I'm BEYOND excited to share a teeny, tiny taste of SWEET NOTHING, which releases 

December 12, 2013.

You can add it to your Goodreads shelf here: Add to Goodreads

xoxo mh

On Losing My Sex Scene V-Card

It’s a question most of us romance writers have asked ourselves at some point: what does it take to write a tantalizingly hot, beautifully real, believable sex scene?

Sitting down to write the first love scene for my debut romance novel SWEET NOTHING was daunting.  I wanted it to feel real, but magical. Sexy and sweet. Relatable, but aspirational too. And I was petrified that despite my best efforts, I’d get to the end of the scene and realize that my dialogue was reminiscent of a certain adult movie genre.

But as I wrote the scene, revised it, and have continued to write more love scenes, I’ve realized that I made the process more complicated than it needs to be. Here are the lessons I’ve learned about writing love scenes.

Good writing is good writing, period.

Here’s the secret—there’s nothing magic about writing a good love scene. Good writing is good writing, and good scenes are good scenes. So if your characters are human, flawed, and relatable, that will come through in all of your writing, love scenes included.  As a reader, I want to see real characters connect in a real way—what’s sexier than that? If you keep this in mind as you write every scene, your love scenes will be yummy.

It’s okay to use humor.

In real life, sex is never scripted or perfect. I think there’s something really amazing about a writer who can, in the midst of a super-hot, sweaty, entangled bodies moment, use humor. Humor can shed light on our characters’ vulnerabilities, can make a scene feel more real, or can relieve tension in the scene—all so we can build the tension again. And again. And again.

Names can be changed to protect the not-so-innocent.

Good writers infuse some of themselves in every scene they write, and love scenes are no exception. Think back on your own sexiest moments—about the setting, about what you experienced physically and emotionally. Take what you can use, and work it into the scene. This doesn’t mean that your sex scenes are raunchy rewrites. It just means that you can use your own experience—whether it’s a first kiss, or a glance at a stranger across a room—to flavor your work.

Okay. I've talked for waayyyyy too long. Writers, do you have tips on writing sexy scenes? Readers, what do you look for in a love scene? Post in the comments below, or Tweet @miahenrybooks.

xo

mh

Happy Release Day, NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE!

I'm up early.

Early enough that it's pitch black outside, and the pup and the bf are still snuggled underneath the covers. And I'm not even jealous, because I couldn't wait to leap out of bed, throw open my windows, and wish a HAAAAPPPPY RELEASE DAY to Kirsty Moseley and her NA romance NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE.

I was so excited when Whairigail at Addicted2B00ks asked me to be part of Kirsty's book birthday. I jumped at the chance to share an excerpt with you guys. Believe me, you're going to be hooked. And once you get hooked, you're going to want to read all of Kirsty's books. (I smell a giveaway....) Check out the excerpt, then click to enter her giveaway here. First prize is an e-copy of each of Kirsty's four books!

Okay, enough out of me. You want the excerpt, right? Well, without further ado.... *throws confetti*

Excerpt from NOTHING LEFT TO LOSE by Kirsty Moseley

I sighed and ignored him, rowing harder until we reached the floating dock that was almost in the middle of the lake. When the boat bumped against the edge of the dock, he jumped out, tying it securely before holding his hand down to help me up.

“I don’t need your help,” I protested, annoyed again.

He sighed deeply. “Listen, Anna, this is what guys do for their girls. We need to start acting like a couple now so that it’ll be easier next week. It’s not a big deal; I just want to help you out of the boat. Please stop being difficult,” he countered, grabbing my hand and helping me onto the deck. “Jeez, you’re stubborn.” He shook his head, laughing. “Most girls would’ve fallen for my charm by now,” he boasted, smiling at me.

I snorted at his cocky attitude. “If you’re expecting me to fall for you, then you’re going to be very disappointed,” I said seriously.

He chuckled. “I know, I can tell,” he answered, grinning. I rolled my eyes at him and took my jeans off, plopping down on the dock in just my long, baggy T-shirt. I grabbed an apple out of the bag, nibbling on it absentmindedly.

When he stripped down to his shorts, exposing that incredible toned and tanned body that looked like something out of a celebrity magazine, I slipped on my shades so that he wouldn’t see my eyes wander in his direction. I forced my gaze away from him and focussed on my apple. I actually felt immensely guilty for looking at him in that way. I had never looked at a man the way I kept looking at Ashton, not since Jack. No one ever caught my interest, and I felt like I was being unfaithful to Jack’s memory by looking at my new guard. 

Happy reading! 

mh

This is a lot of pressure.

What is it about a first blog post that makes me feel like I'm standing in front of a school assembly completely naked?

No. Not completely naked. I'm wearing underwear, but they're definitely the ugliest pair of granny panties you've ever seen. And everyone is staring at me, and spotlights are SO unforgiving, and also, I forgot my homework and the boy I like is filming the whole thing on his iPhone and posting the damning footage to YouTube riiiiiiiight...... now.

Okay. I'm exaggerating just a touch. Which isn't an entirely bad habit for a writer to get into. It's just that any time I write a first blog post, or a guest blog post, or a first tweet or Facebook post, it feels like such a big deal. What can I say that will be entertaining enough and profound enough and me enough to work?

So for this blog post, I'm going to give up trying to be perfect, and just tell you 5 things about me that you might (no promises) find remotely interesting. And if this post doesn't work for you, I'll be posting much, much more on new adult fiction, the writing process, and living life in Florida with my pup, my laptop, and ungodly amounts of caffeine. I hope you enjoy.

5. I'm a writer. Always have been, always will be. Right now, I'm putting the finishing touches on my new New Adult romance novel SWEET NOTHING. More to come, for sure.

4. I hate all things banana-flavored with the glorious exception of banana bread. Really, any kind of bread is alright by me. Mmmm. Gluten.

3. I find inspiration for my books in everything from the news to trips to the beach to conversations with friends. As in, be careful what you say, because it might end up in quotes. Kidding. Kind of.

2. My favorite writing season is hypothetical fall. Hypothetical because I live in Florida, and well, we don't really get fall here. BUT I do like to turn my air-conditioning wayyyyy down and have a latte and snuggle up in bed with my words and my laptop. Which is just as good.

1. I love reading anything romance, and would LOVE your recs. So send me an Email, or write a comment, to tell me what you're reading. And we can chat about it! Or giggle about it! Or tweet, or FB message, or really, whatever floats your boat.

That's all for now. More soon, and thanks for reading!

xo