Waaaay back in the before time (commonly called ‘high school’), I was usually in the school play. I took a drama class (though, being a drama queen since my childhood, I suspect I didn’t need it!) and worked on a couple of productions. Then in senior year, I went big and tried out for “1984″. I landed the female lead character’s role and soon spent many hours memorizing lines, practicing, memorizing more, learning stage movements, interacting with other characters and memorizing some more. Then the big night arrived and I remember standing off in the wings awaiting my cue to enter and become a resistance fighter opposing Big Brother. . . and having a torrid affair with Winston Smith’s character!
Now, we didn’t really focus on the whole torrid affair in a high school version but there was a kiss. Wow, I lost more time and sleep worrying over that kiss than any other part of the play. The other actor was a really good friend, who had a girlfriend, and I had a boyfriend and it felt very complicated (remember me mentioning ‘drama queen’?? uh-huh!). We decided we weren’t really going to practice that kiss but would just ‘do it’ on opening night. So, there I was, standing off-stage and worrying over everything else that I forgot about the kiss. The scene arrived, the kiss happened (it was quite good for a stage kiss!), he kept his girlfriend, I kept my boyfriend and the world went on.. (The pic is of one of my favorite on-screen kisses….sigh…..and from the right time period, too!)
So now, here we are some 37…er….cough…cough years later and I feel like I’m back behind the curtains waiting for my cue again. . . and worrying about another different sort of kiss now.
For the last 8 or so months, I’ve worried over my story, studying my research, searching out story ideas, developing characters and plots, refining those, re-working them, changing words, interacting with the characters as they interact with each other, and then do it again. Everything is ready now for the curtain to go up, but there’s still that kiss to worry about — oh not a real kiss or one in the story (there are MANY of them in this story), but the metaphorical one between the readers and me aka their reaction and feelings about my book. Will their reaction be gentle? Forceful? Playful? Appreciative? Once this story opens for the reading world, will it all work out?
Worse (for worrying purposes that is), this book, MISTRESS OF THE STORM, is the book that ties together the other two and the novella and ends the series. There’s a lot of pressure about doing that successfully. Especially for readers who have followed this emotional, complex series that wove history with paranormal elements and presented two characters bound by not just their physical needs for each other but also the emotional one that will mean life or death to one or both of them.
The book will be out there, before the crowds, on Tuesday, June 28th, while I am (somehow appropriately) in New York City near the theater district and Broadway. How will the opening go? How will the audience react? How will that ‘kiss’ go? I guess I’ll have to be there, be ready and be prepared. . . and hope for the best. It worked in high school, surely it will work now? LOL!
Before you go, can you share with me your favorite on-screen or on-stage kiss? Why was it so powerful for you?
Terri is currently working on another romance novel (historical again!) and hopes to have a chance to meet her adoring fans (oh, c’mon, there’s gotta be one or two of you!) at the Literacy Signing at the RWA conference on June 28th where she’ll be signing MISTRESS OF THE STORM on its opening day! She’s also planning some other events to mark its arrival so check out her website for all the details!
She’ll also be blogging on that day (June 28th) on Borders True Romance blog
— stop over at either place and say hello!
My favorite on-screen kiss is already pictured on your blog – I LOVE that scene with Princess Leia and Han Solo. Why? Because two people from two very different worlds listened to their hearts. That moment sums up the essence of every romance we read or write.
Thanks for a good blog — I’ll be thinking of Han’s lines for the rest of the day (*deep happy sigh*):
Han Solo: You like me because I’m a scoundrel. There aren’t enough scoundrels in your life.
Princess Leia: I happen to like nice men.
Han Solo: I’m a nice man.
Princess Leia: No, you’re not. You’re…
[they kiss]
Hi, Terri. Thought I’d drop by in case you were lonely, and what do I get? A test. Yeah, it’s brain fuzz season, and there’s a test.
(I did Dolly Levi, btw. No kiss. Thank heaven. Horace Vandergelder and I weren’t close. *G*)
Yeah, yeah, I’m thinking . . . Love the Han/Leah kiss, but there’s another one that’s more a “shut the broad up/holy cats that wasn’t supposed to happen” kiss, and I can’t for the life of me recall the movie.
I’ll put on my thinking cap and get back to you. (In the event I forget—a problem on brain fuzz days—I’ll see you in NYC!)