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
I'm new to this series and I look forward to getting into it!
Thanks for the interview and giveaway.
kitcat76(at)hotmail(dot)com
Haven't even read these yet! And I'm already loving them!
modularmates(at)comcast(dot)net
Thank you everyone for stopping by and chatting! Cheers!!
I LOVE these authors…and I LOVED Countermeasure! I am working on getting the rest read! Thank you Chris and Cecilia for all you do! 🙂
Thank *you*, Kimberly! Hope to see you on the next stop!
Yes, glad to see you here!
To clarify – also separating by paragraph breaks, giving enough space between, is also fine.
Hi Chris,
Same 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.
We 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.
Hi Chris
Terrific 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,
Yes, 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?
I 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.
We live and breathe our characters through role play. It's a great way to feel them.
Cheers!
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.” 🙂
I'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.
Thank you for your comment, Maria. No whining allowed, nor repetition. We hope you check it out and enjoy the ride. 🙂
Good morning and thank you, Harlie, for hosting our first stop! We'll be around through the day to answer any questions. Ask away!