My husband is 46 years old, and he’s never been to Europe. I’m sure that’s not all so unusual. What may be more unusual is that my first taste of the continent was when I was sixteen years old, between my junior and senior year of high school. I was lucky enough to visit again in college when, as a French major, I studied for a semester in both Paris and Angers, France. I haven’t been back since then, but that fact hasn’t kept me from using what I learned in my writing — case in fact being Passion in Paris (The Wild Rose Press.)

As you read this, I’m in England with my husband and two boys, ages 17 and 14. We’ll spend time in London, Paris, Nice, and Barcelona. I handpicked the cities. I’ve been to all of them except Barcelona. Since my seventeen year old son has now had five years of Spanish, I figured we’d make it . I, of course, can take care of the French.

This trip took a lot of thought. We’ll be gone nearly three weeks, and we opted for two rooms in each city to give the boys a little independence (and mom and dad a break from teenage boy mess!) Needless to say, it’s a major expense at a time when the economy is urging us to “just say no.” We’ve never taken a family vacation of this duration before. My husband, a lawyer, has never been away from his work for such a lengthy period.

But he needs this. We as a family need this. And it will be a marvelous educational experience for the boys who are at ages where they can truly appreciate the culture to which they’ll be introduced. The older will be off to college in a year, and soon family trips will be a relic of the past.

And of course it goes without saying that the beauty and wonder of cultures so much older than our own will inspire my creativity.  (Too bad that doesn’t make the whole thing a tax write off!)

As parents and as writers, we sometimes have to take a plunge.  Let that kindergartner walk to the bus by himself.  Try a new genre when our work isn’t selling as we’d like.  And the biggest plunge of all?  Do something just for sheer enjoyment, like spend more money than we should on a trip. 

The memories will be priceless.  I want to see the look on my sons’ faces when they gaze at the Eiffel Tower for the first time, lock eyes with Leonardo’s Mona Lisa.  I want to watch them grimace when they drink a pint of ale at a London pub!  I want them to experience the hustle and bustle of the subways and trains, the pebbled beauty of the beaches in Nice, the raw passion of a bullfight in Spain.

Oh, it will be well worth the money!  And maybe someday one of them might write about the experience.  If not?  They’ll still have the memories of our wonderful voyage.

Are you taking a trip with your family this summer?  Where?

The lemony aroma of my mother’s raisin bread reminds me of Christmas. When I was a child, each year my mother made a huge batch of her family recipe to give as gifts to friends and co-workers. The citrus scent of the pure lemon oil she used mingled with the fruity raisins and yeast produced a fragrance that to this day takes me back to my childhood holidays.

Of all the five senses, the sense of smell is the most linked to memory. I’ve been blessed with a particularly strong sense of smell. My husband swears I was a dog in a past life . I adore all kinds of fragrances, and I adore describing them in my writing. My CPs have often commented on my use of this particular sense.

In romance, the sense of smell can be used abundantly — setting, for example. Describe the pungent scent of pine as your heroine breathes in fresh mountain air, or the sweet floral fragrance of wildflowers as she walks in a meadow.

But nothing is as important in romance as when your heroine smells your hero for the first time. She’s attracted to him. His amazing looks stop her in her tracks. And then she inhales.

The scent of a man is often described as “musky.” Take this a step further and describe that musk. Is it spicy? Sweet? Like leather? The outdoors? All are common scents associated with men, and all work well when you, as the author, give them your own special touch. Does your hero wear cologne? What does it smell like?

Once you’ve determined your hero’s fragrance, the important part begins. You show your reader how that scent affects your heroine. Does her heart accelerate, her breath catch? Does his scent spark a memory for her? Perhaps his leathery aroma takes her back to summers spent on her grandfather’s ranch.

The sense of smell can bring an immediacy to your writing and plunge your reader directly into your scene. So as you write, close your eyes. Take a moment to visualize your scene, then inhale. What smells do you imagine? Describe them with lots of detail, then show your reader their effect on your point of view character.

Here’s a short example of the sense of smell in my current release, Lessons of the Heart, available at The Wild Rose Press.

With a shallow breath through her nose, she parted her lips. His tongue glided into her mouth, and his exotic vanilla spice flavor trickled into her. Smooth, masculine, and oh so very delicious.

She inhaled again, another shallow puff, and his raw aroma permeated her body. More spice, a hint of tobacco, and the fresh scent of the open prairie.

Ruth shuddered, her lips numb. She didn’t know how to kiss him, how to respond, but he didn’t seem to mind. He growled against her mouth and deepened his assault.

How do you use the sense of smell in your work?

Hey all! I’m actually at the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention writing this blog. It’s been a fun convention and is winding down now. Next up is the Mr. Romance contest. I’m meeting my good friend Monica Kaye in a little while to ogle the competition .

Which of course brings us to the sense of sight. A month ago I announced a series of sensory detail blogs here at Mama Writers. I’m putting together an online course on this subject, so I’ll be using all of you as guinea pigs as I test out abbreviated versions of my lessons. I hope you enjoy these posts!

The sense of sight is probably the most used and least understood of the five senses in romance novels. I say most used because description runs rampant in romances, and well it should. We want to visualize our setting, and more importantly, our hero and heroine.

I say least understood because a lot of writers stop at visualization.  When describing what a character sees, it’s easy to stop there.  A writer doesn’t always think about describing the feeling the sight evokes, because there’s no touch involved, no inhalation as with smell.  Sight is a much more passive sense.

But true sensory detail runs deeper than mere description, and this is especially true of the sense of sight. Yes, please describe the sunset, the color of the hero’s eyes, the defining lines of his muscular arms. But don’t stop there. Get into the heroine’s (or hero’s, whoever’s POV you’re in) head and feel what she’s feeling.

That’s the secret of sensory detail. It’s not the actual detail that’s important — it’s the effect such detail has on the POV character.  Who among us hasn’t sighed at the glow of a particularly beautiful harvest moon?  Whose heart hasn’t melted at the sight of a mother and baby?  And whose skin hasn’t heated when an attractive man gives us a crooked smile?

So as you’re describing what your character sees, ask yourself what she feels as she sees it.  How does it affect her physically?  Emotionally?  You’ll get to know your character a little better, and so will your reader.

Here’s a brief example (edited for content )of sensory detail using the sense of sight from one of my currents WIPs:

Once the applause died down, Jane walked over to Chandler. His hands still hovered over the keys. And what hands they were! Large and golden, with long fingers that could work magic on Lenny’s keyboard. What other type of magic might they work, Jane wondered? How might they feel cupping her face, exploring her body?

Feel free to ask questions about the use of the sense of sight, or post examples of this detail from your own work.  Can’t wait to read your comments!

I had an insanely busy year in 2009. I had seven releases, and I was editing for two publishing houses. My family obligations to my husband and two sons added more to my days. Writing, promotion, editing, blogging…running errands, making meals, picking up kids, doing laundry… Seems impossible when I think about it now, but somehow it all got done.

My writing career was flourishing. Absolutely no complaints there! Writing has been my dream forever, and I was finally living it. So, though I enjoyed my work as an editor, I made the difficult decision to give it up at the end of the year. My family would remain my first priority, of course. The rest of my time, I decided, would be better spent devoted to writing.

Well, here we are in the middle of March, and I’ve yet to write anything worthwhile this year.

It’s true. My muse has taken a hike. I’m not sure where she went or how long she plans to be gone.  I know only that now, with extra time to devote to my craft, I seem to have no motivation.

Am I a little burnt out? Yes, admittedly so. Last year was a whirlwind. Yet, I’ve only scratched the surface of where I want my career to go. There is plenty left to do.

So how do I find my muse again? Any ideas?