Monday, December 17, 2012

Guest Post/Giveaway with Aimee Laine + giveaway! (Open INT)


Good morning Kittens! You've made it to day 17 of Authors for the Holidays
Hope you're all having a great time with it :)

Today we have a wonderful local-to-me author, Aimee Laine, joining us with a fabulous guest post (and a very nice giveaway- so be sure to check that out too!). 

Yall, please join me in giving Aimee a warm welcome to herding cats & burning soup!

Alright Aimee! Take it away...



Romance novels ... just sex scenes, right?


For a long time, romance novels were plague with shirtless men and bodice-ripped women in what looked to be the throes of passion. Yeah, gone are those days. Okay, not really. There will always be a place for those novels. However, romance, as a genre, isn’t all about getting naked, ripping off perfectly good clothing and going at it like bunnies for 400 pages.

Seriously, it’s not!

Romance novels are about relationships. And the reality is ... a romance novel isn’t really nothing but mushy relationship issues, either. While the story itself is centered on two people and getting them together, there’s a whole list of things going on. Mystery, suspense, horror, comedy, drama (oh the drama!) and whatever else an author can come up with.

Interwoven through all those facets, is the romance.

That doesn’t mean that when we dive into the romance that it’s then that all the sex comes into play. Not at all. Romance, at the heart of it, is the intimacy (sexual or not) that comes between that main shirtless man and that size 2 woman. If ninety percent of the story is everything but the romance, then 8 more percent is about the relationship itsef and the last two percent ... well yeah, that’s probably the sex part.

So you see, in 400 pages, only a small portion of that is “that” kind of story. The rest is like every other story out there. To us romance novelists, though, adding that last tidbit of connection to our characters is often exactly why we write romances. It’s that last tie that binds, that last element of chemistry, that piece that is necessary to making the relationship click. Not always though ... just sometimes. 

So the next time you pick up a romance, remember ... it’s not just a book of sex scenes. 

It’s everything and that.

~Aimee Laine     


Face the past or look to the future? Both will hurt. One could kill her.

All her life, Lily Crane has suppressed her childhood memories, masking the signs of abuse with a variety of looks. From brunette to blonde, tall to short — as a Mimic, changing shape is her gift. Her right. Her achilles heel.

It’s Lily’s latest likeness, chosen simply by accident, which threatens to repeat a history she’s desperate to forget. Worse, she must do so without the one man who takes all her pain away: Cael Aldridge.

Cael has no intention of leaving Lily on her own. He never has. Now, with the woman he loves in the hands of a predator who wants Lily for her genetics, Cael will do everything he can to bring her home.

Alive. 

He can only pray he isn’t too late.

Get Aimee's Newest Release:   Amazon   B&N
Check out our REVIEW of Surrender! (loved this one!)



Aimee is a romantic at heart and a southern transplant with a bit of the accent (but not a whole bunch). She's married to her high school sweetheart, and with him, she's produced three native North Carolinians, two of whom share the same DNA. 

With an MBA and a degree in Applied Mathematics, there's absolutely no reason she should be writing romance novels. Then again, she shouldn't need a calculator to add two numbers, either ... but she does.




Aimee's got a great giveaway for yall today!
She's giving 2 winners their choice of one of her ebooks! 
Another winner will get a SIGNED bookmark pack!
(woohoo! Thanks Aimee!)

Just fill our the Rafflecopter and leave her some guest post love :)
Open INT.

29 comments:

  1. I rather prefer the romance books that have more of a story and the romance is the backgroud for the theme. If the book is nothing but sex scenes and complete mushyness then I tend to shy away from it. I read a book for the story not the sex. lol If I wanted just that I would pick up a porn! A lot of authors today are getting that hint though and the stories are amazing!

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  2. I agree that a book needs a good, solid plot. If it doesn't than I'd prefer not to read it. I'm only 40 and have been reading romance novels for years and am amazed at how they have changed. When the book is all bad language and sex than the book goes to Goodwill. Look forward to reading this book.
    Happy Holidays

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  3. I picked romance for it's story and characters which could evoke strong emotional respond. I like hot sex scene but not without decent storyline.

    Thx for the giveaway. Happy Reading!

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  4. I love hot romance story with emotional story. I like hot sex scene too.
    lauratroxel@yahoo.com

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  5. Thanks for the guestpost! I sometimes do with that the sex scenes were only about 2 to 8 percent of a book though. That percentage is getting higher and higher. I love reading mainly for the characters and their journey, and if it is paranormal, for the worldbuilding, the adventure.

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  6. Romance books have changed a lot but every once in a while I do like to read ripping off of jeans, shirts, dresses, etc! ;)

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  7. I agree.... I would skip the book if it's just sex scenes.

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  8. Thanks for sharing the post
    Yes, there is that but ..
    Romance book have evolved and bloomed. With the erotica elements and BDSM and so MUCH more ... I just had a discusion with Aunt about Romance books(god bless her soul, 62 years old and really enjoys romance, contemporary with character building and ect). She went & purchased Fifty Shade cause of all the Hullablu when she went to cashier to ask what the term BDSM meant the cashier didn't answer her. So, went home with book and asked her daughter, my cousin at the dinner table. Let's just say she took the book back to the store...

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  9. haha I know, that is what people think until they have read a few really great romance stories. But once you realize there is a story too. Well, now, you are getting all the good stuff in this read. Who would want to read anything else??
    lisakhutson at cox. net

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  10. Romance novels not only entertain me but they educate me as well. I have learned so much history of the Regency time period, in addition to the styles, mannerisms and hierarchy. Always fascinating and I never tire of reading romance novels.

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  11. It needs a good story or it's not any fun to read!
    modularmates(at)comcast(dot)net

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  12. I know what you mean about the "formula" that seemed to be in all the romance books - it's wonderful to have the variety these days and not feel like you are reading the same story just with different characters names.
    sallans d at yahoo dot com

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  13. I don't like a romance without a plot even less when all is pretext for sex scene...when it's part of the story yes when words are just put to make the book bigger with more sex scene i don't like.

    I need the character to love each other, to have a personnality and the worldbuilding to be interesting and understable

    i'm happy to discover you too.

    happy holidays

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  14. I agree, romance novels have changed a lot. It's the cover of a book that usually draws my attention first. Then I read the back of the book. If I've read the author before, I'm more inclined to pick up another book regardless of the cover. I do like to read about a lot of sex in a story, with a good plot.
    You are a new author for me. I'm looking forward to learning more.

    luvfuzzzeeefaces at yahoo dot com

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  15. WOOOO! Another new to me author! :D

    I'm looking forward to reading your work!

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  16. Its all about the story for me and the characters. I believe the right world that the author creates, the character depth and chemistry between them, everything else is cursory to those elements. Yeah, hot sex scenes or BDSM is wild, and I like what it adds, but without the proper framework, its just soft porn. sdylion(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. I very much like the hot sex in books but it's not necessary for me. I'll read anything that interests me whether there's sex in it or not. Too much sex in books usually gets repetitive and boring for me. I tend to skip over the sex or stop reading the book if it gets repetitive. This is not always the case though. Sometimes the author will be very creative with sex scenes if there's a lot of them & that keeps me interested. I'm always excited to find a new to me author! Can't wait to check out the books.

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  18. I really love hot romance story with emotional story. Sometimes I would skip the book if the story not fun to read!

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  19. Another new author to read.It looks really good.

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  20. What you say about romance novels is so true and is often true of novels that aren't romances, too!

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  21. I love reading romance, that it´s a combo of action/PNR/everyday troubles AND fluffy smut. I can´t read a plotless smut fest, i´m sorry, =) but i need more
    Thanks for the giveaway & Happy Holidays!
    //Linda

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  22. After reading the description of Surrender, I'm going to have to pick up a copy. It sounds like a fantastic read.

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  23. love hot romance story with emotional story but I will skip if only full of sex scenes

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  24. Love your thoughts on romance novels! I suppose that's why I am wary of Erotica, because as it's definition states, it focuses more on the sexual journey of the characters and may not have a HEA. It's not to be confused with Erotic Romance however, which is more sexually explicit but still a romance novel (Definitions were found on Keta's Keep)

    Adria
    Breath of Life Reviews

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  25. looks like a wonderful read! I read a range of romance genres and the amount of sensuality depends on the story...you don't need a lot to still have a great story!

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  26. If there's too much of a focus on sex in a romance, it kind of spoils it a bit for me

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  27. Thanks for the post, its really amazing how many people think that is all it is. Without the story and characters there really isnt enough there for a book.

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  28. My husband thinks the same thing and I have explained several times why it isn't just sex scenes. The connection and the moments during the scenes where the characters are vulnerable but allow themselves to show the love and affection to the other. That is what makes the book:)

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  29. I love sex in books but without a good storyline it is uninteresting to me. I will stop reading it!

    susanmplatt AT hotmail DOT com

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I always enjoy hearing what YOU think so come on and leave a comment. Everyone's welcome :) And feel free to leave comments on old posts. I'll check in on you there too :)

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~Anna

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