Yesterday I posted a review of Bonnie Edwards’ newest erotic romance called Stroke of Midnight. Today, we’re lucky enough to have her on here as a guest blogger.
Would he walk 500 miles and would you want him to?
During my years driving teens to various sporting events, I had a carload of girls (whew! Volleyball makes ‘em sweat – what’s worse, they’re proud of it) and to drown out the chatter from the backseat, (yes, I’d opened the windows, too) I turned on the radio.
The Proclaimers came on with their hit, (I’m Gonna Be) 500 Miles. The girls SCREAMED so loud I thought they’d found a spider. But no, it was this song. This anthem to love, is more like it.
There we were: four smelly teenaged girls and me, one elegantly coiffed, sweet smelling, patient mother (yes, this is exactly how I recall it) singing at the top of our lungs with wide open windows and the song blasting out into the quiet street. The whole song: screaming!
I heard it again today and every time I hear it, I think about those girls and their immediate, visceral response to that song. It’s the beat, the repetition, sure. But the lyrics? Ah, the lyrics make the female heart expand with hope. The idea that a man would suffer – gladly – to land at her door, is enough to set off a woman’s dream mechanism. (I’m saying dream mechanism, but, you know I write erotic romance, right? So read between the lines there.)
Today, I was driving and my dear heart sat next to me, and I wondered what he’d do to be with me. Just to be with me. Would he walk 500 miles? He likely would have in the first bloom of love, but now? In the case of a catastrophe? Yes. I think he would. He’d walk toward me and I’d head out toward him in the hope we’d meet in the middle.
But realistically, what would he suffer to be with me? What would I want him to be willing to suffer? A 500 mile walk isn’t necessary these days, but it’s the thought that counts, right?
He would suffer the agony of worrying about surgery. He would see me through terrible illnesses. He would be there if we were broke, destitute and homeless. THIS is what I’d expect him to suffer to be with me. This is what I believe in my deepest heart that he would suffer.
What would you want your dear heart to suffer to be with you? What set of circumstances would your love suffer for you?
I ask this because these are the questions I ponder in my writing. Yes, my stories are fun, hot, easy to read and get lost in, but there are some tests I put to my heroes. I make them want. But maybe they need to suffer, too.
Maybe I should make them walk 500 miles to fall down at the heroine’s door. Would you want to open your door to find a man collapsed for love of you? (why is that insanely romantic to me?)
And the next time you hear The Proclaimers sing that hit song, think of me, patient, kind and screaming with a carload of teenage girls. Oh, yes…and sing it loud, because truly, it’s an anthem to love.
Oh, and yes, I should mention my newest release, Stroke of Midnight from Carina Press. It’s unashamedly a Cinderella story: short, fun, hot. And The Highland Hussy gave it 5 out of 5 stars.
And for that, I would walk 500 miles!
I definitely want my man to WANT to be next to me. Not just be next to be, but want to be there.
Does that make sense?
suffer? yeah maybe I’d like to see a little suffering too. My hubby is cheap, so for him to “waste” money on flowers (which he deems pointless) would be suffering for him.
Absolutely makes sense. If they don’t want to be there, they’ll be somewhere else…and we know how that ends! Not happily.
Bonnie
Mine has already suffered through the “your wife needs a couple pints of blood and she’ll lose part of her insides along with the baby but she’ll live” scenario along with a couple others that aren’t much better than that so yes, I think he’d be willing to suffer anything he had to for me.
Whether that shows in the heroes you write, *you* know what they would do and it makes the character all the fuller for it. And it makes me love each and every guy!
Oh NM, what a lovely thing to say. And I’m not at all surprised that you can count on your man — you’re worth it!
Take care,
Bonnie