In Complicated Creatures Part One, I write both action and erotic scenes, and I think any scene can be done confidently with good taste and panache. I don’t think it’s about drawing lines so much as it’s about painting the picture with the right palette, descriptive style and making sure you’re setting the right tone.
If you read my action scenes, you’ll notice a marked difference in the writing style than the erotic ones. The action scene requires a fast, brisk, hard swipe of bold color like oil on canvas. It’s not about freaking the reader out with gore—it’s about keeping them on edge with tension, wondering what the hell is going to happen next.
The erotic scenes are lush and brimming and have a more alluring feel. Rough sex is painted with charcoal, while lovemaking looks more like a watercolor. Either way, erotic writing requires the lines to be longer, like a stroke down a lover’s back. They should feel more heady and decadent, because that’s what good sex should read like – the very best of what it feels like when done right.
My favorite scenes to read in Complicated Creatures are in Chapter 11, particularly the scene where Sam and Jack are in his apartment for the first time, working on the crossword and listening to music. I can see that scene and hear that dialogue so clearly. It was a pleasure to read – despite the fact that it took a few iterations to get there in the writing. It’s romantic, but not overwrought. Their imperfections and foibles make them that much more human and relatable, and their banter feels intelligent and flirtatious with just the right amount of snark. And I love me some good snark! Nothing sexier than a smart man and a smart woman going at it!
Maybe it’s because I’m early on in my career, but my characters wake me up; they disturb conversations over meals, and they disrupt my quiet time with what they’ve got to say and what they want to do. I’m obsessed with getting it all out; to tell their stories, to do them justice…
Can it be done? Who knows.
But right now, it seems all I can do is write, write, and write some more…
As Anne Rice said (All Hail the Queen!): “Obsession led me to write. It’s been that way with every book I’ve ever written. I become completely consumed by a theme, by characters, by a desire to meet a challenge.
Couldn’t agree more.
Complicated Creatures Part One is the debut of a five-part series:
- Part One, which is available now.
- Novella 1.5, which will hopefully be ready sometime in July to people who sign up on my website.
- Part Two, which will be available at the end of the summer.
- Novella 2.5, which will come out in the fall.
- The Prequel to Complicated Creatures which will be a full-length YA story about Sam when she goes to college, available around Christmas/New Year’s. And finally…
- Part Three, the conclusion to the Complicated Creatures series, available this time next year.
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Amazon profile: http://www.amazon.com/Alexi-Lawless/e/B00JXYT5FA/ref=ntt_athr_dp_pel_1
Website: http://alexilawless.com
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*****
What happens when curiosity becomes obsession?
From author Alexi LAWLESS, the first part in a provocative romantic suspense series…
Luck is Jack Roman’s middle name— and Chicago is his Empire. He lives to work, loves to play, and makes no commitments. But when the mysterious S. Wyatt moves into the adjoining penthouse, he’s immediately drawn to her, a striking, elusive woman who transitions seamlessly from wood-paneled board rooms to high-stakes, high-risk rescue operations in the most dangerous parts of the world.
Intrigued by her self-possession, aroused by her incredible passion, and disarmed by a vulnerability she cannot hide, Jack pursues her into the nexus of her dangerous present and her enigmatic past. An entire world is revealed to Jack, where living for pleasure becomes fighting for survival. And the only woman he wants may be the one he cannot have…
COMPLICATED CREATURES is a mesmerizing, labyrinthine erotic romance that will leave you wondering: Do you really want to know everything about the one you love?
To read an Excerpt, scroll back up to the book cover and click on “Look Inside”
Note to the Reader: Complicated Creatures is the first ebook in a series of erotic romantic-suspense fiction. It is recommended for readers 18+ for mature content… these are not your mother’s romance novels
“A Stellar Read!” – Amazon Top 500 Reviewer
“Alluring, Suspenseful & Compelling…”
“Sharp, Lush and Vivid Writing Style”
*****
Alexi LAWLESS.
Corporate Runaway. Novelist. Wanderer. Bourbon Drinker.
Alexi LAWLESS has been a closeted writer for thirty-odd years—from way back when she was banging out stories on a Commodore 64 to her years writing the corporate strategies for some of the largest companies in the world. But it was two years ago, laid up after foot surgery, that she started to seriously consider whether it was time to come out as the novelist she’d always wanted to be.
Armed with a laptop and an around-the-world ticket, she quit the corporate scene and set out to see if her passion for writing was more than a pipe-dream. Less than a year later, Alexi’s debuting her first published novel, Complicated Creatures: Part One, with the second book due out this summer. And while you may catch her sipping a drink in Miami Beach, you’re more likely to find her indulging her nomadic tendencies somewhere in Latin America or Southeast Asia.
Interested in following Alexi? You can stalk her here at: AlexiLAWLESS.com.