexible? (10)

• Is he willing and able to change in ways that can improve your relationship? (5)
• Can he adjust well to new developments? (5)
• Can he make allowances for your mistakes? (5)
• Does he adjust well to the new rise in women’s consciousness? (3)
• If you take on new financial responsibility in the relationship is he willing to share your other burdens at home? (5)

7. Is he free of neurotic jealousy? (10)

• Can you be pleasant to other men without making him angry? (5)
• Does he resent time you spend either with your parents or your friends? (5)

8. Is he a good lover? (10)

• Does he consider your satisfaction before his own? (5)
• If he is too hasty does he try again as often as necessary to make sure you are gratified? (5)
• Does he have a healthy, relaxed attitude about sex? (5)
• Is he a gentle, yet vigorous lover? (5)
• Does he hold you fondly after he has been satisfied? (5)
• Is he free of hangups about any particular way to make love? (5)
• Is he willing to join you in experimenting? (5)

9. If marriage is considered, is he fond of children? (10)

• Does he have a warm relationship with nieces or nephews or if previously married, with his own children? (5)

10. Is he free of serious traits you find irritating? (10)

• If you’re a non-smoker is he also? (5)
• If you’re a non-drinker is he also? (5)
• Are his manners couth? (5)
• Is he free of annoying mannerisms such as scratching himself, smirking, or dressing too sloppily? (10)
• Is his voice pleasant–not nasal, or whining? (5)
• Are his speech patterns non-embarassing? (5)

11. Is he willing and able to meet your expectations in handling relationships with your family? (10)

• Is he free of the hate-your-mother-in-law syndrome? (5)
• Does he make an effort to be pleasant to your relatives? (5)
• Does he consider your wishes about them at holiday time and not just the wishes of his own parents? (5)
• Do you feel proud of him when he is with your parents? (5)

Score Yourself!

0-180 Don’t risk it.

181-213 Be prepared for some rough times in the relationship.

214-247 Join him. Chances are good.

248-280 Prospects really bright for a happy relationship.

281-328 Grab the guy quickly before someone else does.

Want to save money this Valentine’s Day? Stay in and make a delicious and romantic dessert for you and your partner. Here are two wonderful recipes:

…on Valentine’s Day–and all through the year!

These stories first appeared in a 1986 issue of True Love Magazine and we’d like to share them with you!

This Beautiful Gift of Love

Our love was born of God
Sent to us from heaven abovek,
So pure, honest, and simple,
This beautiful gift of love.

Our love binds us
By a cord of invisible power;
We need this precious love to live
Every day and every hour.

Our love givs us strength
To stand even when times are rough.
Our love will forever flow–
There will always be enough.

Our love will grow each passing day,
For it was sent from heaven above,
And no one will ever destroy our gift–
This beautiful gift of love

–Cindy McBride

Valentine Surprise

If I could, I’d buy the moon and stars
To place before your eyes.
I’d wrap up all the heavens
For a Valentine surprise.

I’d buy you clothes and racing yachts
And diamond rings galore.
A low-slung car, a brand-new house…
All this, my dear, and more.

But since I’m not a rich girl
And those loevely things aren’t free,
The best I have to offer
To you, my love–is me!

-J. Desper

Across The Years

You carved out our initials,
Enclosed within a heart,
Upon the sturdy oak tree,
And vowed we’d never part.

Since then our love has deepened,
Through laughter and through tears,
And like the strongest oak tree
It’s stood the test of years.

For time can’t dim that moment
You pledged your heart to mine;
In memory I treasure
Your first sweet Valentine.

–Marna G. Simons

Sweet Talk

I know you love me, darling,
Although sweet words are few;
I see it clearly, day by day
In the thoughtful things you do.

I feel so blessed that what we share
Is not a passing phase,
And more than soft, romantic words
Or a shallow, pretty phrase.

Yes, I know you love me, darling.
Sweet words are not your way,
But when I need them most of all
You know just what to say.

–Joyce Mayes

The Gift

Happy Valentine’s Day, my love.
As my gift to you
I will give you a day.

This day will have sunshine
As warm as your love,
A blue sky dotted with
Puffs of white clouds
As soft as your touch.

The green grass beneath your feet
Would give you comfort
As your arms comfort me.
And there would be millions of flowers
As fresh and sweet as your kisses.

A gentle breeze would touch your cheek
And bring memories of all our happy days.
But best of all, I’d share your day,
And if it were in my power,
I would give you this day
Over and over, morning after morning.

For the rest of our lives.

–Betty Hunter

By Mary Cope

Life is good, you’re in a new relationship, he’s fun, exciting — the perfect guy. You’re feeling the emotional connection that screams this guy is the guy you want to say those forbidden words to. Those three little words that could have him freaked out and running for the hills. Or, you’ve been in a relationship for so long, you sometimes forget all of the other ways to remind your partner that you love them.

So, what do you do?

Here are five subtle ways to get your point across without actually saying a word.

1. Be thoughtful.

Thoughtfulness is simply showing consideration for someone other than yourself.

Little things matter. Be attentive to your partners’ needs, anticipate them. Nothing says, “love you” more than showing kindness and consideration before it is asked. Predicting the needs of your partner shows them that you care and you matter to me.

2. Be affectionate.

Showing affection can deepen your level of intimacy, create a bond, and reassure your partner you care. Something as simple as running your hand along the length of your partners’ back as you walk by or playful touching them while you are out in public goes a long way. Thoughtful caresses when he is deep in conversation with you or a gentle touch on his thigh while you are having dinner. Physical touch is powerful, when you end your evening together the kiss goodnight is expected but don’t forget the importance of a lengthy hug.

3. Be attentive.

Let your partner know he is a priority, that he is important to you and when he is talking, give him your undivided attention. No checking your cell phone or texting. Don’t scroll through Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Be present, be in the moment, and be focused. Being attentive lets your partner know they are of value to you and important in your life.

4. Do the unexpected. 

Cards and written notes are slowly becoming a thing of the past. Take time to jot down a heartfelt sentiment and leave it somewhere for your partner to find. A handwritten note, which simply says, “I’m thinking of you and have a great day,” can go a long way in making that certain someone feel special.

5. Include them in your future.

Let them know your relationship is strong, it has the potential to last and when you speak of the plans in your life, they are a part of them. Get rid of the term, I and begin using us, or we. This gives your significant other the assurance when you look towards the future they are a part of it.

Relationships take time, build and nurture what you have. Establishing trust and commitment will eventually bring those three little words out in the open.

About Mary Cope

Mary Cope is a first time author with Astraea Press. Her book, Beautiful One, is the first in a planned trilogy. She is currently writing the sequel, Beautiful Mess.
Mary enjoys spending time with her family, baking, listening to music and taking long walks with her yellow lab, Maggie.

Website:
http://marycopeauthor.com

Twitter:
https://twitter.com/MaryCope_Author

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mary-Cope/260006794162636

*UPDATE

Harper Lee passed away in her sleep on February 19, 2016. She was 89. In a statement, Lee’s family said, “The family of Nelle Harper Lee, of Monroeville, Alabama, announced today, with great sadness, that Ms. Lee passed away in her sleep early this morning. Her passing was unexpected. She remained in good basic health until her passing. The family is in mourning and there will be a private funeral service in the upcoming days, as she had requested.”

Lee never married and had no children.

“Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing.” – Harper Lee

This quote by To Kill a Mockingbird author Harper Lee has found new meaning. After 55 years, Harper Lee fans and book lovers won’t have to hold their breath any longer waiting for Lee’s next book.  Lee’s only published work, To Kill A Mockingbird, is a Pulitzer prize winning classic (published in 1960) that is about to have company. Before the success of Mockingbird, Lee wrote a book called Go Set A Watchman. It is essentially a sequel to Mockingbird, although it was written earlier, which will finally be published and available on July 14.

“In the mid-1950s, I completed a novel called Go Set a Watchman,” the 88-year-old Lee said in a statement issued by her publisher HarperCollins. “It features the character known as Scout as an adult woman, and I thought it a pretty decent effort. My editor, who was taken by the flashbacks to Scout’s childhood, persuaded me to write a novel (what became To Kill a Mockingbird) from the point of view of the young Scout.

“I was a first-time writer, so I did as I was told. I hadn’t realized it (the original book) had survived, so was surprised and delighted when my dear friend and lawyer Tonja Carter discovered it. After much thought and hesitation, I shared it with a handful of people I trust and was pleased to hear that they considered it worthy of publication. I am humbled and amazed that this will now be published after all these years.”

The new book is set in Lee’s famed Maycomb, Alabama, during the mid-1950s, 20 years after To Kill a Mockingbird and roughly contemporaneous with the time that Lee was writing the story. The civil rights movement was taking hold in her home state. The Supreme Court had ruled unanimously in 1954 that segregated schools were unconstitutional, and the arrest of Rosa Parks in 1955 led to the yearlong Montgomery bus boycott.

“Scout (Jean Louise Finch) has returned to Maycomb from New York to visit her father, Atticus,” the publisher’s announcement reads. “She is forced to grapple with issues both personal and political as she tries to understand her father’s attitude toward society, and her own feelings about the place where she was born and spent her childhood.”

The pre-order sales on Amazon and Barnes and Noble have already pushed the book into the top 10 and the publishers are expecting 2 million copies of the first printing to be made. It was also be available in e-book form.

The Bible speaks of a race of giants who roamed the Earth before the great flood of Noah’s day. The Bible tells of these Nephilim, revealing that these were the offspring of angels, essentially becoming demigods to the Earth’s population during the time of Noah:

Genesis 6:4

The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters. They bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

Did Angels Have Sexual Relations With Human Women?

The offspring from an illicit union between the “fallen angels” and human women were giants who“became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.” (Genesis 6) The fact that they were giants, is also proof in and of itself that their parentage was superhuman. But these giants were evil. Having been born of corrupted, Satanic angels they dominated the Earth and filled it with violence. It is also interesting to note that the Bible calls them “men of renown.” The Hebrew word here, shem, refers to being famous and legendary. It is as if the Bible is indicating that when the reader hears of legends of “demigods”, titans or legendary heroes who were part god, that this is who those “myths” were referring to. These were ‘men’ of superhuman ability and strength. In addition to causing violence and sin in the world, the Nephilim were also corrupting the human bloodline.

Nephilim in Popular Culture

References to the Nephilim have shown up on various film and television programs for years.

In season 5 of The X-Files entitled All Souls, Dana Scully attempts to save three Nephilim who appear as young girls with several genetic deformations.

In the 2004 British TV series Hex, the main antagonist, Azazeal, is part of the Nephilim and can only show his true demonic form when gaining strength through performing ritual sacrifices with willing participants.

In the 2014 film Noah, the Nephilim are angels originally entrusted to keep watch over Adam and Eve. After they are expelled from the Garden of Eden, they follow humanity out of sympathy and are fallen due to having disobeyed God, their original bodies of light are driven into the Earth’s crust and they are transformed into stone giants, known as the Watchers. However upon redeeming themselves by defending Noah’s ark they are released from their stone giant forms and become angels once again.

Discovering the Nephilim

Eve Dowling left Thibodaux Hospital and never looked back. She didn’t want to look back… ever. She and her son Philip moved into the west wing of the Gregiore Estate mansion with husband-to-be, Beau Le Masters and, by all appearances, they were already the perfect, happy family.

Read More

Author D.M. Pratt was recently interviewed by AllRomance.com for her new novel, THE TEMPTING, which is on sale now at all book retailers. THE TEMPTING is the story of reporter Eve Dowling, who falls in love with the handsome and seemingly perfect Beau Le Masters. After a night of passionate love-making, Eve hits her head, falls into a coma, and wakes up 13 months later to discover that she has had a son, and that Beau has stayed by her side the entire time. When she agrees to marry Beau, it looks like her life will have its “happily-ever-after” ending, but soon her nightmares are telling her a different story. Is Beau one of the fallen sons of god – a Nephilim — or is he the man she fell in love with?

Here is what Ms. Pratt had to say her life, writing and THE TEMPTING:

AllRomance.com: Who is D.M. Pratt and when did the dream of being a writer begin?

D.M.: I am a story teller. I have always been a story teller. When I was very young, I would retell my dreams from the night before to my friends when we came out to play. And those rather fantastic dreams were always embellished stories by the end of the day. I started writing poetry at about 13 when I was moved by an event or a person and found it was the only way to express my feelings.

I picked up the guitar at 18 and my poems became songs. I loved performing in front of live audiences. So naturally, I became an actress and loved the exploration of self that comes with building characters.

In my twenties, however, I found that the roles offered to women did not reflect who I was or how I felt about being a young woman, so I yearned to write for myself. I had my first opportunity when doing a film called “Adventures in the Forbidden Zone.” I was hired for the role of Megan, leader of the Earth girls. After the original director was fired and the script tossed out, my brave, strong female role with great dialogue had completely vanished, along with two other dynamic Earth girl characters. So I snuck into the writers’ room and wrote a three-page scene explaining who the Earth girls were and why we were the driving force behind the film – without us, no hero or villain had any reason for being. My efforts were accepted but only resulted in a half page scene. It constituted the only dialogue my character got to say, but it started a fire in me to be a writer that has never died.

I decided to move to Hollywood because it was a pathway to my dreams; I could write and then act the characters I was creating. As an actress I would work on TV shows and whenever I was a regular or recurring character, I would talk to the writers and the producers about writing a script. I would write and they would guide me. I am a very visual writer. My first filmed teleplay took 7 rewrites, but I loved the process. It became an episode of “Airwolf” called “Fallen Angel.” That’s where it started and from there I was unstoppable.

AllRomance.com: The Tempting: Seducing the Nephilim is your newest release; can you give us a little information about this story?

D.M.: It’s an emotional story of love threatened by creatures first described in ancient texts as the Nephilim or “fallen Sons of God.” Our heroine, Eve knew the moment she saw Beau she was his – it was love at first sight. A romantic night dancing sensually with a seriously handsome stranger leads to the greatest seduction of her life, a moment of wild erotic, sexual passion and an orgasm so intense Eve hits her head hard enough to give herself a concussion, which results in a coma. Eve awakens from her “Sleeping Beauty” coma and is greeted by the powerfully seductive and handsome man with whom she had danced and fallen in love. To her shock and pleasant surprise, he stayed by her side, protecting her and their new born son. Once home, Eve is plagued by nightmares of being ravaged by an exotic creature, known as a Nephilim that she comes to believe is the man-of-her-dreams. Eve has to find the courage to save herself, her son and discover who she really is and why the Nephilim are drawn to her.

AllRomance.com: How would you describe your lead character?

D.M: Eve is an “every woman” on a journey of discovery. She’s smart, tough, vulnerable, determined, loyal, relentless and sensual with an erotic side beyond her wildest imaginings. She is like all women who doubt their strengths and gifts until fate and circumstances demand us to step up and become who we are destined to be.

AllRomance.com: How did you come up with this story and what is your favorite thing about writing it?

D.M.: I originally wanted to do some light and fun writing, especially after seven years of creating and writing a huge futuristic, epic adventure, drenched in science fiction and science fantasy. I started writing The Tempting simply with the idea of creating a fun, strong woman lead character. But then the book became a mystery, then a thriller. THEN, the Nephilim appeared and from that day forward the book was possessed. I was just the fingers on the keyboard as the story played out in my mind so vivid and so complete there were days I felt like I was watching a movie.

AllRomance.com: What do you do when you aren’t writing? Any hobbies or special interests that you can tell us about?

D.M.: When I’m on a writing jag — I write. I like disappearing from the world, responsibilities and people. Doing research – I can get lost in historical, science and topic-related books for days, looking into a subject. Getting close to nature helps me think. I love long walks with great views of the mountains that fall into distant valleys or hiking along the edge of a cliff overlooking the ocean with vast vistas. These grand views allow my mind and imagination to expand and be creative. Massages and yoga and conversations with close friends whom I share where my mind, characters, stories and muses are taking me. I also love to travel and discover new places. Long journeys inspire me to write.

AllRomance.com: What do you think readers will love about this story? Is there something specific you hope readers take with them and/or feel after they finish reading your books?

D.M.: Great story. Smart and fun characters. Great thriller that twists and turns and keeps you captivated. Feminine empowerment and… as one friend said, “best sex she’s had in years.”

AllRomance.com: If you weren’t writing romance, what would you be writing?

D.M.: Anything that inspires me. I never limit myself. I love the present, the past and the future. There is romance in all good story telling along with strong, fascinating characters, interesting places and profound, internal and external conflict.

AllRomance.com: Happy New Year! Can you share with us one of your New Years Resolutions and what can we expect from you in the year to come?  

D.M.: My resolutions. Love more. Give time to something worthy. Be outside more with nature. Smile and laugh at least once a day. Trust my gut. Forgive myself, the past and let it go! Sing more. Dance more. Play more. Breathe deeply and trust ME. I would enjoy the opportunity to direct a film this year and maybe even write another book!

Recently Ms Pratt was interviewed by Reina Menasche, host of East County Magazine Show’s Bookshelf, and you can listen to her podcast HERE

D.M. Pratt Bio

Ms. Pratt is a five-time Emmy nominee, a Golden Globe nominee and was chosen for the Top Ten short list for the Academy Awards for her live action short film Girlfriends. She has received the Lillian Gish Award from Women in Film, The Angel Award, The Golden Block Award, and six B.E.N. Awards. As Co-Executive Producer and Head Writer for the ground-breaking television series Quantum Leap. Ms. Pratt wrote 25 episodes and co-wrote an additional 15 episodes and has produced over 100 hours of network programs. She made her directorial debut on Cora Unashamed for the BBC’s Masterpiece Theatre’s The American Collection, which aired on both PBS and the BBC. Check out her other interview, D.M. Pratt: The Quest of a Writer and her other novel, Age of Eve