Friday, January 2, 2015

No Kissing Allowed!! (#NoKissBlogfest)

Not....quite....kissing...

The point of this little exercise, my darlings, is to tease you, to draw you into a character's mind, to take you to the very edge where you can feel their warmth and sweet breath.

But NO KISSING.

Nope. None.

And after you read my snippet, you'll click the link below to see a listing of all the blogs participating in this little blogfest, so you can do it (or NOT, because NO KISSING) again and again and again. There are some truly fantastic writers participating here - and I want to give a shout-out to Amanda for organizing us. You should totally check out all the posts, and see all the creative ways they torment their characters.

Because NO KISSING, remember?

The snippet below is from my current WIP. The story is set in 1955, and Russell's the assistant coach for a synchronized swimming team who travels to Seattle to perform in the annual Seafair event, the Aqua Follies. He meets Skip, a trumpet player in the show's band, and despite Russell's best intentions, he finds himself falling for another man. Right here they're on a hike through the woods, up by Deception Pass...

“Russ.” Skip’s voice chased him. “Russell. Come on. I’m sorry.” Braced against a tree by his forearm, Skip’s chest heaved as he fought for breath. “I’m an ass.” He doubled over coughing.
Russell jogged back in Skip’s direction, chagrined at himself for the drama.
“Naw.” He focused on the fabric of the other man’s shirt to avoid the deep water intensity of his gaze.
“Yeah I am.” Skip somehow gave the benign statement a seductive edge.
Russell memorized the small fray in Skip’s right cuff, the worn patches on the knees of his dungarees, the shadow of a beard under his lower lip. Anything but his eyes, his smile. “Let’s hike some more.”
“Now you’re trying to kill me.” Skip scuffed through the fallen, crumbled leaves, coming close enough to clasp Russell’s shoulder.
Russell froze, caught on the edge of a blade. “What?” His voice was raspy and raw. Skip’s spicy scent made Russell want him closer still.
“I like strong men, smart men,” Skip whispered. “Always have.”
Russell closed his eyes, paralyzed by competing urges: to put his fist in Skip’s face or to run away fast. Or to turn around and kiss him.
“Come out with me tonight, after the show.”
Balanced on a high wire between wanting and fear, Russell couldn’t find it in himself to respond.

Susie ran up through the trees, Ryker right behind her. “Your aunt’s blowing her whistle, Russ. We’ve got to get back.”


By now, Russell's resistance to Skip has almost completely worn away, but they've still got a ways to go before they find their HEA. But for you fine souls, click HERE to carry on with the blogfest. You'll find the master list of participating blogs, and there'll be all kinds of heat, but NO KISSING.

Have fun!
Liv

24 comments:

  1. Yay! I loved that scene. Boo on Susie for ruining the moment!

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  2. You know how much I'm looking forward to reading this book...

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  3. Great excerpt, Liv from a great story!

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  4. I think this is maybe the first year I've read a m/m scene in this blogfest! So glad to read yours!

    Definitely feeling for Russell! I cannot even begin to imagine how difficult this time period must have been for him (and Skip!)

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  5. Margaret - I'm hoping for 1-2 weeks. And I MEAN IT this time.
    ;)

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  6. Thanks Debbie! It's a bit different from the version you read - hopefully even better.
    ;)

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  7. Thanks Amalia! It wasn't hard to find conflict in the story, for sure, but an interesting time period to study.

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  8. "I like strong men, smart men." Great line!!!

    Fun setting and time period for this one!

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  9. Thanks Mindy! I'm having fun with it. ;)

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  11. That was a great excerpt, and I loved how it totally resonates the era. From the dungarees to the reluctance to accept invasive feelings, the '50s are right there! Loved it!

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  12. Thanks so much, Maria! I'm glad it worked for you.
    ;)

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  13. I love it! Great details and the desire is palpable. Yummy.
    And very cool - your book takes place the same year as mine!! :)

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  14. I noticed that, Athena! Such a fun time to play with. Thanks for checking out my post!

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  15. Hmmm, nicely intense, Ms. Liz, but then you're good at those ;0)

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  16. Thanks Jami! You know your way around the intensity thing, too.
    ;)

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  17. Ooh, very intense, very palpable tension and very great! I love the way he "memorized" the fray in the cuff of the shirt. You always take me right into the story!

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  18. Thanks Juli! Funny, when I wrote this bit, I wasn't thinking in terms of a near-miss kiss, until one of my beta readers was all like, "I totally thought they were gonna kiss there."
    ;)

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  19. Aww, Russ...

    Is it evil of me that I couldn't help thinking "Kiss him already!"

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  20. Skip totally agrees with you, Aldrea!
    ;)
    Thanks for checking in.

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  21. I totally thought they were going to kiss at some point in this scene... felt very ripped off - in a good way. ;-)

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  22. An excellent scene. I loved the angst and conflicting emotions warring inside Russell. Fortunately, he was saved by fate before he made the 'wrong' choice.

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  23. Thanks Will! I don't want to give away any spoilers, but I think in the end Skip has to just step up and force the issue a little.
    ;)

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