Two Disatrous June Wedding Stories

Lots of little girls grow into women who want to be  June Brides. Maybe because it's the season of flowers, sunshine, love. Maybe it's because school is over and engaged couples are ready to take that plunge. Maybe it's because designers/wedding paraphernalia companies bombard us with weddings/gowns/bridal propaganda to make the month of June appear to be "THE" month to wed.

Here are two June weddings I've been to. Maybe these couples shouldn't have been swayed by "Wedding Bells" advertisements to marry in June and have waited...or not married at all?

Wedding # 1: I had to travel to FL for this one. A cousin was marrying for the third time. So was his bride-to-be. The wedding would include family and friends...most from his motorcycle group. The bride was cutting corners since the budget must have been close to nothing. She made her own dress...and calling this frock a dress is being polite!

The black and white wedding outfit consisted of a dress (?) that was 1. strapless, 2. low on her breasts so her tattoos showed, 3. had a cut-out in front in an inverted "V" shape from legs to very close to her crotch. She spent the entire day pulling her dress up on top and tugging it down by her crotch. She wore a black belt and black boots.

The cake was black and white. The flower girls and bridesmaids wore black. The flowers were black. The "ceremony"/reception was held in a beer hall.

About five years later, we found out that the wedding had been a sham. The bride's divorce hadn't finalized, so rather than call off the wedding, a friend had posed as the preacher who "married" them. Their friends knew what was going on, but none of the relatives, including the groom's mother and sisters, knew anything about it.

Wedding #2. The bride and groom had lived together for years before taking the plunge. The bride was someone in my family and my first impression of the groom was NOT favorable. Although no one said anything, we all spoke about this later and NO ONE liked him. Arrogant, snobbish, this oaf made fun of the bride's weight and since he was starting a job as an English teacher, decided to correct everyone's grammar...at the rehearsal dinner.

From the bride's side of the family, it was a combination of a BIG Italian wedding and a BIG Jewish wedding...so there was an abundance of everything to the point of overkill. Tons of food and drink.

The groom's mother and new husband called the day before and said they missed their flights...when in reality they hadn't gotten tickets because they couldn't afford them. The groom's father and new wife came, but didn't have money to pay for a hotel.

The bride's family paid to fly the mother and husband to the wedding, and had everyone sleep at the bride's father's home. Something like 10 people to include the groom's family slept in a three-bedroom, one bath home...because they had no money.

We enjoyed seeing all our family again so had a great time. We flew in our 3 daughters and two of their fiances. My husband and I made the three-day trip by car so we could sight-see.

One month after the wedding, the groom admitted to cheating on the bride, said he never loved her, had found his "true love", and wanted out. Not only that, but the bride was now pregnant. The photographer hadn't even gotten the wedding pictures developed yet, and the marriage was over. 

I'm sure there's a romance story there...maybe a wedding planner who handles these weddings and ends up falling in love with the caterer!
 
Anyone have a June bride story? Hopefully a pleasant one? 


Photos: Flickr: Chealion, Pirate Scott, b8b8ng, Roberto Rizzato-pix-jockey-Facebook-resident's photostreams.
http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.aprilash.net
http://sevensexyscribes.blogspot.com
http://groups/yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus

National Rose Month - the Flower of Love

Let's hear it for the roses...all sizes, shades and colors! The wonderful aroma, beautiful bouquets, bushes, etc., all around us. Colors of Roses and what they mean:

RED: Known as the Lover's Rose, shades can go from light to deep crimson. What better Valentine's gift than red roses? Maybe with chocolates to add a special "romance" meaning?

PINK: Expresses gentility, femininity, elegance, admiration. Deep pink: gratitude. Light pink: grace.

WHITE: Represents purity, innocence and celebrates weddings and young love.

 YELLOW: Evokes a sense of warmth and friendship. In Victorian times, it symbolized jealousy!

ORANGE: Symbolize desire, attraction, and passion...that can lead to a wild romance!

LAVENDER, LILAC, PURPLE: Displays enchantment, and imagination...and love at first sight.

TURQUOISE: Expresses well-being, calmness, fertility.

BLUE:  Embodies a sense the impossible and of mystery while hoping for an extraordinary chance for the beginning of something new.

GOLD: No better way to say "I Care", "Welcome Back", "Remember Me", my friend.






 Whatever color you choose, you can't go wrong...except with black. No romance there. Just sorrow so stay away from them. Although, I'm sure some paranormal romances will feature these black roses as the choice of shade for dark tales!

Credits: Teleflora, Proflowers, Morrison Gardens, Roses for Life.
Photos: Flickr: D. Sharon Pruitt, Madmoiselle Lavender, The Gifted, Angela M. Michel, BONGURI, dorena-wm, KIUKO, naitokz and ghewqill's photostreams.

http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.aprilash.net
http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus

.

First-Person or Third-Person?

I've written books both ways, and never heard any negative feedback about using either approach. Here's what I've been pondering.

Writing from my heroine's POV for the entire book really gave me a great perspective on her views. I loved being in her head the whole time. I could watch the story unfold, and share her assessments of others, including the hero. I felt every reaction she had and commiserated with her when heartache hit.

However, there are some publishers who won't accept first-person manuscripts. Years ago, I ghostwrote a nonfiction memoir in third person. An agent was intrigued, but asked that I rewrite it in first-person. Doing such a rewrite isn't just changing every "Jane" to "I" or "her" to "my". I had to carefully edit each sentence to only reflect "Jane's" POV.

It was a major undertaking, but in the end, I thought the book "read" better in first-person and sent it to the agent. She, however, rejected it and returned it to me within days. I somehow feel that she never checked it! Anyway, I published it as an ebook in 1999.

I've got two other books I'm working on, and have tried writing them both ways. While I like the first-person versions, I'm leaning towards doing third person. I understand when people comment about wanting to "get a feel" for both the hero and heroine...and maybe a first-person POV doesn't give enough for the reader to "bond" with the hero.

My book, "Gone to the Dogs" by Marianne Stephens, was the fastest one I wrote...and I think it was because I was in Katie's head and wrote it in first-person. The words and actions just flowed, and I really connected with her. Here's a sample from the book:

"In mere seconds we climaxed as we passionately clung to each other while soothing drops of water flowed down our bodies. This was sheer heaven. We’d both enjoyed our rendezvous once we crossed that line from arguing with each other to channeling our energy in a more passionate direction.

As my breathing tried to return to normal I knew in my heart that one encounter with sexy Mike wouldn’t be enough. Like eating potato chips I wouldn’t be able to stop at one. No chance I’d be able to dry off, thank him for a lovely evening and be on my merry way. No. Mike had taken up residence under my skin and I’d need much more of him to satisfy my craving for additional intimate contact.

I moved my head closer to his ear and whispered, “Round two in bed?” Subtleness with my new sex partner would take a hike. A woman with a mission and eagerness to lead the way transformed me into a she-cat.

Katie-cat was on the prowl."

 I can feel her every emotion, reaction, and desire...and urge to never let those sensations end.

 Do you enjoy reading/writing in first-person?

"Gone to the Dogs" is available in print and as an ebook at many sites, including Amazon and at:
http://www.jasminejade.com/m-310-marianne-stephens.aspx
http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://www.aprilash.net
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus
http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com

National Read a Road Map Day - Can You Find "LOVE"?

Happy National "Read A Road Map" Day! I thought I'd skip going into the boring details of checking road maps...don't you use a GPS system now?...and branch off to a different tangent on this.

Let's see...read a road map and find your way somewhere. Isn't the journey to LOVE kinda like that? Don't you have to follow a "path", go in a certain "direction", to find true love?

Romance books use a road map/path/directions to get their heroines to their heroes. It's called a PLOT...and it's never an easy journey. There are always bumps in the road, detours, obstacles, slowdowns, wrong turns...just as you might find if following a map to some unknown destination.

Usually, you manage to find your way...just as our heroines manage to find that "happily-ever-after" ending despite all the setbacks. Flat tire? Run out of gas? Or, Hero's ex-wife shows up to create havoc? Heroine thinks hero is cheating on her? All detours of some type. A road map may not be able to help sometimes, but a crafty plot written to guarantee happiness can set the hero and heroine back on course to romance and love. 

Why don't we send our heroes and heroines on a fantasy journey using a road map and find "LOVE"?

How many cities in the United States are called "Love"? I did some searching on the Internet and here's some that I found:

Love, AZ
Love, IL
Love, KY
Love, MS
Love, TX
Love, VA

Now, you can also find variations for the word "Love" in cities around the country:

Lovers Leap, CA (tragic idea!)                                                Lover, PA
Love Canal, NY  (not very appealing)                                      Loving, GA
Love Hill, AL                                                                          Loving, KY
Lovejoy, GA                                                                           Loving, NM
Loveladies, NJ                                                                        Loving, OK
Lovelady, NC                                                                         Loving, TX
Lovelady, TX                                                                          Loveland, CO
Love Lady, TN                                                                       Loveland, IA
Love Lake, MO                                                                     Loveland, OK
Lovely, KY                                                                            Loveland, WA
Loveless, AL (sad!)                                                                Loveland, OH
Love Point, MD                                                                      Loveland Park, OH
Loveville, MD                                                                         Loves Corner, IL
Loveville, TN                                                                          Loves Park, IL

Most of those sound like interesting places to check out...do they live up to their names? Does "LOVE" define each city and hold some type of special magic for those seeking romance? Maybe I should have checked "Romance" for city names. Or, things to do with love and romance.

I actually did find a couple that might interest you. How about Horneytown, NC? Or, Romance, AK? And then there's my favorite, Intercourse, PA.

I've actually been to Intercourse more than once. Quaint little Amish city...mostly a tourist spot. Will you put that on your list of places to visit? Check your road map (or let your GPS system find it for you!).

Story idea: What if I have my heroine visit cities with "Love" in their names, and looks for "Mr. Right"?

Hmm...sounds like a good idea!

Photos: Flickr: Andii, Amanda "Bake It Pretty", lorigami's photostreams.
Also: Mapquest: Intercourse, PA

For book updates, visit http://www.mariannestephens.net and http://www.aprilash.net

Blog: http://romancebooksrus.blogspot.com

YAHOO GROUP: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus

"Anything You Can Do", by Marianne Stephens: http://www.breathlesspress.com
Diana Coyle, Night Owl Reviews: Reviewer Top Pick: 5 out of 5 STARS!
Top 7.5% Best Selling Romantic Comedy at http://www.allromanceebooks.com
 

Interviewing a Romance Hero and Heroine

"Anything You Can Do" now available at: http://www.breathlesspress.com
Diana Coyle, Night Owl Reviews: Reviewer Top Pick: 5 STARS!
Top 7.5% Best Selling Romantic Comedy at http://www.allromanceebooks.com
 
I've done romance book character interviews before, but this time I'll do both the hero and heroine at the same time.

Today I'm interviewing Allison Minetti (A) and Jeff Ryan (J), the hero and heroine from " Anything You Can Do".  To give you a little background, Allison wants Jeff's company to become a partner with her childcare facility. It sits directly across the street from Ryan Industries and all her clients work for Jeff's company. When he calls what she does "babysitting", she challenges him to spend a week in Ryan's Rugrats with her. I'll let them tell you more.

Q: Why did you make/accept the challenge?
A: I really needed funding for the center. I was annoyed when Jeff called what I do "babysitting" and thought he needed to see what goes on in a childcare facility. Throwing in the part about him losing and considering helping financially seemed like a plus. I never expected him to make it through the week. (She shifts in her seat and frowns) I didn't expect Jeff to add that part about spending the weekend with him if I lost, but it kinda thrilled me.
J:  She surprised me. Hey. Kids in daycare? I figured all they did was play all day. How hard could that be? She surprised me by daring me to spend a week with her. But, I wanted to get to know her better anyway so I figured, sure. I could do it. And, get her to spend the weekend with me when she lost.

Q: That elevator episode sounds interesting. What happened?
A: (Pink blush stains her cheeks). We, uh, fell together when it jerked into motion. I landed in Jeff's lap, and, well, we kissed. Kind of a-
J: Instinctive move on both our parts. Allison wanted it as much as I did. We hugged and-
A: Kissed. Yes. But it stopped and the elevator door opened.

Q: Did you make things hard for Jeff?
A: (sits up straight in her seat and gets defensive) Certainly not. He just got to experience what I do every day. Of course, he had it easy since some of the kids were missing.
J: (frowns) Hey. That wasn't my fault. I did pretty good the first two days with all the kids. Mostly, anyhow.

Q: Moving on, Jeff...did you give Allison a hard time?
J: I couldn't keep my mind off her and wanted to touch her all the time. She kept enticing me with her looks, great body, sexy voice, loving comments-
A: Sure. That's all I had time for. Enticing you. You drove me crazy. Always within reach, so wonderful with the kids. I couldn't resist your charming charisma and how you kept drawing me to you.

Q: Any passionate episodes at work?
A: (blushes again) A few encounters away from the kids. Couldn't let them see or hear us. It wouldn't be professional.
J: (runs a finger along Allison's cheek) We couldn't stay away from each other. The need to touch, kiss, desire to hold each other, all exploded at times. But, she's right. We had to be careful with the kids.

Q: Tell me about the weekend.
J: Glorious. We finally had time for just us and could let our passion loose.
A: (rubs her hand on Jeff's thigh) We spent most of the time exploring ways to satisfy each other. I never felt so wanted.

Q: You two ran into a "black moment". What happened?
A: (serious look on her face) Someone interfered in our challenge. Things got very confused.
J: (leans forward in his seat) Can't tell you everything, now can we? Let's just say a series of events happened and made us rethink our relationship.

Q: How does this story end?
A: (laughs) We can't tell you. Readers have to buy the book and find out.
J: (nods in agreement) Lots of stuff happens throughout the book leading up to our final page. Some of it is funny, some serious, some sexy encounters. Guess you'll just have to buy the book and read our story. (smiles at Allison)

Q: One last question. I heard something about a second elevator episode. Can you talk about that?
A: (smiles and giggles) Nope. Read the book.
J: (laughs loudly) Let's just say we know how to make use of elevators for other things than just riding up and down.

You can find out the missing pieces of Jeff and Allison's story by buying "Anything You Can Do" at http://www.breathlesspress.com.
Visit http://www.mariannestephens.net for information about my contemporary/paranormal romance books.
Visit http://www.aprilash.net for information about my erotic contemporary romance books.
TWO BIG CONTESTS! Lots of prizes for two lucky winners. Visit http://www.mariannestephens.net for information!
JOIN A NEW YAHOO GROUP: ROMANCE BOOKS R US AT:
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/romancebooksrus
Lots of fun, contests, information! No spammers allowed!

"ANYTHING YOU CAN DO" is Now Available!

My latest book, a contemporary romance "Anything You Can Do", is now available as an ebook from http://www.breathlesspress.com
To celebrate its release, I'm running two contests at my website: http://www.mariannestephens.net. Lots of goodies for two lucky winners!
VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xSho7Mus4zo

 SUMMARY/BLURB
What happens when you mix a childcare clueless hero with babies and preschoolers? Jeffrey Ryan, CEO of Ryan's Industries, isn't prepared for all the chaos he encounters when he accepts a challenge to spend a week at Ryan's Rugrats from the daycare owner's, Allison Minetti.

Their bet? If he makes it through the week, she'll stop sending partnership/funding requests she needs to keep the facility open...one his employees use. If he doesn't, she'll spend a friendly weekend with him touring Kansas City.

Instant sparks of mutual attraction make their bet more interesting as the week progresses. Flirting, kisses, and embraces, all lead to a desire to take their relationship to a more sensuous level. Can they both win, have their weekend, give in to lust and passion, and have a future together? Or, will someone's interference in their bet create trust and betrayal issues that threaten their relationship?

One incident in the book came from my own kindergarten teaching experience. Every morning, one little boy would come into the room, I'd sit him by a plastic-bagged trashcan, and within minutes he'd puke. Then, he'd get up and go for a school-sponsored breakfast. Imagine the hero in my book going through the same experience his first day on the job!

EXCERPT:
   Allison loved the city view at night. "I't's so beautiful out here. Real quiet and peaceful," she commented as Jeff parked the car overlooking the Kansas City skyline.
   "I guess we're not the only ones who think that." He pointed to a white Ford truck parked to their left. "I wonder what they're doing in there to make it shake like an earthquake's centered under it."
   Probably something like this." She ran her hand up his thigh and pressed it into his crotch, rubbing her palm over the already bulging area.
   "Lord, honey, you don't give a guy a minute to relax. Good thing I'm all rested up."

   Jeff slipped his arm around her shoulders and hugged her to him. He angled his head to reach her lips and traced his tongue along each one. As she continued massaging his zippered area, a catch in his breathing turned into a moan of desire.
    At first, his kiss entailed lips on lips only. When she opened her mouth, his tongue darted inside. Allison closed down slightly, giving him a narrow area to dart his tongue in and out of, mimicking the ultimate consummating act of love.
   When his hand reached out to fondle her breast, a wickedly naughty thought popped into her head. She pulled back and asked with a purr, " Just what kind of shape are you in?"
   Jeff whooshed out one long exhale, and a glazed look accompanied his response. "Like I've been telling you, anything you can do, I can do."
   Her hand returned to his zipper, and she eased it down in minute movements. "Can you do this?" She skimmed one fingernail along his skin under the unzipped area.
   Clearing his throat, Jeff moaned, "That's something I only want you to do. Am I in the right shape for you now?"
   "Hmm, actually this shape is fine. But that's not what I meant."
   Jeff grabbed her hand, pressing her palm on him. The slacks front pulled open, and she relished the bulky feel of his arousal in her grasp.
   "Tell me now before I go insane from lack of oxygen."
   "You'll do what I say?" Dictating orders gave Allison an unashamed sense of her own sensuality and control. 
   "Tell me."
   "Get in the backseat."
   Heavy breathing filled the air between them. Without another word, he pushed away, opened his car door while holding his pants with one hand, and exited the car. He peered at her through the driver's side window.
   "Are you joining me? I don't wanna play by myself. You're much more interesting and friendly."

Visit http://www.mariannestephens.net/ for more information about my contemporary/paranormal romance books. "Gone to the Dogs" is now available in print at:
http://www.jasminejade.com/m-310-marianne-stephens.aspx
Visit http://www.aprilash.net/ for more information about my erotic romance books.

INSTALLING LOVE IN YOURSELF AND BOOKS

My passion is writing romance books, stories of love and happily-ever-afters. A writer needs to know herself/himself and understand or have experience with all the feelings that complicate love and romance before penning that next book.

Have you experienced envy? Jealousy? Hurt? Forgiveness? These are just some of those feelings along the rocky road to love. The following is an edited, whimsical rendition of Installing Love in yourself before a writer can successfully portray romantic heroes and heroines in novels.

(NOTE: There are various versions of this on the Internet and I can’t locate the original author. I did find a version in the Winter 1999 issue of Hopes & Dreams newsletter of the Illinois Chapter, Huntington's Disease Society of America.)

Tech: How can I help you?
Writer: I've decided to write a romance book and figure I need to install Love in myself first. Can you help me?

Tech: Certainly. Are you ready?
Writer: Well, I'm not very technical but I think I am. What do I do first?

Tech: The first step is to open your heart. (Pause) Have you located your Heart?
Writer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Can I still install Love while the others are running?

Tech: What programs are running?
Writer: Let's see. I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.

Tech: No problem. Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs.
Writer: Okay, that sounds great. What about Low Self-Esteem?

Tech: Love will also eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem.
Writer: And the other programs?

Tech: You'll have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off?
Writer: I don't know how. Can you tell me?

Tech: Sure. It's really easy. Go to the start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Writer: Hey! I did it and Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?

Tech: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program right now. You'll need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Writer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error-Program not run on external components." What should I do?

Tech: Stay calm. Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on Internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In non-technical terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Writer: So then...what do I do?

Tech: Pull down Self-Acceptance and click on the following files: Forgive Self, Realize Your Worth, and Acknowledge Your Limitations.
Writer: Okay. Done.

Tech: Now, copy them to the "My Heart" directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it's completely gone and never comes back.
Writer: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart. Is that okay?

Tech: For some it works that way. For others, it takes awhile but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.
Writer: Great! What about the other things that crowd my Heart program like Responsibility, Obligations, Distractions, Jealousy, and Envy?

Tech: Sorry but there's no way to delete these from your permanent memory and operating programs. Those will pop up at any time and you'll have to just deal with them when they do.
Writer: I guess now that Love is installed in My Heart, I'll handle those as they surface. You've been so helpful. Thanks so much!

Writers need to have their characters go through much the same process. Love isn't automatically installed. Obstacles have to be overcome, hearts have to open, so many complications must be addressed and conquered. Then, happily-ever-after will happen!

The heroine, Katie, of "Gone to the Dogs", by Marianne Stephens, has lots to go through before Love installs in her Heart program. Read an excerpt and reviews of "Gone to the Dogs", published by Cerridwen Press, at my web site: http://www.mariannestephens.net

Marianne Stephens has three ebooks published by Cerridwen Press, http://www.jasminejade.com and one of those is also available as a paperback.
April Ash has two erotic romance books available: www.ellorascave.com
and one is also available in print.
www.mariannestephens.net
www.aprilash.net