What is it about kissing and the sudden fight or flight syndrome? And what makes us LOVE those types of scenes? Will they or won’t they? I want this, I don’t want this. Red light. Green light. The list goes on, and we keep reading to answer the question, right?

Well,  debut Heartsong Author, Erica Vetsch tempts us with an excerpt that leaves us dangling like the faint hint of perfume.

Now, Erica is a marathon writer. She has loads of books coming out within the next two years (right, Erica?), plus she’s a homeschooling mom, AND she keeps the neatest bookshelves on the face of the planet. I’m duly amazed. To find out more about Erica, check out her fantastic blog at http://onthewritepath.blogspot.com

So…the real question is, how are her smooches? Well, to get a more literal answer to that, i suppose we’d have to ask her husband, but speaking purely from a literary standpoint, let’s get to the point. We’re all REALLY reading these posts to get to the gooey center in the middle of the tootsie pop anyhow, right? The kiss!!

What makes a good kissing scene?

That’s a great question. I’m a romantic at heart, and a lifelong fan of romantic fiction, and I love a good kissing scene.

I think the best kissing scenes occur between people I’m rooting for, people I want to find happiness together. But unless it’s at the happily-ever-after point of the story, I want the kiss to make things worse. I want it to be amazing, eye-opening to the characters, showing them a world of possibilities, but complicating things more than they imagined. I’m a fan of the ‘I know this is stupid, but I can’t help myself’ kiss.

So what’s your excerpt for us today?

Here’s a kissing scene from my upcoming release The Engineered Engagement (June 2010 – Heartsong Presents)

“Would you like to know what I really want?”

“Tell me.” He pressed her fingers, making the cold diamond band bite into her finger, reminding her of who he had bought it for.

“I want to be treated like an individual instead of one of many. I’m tired of being known as one of the Zahn girls. When people look at me, I want them to see me. I want. . .”

“When you marry me, you won’t be a Zahn girl anymore. You’ll be a Kennebrae.” His voice sounded deep and rumbly, and his eyes bored into hers.

She jerked when his hand came up and touched her cheek. She swallowed, her mouth dry.

“Josie?” He leaned close. His eyes asked permission just before his lips came down on hers.

It was more wondrous and breathtaking than she’d even imagined. His arms came around her and drew her to him. The warmth of his lips seared through her. Her hand came up and touched the faint roughness of his cheek. Love for him coursed over her. If only she could stay here in his arms forever, loving and beloved.

Cold reality dashed over her, freezing her like an icy wave. She might love him, but he didn’t love her. He didn’t even know her. She was just the next Zahn girl in line. Her hands came up and thrust against his chest, breaking the kiss.

He rocked back, blinking.

“I can’t do this. I can’t. I thought I could.” Tears sprang to her eyes and tumbled down her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”

When it comes to the happily-ever-after kisses, I love the kiss at the end of Quigley Down Under and the one at the end of The Mummy. Sigh. Time to get out the DVD’s.

Anyone else hanging onto the ledge of this cliff hanger? Come on, Erica, aren’t you going to let us know if there’s a happily-ever-after kiss at the end of this book? (My guess is ‘yes’…right? right?)

Kissing Quote for the Day:

” Kisses are like tears, the only real ones are the ones you can’t hold back” – Anonymous

Inspirational Kissing Quote:

As an apricot tree stands out in the forest,
   my lover stands above the young men in town.
All I want is to sit in his shade,
   to taste and savor his delicious love.
He took me home with him for a festive meal,
   but his eyes feasted on me!

Song of Solomon 2:3

Janet Dean joins us tomorrow – so don’t forget to stop by and be swept away with a Kiss to Build a SCENE On.