WORKSHOP!

Workshop: Writing Hot, Delicious Love Scenes

Date: January 3 - 31, 2011

Instructor: Nicole North

Fee: $25

Do the love scenes or sex scenes in your romance novel lack that magical spark and sizzling heat that makes the reader go WHEW!!? The romance genre has exploded with bonfire-hot romance and erotic romance novels and novellas over the last few years. In this workshop we'll explore the many aspects of fantastic, hot and delicious love scenes, whether you write mildly sensual
romance or erotic romance. We'll look at the best ways of writing those all-important love scenes that take your characters to the next level of their relationship.

Topics covered:
Leading up to sex
Interweaving emotion and sex
Differences between romance and erotic romance
Choosing your words
Kissing during sex
Sexy dialogue
Humor during sex
Sexual positions
Personalizing your love scenes
Sensual settings
Seducing the reader
The hero
The heroine
Fantasy
Historical vs. contemporary love scenes
Determining placement
Progression from one love scene to the next
Oral sex
Avoid sex cliches
Sex and conflict
Written and multimedia examples

Please note: this workshop does not deal with pure erotica or alternative lifestyles. The lessons and examples contain graphic language and frank discussions of sexuality. Only those age 18 and over are permitted to enroll.

This is an interactive online workshop with exercises and critique/ feedback from the instructor on your written love scene. Workshop will be conducted via a Yahoo group. Lessons will arrive at your email inbox. To register or to see what others have said about my workshops please visit http://www.nicolenorth.com/. and click on workshops. Thanks!!

Instructor bio: Nicole North's erotic romance novellas have been described
by reviewers as "exciting, high octane, captivating, scintillating, sinfully
delicious and pure romance." Her stories contain "heart and heat, killer
love scenes, magic and extraordinary characters." Her books from Red Sage
include: Beast in a Kilt in Secrets Volume 29 Indulge Your Fantasies (July
2010), Kilted Lover (Nov. 2009), and Devil in a Kilt is in Secrets Volume 27
Untamed Pleasures (July 2009). Laird of Darkness (March 2011) will be her
first novella from Carina Press. Scoundrel in a Kilt will be released in a
future Secrets volume. Though she has a degree in psychology, writing
romance is her first love. Please visit her website to learn more about her
books or see what past students have said about her workshops.
Website: http://www.nicolenorth.com/.

I can't believe it is over!

Well, Christmas has come and gone. I find it hard to believe. All of that hard work for the last three months, 12 hours of shopping on Black Friday, countless hours working on the food, waiting for the kids to go to sleep so that "Santa" can bring the presents out, and all for what? To have it all gone in one day...LOL!

In my house, to make the unwrapping of presents last a little longer, we draw numbers and then we watch as everyone opens there gifts, oohing, and ahhing as they go. This way, we all get to see what everyone got and enjoy it with them.

So now, we are recovering from the day. Everyone is still playing with their toys, my husband is having a blast playing Guitar Hero with the kids, and I am enjoying having him home for the holidays. It's nice to have an extra day off together.

Now it is time to plan a New Year's Eve party. I will be hosting the gathering at my house and this year we have come up with a theme, Alter Ego. Everyone must come dressed as their alter ego. I can't wait to see what people will choose. As for me? I will let you know, I haven't quite decided.

We have hosted a themed New Year's Eve party before. It was a slumber party. We always invite the children, so every came in their pajamas and brought pillows and sleeping bags. I sent all of the invitations in a slipper. When the families arrived, they had to show their slipper, then they found their match and the two families had to do a challenge together. We had sooo much fun!!! All of our drinks were in mugs, we played Pictionary, etc.

Do you have plans for the New Year? I hope you will share them here!

Season's Greetings!

I wanted to take a moment and wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! Thank you so much for stopping by through out the year and seeing what I had to say. I appreciate your support.

May you have success in your endeavors and I hope all of your wishes come true in 2011!

With much love,

Sarah

The History of the Nutcracker

After watching a bit of the ballet "The Nutcracker" on TV, I began to wonder how this became associated with Christmas.



Nutcrackers have been around since the beginning of time. Nuts and fruits have been an important part of man's diet. Not only did we eat them as they were, nuts were made into flour, butter, or as a way to spice up a meal. Nuts were easy to find and a plentiful food item.



If the nuts were too hard to crack by teeth, pitted stones were used. In excavations of early civilizations have found such stones and have been discovered in the United States and Europe dating back 4,000 to 8,000 years during the Archaic Period.



The oldest nutcracker can be found in a museum in Tarent, Italy and dates back to the third or fourth century B.C. The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum has a bronze Roman Nutcracker dating between 200 B.C and 200 A. D. It was found in 1960 after being buried for over 1800 years.



Over the years, Nutcrackers have evolved. I found that according to German folklore, Nutcrackers would be given to friends and family as keepsakes to bring good luck and to protect the home. Legend says that the Nutcracker represents strength and power. It serves as a look out for your family, guarding them from evil spirits and danger. The Nutcracker bares his teeth to evil spirits and danger, forever being the fierce protector.




Nutcrackers have become a tradition at dining tables and Christmas holiday settings for a long time. Bringing with it, whimsical conversations. Many unusual forms can be found of these novelty pieces. Writers, artists and composers have paid tribute to these festive messengers. The most famous is the novel, "The Nutcraker and the King of Mice" written by E.T. Amadeus Hoffman somewhere between 1776 and 1822. It was then turned into a popular ballet, debuting in St. Petersburg on Dec. 18, 1892. It was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov and the score was written by none other than Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.



So, the next time you are sitting in the living room with the glow of the Chrsitmas tree over your shoulder and someone passes you a tray with nuts and the Nutcracker, I hope you will remember this post and it serves as another unusal conversation piece associated with this holiday tradition.

Good reads!

THE SEASONS OF GRACE series by Beverly Lewis

In the seemingly ordinary Amish home of Grace Byler, secrets abound. Why does her mother weep and wander deep in the night? And why does her father refuse to admit something is dreadfully wrong? Then, in one startling moment, the quiet life Grace has known is irrevocably altered, leaving her to question all she has been taught about love, family, and commitment.

1. I really enjoyed this book and have already started on the second in this series. I hope you will give it a try. You may be more familiar with the most popular series by Beverly called, THE HERITAGE OF LANCASTER COUNTY. The book, THE SHUNNING, is being made into a musical.

Love poems by Robert Burns

I was looking through things to write about and I came across this site, Heart of Scotland. In it, I found love poems by Robert Burns. I know I should save this for the end of January when everyone celebrates Robert Burns Night, but they are just too good to store away. I hope you like them as much as I do.


MY LUVE
O my luve is like a red, red rose,
That's newly sprung in June:
O my luve is like the melodie,
That's sweetly played in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonie lass,
So deep in luve am I;
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a' the seas gang dry.

Till a' the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi' the sun;
And I will luve thee still my dear,
While the sands o' life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho' it were ten thousand mile.



JEAN
Of a' the airts the wind can blaw,
I dearly like the west,
For there the bonie lassie lives,
The lassie I lo've best:
There's wild woods grow, and rivers row,
And mony a hill between;
But day and night my fancy's flight
Is ever wi' my Jean.

I see her in the dewy flowers,
I see her sweet and fair:
I hear her in the tunefu' birds,
I hear her charm the air:
There's not a bonie flower that springs
By fountain, shaw, or green,
There's not a bonie bird that sings,
But minds me o' my Jean.


O WERT THOU IN THE CAULD BLAST
O wert thou in the cauld blast,
On yonder lea, on yonder lea,
My plaidie to the aingry airt,
I'd shelter thee, I'd shelter thee.
Or did misfortune's bitter storms
Around thee blaw, around thee blaw,
The bield* should be my bosom,
To share it a', to share it a'.

Or were I in the wildest waste,
Sae black and bare, sae black and bare,
The desert were a Paradise,
If thou wert there, if thou wert there;
Or were I monarch o' the globe,
Wi' thee to reign, wi' thee to reign,
The brightest jewel in my crown
Wad be my queen, wad be my queen!

*bield- shelter or protection

LOVE FOR LOVE
Ithers seek they ken na what,
Features, carriage, and a' that;
Gie me love in her I court,
Love to love makes a' the sport.

Let love sparkle in her e'e;
Let her lo'e nae man but me;
That's the tocher-gude* I prize,
There the luver's treasure lies.

*tocher-gude- marriage portion

A quiet evening

I don't have any words of wisdom or information this time. I am only going to post about my day. It has been one of family and fun.

We had our annual 'Candy Making Day' and it was sooo much fun. There were 14 of in my house, all of us doing something, whether it be melting chocolate, dipping crackers and pretzels, making fudge, baking cookies etc. We made enough goodies to put a bakery to shame.

When that was completed, then men brought the children back and we all sat around eating chili and vegetable soup, talking and laughing. When all of the goodies were divied up, everyone headed home.

It has snowed all day, adding to the delight of the day. We are supposed to get 2-4 inches, bitter cold temperatures, and high winds. Needless to say, the kids have a 2 hour delay tomorrow for school. We'll see if they actually make it to school.

I love winter. I love the snow, how it makes the world look, the Christmas lights on homes, the T.V. shows, the songs, everything! As I am sitting here writing this, tucked warm under an afghan on my couch with my Pomeranian laying at my feet, I can see the Christmas lights on my house and watch the snow fall in front of them. Gorgeous!

So , I hope as you are sitting there reading this post, you are having a moment of contentment, like I am. Very peaceful, very happy.

Best wishes to you and your family and a very Merry Christmas!!

My family traditions part 3

I have another favorite family tradition, but am sad to say that this one is slowly coming to an end. My youngest child is 9 and I am not sure how many more years he will believe in Santa Claus.

In our house on Christmas eve, everyone, including the parents, get into their pajamas. After watching Christmas shows and laying out cookies for Santa and carrots for the reindeer, we tuck our children into bed for the night.

When we are sure everyone is asleep, our jobs begin. Presents brought out, cookies and carrots eaten, and big items put together. This is normal in any household. Here's something we do different.

When my kids wake up in the morning, the first thing they do is run to the bathroom to look in the mirror. (My older two are very good at pretending since the youngest still believes.) They are looking for the thumb print left somewhere on their face by Santa Claus. Because Santa comes down the chimney, his gloves are dirty and before he leaves any packages, he checks to make sure the kids are asleep.

I have some of the cutest pictures of the kids and their animated faces at seeing what Santa had done. To think, Santa had been that close and they didn't even know it.

Maybe he really does exist?!! ; )

My family traditions part 2

Another tradition that has become a favorite of mine, is Candy Making Day.



(My sister Kim, niece Shelbey, and Sister-In-Law Laura.)

Thanksgiving, Candy Making Day and Christmas Eve are rotated between the family, that way, one person isn't doing the same thing or can visit their family if need be. This year, CMD is at my house.


We usually start around 10 AM. This includes my sisters, my mother, a couple of cousins and any girls over the age of 13. There is usually about 15-20 of us there. Then the men take the kids and will congregate at another house for the day.


Christmas music plays in the background. We make buckeyes, dipped pretzels, peanut brittle, 6 flavors of rock candy, think mint cookies, sugar cookies, chocolate chip cookies, divinity, rice crispie treats, and fudge. Of course, these are the things we always make. Someone usually finds something new to try. Then we take whatever container we brought and split it up.


(My niece Joy)

After we have made an obscene amount of goodies, the husbands and children come back and we have dinner and play cards. It is a fun day to be had by all!!

My family traditions part 1

Thanksgiving has come and gone. So you would think that the day after would be a time to sit down and relax. Not in my house!

My friend Kristie and I go shopping on "Black Friday" every year. Since some of the stores opened at midnight this year, we left our town at 11pm. Now, Kristie and I are die hard shoppers, but we keep it fun. We circle the lot until we get a great parking spot. We keep our eyes open and will change check out lanes to stay in the shortest one. We have a good time and make get a lot of great deals.

When I come home, which happened to be at 11 am this year, (a whole 12 hours of shopping!!!!), it is time for my family and I to put up the tree and outside lights. We play Christmas music and with the dog barking at the string of lights as we test them, it's a lot of fun! We each have a job to do and when we are done we always have a wonderful dinner and watch Christmas shows on T.V.

Most of the time, I'm passed out in the chair by 9 pm. (But do you blame me?)

Stay tuned for the next tradition in our house!