Guest Author Allie Pleiter: The Kiss That Isn't

Way back at the beginning of my career, I read a romance novel with the most surprisingly romantic scene I’ve ever known: a man literally seducing his beloved by the way he set the table. She was a lover of fine manners, and he won her heart by setting a perfect table in the middle of a pioneer wilderness. I’ve never forgotten the effectiveness and creativity of that scene.
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While I don’t write seduction scenes, I try with each book to emulate the brilliance of that scene. The truth is the seduction wasn’t the pull there, it was the romance. That magic moment where a mind is won along with a heart. Where souls meet their mates. For me, to make that moment their first kiss is cheating. I strive for what I call “the kiss that isn’t.”
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Think of it as the polar opposite of “the issue that’s not the issue”--you know, when you argue with your spouse about the dishwasher but you’re really arguing about how you feel unappreciated? The craft of well-wielded subtext can make for a memorable book, and make us fall head-over-heels for the characters. We fall because we know why he loves what she did, or why he needs what she gave. It goes so much deeper than a wet smooch.
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I still get letters about the Kung Fu chai tea ceremony scene in my 2007 novel The Perfect Blend. Will woos Maggie by his attention to what she holds dear. A man paying rapt attention is downright knee-buckling, don’t you think? Sure, there’s sexual tension in the scene, but it goes several layers deeper.
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There’s a tender scene in my 2008 novel Bluegrass Hero where Emily tells Gil to close his eyes while she tries to get him to smell the difference in the many soaps she makes. It is intimate and romantic--not because of who’s hands are where (they never even touch), but because of what’s being shared.
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My current book, Falling for the Fireman, has two such scenes. One involves lighting a match while the other involves lighting a paper lantern. Both involve flame because fire has become the enemy to Chad and Jeannie in ways that go far deeper than a burning building. Both are “first kisses” that aren’t really kisses.
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How do you write such scenes? What makes them work? Here are a few tips:
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- Find a metaphor for the hero and heroine’s deepest needs. The tea ceremony’s attention to detail met Maggie’s thirst for validation. Lighting a match is a metaphor for Jeannie’s fight against the darkness of her recent trauma. What need does your hero or heroine have that can be expressed in an object or process?

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- Focus on non-touch sensory responses to detail. Sight, taste, smell...all of these can be wildly romantic and intimate. Think of touch as “cheating” and see how many of the other senses you can highlight.
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- Imbue an ordinary object with special meaning. Something as simple as a birthday candle or a red scarf can become a love note between the hero and heroine. This allows it to resurface over and over in the story and build the relationship.
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Scenes like these can give your readers those memorable moments where they sigh and smile. And the books that do that always end up on the keeper shelf.
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So share with us today what object or gesture would win your heart! If you're a writer, what “a kiss that isn't” scenes have you incorported into your own manuscripts?

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If you’d like to be entered in a drawing for a copy of my February release “Falling for the Fireman,” please mention it in the comments section -- then watch the Weekend Edition for the winner!
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Falling for the Fireman
Harlequin Love Inspired February 2012
ISBN #978-0-373-87725-6
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There's something achingly familiar about the look in fire marshal Chad Owens's eyes. Widowed mom Jeannie Nelworth knows firsthand what it is: loss, hurt and yes—bitterness. Ever since the fire that changed their lives, Jeannie's young son has borne that same look, pushing everyone away. So she's grateful when Chad tries to get through to the boy with the help of his trusty fire station dog.
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But the man who's all about safety and prevention keeps himself protected—from loving and losing again. Seems as if Jeannie will have to add his kind, guarded heart to her rebuilding efforts.
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An avid knitter, coffee junkie, and devoted chocoholic, Allie Pleiter writes both fiction and non-fiction. The enthusiastic but slightly untidy mother of two, Allie spends her days writing books, buying yarn, and finding new ways to avoid housework. Allie hails from Connecticut, moved to the Midwest to attend Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois. The “dare from a friend” to begin writing has produced two parenting books, fourteen novels, and various national speaking engagements on faith, women’s issues, and writing. Visit her website at http://www.alliepleiter.com/ or her knitting blog at http://www.destiknitions.blogspot.com/