Friday, July 13, 2012

Tina Donahue talks about more than menage


Today I'm happy to report my blog has been taken over by the very talented erotic writer Tina Donahue. This is one blog I thoroughly enjoyed reading and I know you will also.

MORE THAN MÉNAGE

After reading the blog’s title, I know what some of you are thinking at this point. More than ménage must mean three guys, maybe four, five, six – dare we say up to twelve hunks – with one woman!!

Easy now, sit back, take a deep breath because that’s not what I’m getting at.

What I’m referring to is what makes a group activity, ménage or a simple one-on-one irresistible and trust me – it ain’t the sex.  It’s the emotional connection of the characters who are involved with each other.

Although I write erotic romance, which is simply romance with more explicit bedroom scenes, I wholeheartedly believe that it’s the sexual tension and emotional build that makes readers turn the pages. From the moment I began writing steamy stories, my brand has been “Heat with Heart”. It’s served me well, and from the comments of reviewers and my fans, they like a sexy story with depth.

Take my award-winning erotic contemporary Sensual Stranger. Yeah, there are scenes so hot you’ll need a cold drink and a fan to get through them. However, it’s the spark between Toni and Zach that makes the journey worthwhile. He’d lost his wife in a tragic accident the year before. Since she was fifteen, Toni’s been on her own without a family to care. They’re two damaged souls, two very lonely people who are lucky enough to get a second chance at love. Those are the parts I enjoyed writing the most…the quiet moments between them where they began to realize they were meant for each other. Sensual Stranger was named Book of the Year by Blue Moon Reviews. It received four stars from Romantic Times. I don’t believe the sex was the reason for the raves, as sizzling as those scenes were. It was because of the romance, the friendship, the love.

In each of my romances, I’ve done the same and succeeded – again, according to fans and reviewers. However, when I first tried my hand at ménage, I hit a wall. I wondered how one woman could love two men equally. The notion went against everything I’d thought up to that time. Even so, with my first ménage, SiNN, the secondary hero, Toby, wouldn’t stay away from Lea (my heroine) no matter how much I tried to make him do so. I decided to step back and allow him to have his way. I’m glad I did. The story worked better as a ménage than as I’d originally plotted it.

My second ménage, Sinfully Wicked, was released this March. Again, the story begged for two heroes, Mitch and Connor, who’ve loved Nikki from the time they’d met in high school. Because of a past betrayal, their road to romance and love is rocky as the romance opens, but it’s never dull. These people belong together; they’re in each others’ blood. And I made certain the sexual sparks fly early and frequently, while also building upon the friendship they all experienced so many years before.

My continuing version of Heat with Heart. J


Tina

Tina Donahue
“Heat with Heart”

SINFULLY WICKED (MAGNIFICENT - Romancing the Book)
THE YEARNING (HOLT MEDALLION AWARD OF MERIT)
UNENDING DESIRE (BEST BOOK Rating - LASR Erotic)
SENSUAL STRANGER (BOOK OF THE YEAR 2010)
DEEP, DARK, DELICIOUS (HOLT MEDALLION AWARD OF MERIT)

Website: http://www.tinadonahue.com/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/tinadonahue




9 comments:

Renee Field said...

Tina thanks so much for joining my blog today. I just love how you combine humor with passion in all of your sexy erotic books.

Julia Phillips Smith said...

"the secondary hero, Toby, wouldn’t stay away from Lea (my heroine) no matter how much I tried to make him do so."

I assume that means Toby was supposed to be a rival or a former love interest. I understand what you mean when you say he he insisted on having his own way. The best stories often result from really listening to our characters.

Enjoyed your post, Tina!

Fran Lee said...

What a marvelous blog! Thanks for sharing with us, Tina...love your books, girl!

Fran Lee said...

What a marvelous blog! Thanks for sharing with us, Tina...love your books, girl!

Tina Donahue said...

Renee - thanks so much for having me here today. :)

Julia - actually Toby wasn't a rival for Leah's attention. He and Jake are great friends, almost like brothers. Toby just thought getting involved with a woman they're supposed to protect might not be wise. He was (notice I said was) very straight-laced. :) Thanks for dropping by.

Hey Fran - thanks so much for dropping by!! Congrats on your recent releases. :)

Nikki McIntosh said...

Tina,

Your stories sound great ... and I love that cover for Sinn - a little too much! :)

I think you're right about the depth - sex on its own is okay, but when the characters really connect it takes it to a whole new level!

Nikki

Tina Donahue said...

Hey, Nikki - thanks so much for stopping by!! I love the cover too. Very hot. :)

Tessie Bradford said...

Great blog, Tina. You know I'm a huge fan!!

Tina Donahue said...

I do - and I thank you, Tessie!!! :)