Friends to Lovers by Tamela Miles

Of all the writing tropes abounding, there's one that has a special place in my semi-warm little heart: Friends to Lovers.  Think about it for a moment...hot and sweet, right? There's the thrill as you dive into a new book with this set up - Girl X and Guy Y begin the journey with light, playful banter about their daily life situations and deeper conversations about painful setbacks. All of these small moments serve to bind them closer together until one of them experiences a flash of insight that things are definitely heating up and the question becomes: hit the bedroom sheets and, hopefully, progress to another deeper level or avoid the risk of losing the connection by remaining simply friends?  

If you're familiar with me and my work as an author, you know I'm a paranormal romance/horror lovin' kind of chick. I live and breathe angels, demons, vamps - all of it. Oh, and I have a thing for little black kittens who always seem to bring me the best of luck. What writing paranormal and horror allows me to do is marry intense romance to all things scary.  I've written several stories about Friends to Lovers, against the backdrop of spooky, and I'm happy to share some things I've learned along the way:

Make Sure There's a Real Friendship

Some of the best stories in this trope feature a strong, abiding connection between the hero and heroine. He may see her as a little sister type he needs to protect from any and all  nefarious men. She may see him as a buddy that she would never consider hopping into bed with, even while drunk. A friend who provides comfort, advice, and a listening ear are always welcome in real life so the same rules apply to your book couple. Using a "cookie cutter" type friendship to quickly springboard into sex only rarely works well in fiction.  Show the depth of genuine caring between Girl X and Guy Y before proceeding to the hotness of their attraction.

Make that First Love Scene Pop Off the Screen

If they've been flirting like mad and are each debating whether or not to make that move to lovers, it should be an explosion of passionate fireworks when they do get together physically. Craft each moment of their big event carefully, highlighting the wonder they both feel of finally being together.  Some authors naturally veer to sensual while some stay sweet but, either way, reveal touches of the complex layers of their friendship in the love scenes, whether it's a deeply touching first kiss or a marathon lovemaking scene. Make it clear to your readers that these two characters have been in a drought and are thirsty for each other.

Hope this helps an abundance of authors out there and I wish you all a 5K writing day!

One last thing - Book 1, entitled "Heart of a Hunter", in my short series, Hell On Heels is coming soon from The Wild Rose Press!

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