I'm so happy to welcome rom-com author Melissa Blue to eulogize the dreaded "rom-com" label, and to tell us about her book FORBIDDEN RENDEZVOUS!
* * *
I'm sorry to have to be the one to inform you, but like
chick-lit, romantic comedy is dead. I kid. Sort of. I've had this conversation off and on with
other writers for a while, but we all agree humor is not welcomed in some
circles. And it's a scientific fact (ok it's a Melissa Blue fact) that once you
have to explain a joke, it's just not funny anymore. The same could be said
once you slap on chick-lit or romantic comedy onto a book. Folks go into the
book expecting the funniest, I-almost-peed-in-my-pants hilarity. When all they
get are a few chuckles here and there the book has failed on that perceived
promise.
I'm not going to lie to you. It's a conundrum. What's a
humorous author to do? You won't want folks opening your book expecting every
moment to be serious when you have like 323 dick jokes, thinly veiled ones,
placed throughout a 40k story. At the same time, the pressure of 323 loud
laughs has to happen. What if there's only 320 chuckles? You have failed.
I've made a study of this. In order for a joke to work the
writer has to know their audience. On some basic level all of them have to have
seen/experienced the same things. That's not even taking in the probability the
person holds your same sense of humor. Because by proxy you have to make a joke
that everyone would laugh at.
You can't tell because you're reading this blog in real time
but I've sat here staring off into space for five minutes trying to think of an
example. So...
Hero.
Heroine.
They are both partially naked in the pool. She jumps in and
tells him to come in to play. And by play she means something else entirely.
The water is cold.
The hero jumps in.
* insert joke of a man being in cold water *
Yeah. Ten more minutes of staring into space and I've got
nothing but a comparison of thumbs and small peens. I can't take the pressure
of being funny. So let's just say I write light and fluffy romances. If they
make you laugh that's awesome. As far as I'm concerned romantic comedies and
chick-lit is dead to me. And please for the love of cold water and * insert
joke about a man being in cold water * don't call me humorous.
Who are some of your favorite chick-lit authors? Some of
your favorite rom-com authors?
* Sophie Kinsella is one of mine.
* * *
Lucy: Here are the blurb and an excerpt -- BRB, adding this to my to-read pile, as I generally enjoy both dens and sinning.
When the
Beaudelaire Hotel turns into a Den of Sin for the New Year's weekend, any and
every fantasy can become a reality...
Seraphina
Gibson orchestrates fantasies, but this year she'll create one of her own. It's
against the rules for an employee to participate in the weekend-long sex-capade
but she's willing to risk it for Luke Moreland. The man's a mystery, but in a
sea of CEOs and Fortune 500 billionaires, he stands out. His past and
connection to her boss is clouded in intrigue, but she knows what he wants, and
she plans to star in one of his voyeuristic trysts.
Born with a
silver spoon Luke Moreland is used to getting everything he desires. Being next
in line of his family's winery leaves him very little time to take advantage of
his riches. For a weekend, out of every year, he gets to feel the thrill of the
chase. Not even in his sexual fantasies does he like to lose control, but then
Seraphina walks into his playroom. He doesn't know the truth of her past, but
he knows the risk she's taken to be with him. That doesn't matter. He's going
to spend the next two days with her in his bed and keep her secret.
When reality
crashes into their fantasy, will they survive?
* * *
“Call me Luke. I insist.”
She gripped the files to her chest. Not that he
could see anything but a hint of her femininity. She wore pants suits and not
even a button was left open to tease him with a view of her dark-olive skin.
When alone, at the end of the day, would she take the pins out of her hair and
free the ebony strands? It killed him to be this close to her and yet so far
from touching, seeing the woman underneath the professionalism.
“Was there something you forgot to ask me during
your interrogation?” she asked.
“Yes.”
She pursed her lips, but the corners of her mouth
turned up. “I think Mr. Beaudelaire would like to know you hold his staff
hostage.”
Henri would be displeased that he'd shamelessly
flirted with any of his staff. Doing more than flirting? Now that would cause
trouble their friendship didn't need. They used to be close as brothers. It had
taken the last four years to be more than casual associates.
With that in mind, he considered Seraphina and
just how far he could take this. “Have dinner with me. One that isn't a ruse
for work.”
“No.”
He hadn't expected her to say yes, yet, but the
quick refusal without any trace of doubt in her tone confused the hell out of
him. She'd enjoyed herself. He could pick up on the slightest discomfort or
sign that someone really didn't like him. He'd honed that skill in college when
his world fell apart. He used the skill in all his business dealings.
Henri had his rules, but Luke had suspected
Seraphina didn't let anyone in. “Are you seeing someone?”
“No.”
“Shitty childhood?”
“No,” but she said it with a laugh. “Back up.”
He took two steps and crossed his arms. She had
room to leave now, but she only pressed her shoulders against the oak door.
Usually he let her be, but this year there was something different about her.
He didn't care what it was. He welcomed it.
“Then tell me why,” he said.
“You're a customer. It's against the rules.”
The answer sounded recited. “And if I wasn't?”
* * *
Buy Links:
Author Bio:
Mel Blue is the risque pen name for
Melissa Blue. Her writing career started on a typewriter one month after her
son was born. This would have been an idyllic situation for a writer if it had
been 1985, not 2004. She penned that first contemporary romance, upgraded to a
computer and hasn't looked back since.
Outside of writing, Blue works as a
mail clerk for the federal government, has a paralegal certificate (that she
has more use for as a dust pan) and is a mother of two rambunctious children.
She lives in California where the wine is good and, despite popular belief, is
not always sunny.
You can find her camped out on
Facebook or Twitter. Check out her website to sign up for her newsletter and
get updates on new releases.
