I haven't been writing romance for very long at all. It's only been three years (April 2007) since my first erotic sf romance was published. But I've learnt a lot in those short years. Lots about writing, but lots about genres as well. And, in that time, I've started to notice the emergence of romance heroes who are not your standard, Western, pale-skinned man. Of course, Harlequin have always had the Greek shipping magnate and the Arab prince but what I mean are heroes from more far-flung areas, like Central Europe and Asia. And suddenly, when the call came for contributions to a Cougars and Cubs anthology from Total-E-Bound, the time seemed right to introduce Adrian Pereira, a Portuguese Eurasian from Singapore, to a much wider audience.
Eurasians have a couple of things going for them. Because they don't belong to any one major ethnic group, they're regarded as being neutral players in south-east Asia. During colonial times, the British often hired them as government administrators and teachers. Also, they're usually quite attractive, due to the mix of European and Asian genes that course through their bodies, and many parents still like to classify their children as “Eurasian” due to the aesthetic appeal such a label conjures up. (If all that sounds a bit weird, remember that we're talking about a different part of the world here. This is how it is in south-east Asia.)
So, to have a bored divorced woman looking for adventure in Singapore, and finding it with a young, handsome Portuguese Eurasian, doesn't require much imagination at all.
Sophie Woodward, the heroine of the story, is a smart, accomplished woman finding her own path in Singapore after her divorced husband goes back to the UK. Singapore is a vibrant city, but Sophie feels an emptiness that the glitz of living in such a metropolis can't satisfy. When a well-meaning matchmaker, George Chua, sets her up to attend a swanky masquerade ball, Sophie decides to take her courage in her hands and attend, with the idea of spending a no-strings-attached night with some handsome buck. But when the man she's chosen wants more, what is she to do?
During edits, the anthology editor, Liz Delisi, and I discussed some of matchmaker George Chua's vocal mannerisms. I enjoyed writing George because I know so many locals like him – cheerful, nosey, well-meaning yet sometimes insensitive with their good intentions. I cringed along with Sophie when she discovered she was the dinnertime topic of conversation between George and his family, an admission George made happily and openly! Although some of the patois is non-grammatical, I wanted to retain it because that's the rhythm of the region and if anyone has visited Singapore and reads the story, I hope they'll get a smile from George Chua.
I also hope readers will like the steady humour and smooth-skinned sexiness of Adrian Pereira. I could well imagine being tempted by someone like him, and I hope you are too!
* If you can't think of any Eurasians off the top of your head, how about Keanu Reeves or Dean Cain?
Singapore Sizzle by KS AugustinSophie Woodward is English, divorced, living in Singapore...and bored, bored, Bored! But is she ready for handsome, exotic, young Adrian Pereira?Sophie Woodward moved to Singapore with her banker husband, Tim. But that was years ago. When they got divorced, Tim moved back to the UK and Sophie decided to craft a new life in the modern Asian metropolis.The problem is, things haven't turned out the way she hoped. Although she has a rewarding career, she's restless, wondering if this is as good as life gets.Cajoled into attending a masquerade ball for charity, Sophie meets a charming stranger and spends the night with him in hot, steamy sex. The problem comes when he wants to see more of her, and Sophie has to confront her own insecurities. After all, she's almost ten years his senior! Is there any hope for a relationship between them? Or was the sizzle a mere flash in the pan?
KS “Kaz” Augustin is a Malaysian-born writer of romance, science-fiction and permutations of the two. You can find her website at http://www.ksaugustin.com/ and she blogs at blog.ksaugustin.com
I have your post, Liz! Waiting on everyone else. And no pic from me, although you're quite welcome to fling a few my way with your posts! :) I'll also put a link to the Buy page at the end of all the posts on my blog and hope you do the same for yours.
It's http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=777 if you're wondering! :)
Kaz!
--
KS "Kaz" Augustin
Website: http://www.ksaugustin.com/
Blog: http://blog.ksaugustin.com
Eurasians have a couple of things going for them. Because they don't belong to any one major ethnic group, they're regarded as being neutral players in south-east Asia. During colonial times, the British often hired them as government administrators and teachers. Also, they're usually quite attractive, due to the mix of European and Asian genes that course through their bodies, and many parents still like to classify their children as “Eurasian” due to the aesthetic appeal such a label conjures up. (If all that sounds a bit weird, remember that we're talking about a different part of the world here. This is how it is in south-east Asia.)
So, to have a bored divorced woman looking for adventure in Singapore, and finding it with a young, handsome Portuguese Eurasian, doesn't require much imagination at all.
Sophie Woodward, the heroine of the story, is a smart, accomplished woman finding her own path in Singapore after her divorced husband goes back to the UK. Singapore is a vibrant city, but Sophie feels an emptiness that the glitz of living in such a metropolis can't satisfy. When a well-meaning matchmaker, George Chua, sets her up to attend a swanky masquerade ball, Sophie decides to take her courage in her hands and attend, with the idea of spending a no-strings-attached night with some handsome buck. But when the man she's chosen wants more, what is she to do?
During edits, the anthology editor, Liz Delisi, and I discussed some of matchmaker George Chua's vocal mannerisms. I enjoyed writing George because I know so many locals like him – cheerful, nosey, well-meaning yet sometimes insensitive with their good intentions. I cringed along with Sophie when she discovered she was the dinnertime topic of conversation between George and his family, an admission George made happily and openly! Although some of the patois is non-grammatical, I wanted to retain it because that's the rhythm of the region and if anyone has visited Singapore and reads the story, I hope they'll get a smile from George Chua.
I also hope readers will like the steady humour and smooth-skinned sexiness of Adrian Pereira. I could well imagine being tempted by someone like him, and I hope you are too!
* If you can't think of any Eurasians off the top of your head, how about Keanu Reeves or Dean Cain?
Singapore Sizzle by KS AugustinSophie Woodward is English, divorced, living in Singapore...and bored, bored, Bored! But is she ready for handsome, exotic, young Adrian Pereira?Sophie Woodward moved to Singapore with her banker husband, Tim. But that was years ago. When they got divorced, Tim moved back to the UK and Sophie decided to craft a new life in the modern Asian metropolis.The problem is, things haven't turned out the way she hoped. Although she has a rewarding career, she's restless, wondering if this is as good as life gets.Cajoled into attending a masquerade ball for charity, Sophie meets a charming stranger and spends the night with him in hot, steamy sex. The problem comes when he wants to see more of her, and Sophie has to confront her own insecurities. After all, she's almost ten years his senior! Is there any hope for a relationship between them? Or was the sizzle a mere flash in the pan?
KS “Kaz” Augustin is a Malaysian-born writer of romance, science-fiction and permutations of the two. You can find her website at http://www.ksaugustin.com/ and she blogs at blog.ksaugustin.com
I have your post, Liz! Waiting on everyone else. And no pic from me, although you're quite welcome to fling a few my way with your posts! :) I'll also put a link to the Buy page at the end of all the posts on my blog and hope you do the same for yours.
It's http://www.total-e-bound.com/product.asp?strParents=&CAT_ID=&P_ID=777 if you're wondering! :)
Kaz!
--
KS "Kaz" Augustin
Website: http://www.ksaugustin.com/
Blog: http://blog.ksaugustin.com
No comments:
Post a Comment