Chris and Celila will be offering one commenter a copy of
Countermeasure and a grand prize of the entire Countermeasure Series (5 ebooks
total) Please put the rafflecopter code below your post for your giveaway. Your
readers must comment on the blog post and fill out the rafflecopter to enter.
Each contest stays open for the entirety of the tour and all
winners will be picked by me and notified via email. All commenters will be
allowed to go back and enter the previous contests.
Blurb:
Cassandra James, an ex-CIA agent, was injured in the line of
duty and upon recovery accepted a job at her father's security company. She
never expected to fall in love with her suspect in an industrial data espionage
case, however, when she met Trevor Bauer, he rocked her world and turned
everything she had convinced herself about love upside down.
Trevor Bauer, an NSA analyst, has struggled with the
disappearance and possible death of his parents. He reopens his parents' case
looking for answers to the mystery of their disappearance. When the first real
clue manifests itself, he doesn't expect his little intrusion would lead his
dream of a soul mate to his door step much less someone who would take up the
mantle of his quest and embrace it Cassandra had. They embark on an exciting
adventure.
Their search will lead them into the mysterious and violent
world of data espionage and will test their love as they sweep the world with
romance, sex, love, and intrigue to find their answers.
Deep POV and Show in
Romantic Suspense
We start our Blog Tour with thanking all the host blogs for
the opportunity to showcase all the Countermeasure books this week and welcome
the release of our latest short story in the Countermeasure Bytes of Life, Passion
at Dawn.
A big thank you goes out to Harlie for having us on the
first day of the Passionate Tour and to Leagh Christensen for the amazing help
with setting up the whole shebang and for keeping us sane.
To kick off the tour we will introduce the subject of deep
POV and show in Romantic Suspense.
Deep POV is third person Point of View on steroids. Not only
do you, the reader, see the scene through the character’s eyes but also his/her
emotions, thoughts, experiences. The 3D feeling is achieved by giving not only
the emotions but the senses. Taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing give color
to the pictures painted in the reader’s mind.
Cecilia and I use our Role Play experience to enhance the
deep POV in our books. Typically, we try to keep POV in our scenes limited to
one or two characters. The length of each character’s POV is determined by the
type of scene, but when we do switch, we avoid head hopping by giving a good
distance between the hops. When the scene gets heated (which eventually happens
with Cassie and Trev), we convey both sides of the scene, giving the full
onslaught of emotions, sensations coursing through both characters. In those
scenes, not just the physical aspect of it is important but the emotional
aspect, the connection they have.
In Romantic Suspense, things go about the same way but with
a punch. Literally. The fight, torture,
and murders scenes happen in full Technicolor. The reaction of the character
during tense scenes, like the one in the hotel room in Monaco, explains a lot about
his/her inner steel. Emotional and physical reactions, as well as thoughts, play
a big part in those scenes, pulling the reader with the character on a wild
ride. The faster the pace, the more show, the deeper the POV.
By diving deep under the character’s skin, we are able to
give a deep POV with shows and makes the characters pop from the pages, breathe
through the words. They make you feel heartbreak, sorrow, happiness, and terror
through the their eyes.
How about you? Have you ever been overwhelmed by a fictional
character’s emotions? Leave your comment to enter the giveaway for a chance to
win a copy of Countermeasure.
Sláinte!
Chris
Buy Links
Available in Print from:
http://www.amazon.com/Countermeasure-Cecilia-Aubrey/dp/0987921738/
http://www.amazon.com/Countermeasure-Cecilia-Aubrey/dp/0987921738/
Available in Digital format from:
Tour Schedule:
10/1 featuring Countermeasure ~ Harlie's Books
10/2 featuring Ectasy by the Sea ~ Queen of the Night Reviews
10/3 featuring Cuffed at Midnight ~ Guilty Pleasures
10/4 featuring Passion at Dawn ~ Kinky Book Reviews
10/5 featuring To Russia with Love ~ Author Alannah Lynne
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Good morning and thank you, Harlie, for hosting our first stop! We'll be around through the day to answer any questions. Ask away!
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure I've ever been overwhelmed by a character's emotions - unless it's been of the negative variety where I get the feeling the person is actually whining - which I hate. I like the description you give for the deep POV - as long as there is no head hopping - I'm cool with trying it out...Thanks for the interesting post.
ReplyDeleteThank you for your comment, Maria. No whining allowed, nor repetition. We hope you check it out and enjoy the ride. :)
DeleteI really like to be able to relate emotionally with characters and yes I have been overwhelmed by their emotions before. It gives me a chance to really feel them.
ReplyDeleteWe live and breathe our characters through role play. It's a great way to feel them.
DeleteCheers!
Like Chris said we live and breathe our characters. I will admit that as a reader, I tend to fall deep into some of the novels that have shone this well. To the point that my middle name becomes "Tears R Us." :)
DeleteHi Chris
ReplyDeleteTerrific post on deep POV. I'm happy to read your take on it, and that during heated scenes you've given the stage (or sofa:-) to both MC's. For me, knowing/feeling/touching the POV of each character during a love scene is essential. I'm not saying I head hop, but for sure, my hero and heroine are going to belt out pleasure and/or pain, simultaneously ... as in reality.
Hugs
Victoria
Hi Victoria,
DeleteYes, as long as the POVs are spaced properly and flow well into each other, there is no annoying head hop. I rather have the two sides of the action be it a fight, an emotional exchange or a love scene than a flat one-sided view of the scene and I am sure many readers agree with that opinion based on the comments/reviews left on our books. What is your experience?
Hi Chris,
ReplyDeleteSame here. The comments I've received are that the scenes where both characters are deeply involved by thought/emotions are so vivid, readers say they feel as if they're there. I think if you do it right, it pulls the reader in, rather than out, as some may complain. I guess it's "beauty in the eye of the beholder."
There are times when you just have to put a second character's POV into play, for one reason or another, or as you said, you risk falling flat. In Sweet Dreams, Leo is the MC - but each murder scene shows that particular character's POV (minus Leo). Even the killer has a POV. There's no head hopping, because POV is separated into chapters. How could you express how a murder victim feels/thinks/suffers if you don't give him or her a voice?
In one romantic scene in Sweet Dreams, (okay - sex scene, because Leo is not into romance:-) Amber expressed some interesting things that really strengthened her character, however, I scaled down her thoughts. And to strengthen the moment, I turned some into dialogue. Same with another love interest, Scarlett. "She never thought she'd be a cougar." I had to let her think that. She was so taken with Leo, and there was this internal struggle, so it couldn't be removed, or replaced with dialogue.
For me, each character, even minor, needs some voice, at times a strong opinion or emotion. This makes for a colorful read, don't you think? If you separate the POV exchange with chapter breaks, I don't see any harm. So far, my readers haven't complained :-) and that's the most important part.
When we need to POV to the antagonist we do it in a separate chapter.
DeleteWe tend to keep the POV to the more important characters. Giving the "bad guy" a voice becomes necessary to explain what the characters are up against and what they have to lose. Also, it gives the reader an insight into evil because without evil there is no big climax to be achieved.
To clarify - also separating by paragraph breaks, giving enough space between, is also fine.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE these authors...and I LOVED Countermeasure! I am working on getting the rest read! Thank you Chris and Cecilia for all you do! :)
ReplyDeleteThank *you*, Kimberly! Hope to see you on the next stop!
DeleteYes, glad to see you here!
DeleteThank you everyone for stopping by and chatting! Cheers!!
ReplyDeleteHaven't even read these yet! And I'm already loving them!
ReplyDeletemodularmates(at)comcast(dot)net
I'm new to this series and I look forward to getting into it!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the interview and giveaway.
kitcat76(at)hotmail(dot)com