My favorite scene in the book, however, is after Jazz Lenox and the twins’ Uncle Matt make love. Up to that point, Jazz has been desperately trying to keep Matt at arm’s length. He’s very close to his family, and Jazz thinks the twins are better off without her in their lives. While Jazz and Matt are still in bed together, however, he pulls out all the stops to persuade her to go on a date with him.
Right about now I should confess that the pages after the hero and heroine first make love are always my favorite part of a romance novel. In my opinion, it’s a terrible mistake if an author ignores the all-important lovemaking aftermath and skips ahead in time.In one of my early books, a romantic comedy for the now-defunct Harlequin Duets line, my heroine had a one-night stand after her fiancĂ© broke their engagement. I was able to create all sorts of delicious tension by having the ex-fiancĂ© telephone her the following morning because someone had seen her the night before with another man. A man who was still lying next to her in bed and was in no hurry to leave.
The interplay between the characters is so much more interesting after sex than during it. Does the intimacy ease the conflict between them or escalate it? Is the mood serious or playful? And the biggie: Do either the hero or heroine regret making love?
In case you’re not familiar with the old Englelbert Humperdinck song from which I stole the title of this blog, the last couplet is, “After the lovin’, I’m still in love with you.” Now that’s what I’m talking about!
I’m curious if readers agree with me that the post-coital moments constitute the best part of a romance novel? If not, what is your favorite story element? I’ll give away a copy of a book from my backlist to a poster chosen at random.
