Author, author... Guest Tara Chevrestt + giveaway

...read all about it !!!  Please welcome a guest post from Tara Chevrestt

Losing My Sex Scene Virginity

When I first penned Love Request (my first ever romance), I said, “I’m not going to have a sex scene. Nobody needs it. We all know part A goes into part B.” And so I wrote a lovely little story about two people meeting, falling in love, all that, and though I had them “doing it”, it was closed door. They entered the room, shut door, kissed, said words of love, end of scene. The next scene was pillow talk.

This book got contracted with a romance publisher the first time around. I received my edits. To the right of my MS was a little comment box. “We don’t do closed-door sex. Tell us what happens here.” And even though there was a little smiley face with it, I gasped. “Noooo! I cannot write sex! My family will disown me!”

I said this to the editor. The editor asked the higher ups. They said, “No sex at all, not even implied OR the scene must be there.”

This being a contemporary romance and the characters being who they were, I needed them to have relations for the story line to reach the satisfying conclusion (yes, that’s a pun) I was aiming for. I felt between a rock and a hard place (another pun). I was deeply embarrassed and frustrated by this turn of events. A consultation with a very important person was in order.

I texted my dad. The conversation went something (not exact) like this:

Me: Dad! So I signed over this romance story I wrote, and they want me to add sex! And it’s already contracted! I’m so upset!

Dad: Why?

Me: Cause it’s SEX! How will you and Mom feel about me writing that?

Dad: Sex doesn’t have to be nasty. Make it special between two people that love each other. It will be a beautiful thing then.

And later, my editor said, “It will help show their relationship evolve.”

After two hours of pulling my hair, texting my dad, emailing my editor, and ranting to my pug, I finally sat down at the computer and wrote my first sex scene. When I was no longer with that publisher and I had an offer for the book from another publisher, provided I remove the sex, I didn’t want to, because it really was a special thing between two people who love each other. Hunter and Ciara...what they have is love, love that has transcended a hella lot of time.

I rejected that offer and I couldn’t be happier with its home with Pagan Writers Press now. And the relationship-evolving sex stayed. ;)

I’ve wrote many more since then. You could say I finally broke a barrier (bad pun!) that night.

But I’ll tell you a secret *lowers voice and glances around* as a reader, I often skip the sex scenes!

So, tell me, readers, how important is sex in a book to you? When is appropriate and when is it too much?

Giveaway:  Our author is offering a Digital Copy of Love Request so please leave your comment below, including your email for a chance to win.  Tell Tara, 'how important is sex in a book to you?  When is it appropriate and when is it too much?'

Blurb

When Ciara Littleton takes the plunge and finally joins Facebook to

socialize without the limits that her hearing impairment gives her, on a whim, she looks up a childhood friend. In sending him that first message, she ignites the memories of a crush from twenty years ago. But can a simple friend request fix all that stands between them and lead to something more?

Hunter has a lot on his plate. A recent divorce, a pregnant sister, and now, he realizes he's in love with a woman who lives states away. Can he overcome the boundaries of Internet romance to make this desire turn into something real, or will adversity and distance be their undoing--adversity being in the form of his very own sister--the woman who bullied Ciara so mercilessly long ago? 

Buy Links:

Digital Smashwords & Amazon & Amazon UK &  Nook

Print  Amazon & Barnes & Noble

Author Info

Tara Chevrestt is a deaf woman, former aviation mechanic, writer, and an editor. She is most passionate about planes, motorcycles, dogs, and above all, reading. That led to her love of writing. Between her writing and her editing, which allows her to be home with her little canine kids, she believes she has the greatest job in the world. She is very happily married.

Her theme is Strong is Sexy. She shares a website with her naughty pen name: http://tarachevrestt.weebly.com/index.html and they have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Tara-Chevrestt-Sonia-Hightower/218383211513877

Please feel free to follow the entire tour here:   http://tastybooktours.blogspot.com/2013/05/now-booking-tasty-virtual-book-tour-for_9898.html