GOD-STORMING: A Christian Author’s Take on Brainstorming

GOD-STORMING: A Christian Author’s Take on Brainstorming.

☘️ Happy St. Pat’s Day, everyone, and the top of the morning to ya! It’s an honor and a privilege to be back here on Seekerville on one of my favorite days of the year.

And okay … maybe you don’t have to kiss me because I’m Irish, but a giant hug might be in order because—whoo-hoo!—my seventh O’Connor Family novel, A Wing and a Prayer releases next month, April 1! So … I thought St. Patrick’s Day would be an appropriate time to talk about this Irish family saga and how God took it—and me—by storm. Or, more appropriately, by “God-Storming.”

What is “God-storming,” you ask? Well, for some people it may be a last resort, but for this author, it’s the number one way I brainstorm when I run into a wall on my plots. Ahem … just like I did on A Wing and a Prayer. You see, every single one of my O’Connor novels has a twist at the end that hopefully drops a jaw or two. Everyone, that is, except A Wing and a Prayer, and I gotta tell you, it bothered me something fierce.

So, I decided to do a little “God-storming,” which is a mix between brainstorming and praying, accent mark on praying. I’ve done it on all of my O’Connor books, and in every single case, an amazing answer to my dilemma was dropped in my lap like a bolt from the blue.

Literally.

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For example, take my very first novel, A Passion Most Pure. Yes, I was a newbie, no doubt about it—SO green that when my agent labeled my book a “historical,” I actually argued with her, saying, “but I don’t write “historicals, I write romance.”

Let’s pause here for a moment of silent prayer on behalf of my agent Natasha Kern.

Sigh. Yes, I really was that green. An author who actually didn’t consider the historical aspect of my story as important as the emotional tug-of-war between the hero and heroine. I mean, come on, everybody knows the most important thing is WHAT happens in the story, not WHEN it happens, right?

Uh, wrong. That misconception almost derailed my plot for my debut novel, A Passion Most Pure with a HUGE research blunder that got past me, my critique partners, proofreaders, and my editor. You see, the first half of APMP takes place in Boston, and when WWI breaks out, the 2nd half of the book shifts to Dublin, Ireland. It was essential to the plot that the O’Connor women and children travel to Ireland mid-book, but during 1916, the only way to do that was by ship. No problemo—I simply plopped them all on a comfy-cozy passenger ship.

Beep, beep … back the truck up … or in this case, the passenger ship!

“No can do,” says my editor, whose husband just happened to be—what are the odds?—an Irish historian! He innocently pointed out to his wife that the O’Connors traveling on a ship to Ireland during World War I would not have been feasible as passenger ships at that time were commandeered for war. Not to mention the annoying fact that German U-boat warfare made it too dangerous for ship travel. Double sigh.

So, what did I do when my editor called me with the dilemma?

I had a meltdown. Cried for days. Walked around in a fog. Then frantically began researching other destinations (other than Europe) that the O’Connors could possibly travel to via ship. Consequently, I was a basket case, not only because of the MAJOR research and rewrites looming mere months from release date, but because I had fallen in love with Dublin, and mourned it’s potential loss.

GOD TO THE RESCUE!

“Pray for a simple solution,” came the thought one day after I’d spent hours and hours laboring over daunting research.

Oh. What a novel idea for a Christian author!

So I did. And guess what? Out of the blue, an old friend called me for lunch, and when I told her my dilemma, she squinted at me and said, “You know … I just read something recently about the introduction of the freighter convoy system during WWI, which greatly reduced the likelihood of being sunk by a German U-boats.”



Excuse me?? I remember just blinking at her, jaw dangling while the wheels turned in my head, heart bursting with gratitude. Because by adding a freighter convoy, a menopausal wife having a breakdown because her grandmother is dying in Dublin, and a cousin in the freighter business, my massive plot rewrites/research dwindled down to two measly paragraphs—count ‘em, two!—added to make that book historically accurate.

WOW … who knew?? Well, God apparently, because He masterminded the lunch with my resourceful friend who just happened to have read an article on freighter convoys during WWI. I mean again, seriously, what are the odds?

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Another brick wall I hit was on A Hope Undaunted, a real doozy that reduced me to tears, rants, and a black hole for almost a week. It took me nine months to write that book and it’s my absolute favorite, so I was really excited. Instead of popping the huge surprise at the end of the book like I did in the prior three novels, I pulled the old grenade pin mid-book, blowing up both my hero and heroine’s future together and, hopefully, the reader’s mind as well. Unfortunately, my editor tossed her grenade first, demolishing my plot so completely, a total rewrite/replotting appeared to be in store.

That night my husband held me while I sobbed in his arms. “We’ll just pray about it, Julie,” he said softly, “and God will get you through this, babe—He always does.”

“No, you don’t understand,” I wailed, lunging away to lay prostrate on a soggy pillow, “the heart and soul of my plot has been destroyed, and now I have to start over, coming up with a whole new book!”

Oh ye of little faith.

So, yes, we prayed and God showed up carrying a few grenades of His own. Talk about a wall-crumbler! One minute my editor is talking total plot rewrite, and the next she’s saying, “You know … what if we just shift things a bit, deleting your main twist component—a component she patiently explained I could not do in Christian romance—making it vague enough that the shock value was still in effect?”

Say what? I blinked. Squinted. Caught my breath. A slow smile curved. Oh. My. Goodness! One minor shift, and the entire plot remains intact with nothing more than a few line revisions. WOW—from total rewrite to total peace for my editor and me in a blink of a prayer!

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By my 5th book, I was confident I was getting this plotting thing down, so when it came time to write A Heart Revealed, I was ready. But as an author who incorporated a hairpin twist at the end of my prior books, I was a wee bit concerned. Emma and Sean’s romance was not my typical romance where boy meets girl and sparks fly. Instead, this plot hinged on a ten-year friendship that grows spiritually and emotionally, ripening into unconditional love where two people sacrifice themselves for the other. Great story, I thought … with one itsy-bitsy problem.

There was no way I could surprise my readers because Emma is married to an abusive husband, who is very much alive back in Dublin. Since both she and Sean are Catholic, the two of them can’t get together until the slime-bucket husband kicks the bucket. I figured everybody who read the book would assume I had to X the ex in order to make this plot work, and regrettably, they were right. Believe me, I researched divorce and annulment ad nauseum in the Catholic church back then and frankly, they were not a viable option for my story, so I was stuck.

Okay, so I don’t have an earth-shattering plot twist at the end—so what? If it’s a good story, does it really matter if I shock my readers senseless?

Unfortunately, to this CDQ, it does. I get such a thrill out of those high-voltage electrical twists that cause my readers to jolt right up in bed so hard that they wake up their husbands with a mild expletive. And, yes, that is a true story, written to me by one of my sweet readers. 😍

But … how do you write a jaw-dropping climax when there’s only one predictable, ho-hum ending in sight?

YOU CALL THE GOD SQUAD!

Without question, A Heart Revealed was the coolest God-storming experience I’ve ever had. There I am praying on my lower deck one crisp autumn day, staring at the kaleidoscope of color in my sun-dappled woods when I looked up at the sky. “God,” I say, “You are the God of creativity, so I know You have an ending that will blow everybody away, including me. Would You mind sharing it with me, please?”

As God is my witness, within ten seconds, an idea fluttered into my brain like those scarlet and gold leaves that were fluttering all around. The idea was SO masterful and SO genius, that I literally shot straight up in the chair and started laughing, knowing that I could never have come up with anything like that on my own. And to this day, no one that I am aware of has guessed the ending ahead of time. So, if you have, let me know, okay? But, no spoilers, please.

Now that’s the kind of brainstorming partner you want!

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So, how did God-storming provide my coveted “twist” in A Wing and a Prayer? Not quickly, I can tell you that. I prayed the whole time I was writing it, asking God to give me an “O’Connor twist” that would put a smile on my face. But, alas, when I wrote “The End,” it was the “end” of my quest for a twist because I still didn’t have one. “Oh, well,” I said to my hubby with a sigh, “with its rich WWII and WASP history, it’s still an exciting book, I hope, so this must be the way God wants it to be.”

Not. There I am on the treadmill during the final-edit stage, praising God to worship music when, BOOM! A bolt from the blue has me bolting downstairs to my computer to put the finishing touches on a book that now puts a big smile on my face. 😁

And yours, too, I hope, if you win my giveaway below, so good luck!

GIVEAWAY: I would love to hear your own stories of “God-storming,” whether you’re a writer or reader, because we all have them, right? So, leave a comment below to be entered to win a signed paperback copy of A Wing and A Prayer OR your choice of three of my e-books.

BRAINSTORMING LINKS: And, for those of you who like to add a little brainstorming to your God-storming, I have some great “brainstorming” links listed below you’ll want be sure to check out!

·         “Living on the Wall: Not Knowing What Happens Next in Your Story.”

·         “5 Tips to Brainstorming a Limp Story to Give It New Life – Limp Noodle Revolt”

·         “Top 10 Sites for Brainstorming/Mind Mapping,”

·         “DIGGING DEEP … Unearthing Story Ideas From Your Own Backyard.”

ABOUT A WING AND A PRAYER:

She’s dead-set on giving everything to the war overseas …

Even if it means losing everything in a war of the heart.

A street orphan abused and abandoned by an alcoholic father at age five, Gabriella (Gabe) O’Connor has never let a man stand in her way yet. So when a handsome flight officer thwarts her plans to become a Women Airforce Service Pilot, she’s determined to join the war effort anyway she can. Her chance comes when she “borrows” foreign correspondent credentials from the Boston Herald—where her father is the editor—to stow away on a medical ship to the front.

            Lieutenant Reece Kincaid pegs Gabe O’Connor as trouble the moment she steps foot on Avenger Field as a WASP cadet. As the eldest brother of a boy whose jaw Gabe broke in grade school, Reece is familiar with her reputation as both a charismatic ringleader and a headstrong hooligan who’s challenged every male and nun from grade school to college. As her WASP flight instructor, Reece eventually expels Gabe when she pulls a dangerous stunt. But when he is an evacuation pilot in France eight months later, their lives intertwine once again, exposing them to a danger as perilous as the German tanks roaming the Reichswald Forest: a love that neither expects.

ABOUT JULIE LESSMAN: 

Julie's Website

A lover of all things Irish, Julie Lessman writes close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.

Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, Isle of Hope, and Silver Lining Ranch series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 21 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, Best of 2014, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017-2020, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction. 

Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets. Contact Julie through her website at www.julielessman.com.

Advent Day 5 -- A Timely Tale for Christmas by Seeker Julie Lessman

by Julie Lessman

Hello, everyone—Julie Lessman here, and I am delighted and honored to be back on Seekerville today for the “Advent in Seekerville” celebration. This year’s theme is “Home for the Holidays,” and I have to say my story below details one of my favorite holiday memories.

You see, I grew up in a family of thirteen kids, and all I remember of Christmases past is a wall of presents piled halfway up a ten-foot tree. As soon as presents were distributed, all of us tore into the gifts at the same time, completely swallowed up in a sea of paper and bows. To this day, I have no memory of gifts I received or what anyone else received because, frankly, it was bedlam.

So, when I met my husband, I discovered their tradition was opening gifts one at a time, everyone seated in a circle of laughter so we could all oooh and ahhh over each token of love. Wow! That sealed the deal for me and from that Christmas on, that became my favorite Christmas tradition of all that we still honor today.

And so, I thought I would share a “timely tale” of that very first Christmas I spent with my husband’s family when we just going together, not married yet. Because the greatest gift I received that year was a very special lesson from God, which to this day, has given me a life“time” of joy. Hopefully this lesson will inspire you—like it did me—to take “time” to thank God for His abundant blessings.

I wish you and yours a happy, healthy, and holy holiday season!

Hugs,

Julie

🎁 When God Wraps a Present 🎁

We’ve all heard the adage “it’s better to give than receive,” but never have I agreed more than the year I was dating the love of my life—my husband, Keith.

It was truly a Christmas to remember—spiced egg nog and snickerdoodles and shimmering presents unwrapped in a circle of love. Of course, we all ooohed and ahhhed over each gift opened, one at a time, reveling in the glow of excitement for giver and recipient alike.

And then it was my turn. Everyone waited while I tore into a small jewelry box, fingers trembling while anticipation fairly shimmered in my boyfriend’s eyes. 

“Do you like it?” he asked, grinning like a little boy when I unearthed a very pretty silver watch.

No.

“It’s beautiful,” I said with a shaky giggle, slipping it on and holding it up for everyone to admire. I quickly gave him a sweet kiss on the lips. “Thank you so much, babe—what a perfect gift!”

Uh … perfectly awful, that is. 

You see, when you are a twenty-seven-year-old Type A career woman who is very set in her ways (not to mention expecting a piece of jewelry for your finger instead of your wrist), there are just some things you have to buy for yourself.

Books, costume jewelry, purses … a watch. 

All right, yes, I’ll admit it—“high maintenance” is my middle name because heaven knows I’m one of the most particular people on the planet, especially when it comes to watches. They have to be digital, waterproof, have a day and date window, an alarm, chronograph, second hand, both silver and gold metal to wear with either silver or gold jewelry, stretch band skinny enough to fit my wrist … and a GPS. Okay, I’m pulling your watch chain on the last one, but you get the picture—not easy to find, especially with numbers big enough for someone blind as a bat.

So, yes, I faked it, of course, thanking my boyfriend for the “prettiest watch I had ever owned,” because it was—I just didn’t like it. 

But did I “fake it” with God? Uh, no. I went straight to His throne in prayer and BEGGED Him to help me love this watch because the man I loved gave it to me and I just flat-out didn’t want to hurt his feelings. I even went so far as to write the prayer request on a piece of paper and tuck it in my Bible so I could “wrap” it in prayer every single day, which I did for a number of years. 

Until the fateful moment long after we were married when my husband used my Bible one day and found the note.

“You don’t like your watch??” The hurt in his tone matched the look in his eyes when his gaze flicked to the pretty watch on my wrist. 

“What are you talking about?” I asked, somewhat confused. 

He held up the note. “You told God you hated it in this note I found in your Bible.” 

Uh-oh … BUSTED!

“Oh, babe,” I said with my brightest smile and a quick kiss on the lips. “That was then and this is now. It’s perfect for me, just like you, and I absolutely love it.

And you know what? I did! 

🎁GIVEAWAY!

And now it’s “time” for a giveaway, so leave a comment, and you’ll be entered to win all six of my Christmas e-books below:

🎁 EXTRA JOURNAL JOTS CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!

Then come on by my Journal Jots blog for EVEN MORE chances to win the following:

🎄$15 Amazon gift card

🎄 All six of my Christmas e-books (if you don’t win them in this Seekerville)

🎄 Christmas books by Becky Wade, Allie Pleiter, Toni Shiloh, Mary Manners, etc. and more.

🎄 Your choice of any one of my indie e-books

🎄 PLUS a character named after you in my next book

🎁ABOUT JULIE

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.

Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, Isle of Hope, and Silver Lining Ranch series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 18 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Reader’s Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, Best of 2014, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction. Her independent novel A Light in the Window was an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner. 

Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets. Contact Julie through her website and read excerpts from each of her books at www.julielessman.com.

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An Author's Christmas Story by Julie Lessman

A Christmas Story …

Once upon a time … there was this not so bright CDQ (caffeinated drama queen) author who had this very “bright” idea to write a Christmas story called A Light in the Window. Not just any Christmas story, mind you, but a prequel Christmas story that would tie a pretty bow around two series she’d written about an Irish family with a deep passion for God.

“Oh, it will have everything Christmas,” she exclaimed with hands clasped in delight, “from cookies and snowflakes to angels heralding at night.
Laughter and tears, romance and more, all wrapped up in magic
with a Christmas play fundraiser for the downtrodden and poor.”
As busy as an elf at the North Pole in July, she penned a 115K “novella” that would hopefully make people sigh. Next she badgered her husband to design a cover extraordinaire, complete with the snow globe from the story and her very own daughter with silky-blonde hair.

Dizzy with excitement, she spun into promotion without a single doubt,
whirling and twirling to tell the world what Christmas was all about.
There were blog tours and interviews till her fingers were sore,
all coinciding with proofing and editing and contests galore.
Facebook and Twitter and blurbs kept her busy,
never as an author had she been in such a tizzy.

And then … t’was the night before release and much to her dismay,
Her nerves were all a flutter—what would the reviewers say?
Worry and hand-wringing over rankings and reviews
stole both her sleep and her joy—would they bring good news?
Good news, bad, it didn’t seem to matter, for in her heart of hearts,
gloom descended with a clatter. Stealing her hope, her joy, her peace all aglow,
Until that magical moment when she saw … a light in the window.

A flicker, a flame, the warmth of a still, small voice,
Take your eyes off Amazon, dear author, for you have much to rejoice.
Your true joy lies not in sales or in the approval of men,
But in the birth of a Savior who redeemed you from sin.
So let His light shine brightly within your window aglow on your sill
To spread the warmth of His love and peace, holy and still
To proclaim the true message of Christmas with all of your might,
That it may be a holy Christmas to all and to all a good night!

Unfortunately, this Christmas story is true, but happily, ends well. You see, it took my own Christmas story—A Light in the Window—to focus my eyes on what Christmas is really all about. Yes, it’s about family and giving and reaching out to others with our love and our faith, but it’s also about receiving. Receiving His grace and His wisdom to focus on Him rather than ourselves.

This “light in the window” came to me via my experience with my own Christmas e-book and a pretty amazing book entitled The Well by Mark Hall, pastor and lead singer for Casting Crowns. You see, my church had been urging each of its 6,000 members to read this book, and once you do, it’s pretty obvious why. Like Jesus told the Samaritan woman at the well, He is the only source of “living water,” and to try and draw our confidence, peace, hope and joy from stagnant holes of our own devices will never truly satisfy and only make us sick.

Oh, as Christians, we all talk a good game and most of us even trust God and love Him with a passion most pure (sorry, couldn’t resist!), but when it comes to the source we tap for our hopes, dreams and happiness? I suspect most of us—or at least myself, for sure—dip into stagnant holes of our own choosing to make us feel better rather than drawing our sustenance from the Well of Living Water. These stagnant holes can be anything we run to instead of God—be it food, drink, money, approval, success—you name it—and we may not even be aware of just how much of an idol these things have become. I certainly wasn’t fully aware that I was trying to draw my happiness from success as an author, and yet the more I drank from this stagnant hole, the sicker and weaker I became. Sewer water that almost ruined the joy of the beautiful gift God has given me—the privilege of writing for Him!

Today's Giveaway!

And so my Christmas story ends happily and to celebrate that, I would like to give away a signed paperback copy of any of my books—top winner’s choice. Plus, four additional winners will receive a free e-copy of my latest Christmas novel, A Dream Fulfilled.

So, how is your Christmas season going and what’s your favorite thing about it? Let me know, and you’re entered to win.
And, if it’s too busy to enjoy, let me know that, too, and I’ll pray for you, okay?

BONUS DEAL!

If you haven’t read A Light in the Window or any of my three Christmas novellas—A Whisper of Hope, The Best Gift of All, or The Gift of Grace—do I have a deal for you!

All four are now available in one anthology called A Christmas Stocking Bundle for only 99 cents just for the holidays, so do check it out, okay?

FREE DOWNLOAD!

As a special Christmas gift to those of you who haven’t read my award-winning novel, Isle of Hope, now’s your chance to download it FREE from Dec. 11-13. I am honored to say that Isle of Hope was listed on Family Fiction magazine’s Top 15 Novels of 2015 and currently enjoys a 5-star rating on Amazon with over 262 reviews, so it’s not a dog, I promise! And because it is loosely based on my own dysfunctional relationship with my estranged father and how God healed it, it’s very special to me as well.

Additional Giveaway! 

12 TOP-AUTHOR BOOKS & $150 GIFT CARD!

Join me and eleven of your favorite authors for a HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH 12 AUTHORS OF CHRISTMAS giveaway! This is your opportunity to chat online with some of your favorite authors—Hannah Alexander, Tamera Alexander, Colleen Coble, Rachel Hauck, Denise Hunter, Robin Lee Hatcher, Cara Putman, Deborah Raney, Katherine Reay, Becky Wade, Beth Vogt, & moi—PLUS a chance to win 12 books and a $150 Amazon card! Winners will not be drawn till December 13th, so you still have a chance to enter. Just check out the following link for all the details and GOOD LUCK!

HOPE FOR THE HOLIDAYS WITH 12 AUTHORS OF CHRISTMAS!

P.S. As a special giveaway for Seeker friends ONLY, show up tomorrow (Wed., Dec. 12) for my Facebook Live at 2:00 PM CST and leave a comment with the word SEEKERVILLE in it, and you’ll ALSO be eligible to win free e-copies of my two Western novels, For Love of Liberty and Love’s Silver Lining in addition to my FB Live giveaways!





Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion With a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.

Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, and Isle of Hope series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 18 Romance Writers of America and other awards. Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, Best of 2014, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction. Her independent novel A Light in the Window was an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner. Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets. Contact Julie through her website and read excerpts from each of her books at www.julielessman.com

Seekerville Advent Giveaway

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The Anatomy of a Kiss

 

The Anatomy of a Kiss

HELLO SEEKERVILLE! It is sooo fun to back here with you and my Seeker buds!

To those of you who’ve read my books, it’s no surprise I LOVE writing kissing scenes, so I put my heart, soul, and lips (test runs with hubby) into every kiss I write. Some readers have told me they actually use my novels as a handbook for writing love scenes and others have dubbed me, “The Kissing Queen.” Although I have no idea if that’s true, I do guarantee you’ll find more kisses in my books than most CBA romance novels!  

Why? Well, I explain it all HERE in a Seekerville blog entitled “Life on the Edge,” but suffice it to say that in a world where the likes of Fifty Shades of Gray is a runaway bestseller, it’s pretty clear that the majority of romance readers are looking for a little more POW in their WOW!

Which isn’t all that easy to do in the Christian market. Because let’s face it, anybody can warm up the pages with blatant bedroom scenes, but it takes skill to heighten the romantic tension in a book with only a look . . . a kiss . . . or even the absence of a kiss.

For me, the real secret to a great kiss and great romantic tension are the emotions surging around it like a romantic riptide that rolls in and out. However, building a scene like that takes time, so for the sake of brevity (which I know nothing about!), check out my examples on my FAVE KISSES tab of my website.

In the meantime, how do you elicit the most sighs with the least amount of body parts and graphic action? Well, I attempted to do so in each of the kissing scenes in this blog by making the most of non-graphic tools and tricks of the trade such as:

-- Incorporation of less graphic parts of the body other than lips (i.e. collarbone, earlobe, nape, etc.)

--    Trigger words/phrases (i.e. eyes sheathing closed, nuzzle, explore, throb, etc.)

--     Trigger scenarios (i.e. accidental closeness, unsuspecting attraction, etc.)

--     Emotional triggers (anger, repentance, challenge, etc.)

So, let’s look at the scenes below, and I’ll tell you how I heightened romantic tension in each one.

NON-GRAPHIC WAYS TO ADD ROMANTIC TENSION

(OR “POW” TO YOUR “WOW, WHAT A KISS!”)

THE KID-FACTOR KISS: Let’s face it—kids are cute and innocent, so when you plop them into the middle of a love scene, their “sweet” can highlight the romantic tension of a kiss in a big way.

In the following scene from A Love Surrendered, where the hero takes the heroine, Annie (whom he’s trying to avoid romantically) and her little sister, Glory, home, I tried to juxtaposition “sweet” (blue-highlighted words like “innocence, little girl, little troublemaker, angel OR actions like kissing on the tip of the nose, peck on the cheek, etc.) against the swoon and sensations of a romance (red-highlighted words like trip of the pulse, eyes sheathing closed, soft, supple, etc.) to create a kissing scene that is hopefully both sweet and salty with romantic tension.

“Wait! Aren’t you going to kiss her too?” Glory spun around, eyes wide with the innocence of a little girl who had no earthly idea what she was asking him to do.

Steven blinked, heat skimming his collar.

“Glory, no—” Annie whispered, turning ten kinds of pale.

“Please?” The little troublemaker stared at him with those wide eyes of an angel.

Heart thudding, he did the only thing he knew to do—he kissed Annie right on the tip of her nose. Clearing his throat, he stepped back. “Well, good-night, ladies.”

“No, silly,” Glory said, “like this . . .” She demonstrated with a sweet little peck on her sister’s lips as if he were too stupid to understand, then tilted her head. “See? It’s easy.”

Too easy, he thought with a trip of his pulse. Way, way too easy . . .

“Stop it, Glory, Steven doesn’t want to—”

“Sure I do,” he whispered, his words shocking him as much as Annie. Gaze holding hers, he slowly leaned in, close enough to see the long sweep of her lashes, the pale gold in eyes so green, he felt like he was in Oz, about to be granted a wish. He heard the soft hitch of her breath when she stopped breathing because it coincided with the halt of air in his own lungs. Cupping her face in his hand, his eyelids sheathed closed at the touch of her lips—soft, supple and just a hint of peppermint from the candy she’d offered him in the car. It was meant to be no more than a peck like Glory had given him, but somehow his mouth wanted to linger and explore . . . He stepped in close, body grazing hers and Glory’s till they were one. A little-girl giggle broke the trance, and Annie’s lips curved beneath his.

“His whiskers are itchy, aren’t they, Annie?” Glory asked, patting his face once again. “Kinda makes you wiggly all over, doesn’t it?”

Annie’s eyes glowed as she caressed her own cheek. “Very wiggly,” she whispered.

THE PET-FACTOR KISS: Like the kid factor above, a pet can also heighten romantic tension as in this scene from A Heart Revealed, where the focus and attention given to the pet suddenly switches to that between the hero and heroine. Again, notice the romantic language/movements (red-highlighted words such as snuggle time, shuttered gaze, tripping of the pulse, etc.) that set the scene for the kiss that correlates with the innocence of pet interaction (blue-highlighted words such as kneading paw, soft scrub of fur, etc.).

Kicking off her shoes, Emma spanned across the covers on her tummy, kneading Lancelot’s paw while she stroked Guinevere’s head, her mind straying to how much her life had changed since Sean had made her his wife.

The bed vibrated with the purrs of her former bedmates, bringing a giggle to her lips. “So, how was your evening, your highness and your majesty?” she said with a soft scrub of their fur. “I know you’re not pleased my husband steals your snuggle time, but remember, once he closes his eyes, he’s gone for the night, so just bide your time . . .”

“Are you conspiring with those cats again, Emma O’Connor?” Sean assessed her with a shuttered gaze, arms folded and hip cocked in the doorway. Sculpted chest bare, he ambled into the room in boxers and blond hair damp from his shower. A slow grin of warning stretched across wide lips as he eased onto the bed to lie beside her. Elbow cocked and head in hand, he massaged Guinevere’s ribcage, warming Emma with a dangerous smile. Leaning close, he grazed her lips, then pulled away, the blue eyes tripping her pulse. “You’re next,” he whispered.

THE ACCIDENTAL KISS: The accidental kiss is a major opportunity for romantic tension when the attraction is there, but the intent isn’t. Until, that is, something as innocent as a kiss on the cheek sets passion ablaze.

In this second-tier love story from Love at Any Cost, an innocent thank-you kiss on the cheek “accidentally” turns into more between the widowed matriarch and her rogue brother-in-law, the ex-fiancé who cheated on her before she married his brother.

Notice the romantic tension in the hero via phrases like heart seized, pulse thudded slow and hard, shallow breathing, etc. And then the acquiescence of the heroine conveyed through actions/phrases like the drop of a blanket, melding into his arms, etc. Also note that romantic tension is always heightened by romantic trigger words like bewitched, spell, explored, nuzzle, throb, etc.

His heart seized when she pressed a kiss to his cheek, and almost by accident, he turned into her silky caress, their lips so close he could smell the hint of hot chocolate they’d enjoyed around the fire. They froze in the same split second of time, and his pulse thudded slow and hard as he waited for her to pull away. Only she didn’t, and heat scorched his body when her shallow breathing warmed his skin. 

“Cait,” he whispered, barely believing her lips nearly grazed his. All he could hear was the roar of blood in his ears as he waited, not willing to push for fear she would retreat, but when her eyelids flickered closed, his fate was sealed. “So help me, Cait, I love you,” he rasped, nuzzling her lips before she could retreat. The moment his mouth took hers, he was a man hopelessly lost, bewitched by her spell.

He felt it the moment the winds shifted, pulse skyrocketing when her blanket dropped to the ground and she melded into his arms. His mouth explored with a vengeance, the frenzied beat of her heart throbbing beneath his lips as he grazed the hollow of her throat. He skimmed up to suckle the lobe of her ear, and his heart swelled with joy when a soft moan escaped her lips. Blood pounding in his veins, he wove fingers into her hair to cradle her face. “Marry me, Cait, please . . .”

THE PROGRESSIVE KISS: Okay, I’m sorry, but the progressive kiss is one of my faves because it’s a slow buildup of romantic tension that can culminate in a killer kissing scene. In A Heart Revealed, the hero comforts his best friend after she’s beat up by a thug, unaware of his attraction to her until his comfort escalates into passion neither of them knew they had.

Note the escalation from friendship (cupping her face, his gaze a tender caress, kiss on the forehead, etc.) to outright passion.

“Shh . . . shh . . . it’s okay, Emma . . .” He fanned his fingers through her hair, then cupped her face in his palms, his gaze a tender caress. “I’m here now,” he whispered, kissing her forehead, her temple, her cheek . . .

Her pulse quickened while her weeping stilled to soft, little heaves, and as her eyelids drifted closed, her heart stuttered when he brushed them with his lips.

“I’ll keep you safe, I promise,” he whispered, and a silent moan faded in her throat as his mouth trailed to her temple. “I swear no one will ever hurt you again . . .”

Heat throbbed within as she lost herself in the caress of his hand, her mind dazed while his mouth explored. The soft flesh of her ear, the curve of her throat, her body humming with need as never before. She felt his shallow breaths, warm against her skin, and with a low groan, he cradled her neck to capture her mouth with his own. “Oh, Emma,” he whispered, his voice hoarse against her lips, “I want to be there always, to protect you, cherish you . . .” He deepened his kiss, and she tasted the salt of her tears.

THE STOLEN KISS: Call me old-fashioned, but I love those stolen kisses from wonderful old movies like McLintock or Gone with the Wind, when John Wayne lays one on Maureen O’Hara or Rhett drags Scarlett from the wagon. I do realize kisses like those are not always politically correct in today’s world, where sexual abuse is a sad reality. Please note—in no way do I condone this type of behavior nor are my scenes meant to be perceived as such. They are written in the old-fashioned “Calgon, take me away” style of romance prevalent in the old Hollywood movies and in absolutely every case in my books, the dominant hero is called to task for his behavior and eventually learns from it.

In this scene from my historical Western, For Love of Liberty, the frustrated hero teaches the bossy heroine a lesson she won’t soon forget in classic McLintock style!

He blasted out a sigh and dropped his head, hands perched low on his hips. “Okay, lady, I’m going to ask you one more time, real nice and civil-like …” He peered up beneath hooded eyes, a near smile on his face. “Will you please move out of my way?”

“Nope.” She smiled and shook her head, as if quite confident he was on the thaw. She clutched her hands behind her back like a little girl about to misbehave, green eyes issuing a dare. “And you can’t make me.”

He sighed. Poor, misguided, little rich girl. “Yeah?” He pushed the brim of his hat up. “Watch me.” Hurling his satchel to the floor, he heard the catch of her breath when he struck like lightning with an arm to her waist. Jerking her close, he kissed the daylights out of her while her boots dangled in the air. Unfortunately, the moment he tasted those soft lips parted in surprise, he was struck by a little lightning of her own, electrifying every nerve in his body while his blood simmered to a dangerous boil.

When a telltale mew escaped her throat, he was helpless to contain the low moan that rose deep in his belly. Butting her to the door, he cradled her face in his hands, longing pumping through his veins as he claimed the sweetest lips he’d ever known—and he’d known plenty—completely disarmed by the scent of her skin, the soft flesh of her ear. Sure, he’d dreamed of kissing Liberty O’Shea for as long as he could remember, but he never expected this—a kiss that could surely tame his taste for all other women.

The very thought bucked like a thorn-saddled bull, and with a rush of icy mountain water surging through his veins, he dropped her to the floor like he’d been bit by a rattler. She teetered precariously—along with his heart—eyes glazed and mouth still open in shock. Mustering all the calm he owned—which was a mite low at the moment—he yanked his hat down low and reached for the knob. She bolted away like he was a grizzly fresh up from a nap, and Finn had to stifle a chuckle, tossing her a wink as he opened the door. “Told you.”

THE COAXING KISS: In this scene from A Hope Undaunted, the hero, Luke McGee, is hoping to coax the heroine, Katie O’Connor, into dating him, unaware she has just accepted an engagement ring from her boyfriend Jack. For me, the key to this romantically tense scene is the hero’s slow and confident approach, disarming the heroine with gentle, yet dominant, action.

Glass in hand, she paused at the sink. “Do you want ice?”

His approach was achingly slow as he strolled toward her. With a casual air, he took the glass from her hand and set it on the counter while his warm gaze welded to hers. He moved in close, wedging her against the sink by just the mere threat of his presence. She swallowed hard and craned her neck up, wishing her voice hadn’t fused to her throat.

Massive palms slowly grazed the side of her arms, as if he thought she might be chilled, but the heat they generated made her feel anything but. In fluid motion, they moved to her waist, the gentle caress of his thumbs all but stealing her air. His blue eyes deepened in intensity as he leaned in, and his husky voice made her mouth go dry. “Let’s face it, Katie Rose,” he whispered, “I don’t want ice, I don’t want water, and I definitely don’t want chocolate.”

She caught her breath when his words melted warm in her ear.

“I want you . . .”

And before the air could return to her lungs, his mouth dominated hers with such gentle force, it coaxed a breathless moan from her lips, heating the blood in her veins by several degrees. “Say it, Katie Rose . . . say that you want me as much as I want you.”

She could barely speak for the racing of her pulse, and her breathing was as rapid as his. Powerful arms refused to relent, drawing her close as his lips trailed her throat with an urgency that made her dizzy. “Say it,” he whispered again, “tell me you care for me too.”

THE KISS-AND-MAKE-UP KISS: There is almost nothing I would rather write than a kiss-and-make-up scene following a horrendous fight. There’s just something about those rollercoaster emotions—from anger, to apology, to love—that makes me want to swoon. A good example is this scene from A Hope Undaunted, where we have the subordinate hero Patrick O’Connor attempting to comfort his wife Marcy after a volatile argument.

He lifted her chin with his finger. “We have to present a united front, my love, and you need to learn to say ‘no.’ Or I’m afraid with Gabe, there will be a heavy price to pay.”

She nodded and sniffed again.

With a tight squeeze, he buried his head in her neck before pulling away with a lift of his brow. He stared at her new satin gown, then slowly fanned his hands down the sides of her waist. “And speaking of a price to pay—so you’ve taken to wearing perfume to bed, have you, Mrs. O’Connor?” He bent to caress the curve of her throat while his fingers grazed the strap of her gown. “And a new satin gown, surely not just for sleep.” With a slow sweep of his thumb, the strap slithered from her shoulder. “Oh, I’m afraid this is going to cost you, darlin’.”

He kissed her full on the mouth, and heat shivered through her. “I suppose this isn’t one of those times when I need to say no,” she whispered, her breathing ragged against his jaw.

“No, darlin’, it’s not.” And clutching her close, he fisted the satin gown and moved in to deepen the kiss, his husky words melting into her mouth. “For all the good it would do.”

THE MENTAL KISS: One of the most effective ways to add romantic tension is by an innocent scene that escalates into a moment of attraction so strong, the mental desire for a kiss sparks without one person’s lips ever touching the other’s. In my next book, Love’s Silver Lining, due out May 19^th, the hero and heroine teeter on the threshold of a kiss when the hero threatens to toss the heroine in a lake after she pushes him in during a bet gone awry between two friends.

“All right, Nurse Mullaney.” He relaxed his hold, and she waited for him to put her down. “Two bags of peppermint candy, then.”

Her breath silently seeped out. “You drive a hard bargain, Mr. Donovan, but mercy comes at a high price, I suppose.” She wriggled to get free, and he finally let her, his hands slowly guiding her down.

Too slowly.

Her heart drummed a traitorous beat as she slid to the ground, their bodies bonded all the way down. The dampness of his clothes bled warm into hers despite the cool of the night, kindling renegade thoughts as shallow and fast as her air. “We need to get back,” she rasped, voice breathless as she tried to step away, wondering where in the devil the boys were.

“Maggie ...” The husky sound of her name on his tongue weakened the tendons at the back of her knees, and she tried to pull away, but he wouldn’t let go. “The peppermint candy be dashed,” he whispered, his voice suddenly as ragged as hers. He leaned so close, she could smell mint on his breath, warm against her lips as his mouth hovered over hers. “One kiss is all the payment I need.”

GIVEAWAY: That’s it, so leave a comment, and you’ll be in the draw for your choice of a paperback copy of my writer’s workbook, Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets OR your choice of any of my indie e-books, including my upcoming release, Love’s Silver Lining.

ABOUT JULIE LESSMAN:

Julie Lessman is an award-winning author whose tagline of “Passion with a Purpose” underscores her intense passion for both God and romance. A lover of all things Irish, she enjoys writing close-knit Irish family sagas that evolve into 3-D love stories: the hero, the heroine, and the God that brings them together.

Author of The Daughters of Boston, Winds of Change, Heart of San Francisco, and Isle of Hope series, Julie was American Christian Fiction Writers 2009 Debut Author of the Year and has garnered over 18 Romance Writers of America and other awards.

Voted #1 Romance Author in Family Fiction magazine’s 2012 and 2011 Readers Choice Awards, Julie’s novels also made Family Fiction magazine’s Best of 2015, Best of 2014, and “Essential Christian Romance Authors” 2017, as well as Booklist’s 2010 Top 10 Inspirational Fiction and Borders Best Fiction. Her independent novel A Light in the Window was an International Digital Awards winner, a 2013 Readers' Crown Award winner, and a 2013 Book Buyers Best Award winner.

Julie has also written a self-help workbook for writers entitled Romance-ology 101: Writing Romantic Tension for the Sweet and Inspirational Markets. Contact Julie through her website and read excerpts from each of her books at www.julielessman.com

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