I’ve written F/F stories for a few years now. It’s actually one of my favorite types of stories to write. And since so many people told me F/F would never sell…I had to take the challenge. Thank goodness the naysayers were wrong.
Stories of women in love have an emotional flow that I enjoy. When I wrote The Vampire’s Bard I was afraid that as an erotic story, I was doing it wrong. My other books, at that point all M/F relationships of one kind or another, were so different.
But after I received positive feedback from my critique partners and beta readers, I wanted to know if other authors also wrote in a similar fashion. And, while of course no two of us do it exactly the same, many authors of women’s love stories shared my choice to allow the women to connect first on an emotional, or a mental level. After all, we women like to weave together. We do it with friends (I’m sure I’m not the only one to get ‘friend crushes’), family, even acquaintances at the workplace.
We like to know where we stand, what we have in common, and where we are different. It’s a complicated dance, at least for my characters, but I enjoy the ride they take so much, I don’t try to change it.
Menage was a little different. It allowed me to dip my toe in the M/M pool, but still I hesitated, for fear I wouldn’t get it right. And what straight woman wouldn’t love to be in bed with two incredibly handsome, smart and oh-so-considerate men who also are comfortable with their own desires to enjoy having another man there as well. My comfort level with the genre grew. People are people and love is love.
One of my other favorite things is learning how we make it together. I’ve never been in a long-term ménage relationship, so I spoke with a number of people who are and gained more and more admiration for the effort these trios put into making their lives together sane and happy. Sometimes three is really an amazing number.
I still hadn’t taken the plunge and written a M/M, but in Two Men and a Virgin something happened that made me decide to change that. I fell madly and passionately in love with Rex the forest ranger and Paul the firefighter. These two men, already in their own relationship, were approached by Andie, their childhood friend, who loved them both and was willing to risk it all in hopes of making her dreams come true.
Andie’s first trip to the 49th state is not just for sightseeing. She’s emptied her bank account to bring the two men of her dreams to Castillo Lodge, in Castle, Alaska for a Christmas Eve date of a lifetime. Only…they don’t know their date is also their best friend from back home.
Paul and Rex were delighted to “win” a date from Madame Eve, although they were surprised to find there had been a contest. Still, they plan to make the most of their time away, skiing, dogsledding…romancing a mysterious woman who is looking for two sexy guys for a night of over-the-top passion. A stranger with whom they can be themselves, and not have to hide their secret.
I wanted to tell their story. I felt that I knew them well and understood how they ended up together. It would be my first M/M. The process was different for me from any other relationship stories I wrote. The two men had a brilliant dynamic, and energy I’d never found before. The physical aspect of their relationship came to the forefront, and since they already knew one another so well as friends, there was no need for idle chat. Once they decided what to do, it was only a matter of doing it. And I discovered that while men also need to weave connections, Rex and Paul already had the basics in place. They knew each other as well as any two people can—especially once the physical element was added.
Two men together hold a particular beauty that I think we as women can appreciate. When I first began, I hesitated to write a love story that I couldn’t be in—as a woman, I could do almost any other kind but a M/M relationship? But once I took the plunge and wrote Two Men, I caught the M/M writing bug. I can’t wait to write the next—and I have it mostly plotted and ready to go!
Forest ranger Rex has never been with a man, but his overwhelming feelings toward his best friend are driving him to distraction. After catching Paul in an intimate moment, he flees, but determines to find a way to get his friend in his bed.
Paul is a ladies’ man from way back, always making jokes, never being serious about anything but his job as a fire fighter. But after many years of friendship, he is surprised to find himself watching Rex cross a room and imagining him naked, under him. But does he really want to make love to a man? Or will he make a fool of himself?
A 1Night Stand in the beautiful Caribbean may hold the answer to both their questions.
The variety of ways people can love one another is endlessly fascinating. Life is rarely easy and sometimes the only comfort is coming home to someone we can curl up with and share the day, maybe have a little dinner or make love. As a romance author, I am privileged to share these characters’ worlds with my readers. They can be men or women or a couple of each, but the magic they make together is what makes us human, what makes us happy, and what makes life worth living.
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Author Bio
Kate Richards is a multi-published author who lives in Southern California with her husband and menagerie of pets. She loves the beach and mountains and spends as much time as possible enjoying each. Kate can be reached at http://katerichards.wordpress.comor friend her at katerichardsauthor on Facebook.
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OOh this looks great. I can't wait to read it! Your journey to writing menage sounds interesting. I had no idea f/f sells!
The book looks divine–I've been hoping for more m/m 1NS stories!
Trix, vitajex(at)aol(dot)com
The book looks divine–I've been hoping for more m/m 1NS stories!
Trix, vitajex(at)aol(dot)com
"People are people and love is love." I love that! Reading romances for me is about following the characters relationship more than if it's a m/f, m/m, f/f or any combination. I have Two Men on my Kindle ready to read and I'm thinking I'm going to have to move it forward!
suz2(at)cox(dot)net
Thank you all for coming, I hope you enjoy the book and will let me know what you think!
and holy crap. i might be doing it wrong. I have very aggressive but insecure women. they tend to uh… act first wink wink … and figure it all out later. Am i all backwards?
That’s not been my experience with women in relationships with one another, but everyone is different! You’re just tapping another segment of the population I think. Do they become more secure from their experiences? As a reader that’s what I’d love to see