Last week, some of the world’s top skaters traveled to Regina, Saskatchewan for Skate Canada, the second competition in the Grand Prix of Figure Skating. In Shining Through, Tabitha travels to Vancouver, where Daniil and her good friend (and rumored boyfriend) Brett, are skating in the Maple Leaf Classic. Though Tabitha isn’t competing, she hopes some extra time working with her choreographer, and with Daniil, will rekindle some of her passion on the ice. Returning to her roots as an ice dancer rekindles her passion on the ice. Teaching some moves to Daniil sparks passion off it. Skate Canada included some of the world’s best ice dance teams, including Canadians Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, who were the silver medalists in the 2014 Olympics. After Sochi, they sat out two competitive seasons before returning in 2016. They’re back again this year as strong as ever. Check out their Skate Canada short dance: https://youtu.be/guR2K5bfF5E Virtue and Moir were the winners in ice dance. Other Skate Canada winners were Shoma Uno of Japan in Men’s, Katelyn Osmond of Canada in Ladies and Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford in Pairs. Next, it’s on to Beijing for the Cup of China, Nov. 3 through 5. Catch it on the Olympic Channel Nov. 3 and 4, and on NBC Nov. 5. Check local listing for broadcast times. Order Shining Through in print or digital from your favorite retailer. Amazon | B&N | iTunes Books | Kobo | Google Play Books | Goodreads And come back next week for more Romance of Figure Skating!
With the 2018 Winter Olympics coming, it’s going to be an exciting season for figure skating fans! In my new figure skating romance, Shining Through, American skating superstar Tabitha Turner and Russia’s bad boy of the ice, Daniil Andreev, heat things up during a make-or-break season that they hope will take them both to the Grenoble Winter Games. Along the way, in addition to sexy times in some of the world’s most romantic cities, they compete in a multi-event international competition known as the International Championship Series. The series includes competitions in the United States, Canada, France, Russia and China, with a final championship held in Spain. It (loosely) mirrors a real-life international skating competition series, the Grand Prix, which kicked off Oct. 20, with the Rostelecom Cup in Moscow. Check out this video of Russian skater Moris Kvitelashvili (competing for Georgia) skating to Imagine Dragons music, just like Daniil does in Shining Through. Moris doesn’t look much like Daniil, though they have similar musical tastes—only Daniil uses the real version of Radioactive! https://youtu.be/ZRg_B34OlnY Rostelecom Cup winners include the USA’s Nathan Chen, Evgenia Medvedeva of Russia, pairs team Evgenia Tarasova and Vladimir Morozov of Russia, and US Ice Dancers Maia Shibutani and Alex Shibutani. Next up: Skate Canada, taking place Oct. 26- 29. Check out the competitions on the Olympic Channel on Friday 10/27 and Sat. 10/28, and on NBCSN, Sunday, Oct. 28. Refer to your local listing for broadcast times. Enjoy! Learn more about Shining Through: Amazon | B&N | iTunes Books | Kobo | Google Play Books | Goodreads
Thanks Splashes Into Books for having me on as a guest today, and for loving some Red Hot Russians!
Please give a warm
welcome to Splashes Into Books to the amazing author of the Red Hot Russians
series Elizabeth Harmon! I was delighted when she also agreed to be interviewed
-read on to find out more about her writing process and the inspiration for her
new release, Shining Through!
Where did you get
inspiration for the book?
When I was writing Getting It Back, the third book in the
series and created the character of Daniil, I knew I wanted to write about him.
When that book came out and a number of reviewers commented on him, even though
he was a minor character, I saw that readers wanted me to write about him too!
Since Daniil was already established as a bad boy, and I
love casting opposites, I knew that the story’s heroine was going to be a
wholesome good girl. But it wasn’t until I started fleshing Tabitha’s character
out that I decided to give her a hard-scrabble background that was totally at
odds with her Ice Queen image.
Who is your favourite
character out of the story and why?
Aside from Tabitha and Daniil, both of whom I love, my next
favorite character is Tabitha’s sister Samara. I found a photo of a model who
captured Samara’s look so well, she became easy for me to picture and bring to
life. I also love her snarky sense of humor and how she is totally unfazed by
all the craziness going on around her. Though she’s two years younger than
Tabitha, she’s more worldly and experienced. In some ways, she’s a female
version of Daniil, which I think is part of the reason why Tabitha feels safe
with him.
In fact, don’t be surprised if Samara turns up in a future
book.
How about from the
series?
Anton and Carrie from my first book hold a special place in
my heart, and they’re in this book too.
Anton is Daniil’s coach and something of an older, wiser brother. He is
determined to keep Daniil on track to earn a place on the Russian Olympic team,
but he also remembers that love doesn’t conform to the figure skating season.
Carrie is a coach as well, of a successful pairs team who train at the couple’s
center in Lake Shosha, Russia. Fans of that book will be happy to know that
after ten years together, Anton and Carrie are still enjoying their happy
ending.
How and why did you
choose the names for your main characters?
Daniil was simply a Russian name I liked and hadn’t used in
any of the previous books. Tabitha’s name came from her mother Fiona’s
background as a carnival fortune teller. An early version of Fiona had her
obsessed with old TV shows, and I felt like she would have related to the
character of Samantha on the old show, Bewitched. Samantha named her daughter
Tabitha, so Fiona did too.
What did you enjoy
most about writing this book?
I loved learning more about ice dance, which is a skating
discipline I’m not as familiar with. One of my friends who competes in the
Adult division of figure skating skates a program to I Put A Spell On You,
which was choreographed by Susie Wynne, who competed in the 1988 Olympics in
ice dance. Cindy and Susie were so kind as to let me use the program in the
book. If Shining Through ever becomes a movie, everyone will get to see it.
I also enjoyed bring back all of the Red Hot Russians
couples for a final curtain call at the end of this book.
I’m so excited to share this great review of my new release Shining Through from Coffee Books & Passion.
Shining Through is the fourth book in the Red Hot Russians
series but it can be read as a standalone. I’ve read the second book in this
series (you can read my review of Turning it on here) and honestly, after
reading Shining Through, I think I need to go back and read the complete
series!
Tabitha is America’s golden girl, some call her The Ice
Princess and she has a high chance of winning a gold medal on figure skating.
The ultimate dream of any athlete. But Tabitha is starting to slip, after all
everyone’s expectations are high, her trainer, her family, her country, but the
highest of them all – her own. She wants to make it up to her family, after all
that they sacrificed for her career, but she can’t seem to find her passion
while performing, she’s struggling to connect with her inner self and to let
her emotions shine in the rink. Even though her technique is flawless, she
finds herself at odds with her program and she knows she has to get it all
together to really have a chance to win gold. She’s aiming for perfection but
she feels she is still far from it.
Daniil is the hottest bad boy in the rink, a figure skater
too, he’s known to get in trouble from time to time, oh well – most of the
time. But Daniil is determined to succeed, he wants nothing more than to
compete at his best level yet and to get a place at the Winter Games. He knows
he’s far from perfect but his competitive nature, his anger, his passion sets
him apart from his competitors. He takes it all and leaves it all, flawlessly
executed, in the rink. And he absolutely loves to prove people wrong!
Tabitha watches Daniil practicing and loves his passionate
and emotional performance, she knows Daniil has in his program what she’s been
lacking and she’s drawn to him even before knowing who he really is. Daniil
watched one of Tabitha’s interview during a troubling moment in his life and
thinks she is stunningly beautiful, he actually hopes he gets to meet her and
when he does… sparks are flying and their chemistry is undeniable. But… can
they have a future together?
I loved how Elizabeth Harmon characterized both Daniil and
Tabitha physically and emotionally. I have both of them perfectly pictured in
my mind! There were a lot of secondary characters which some times could be a
little distracting, even though I really enjoyed Tabitha’s sister and the
coaches/choreographers moments. Daniil and Tabitha’s love story is unique, I
loved the figure skating world: the pressure, the hard work, the
competitiveness, the hopes and expectations. And mostly I loved how two strong
characters that were fighting to reach their dreams, deeply needed one another
to achieve something even more important than that: their true selves.
Absolutely delightful!
If you love a heart warming romance I highly recommend
Shinning Through: with hot Russians, intense chemistry, well developed
characters, a not so glamorous figure ice skating world and a Winter Games
competition, you won’t be able to put it down.
Turning It On, the second book in the Red Hot Russians series was released this week, in 2015. To mark the occasion, I’m reposting this interview with Turning It On’s hero, Vladimir Shustov, aka. Vlad the Bad! The post originally appeared on Angela Highland’s Boosting the Signal blog. Looks can be deceiving, especially when you’re a contestant on TV’s sexiest reality show. In “Turning It On,” (Red Hot Russians #2), my new Carina Press release, due out June 29, shy book editor Hannah Levinson, tries to keep her fame-hungry fiancé from the clutches of a scheming dental hygienist, with the help of an unlikely ally, sexy Russian male stripper, Vlad the Bad. When it’s impossible to tell what’s real and what’s an illusion, can Hannah trust that there’s more to Vlad than meets the eye? Read on, as Vlad reveals himself to Boosting The Signal…. Ei, pretty lady. That’s right …you. Don’t be shy. I see how you look at me. That’s okay, I’m used to it. If I minded, wouldn’t be standing here without a shirt, wearing skin-tight jeans made to tear right off my body. I wouldn’t spend hours in gym, or on beach, so I could look this way. I’m not boasting, it’s just fact. When you make your living as I do, looking good is part of the job. My name is Vladimir Shustov, but here in Miami, most people know me as Vlad the Bad. Maybe you’ve seen me dance at The Male Room. Nyet? Well, The Male Room is a strip club for women, if you haven’t guessed. I’m one of the top acts. Stella, my boss, says that’s because I know how to make every lady think I dance only for her. Some women who come in, may not have a man pay attention to them in real life, so when they are here, I like to make them feel good. They pay me very well, and for a guy who grew up with nothing, and came to this country with nothing, that is important. But is not the only reason I do it. It’s something I can give to another person, even for just a little while. May not mean much, but right now, is all I have. Back in Russia, I was once an ice dancer. My partner and I even won some medals and we might have had a chance to compete at Winter Games, until we took a bad fall. She broke her hip and decided she didn’t want to skate any more. I didn’t know what I wanted to do, only that I needed to make a lot of money. Stripping was a way to do that. But when you’re a stripper, people decide who you are without ever bothering to know you. People think I’m stupid, and that all I care about is getting laid. Or getting paid. And yes, most people assume I do one to get the other. I don’t. I won’t lie and say I have no regrets, but it is not who I am, nor is it all I want to be. What I really want… is to be a writer. I can tell you’re surprised. Most people are. And it’s true…because I trained as figure skater, my education was miss or hit, as Americans often say. Science I liked, but at math, I was no good. History? What about it? Living in Russia in 1990s and 2000s, was like living in history as one nation died, and a new one took over. Everyone for themselves…that was what my mother always said. With so many questions about future, who cared about past? But reading, I always loved, and did whenever I had a chance. My favorite stories were those set in worlds even darker and scarier than mine. Compared to robots, demons and flesh-eating aliens, what does it matter if your mother and her boyfriend are in deep with Russkaya Mafiya? Whenever I wasn’t skating, I was often at library, escaping from home, escaping from everything. Before long, I wasn’t content only to read, I began to write. So far, I’ve written one novel and started a second one, called The Flesh Zone. It’s coming of age story about hard working immigrant, who comes to United States and is paid fortune to take off his clothes. Then monsters attack his city. I try to do what they say…write what you know. Except for the monsters. Most people would say two books is good, especially since I’m only twenty-five. Why rush, they say. Because I know I can only dance for so long, and after, my future doesn’t look so bright. You see, the longer you stay in this life…the life that is lived mostly in the dark…the harder it is to get out. Just ask my mother. She never got out at all. More than anything, I don’t want to end up that way. Maybe what I really want isn’t simply to be a writer…it is to be someone good and honorable. I haven’t known many people like that, but there have been a few. Not in this life, but before, when I skated. My Uncle Ivan, for one. What would mean the most is to live a life of which I’m not ashamed…and to be loved by a woman who isn’t ashamed of me. I know, sounds crazy, to think that way. But to me, dreams are like stories. They cost nothing and anybody can have one. Even a guy called Vlad the Bad. Get your copy of Turning It On! Amazon|Barnes & Noble |Google Play |Kobo |iTunesBooks |Carina Press
What one thing must I have close by when I’m writing? Hint– it’s small and furry, with pretty white paws. Sometimes it’s sweet and cuddly. Sometimes, it’s wild and insane. My writerly must-have isn’t an “it,” but a “she.” Her name is Mango, and she’s an orange rescue tabby that joined our family in December, 2014. My husband was puzzling over Christmas gift ideas, and after hearing me squeal over an orange tabby in a Tidy Cat commercial, he decided that his cat-crazy wife needed a feline of her own. After looking at area pet rescue websites, he found an adorable 6-month-old kitten at a shelter not far from where he works. It was destiny. Though I wrote my debut novel Pairing Off without Mango’s assistance, she’s become an integral part of writing each story since. She’ll often come and curl up in my lap, when I’m working at my computer. If I’m struggling with a plotline or character, a quick cuddle with a cute kitty relaxes me. And her annoying habit of walking on my laptop keyboard helped me learn to use the undo arrow, and to remember to save my work! She even inspired a feline character in my third book, Getting It Back. The book’s heroine Amy shares her apartment with an orange rescue cat named Milo. Since my newest release, Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella, is set at an Antarctica research station, where no non-native animals are allowed, I couldn’t put a cat in this story. But Mango has helped me through the sometimes stressful process of writing my first-ever novella and putting out my first indie-published book. With that challenge met, I can turn to my next one. How do I bring Mango along when I go out to write at Panera or Starbucks? * * * Purchase Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella Amazon | Barnes and Noble |Kobo |Apple ITunes Book |Smashwords Follow me on: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads|BookBub|Amazon Author Page
Note: This post originally appeared on USATodayHEA, Feb. 2017
Please tell us a bit about your new release. Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella is the latest installment in my current series, and is the story of Alexei Zaikov and Nora Bradford, who team up to save their small, close-knit community of Amity Bay. What makes this story unique is that Amity Bay is actually a research station in Antarctica. But while the setting is unusual, fans of small-town romance will feel right at home. What’s coming next (or what are you working on now)? (This question will go at the end of the interview.) I’m busy writing the fourth full-length novel in the series, which releases in September. Shining Through returns to the world of competitive figure skating and features Russian bad-boy skater Daniil Andreev, who was Misha’s nemesis in Getting It Back. Daniil meets his match in Tabitha Turner, the golden girl of American figure skating, who’s eager to take a walk on the wild side. What inspires your book ideas? I’m always drawn to stories that I’d like to read, but that no one else is writing. It’s what led me to write a sports romance series about sexy male figure skaters, and with Heating It Up, to set a warm-hearted small town romance in an unlikely place. Is there anything funny/strange/interesting/choose-your-adjective that’s happened to you while doing research for a book? I’m a big fan of using maps to help me understand my settings and bring them to life, but Antarctica is so vast and empty, it was hard to get my head around it. So I improvised a lot more than I typically do with a setting. Though I did use photos of several other stations, Amity Bay is totally my invention. When I had the manuscript reviewed by two educators who’ve been to the continent several times, I was quite nervous, but to my immense relief, they told me I’d portrayed pretty accurately. Do you have any particular rituals that help you get into the writing frame of mind? Last year, I discovered a series of guided meditations created especially for writers, The Voice of the Muse, by Mark David Gershon. I downloaded the recordings and listen to one almost every morning. It helps me focus and be more relaxed about my writing and my process. Do you write by the seat of your pants (pantser), or do you carefully plot your stories (plotter)? Has that changed at any point in your career or maybe it changes depending on the book? (You can treat this as one question.) Over time, I’ve become much more of a plotter and find I really enjoy the process of thinking through the plot, romance and character arc beats, and I feel much more confident going into the first draft. While it’s still a lot of work to turn clunky first-draft writing into the story I’ve envisioned, I now use most or all of the scenes I planned, rather than having to cut out huge chunks of the story because I followed extraneous plot and character threads that went nowhere. Is there a TV show that you’ve recently binge-watched? Stranger Things on Netflix was awesome, and I can’t wait for Season 2. I’m also a big fan of This is Us, Colony, and The Americans. Fortunately, they seem to air at different times, otherwise, I wouldn’t have time to watch them all. Do you have a pet that hangs out with you while you’re working? (Feel free to include a picture!) My sweet kitty, Mango, is the perfect writing companion. She often lays on my desk, under the lamp, and if I’m really lucky, she’ll settle in my lap while I’m working. Occasionally, she gets interested in the keyboard, so I’m careful to save my work often. Do you listen to music while you write? What are some tunes on your playlist? I create playlists for each book, to listen to when I’m writing. Heating It Up’s includes songs specifically mentioned in the story, like the Beatles’ “Here Comes the Sun,” and “Is This Love” by Bob Marley and The Wailers, upbeat, warm-weather songs like “Castaway” by the Zac Brown Band, and songs that connect to the story in other ways. I don’t suppose you’d want to share a picture of you with your ’80s or ’90s hair or perhaps a prom picture? Why not? This is my engagement picture from 1989, complete with frizz. Since I have naturally wavy hair, big 1980s perms didn’t work well for me! Red Hot Russian Alexei is king of the Ice…Antarctic style Alexei Zaikov loves his life in remote Amity Bay, Antarctica, until a new luxury guesthouse threatens the community’s future. As head of Amity Bay, he’s driven to save it, but first must discover who is hiding out in the supposedly deserted lodge…and why. Nora Bradford has lost everything; a promising career and the man she loved. Glacier Ridge Lodge, the architectural masterpiece she designed but was denied credit for, seems like the perfect place to grieve her loss, until a ruggedly handsome Russian arrives on her doorstep, determined to bring her in from the cold. Desire sparks, leaving them hungry for more. But will the truth about Nora’s role in Amity Bay’s demise, doom their romance?
Note: This post originally appeared on Fiction Vixen, March, 2017 I love to create a musical playlist for each of my books. While some of the songs actually appear in the story, others are there to provide atmosphere, describe the characters and themes. The playlist helps me get into my writing zone, and is also a soundtrack as I read the finished book. For my new release, Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella, I found so many great songs that connected to my rugged hero Alexei Zaikov, sophisticated heroine Nora Bradford, and the place they meet and fall in love—the remote outpost of Amity Bay, Antarctica. I thought it would be fun to share my favorite ten (actually eleven!) songs from Heating It Up’s playlist, and how they relate to the story. I hope you enjoy Nora & Alexei’s Excellent Antarctic Top 10 Playlist. Castaway/Zac Brown Band– Nora’s decision to spend the winter alone in a deserted high-tech eco-lodge in Antarctica makes her a castaway one of the most isolated places on the planet. Little does she know that a handsome man is about to show up at her door, determined to bring her in from the cold. Wade in The Water/Eva Cassidyand Don’t Know Why/Norah Jones– This two-fer makes my playlist eleven songs deep, but these sophisticated, jazz-influenced songs brought to mind the big-city life Nora left behind. Since I love fish out of water stories, it was fun to imagine a woman used to fine dining, excellent wine, designer clothes and mani-pedis, adjusting to life waaay down under. Little Talks/Monsters & Men– This eerie song, supposedly inspired by a haunted house where M&M’s frontwoman and her boyfriend lived, also describes Glacier Ridge, the state-of-art lodge Nora designed and where she still feels closest to Blake, her fiance who has been dead for two years. Antarctica has lots of ghost stories. Is Nora living in one? Phantom Limb/The Shins– This song first made me think of Nora’s struggle to carry on with her life after a devastating loss, but it also speaks to the scars Alexei still carries from a previous girlfriend’s lies. Letting go of their respective phantom limbs is the struggle both must overcome before they can love again. If I Had Eyes/Jack Johnson– This sunny up-tempo song has dark undertones and lyrics that hint at loss, death, and situations that don’t make sense. Not only did it made me think of Nora’s grief, but also of Alexei’s fear that she’s hiding a secret his eyes can’t see. It turns out, he’s right. Will that secret doom their romance? Let It Go/Idina Menzel– Could there be a more fitting song for people with stuff they have to let go, who also happen to live in a land of ice and snow? And with lyrics about things like “frozen fractals” (aka snowflakes), it’s the musical equivalent of the 200-mph windstorm that traps Nora and Alexei together at the start of the story. Here Comes The Sun/The Beatles– When Nora plays this song while preparing a romantic dinner for Alexei, he tells her that Antarctica residents often play it on the first day the sun rises at the end of over 100 days of winter darkness. Maybe Nora’s ready for a little sun too? Landslide/The Dixie Chicks– Songwriter Stevie Nicks said that the Chicks’ bluegrass cover of Landslide is her favorite. Mine too. It’s a wintery song with lovely lyrics about knowing you need to change, but being afraid to leave behind one season of life for a new one, especially when it means saying good-bye to something (or someone) you loved. I Love This Bar/Toby Keith– Boston has Cheers, Amity Bay has The Hut, a place where everybody knows your name. Granted, that’s not hard in a town with less than 100 residents, but this song paints a vivid picture of a night at your favorite watering hole. I like to imagine it being performed by The Hut’s house band, led by Dylan, a lean, lanky, lovelorn Texan who could be the hero of a future Amity Bay adventure. Is This Love/Bob Marley and the Wailers– Like the sunny, Caribbean vibe of “Castaway” this romantic reggae love song is a fun contrast to the extreme cold. It captures Nora and Alexei’s growing attraction (and confusion), and also, another character’s explanation of what she loves about Amity Bay. “Cold nights, but warm hearts. What could be better than that?” Happy listening…and reading.
This post originally appeared on Romance University, May 2016 It had to be her. In 2002, Susan Elizabeth Phillips released a funny contemporary romance starring a party-girl heiress who inherits a pro football team, only to butt heads, and finally win the heart of the team’s chauvinistic coach. “It Had to Be You,” was the first book in Phillips’ long-running “Chicago Stars” football series. Not only is it one of her biggest books, it launched a new type of romance. Today, sports romance has exploded into one of the most popular subgenres. Not only are there contemporary sports romances, but fans of NA, YA, multi-cultural, LGBTQ and even historical romance can find books that feature athletes and the games they play. Why do we love it? Let’s start with the obvious reason—athlete heroes! They’re big, strong, and in perfect physical shape. They’re larger than life superstars. Many are fabulously wealthy. In short, they’re the perfect Alpha heroes, which make them irresistible to romance heroines—and readers. But as the author of a sports romance series that bends the rules a little, I don’t think it’s the only reason. The inner qualities which help athletes succeed– dedication, courage, commitment, perseverance and mental toughness– aren’t just for heroes. They’re the backbone of strong heroines, too. In my novel “Pairing Off,” an American pairs figure skater refuses to give up her dream of competing in the Olympics, even after her career is destroyed by a scandal of her ex-partner’s making. Her last chance at gold means moving to Russia, though she doesn’t speak the language, and knows no one besides her demanding coach, and handsome new skating partner. Carrie’s courage and determination, as well as her talent, put her dream in reach—and help her find new love with an old flame. There’s also the sport itself, which provides a compelling backdrop for the romance, and takes readers behind the scenes, into the locker room and out on the field. With team sports, there’s a built in tribe of friends, and often foes. There are rivalries, drama, career ups and downs, and to borrow the classic phrase, “the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.” With so much to love about sports romance, it’s no wonder more authors are writing them. If you’re interested in writing sports romance, how do you begin? And how do you choose which sport to write about? According to a poll by Heroes and Heartbreakers, hockey romances were the favorite among readers, followed by football, MMA and baseball. Hoops, soccer and golf were further down the list, while motorsports and the Olympic sports didn’t make the cut at all. So obviously, hockey and football are the best sports to write about, correct? But what if you don’t know a puck from a ping-pong ball? Take heart. And if you’d rather write about fencing…or figure skating… than football, go for it! As with any setting, the sport in your sports romance must ring true. Writing about a sport you love will help you avoid cringe-worthy mistakes that can pull genuine fans out of your story. Know the correct terms for positions, equipment, scoring and whether games are divided into halves or quarters, periods, innings. As much as I love “The Cutting Edge,” it always bugs me that the Doug and Kate’s competitions are skated on darkened rinks, under spotlights. That’s how it works for Disney on Ice, but not U.S. Nationals or the Winter Olympics. Another way to find great details that bring your sports romance to life is to write about a sport you’ve played, even if it’s not at a professional level. I’m only a recreational figure skater, but I can describe the peculiar feeling of stepping onto the ice for the first time, and the unique aroma of rink stink. Unlike the skater hero in my new release, “Getting It Back,” I’ve never done a quadruple Salchow, but I have taken my share of falls, and know what it’s like to wake up sore and bruised the next day. Another bonus of writing about a sport you play or follow, is that you may have an opportunity to talk with athletes and former athletes, which can make the sports details you do use that much more authentic. But like chili powder and lip gloss, a little goes a long way. Just as you wouldn’t load your story with minutia about the job of a pilot hero, or tax accountant heroine, you don’t need to do so with an athlete, either. Exhaustive details about rules, training and even drawn out play-by-play scenes, aren’t necessary and can bog down your story. Your sports romance is first and foremost a romance, which means the focus belongs on the relationship between the leads. Nor does your story have to be all about the sport. Athletes have lives off the field, and its fine to center your story on other things, such as family issues, or to write about an athlete who is no longer competing because of injury or retirement. In Turning It On, a former ice dancer turned male stripper struts his stuff on a steamy reality TV show, and finds love with a shy heroine, who sees the good man beneath the sexy swagger. The best way to understand what sports romance is all about is by reading it. Sport by sport, I’ve listed some suggested reads. If the book is part of a series, in most cases, I’ve listed book #1. Football It Had to Be You- Susan Elizabeth Phillips The Perfect Play- Jaci Burton Rush Me- Allison Parr Hockey Simply Irresistible- Rachel Gibson Body Check- Deirdre Martin Pink Pucks & Power Plays- V.L. Locey
Baseball Double Play-Jill Shalvis Calling It- Jen Doyle The Winning Season- Alison Packard
MMA, etc. Causing Havoc- Lori Foster Knock Out- Michelle Mannon
Olympic sports, motorsports, and more Chasing Perfect- Susan Mallery (cycling) Pairing Off- Elizabeth Harmon (figure skating) Crossing the Ice- Jennifer Comeaux (figure skating) Flat Out Sexy- Erin McCarthy (NASCAR) Knowing the Score- Kat Latham (Rugby) Running Interference- Elley Arden (women’s football) So dive in and play ball. Here’s hoping your sports romance knocks it out of the park!
Elizabeth Harmon loves to read and write romances with a dash of different. Visit her website, like her on Facebook or follow her on Twitter.
This post originally appeared on Read_Love_Blog, March, 2017
Readers love sports romance, and since Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Chicago Stars series kicked off the subgenre in the early 2000s, we have sports romances about all the major ball-chasing sports (yes, I know how that sounds., 😉 ) and just about everything in between. MMA, pro wrestling, cycling? There’s a book for that. Figure skating…not so much. Which in my book, was a shame. One of my all-time favorite movies is The Cutting Edge, and during the Winter Olympics, I watch every figure skating competition I can. I know I’m not alone in this. So that inspired me to write a contemporary romance set in this beautiful, exceedingly difficult and often dangerous sport. And while books and movies about figure skating focus almost exclusively on female skaters, I also wanted my heroes to be figure skaters. The real kind, not hockey players recruited at the last minute. (Sorry, Cutting Edge!) Because Russia has more than its share of talented (and handsome) male figure skaters, and I think Russian accents are seriously sexy, the Red Hot Russians series was born. But I also wanted to venture outside the rink, and put my red hot couples in a completely new setting. Since my books are stand alone stories with recurring characters they can be enjoyed in any order, so if a reader is interested in something not-so-sportsy, like say, a sexy reality TV show or an Antarctica adventure… well, there’s a book for that, too. I’ve discovered some great series reads because one story’s trope was my personal cat-nip. Since my series is designed for readers to jump in wherever they like, here’s a trope-tastic run down of the Red Hot Russians series. Pairing Off– Disgraced American pairs figure skater Carrie Parker moves to Moscow, to pair up with smokin’ hot Russian pairs champion Anton Belikov. Together, they set their sights on the Winter Olympics, in a partnership that tests their loyalty to family, country and each other. Tropes: friends to lovers, fish out of water, disguise, forbidden love, tortured heroine, workplace romance, marriage of convenience, athlete hero and heroine. Turning It On– When shy book editor Hannah Levinson becomes a contestant on a sexy reality TV show, she discovers that the man she thought she loved isn’t what he seemed, and that the show’s villain, former ice dancer turned stripper Vladimir Shustov, could be the one to help her believe in love again. Tropes: wallflower/bad boy, opposites attract, sex worker with a heart of gold, friends to lovers, tortured hero, fish out of water, show business, workplace romance. Getting It Back-Athletic trainer Amy Shepherd agrees to help her ex-boyfriend and former Olympic medalist figure skater Misha Zaikov return to competition after a catastrophic injury. Can she help Misha reach for his dream, even though a new injury could not only jeopardize his career and their future, but also his life? Tropes: athlete hero, second chance romance, redemption, tortured hero, workplace romance, protector. Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella– Widowed American artist Nora Bradford and Russian adventurer Alexei Zaikov must work together to save their close-knit Antarctic community, from being shut down. But with the truth about Nora’s role in Amity Bay’s demise doom their romance? Tropes: small-town, fish out of water, workplace, stranded, disguise, friends to lovers, opposites attract. Purchase Heating It Up: A Red Hot Russians Novella Amazon | Barnes and Noble |Kobo |Apple ITunes Book |Smashwords Follow me on: Website|Facebook|Twitter|Goodreads|BookBub|Amazon Author Page
