Friday Friend Carol Wyatt, w/a Morgan K Wyatt

Please welcome Carol Wyatt, writing as Morgan K. Wyatt. She penned the following:

Laughter in the Bedroom
Recently I was at a romance writer’s retreat where we read our love scenes aloud to each other. One writer chuckled to herself as she confessed she tells her husband that he’s her inspiration for all her love scenes. The other women tittered as if this were a great joke. The idea that we might use real life situations for the steamy scenes seemed amusing, but why should it?
Admittedly, most of us are not paired with some George Clooney clone, although we love our honeys dearly. I bet even George has a few moments when he approaches his latest love and stabs his foot on her abandoned stiletto heel, maybe even her stiletto knife depending on the woman. Sure, we female readers do want a hot scene, but we want it real too.
Authentic includes conflict. A heroine with a difficult name can have her sweetheart mispronounce her name at an inopportune moment making her wonder at his devotion or even causing her to kick him out of bed. I read in a blog by a thrice-married man that he always calls his wife honey because he’s afraid he might call her by an ex-wife’s name.
Think of some of your more memorable encounters, many times there may have been a fumble, but the two of you managed to smooth it over. Old style romances featured a virgin who immediately responds to her experienced lover by having an orgasm her very first time out the gate. Really? How many of us raised on this diet were disappointed by our first time?
A fellow writer planned a romantic picnic complete with wine and music. Her husband didn’t get it and groused about having to eat on the floor. Maybe the guy doesn’t quite understand a romantic setting we’ve created, but when it is explained to him then he is more than ready to participate. The reader can laugh with the couple because she has experienced something similar in her life. You can play with what can go wrong from the woman tripping in her too high heels to the bed breaking.
In the movie, HITCH, Will Smith explains to the woman he tries to impress that he’d imagined things playing out differently in his head. Same thing happens with Ashlee in my first novella RELUCTANT COUGAR by Secret Cravings Publishing when she tries to work up the courage to kiss her date.
They walked in silence for a few minutes as Ashlee debated about the wisdom of kissing him. Glancing around discreetly, she checked for walkers. Finding none, she turned toward Nick. He immediately stopped and held perfectly still, but his eyes were alert as he watched her. No easy way to steal a kiss from a tall man. Ashlee braced her hands on his shoulders as she stretched to meet his lips. Once her lips touched his, his arms went around her and snuggled her close.
His lips managed to be soft and firm at the same time. For a moment, she rested her lips on his, taking in the feel of his arms embracing her. His scent, a combination of some high-end cologne, sweat, and dryer sheet fragrance jumpstarted her libido into coming out of hibernation from the moment he touched her. Months had passed since she last had a man’s arms around her. How did she forget how wonderful it could be? Did having a firm, younger body next to hers make it better? Finding out sounded like a discovery mission to her.
Moving her lips on his, she intensified the kiss. Ashlee’s tongue slipped out, teasing the corners of his mouth and tracing the seam of his lips. Nick’s arms tightened around her as he murmured encouraging sounds, opening his lips slightly. Amazingly, for once in her life, she was the romantic aggressor. Sliding her tongue past his parted lips, she ran it across his teeth before tangling with his tongue, giving Ashlee a sense of power. Nick’s hands dropped to her ass pulling her hips even closer and talk about strong attraction. His stretched long and hard against her belly.
“Nice day we’re having, isn’t it?” a male voice called out.
It couldn’t be Nick; his mouth covered hers. Nick’s hands pivoted her to hide the front of his body from a grinning gardener complete with hedge clippers in his hands.
“Excellent day,” Nick answered.
Why hadn’t she seen the gardener? Cut branch limbs littered the ground indicating he’d obviously been working away for some time. All her thoughts centered on Nick and kissing him to the extent, she missed seeing the man.
“Lots of folks out on a day like this,” the gardener continued, making such broad hints that even a lust-dazed mind could comprehend.
“You’re right,” Nick agreed, touching her elbow to turn Ashlee in the direction of the path.
The gardener’s eyes twinkled a little as he called out, “Enjoy the rest of your day.” Then he laughed as they turned to walk away. Nick assured him they would enjoy the rest of their day, drawing another laugh.
“I think he was spying on us,” Ashlee whispered in case the gardener might hear.
Nick shrugged his shoulders, making a point of taking her hand and interweaving fingers. “What if he was? It may have reminded him of a time when he had a beautiful woman in his arms.” (Find out how to read more and enter my Godiva and Pearls Contest at: www.morgankwyatt.com)

Women when questioned about what would make them look twice at a man or give him their number shocked interviewers by stating overwhelmingly a man who could make them laugh would do it. A man who can make a woman laugh and can laugh at himself relaxes a woman. Dating is hard enough we can use a stress breaker. He also represents the happy feeling, which accompanies laughter.
In the movie, SHIRLEY VALENTINE, Shirley hears a full orchestra while she and her newfound man are making love on the boat. Your character could hear some amazing piano music building to a crescendo when she is with her guy only to remember her next door neighbor is a classical pianist, or it could be a ringtone.
Comic misunderstandings usually merit a laugh. One cell phone service did an ad series about people not hearing clearly. Maybe your heroine thinks her hero wants her to dress up as a nursery rhyme character and she is waiting in costume complete with shepherd’s crook when he arrives home with his old college roommate, Beau Fleet.
Of course, a woman breaking out in laughter at the wrong time can kill a man’s libido just as much as tears. It might help if the woman explains she laughs when she is totally happy, then that makes laughter the absolute right thing to have in the bedroom. Now, I realize this is my opinion and some readers will disagree. They want their scenes without fumbles, confusion, or laughter, but that just isn’t reality.

Morgan will be giving away a free ebook copy of Reluctant Cougar to one lucky commenter today.

Find out more about Carole Wyatt w/a Morgan K Wyatt at:
www.morgankwyatt.com www.datingafterfortyeight.blogspot.com
11/11 Reluctant Cougar-Secret Cravings Publishing
12/11 Christmas Warmth-XOXO Publishing
1/12 Cub in Blue-Secret Cravings Publishing
2/12 Puppy Love-Secret Cravings Publishing

Thanks for being here today, Carol!