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Sunday, November 4, 2012

Wednesday's Writer - Gay N. Lewis talks about those tender moments

I'm really honoured to be able to hand over my Wednesday's Writer slot today to the lovely Gay N. Lewis, a fellow Prism Book Groups writer.  Prism (formerly Inspired Romance) was my first publisher and therefore responsible for getting my writing career off the ground.  Prism is also the publisher of Gay's current best-selling title, Sarah: A Mission of Love.  Over to you, Gay.

Tender Moments by Gay N. Lewis

Romance…women love it, crave it, and need it. But a lot of men don’t understand what romance is or how to give it. Explicit sex is different.  A record number of men have physical passion on their minds and agenda any ole day of the week. But tender phrases and activities that lead to intimacy? Well that’s a different story.

Can’t blame them.  What is romance anyway?  Dictionaries don’t help.   Thorndike and Barnhart says, “A love story, a medieval story or poem telling of heroes.”  My old Webster’s reads, “A medieval narrative of the adventure of chivalric heroes or a long fictitious tale of adventure, heroism, or mystery.”

Well, now, that helps a heap, doesn’t it? 

Maybe that’s why romance novels are popular.  Women have their hunger fulfilled vicariously.  The fictitious heroine has a super hero who understands exactly what will thrill her down to her toes. This perfect male protagonist defines by words and actions what a female misses in her everyday existence. 

Ahhh…sigh…if only we had what she has. And so we read more romance novels—wishing and dreaming as we do that we could enjoy the life of the heroine. And when a singular moment is given to us by our special someone, we swoon and remember the occasion for a lifetime…and then we ache for more of the same.
But how does a woman teach a man to be romantic?

Well, the answer to that is simple.  Have him read a romance novel.  In these books, female authors put imagination to work. We describe how we wish our men would act, and what we yearn for them to say and do.

For Christian writers, tender scenes without too much suggestive detail are difficult. When and where should the guy touch the girl? How descriptive should that kiss be? What can he say to her that will not offend the Christian reader?

When my husband compliments me, or surprises me with a gift, I cement it into my heart—and sometimes his word or deed shows up in one of my books…as fiction, of course. Sarah: A Mission of Love has one of these moments in it. Sarah: Laney’s Angel will be out in the spring of 2013. This funny and heart-warming tale has scenes to make one swoon, but none of them were inspired by my spouse.
Gals, leave us your comments. What romantic action or word has your special someone instilled into your memory?

More about Gay N Lewis:

A native Texan, Gay lives in Fulshear—a small town west of Houston. She has always been involved with creative and artistic ventures.  Two videos she produced—The Canadian Rockies, English and Japanese translations, and Psalms from the Mountains, were sold in Canada, America, Great Britain, as well as all international markets. Both were well received.  For the San Felipe Baptist Association, she was a contributor for the video Many Churches, One Vision.

Graphic skills kept her busy as a portrait photographer, and for over ten years, she used her imaginative insight in the interior design field. 

Gay’s real love is writing and reading—both go nicely together.  As a pastor’s wife, she has written, produced, and photographed many programs, and her Faith Features have been published in various church periodicals.

Teaching an adult Bible study every Sunday morning is Gay’s joy, and she is often called upon for speaking engagements.  When needed, she plays the piano and serves as worship leader in her husband’s church. 
Gay’s family reside in Texas—three daughters and four grandchildren.

Sarah:  A Mission of Love is available from:
Prism Book Groups and all leading e-book retailers.

Summary:
Handsome, single, and wealthy, Houstonian Tom Shoemaker must decide if he should give up his successful business to assume a country pastorate. When a blonde, blue-eyed, dyslexic angel arrives from The Heavenlies to locate a mate for Tom by Valentine’s Day, she’s havoc in outlandish red stilettos. But despite numerous goofs in her efforts—many caused by her passion for eccentric footwear the other angels would never dare adorn—love is indeed in the air.

After Marcy Montgomery’s husband was killed in Afghanistan, she relocated to a small, central Texas town with Hope, her five-year-old daughter. When Sarah accidentally introduces Tom to Marcy, she sets about discovering if the two would make suitable mates. The Superiors certainly wouldn’t approve of a romantic link between the wrong people. But Hope wants a father, and when the five-year-old meets Tom, she immediately decides he is the perfect candidate.

Is Tom the right one for Marcy? Or has Sarah made her biggest blunder of all? Oh merciful heavens! What’s an angel to do?


Sarah: Laney's Angel is due for release next Spring.

This sounds like the start of a long and very endearing series.  Do check out the above links for more information and thank you, Gay, for such a thought-provoking post.

10 comments:

Su Halfwerk said...

Gay, your series sounds wonderful. What a thought and emotion provoking concept! Personally, I love tender moments because they are difficult to conjure without going into the touchy-feely details of scenes behind closed doors, but when done right, these moments are treasures to be cherished.

Gay N Lewis said...

Thanks Su. Your comment means a lot to me. You are a talented writer, and I appreciate your work. I like that phrase, "moments are treasures to be cherished."

Mary L. Ball said...

Gay you're a great author. Keep up the good works and let God's light shine.

Anonymous said...

I loved "Sarah: A Mission of Love" and can't wait for "Sarah: Laney's Angel". Gay Lewis has that delicate balance down pat--plenty of tenderness with no raw, explicit sex.

Gay N Lewis said...

Thanks Mary and Anonymous. It's a challenge to keep that balance! I don't know much about raw, explicit sex...perhaps that helps! LOL.

Anonymous said...

Tender moments are what love is all about.
Thanks Gay for sharing this.
Georgina

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post, Gay! I so agree...romance is all about the tender moments outside the bedroom. Without them, the moments of passion behind closed doors don't mean nearly as much.

My husband is far from being Mr. Romantic in the expected sense of the word. But he does little things that say "I love you" and I find that very romantic. That he still opens the car door for me after 38 years is one of those things I treasure - not that I can't open it myself, but that little thoughtful act says something special. :)

ManicScribbler said...

I love reading all these comments to Gay's post. Thank you all for taking the time to visit and respond - Su, Mary, Delia, Anonymous and Georgina - and thank you again to Gay for being such a delightful guest and for returning to chat. Lots of love and Good Luck!

Gay N Lewis said...

Hi enjoyed reading the responses. Not everyone leaves a post, but several people emailed me. One reader said, "Now to get my husband to read a romance novel."

Another reader emailed me with this response.

"'I enjoyed the blog "Tender Moments". I don't think men have a clue about the difference between romance and sex. I tried to talk with my spouse and he couldn't separate the two. For me it is a warm fuzzy feeling when he makes me believe I am the most important person around. (That means walking beside me, taking care of me when we are in a group, giving merit to my opinions)

The blog Tender Moments was thought provoking. I believe we all need to be more aware of creating those special tender moments especially as we get older.'"

Thanks for asking me to guest on the ManicScribbler blog. So much fun!

ManicScribbler said...

Gay, thank you so much for sharing these responses - they are exactly the kind of things we love to hear.

Good luck to your reader who wants to get her husband to read a romance novel - that's not going to be an easy task, I fear!

Loved the post from the lady who said men can't differentiate between romance and sex. I'm sure she's right, but then, that's why we keep on writing our romances, gently trying to teach these men what's right and what's wrong.

Thank you again, Gay. I can't tell you how much I've enjoyed having you as my guest writer. Please come back any time - maybe in the Spring after Sarah: Laney's Angel is released? I'm sure we'll have lots more to talk about. You'll be so welcome.

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