Sunday, November 14, 2010

Things sensual and romantic…

We all define these two terms in ways as diverse and unique as our personalities. For me, one place embodies all of the elements I think of as traditionally romantic: Italy… Sensuality… Food… Romance – if you think about it, they’re all the same in many respects, aren’t they? Each resonates within us on some level…. They appear to go together. And, in truth, I suppose they do. You seldom have one without the other close to the heart. But, what is sensual, and what isn’t? That depends on where you are in this world and what you’re doing.

So, I thought maybe we’d chat about what people term “sensual foods” and see where that takes us! Hey, we all eat, don’t we? So, is it the food that is the magic, or is it the company we share while we go through this necessary to life exercise every day? Repeatedly. It’s as essential to life as the air we breathe.

A lot of foods are labelled as being “aphrodisiac” in nature. How can foods be “love potions” some people wonder? And why do they have such potent response in some, while others feel nothing when these exotic delights are consumed? Perhaps it’s the company and the psychological excitement that might make them wildly exciting for some and totally empty of reaction in others?

In countries like Italy, food is not just something to be eaten so we can get on with life. It’s an art, a social occasion, and an experience to be shared. It’s a well-accepted fact that the people of this amazing country have a zest for life that many of us envy, and their passion for “la dolce vita” is something we can probably all learn from. But, food and festival in Italy is a way of life – if you have any doubts, just look around and see the number of feast and festival days in any year!

We associate this country, in fact all things Italian, with romance. So much of the attitude is sensual and passionate, and very romantic. An entire culture that is built on the foundation that life is to be embraced and enjoyed, that romance and love are the most important things in the world, and the richness of life is to be shared by all. I don’t know about you, but I find that very sexy, very compelling, and very, very alluring…

If your dinner is one on one, chances are it’s a special occasion. Do you actually notice what you eat, or are you feeding off the company you’re in, and sawdust would taste good at that moment? Is it the music, always beautiful and classically romantic, is it the gorgeous countryside, or is it really the food that makes the whole thing such a sensory delight?

And why is this “passion” so different for all of us? It’s not hard to see where my heart lies in all this, but what do YOU find sensual in the foods you eat the dreams you keep close to your heart? I’d love to know!! I write in more genres than I can count, and my books reflect eclectic tastes in all things, so if you’re interested in finding out more, please drop by my website and check out some titles….

My current release is related to Italy, inspired by a fairytale... rewritten for a more adult taste, I hope you'll enjoy it... here’s a peek:

FAVOLA:
Re-telling a fairytale for an adult audience
Publisher: XoXo Publishing™
Available HERE

Genre: EROTIC romance/fairytale
Book Trailer

Blurb:

In the town of Favola, a prince and a lovely girl imprisoned by her mother's jealousy find passion and love... but will it be enough to outsmart the machinations and fury that their devotion inspires in the beautiful Bella Venezia? An Italian fairytale is re-told for an adult audience....

Excerpt:

Late in the night, Francesco rose from the pallet of straw that was his bed at the inn, and he stared out the window at the tower a short distance away. A dim, golden light filtered from a window high in the tower, and he knew she was there. Drawn, he took his traveling cloak and began to make his through the inn to the tower.

Long minutes later, Francesco stepped into the cool night air and walked toward the tower, sheltered by the darkness, unseen even by the glowing moon. There was a door hidden at the very back of the tower, and he tested it. Locked, naturally. He knocked softly, and was surprised to hear a soft voice from the other side moments later.

“Who is there?”

“I am a guest at the Inn, I would like to speak with you, lovely Capricia.”

“You would be wiser to leave me alone, signore.”

“Wisdom and passion are seldom in agreement, cara mia,” Francesco all but purred, trying to lure her trust with only his voice as enticement.

“I have no key to permit you to enter here,” she told him.

“Where will I find the key?”

“I don’t know, my mother keeps it close to her.”

“I will find it.”

Francesco sat, and leaned against the door. “Let us talk, tesoro, I wish to know you.”

And so his quest began. Each day he tried to charm the hard-hearted Bella, but she no longer trusted his motive. Each night he would slip from the Inn and go to the tower’s door where he would woo Capricia with his words.

Almost a week passed before he found his prize and slipped into the night, the key to the tower clutched in his hand. When he opened the door and raced up the stairs, he found Capricia sitting in front of a fire. Her hands rose to cover her mouth as she stared in shock at his sudden appearance. When she was able to speak, her voice was little more than a hoarse whisper.

“Do you know what you risk by coming to me this way?”

It was hardly the welcome he wanted after a week of sleepless nights. She turned away and he went to sit in the chair that faced the fire.

“You should not have come.”

Francesco glared at her. She was seated before him, and the light of the fire caressed her face, softened the already delicate features to angelic sweetness. She was dressed as she had been in the market, a light cotton skirt and peasant blouse. As she prodded the fire, he could clearly see the enticing roundness of her breasts outlined beneath the white shirt. The ache in his loins, an increasingly familiar discomfort, grew to become real pain.

“I risk nothing! Your mother’s greed is nothing to me,” he finally answered her first question. As he watched her, he did become convinced that his presence was a mistake, but not for the reasons she feared. He had recognized her innocence, and was now fighting with himself, hoped his tone would stop what he himself had started, before he tossed aside his control and simply took what he wanted so badly.

For a moment the challenge hung between them. To his shock, Capricia thought seriously on the casual words. He saw the change in her expression, but was not prepared when she looked up into his eyes and nodded solemnly, her dark eyes bright with yearning.

“She will never allow me to leave here, Francesco,” she whispered in a voice husky with tears. “If she does, it will be to sell me to the highest bidder. If I am ruined by your hands, I will be left alone. I would prefer that to being owned by anyone of her choosing.”

“You would sell yourself to me instead?” He was angry, but couldn’t begin to decipher why. He was further disconcerted when she shook her head and gathered his hands in hers.

“I would give myself to you, Francesco,” she promised.

“Why?”

“Because you make me want you as I’ve never wanted any man,” she confessed. “You have made me love you.”

“You’re a fool, girl!”

“Do you not want me?”

Francesco’s vivid blue eyes glittered ominously in the flickering light of the fire’s bright blaze.

“Do not toy with me, Capricia.” Faced with her, and the power of his own emotions, he was angry, not pleased, trapped in his own seduction.

His surprise turned to astonishment when she rose and he watched in stunned silence as she slowly removed every item of clothing she wore. When she stood before him, naked in the glow of the firelight, he thought he’d go quietly mad if he didn’t possess her...

Blessings to all!
Viva la dolce vita!!





3 comments:

  1. Sounds great, Denyse! LOVE the video. Good luck. Lisa Vance

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  3. This sounds great. I will have to read the rest of the book!

    I would love to see Sleeping Beauty redone.

    Thanks for the excerpt.

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