Monday, March 16, 2009

Put A Girl In It By Morgan Mandel

So, you've got a great hero, wonderful plot, all kinds of suspense, all kinds of action, all kinds of twists, yet it doesn't click. Why? Maybe you need to "Put a Girl In It," as Brooks & Dunn sing, accompanied by Reba McIntyre . Or, in the case of a heroine, put a guy in it.

The fact that Harlequin's sales are up, despite a flagging economy, tells you something. People are fascinated by stories that include love and/or sex. Adding that aspect to a mystery provides one more dimension to a character and increases what's at stake.

How much you include is your choice. Or, maybe you still would still prefer your character to brave it alone.

What's your opinion? Do you enjoy mysteries with a love interest involved or not? Why?
Please share.

9 comments:

Akum said...

I enjoy solo bravery to an extent but i guess its better when it includes some love stuffs!

L. Diane Wolfe said...

I am not a mystery reader, but I like any story with a 'love interest.'

The need to feel loved and the attraction between the sexes are incredibly strong forces! I think people really want those aspects because it satisfies a basic need and desire.

L. Diane Wolfe
www.circleoffriendsbooks.blogspot.com
www.spunkonastick.net
www.thecircleoffriends.net

Jean Henry Mead said...

I never plan a love interest in my novels but my protagonists always manage to enter into relationships whether I want them to or not. I give them free rein but they have to confine their passion off stage or after the conclusion of the books. :)

Jean
http://mysteriouspeople.blogspot.com/

Anonymous said...

I don't mind a bit of the mushy stuff. But I prefer to let my kritters do what they want. Since everything I write is G rated, it has to be outside the story for them to 'Get down and dirty'.

thewriterslife said...

Oh it definitely has to have a love interest for me. Interesting that Harlequin sales are up; doesn't surprise me at all!

Mark Troy said...

There's nothing like love or sex to show your characters at their most vulnerable

Unknown said...

I agree with Mark. A love interest adds depth to a character.

Marilyn Meredith a.k.a. F. M. Meredith said...

Every book should have a bit of romance in it. I close the bedroom door on sex--and had a reviewer criticize me for it. Oh well.

Marilyn
a.k.a. F. M. Meredith

Dana Fredsti said...

I like the relationships as long as they're not cliche..