I once asked a friend to make copies of my baby pictures so I could put them into a memories book I was making for my mom. She laughed when she returned them to me, saying, "I know you're ten years older than me, but your baby pictures are in black and white?" Hey, there was no color film back then. I'm reading a book by Ansel Adams, the nature photographer, and all of his pictures were taken before color film also.
When I was growing up there was no sunscreen, which means that since me faither was from Glesga (Glasgow), I have super-white skin that burns a maroon color, then bubbles, peels, and freckles. None of that was a good look when I was a kid.
I was a shy, quiet bookworm child, who often preferred the company of adults rather than other kids. I remember listening to my mom and aunts talk about their concerns when I was in the room. They were always complaining about how there wasn't any way to prevent pregnancies, so they were almost afraid to have sex. Their men didn't like condoms (I've never met a man who does, actually), and birth control pills weren't available until I was in high school. IUD's didn't come out until I was in college. Now there are even more choices.
When I started writing, I realized that sex without birth control is a very un-sexy idea. Hooking up is dangerous. If you get pregnant, either you're on your own to take care of the baby, or if you choose to terminate the pregnancy, (which was illegal until I was in high school), you run the risk of the daddy finding out and suing you to have his child. Even convicted rapists have been granted visitation with the child they sired with an unwilling woman. I can't imagine having to face your torturer like that! Shudder.
So all of my stories are contemporary. I write erotic romance, which means there will always be sex while a couple is getting to know each other. To me, a satisfying sexual connection is necessary for a happy relationship. How can you know if you're compatible if you don't have sex to learn about each other? What if you discover that one of you wants sex three times a week, while the other thinks three times a month is too much? Or one of you likes to spend lots of time on foreplay, while the other one wants to get done quickly, to get back to more important things? One or both of you will always be unhappy. No thank you.
When I was growing up there was no sunscreen, which means that since me faither was from Glesga (Glasgow), I have super-white skin that burns a maroon color, then bubbles, peels, and freckles. None of that was a good look when I was a kid.
I was a shy, quiet bookworm child, who often preferred the company of adults rather than other kids. I remember listening to my mom and aunts talk about their concerns when I was in the room. They were always complaining about how there wasn't any way to prevent pregnancies, so they were almost afraid to have sex. Their men didn't like condoms (I've never met a man who does, actually), and birth control pills weren't available until I was in high school. IUD's didn't come out until I was in college. Now there are even more choices.
When I started writing, I realized that sex without birth control is a very un-sexy idea. Hooking up is dangerous. If you get pregnant, either you're on your own to take care of the baby, or if you choose to terminate the pregnancy, (which was illegal until I was in high school), you run the risk of the daddy finding out and suing you to have his child. Even convicted rapists have been granted visitation with the child they sired with an unwilling woman. I can't imagine having to face your torturer like that! Shudder.
So all of my stories are contemporary. I write erotic romance, which means there will always be sex while a couple is getting to know each other. To me, a satisfying sexual connection is necessary for a happy relationship. How can you know if you're compatible if you don't have sex to learn about each other? What if you discover that one of you wants sex three times a week, while the other thinks three times a month is too much? Or one of you likes to spend lots of time on foreplay, while the other one wants to get done quickly, to get back to more important things? One or both of you will always be unhappy. No thank you.
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In my first werewolf book, When a Wolf Howls, Saoirse falls in love with Diego in a whirlwind courtship that results in them being married less than a year after they meet--mostly because his inner wolf (a twin who can change their body into a wolf and take over when allowed) tells him the first time they meet, that she's their mate. But first Diego has to tell her about his being a shifter, and she has to accept it. Only then can they get married.
In this scene, they've been married for three months, when Diego starts acting weird due to the spring solstice.
Most of March flew by also. But Saoirse was unprepared for the festivities that were planned to celebrate the spring solstice.
"After all," she noted, "the snow is still falling around here. How can you even tell it's spring?"
Diego grinned. "Our wolves know. It's part of the natural cycle of things, and we feel it in our bones. It's a time for renewal, for rebirth, and for new life."
Looking back, Saoirse realized that's when conflict crept into the storybook happiness of her marriage.
On the last Friday in March, she and Diego were soaking in the Jacuzzi to relax after a long, hard week. He was sitting behind her, massaging her shoulders, when he suddenly stopped.
"Why did you stop?" she asked him.
"Please turn to look at me, Saoirse," he said, and the tone in his voice made her obey quickly.
"Is something wrong?"
He shook his head. "No. But I have to ask you something."
She studied his face as he looked deeply into her eyes.
"Have you ever considered having your IUD taken out?"
She didn't even try to hide her surprise. "Why? It's good for another two years before I have to replace it."
"But I don't want you to replace it."
"No?"
He shook his head decisively. "No. We're married now. Haven't you ever thought about having children?"
She smiled at him. "Of course. I'm from a big family, remember? But I always figured that would be sometime in the future. Even now that we're married, I thought we'd at least get a year or two to get used to being husband and wife, before we have to become dad and mom."
He learned forward, his hands tracing her curves. "I don't want to wait. You're mine now. And it's only natural for me to want to watch my seed grow in your body."
She made a face. "Come on! You're kidding, right? I mean, we're not just talking about growing a house plant here. You're asking me to let another person grow inside of me, then to spend the rest of my life taking care of it. That's a huge decision, dude. Not something to be entered into lightly--without talking about it long enough to get used to the idea."
"I don't need to talk about it. I'm already used to the idea. In fact, it's about all I've been thinking about lately."
"What?" She scooted over to the other side of the tub.
Diego watched her, his eyes almost black with passion.
"Ever since the wedding, I've wanted to talk with you about this. But there never seemed to be a way to work it into the conversation. So now I'm just blurting it out. I want to get my wife pregnant. I want to watch as your belly grows, and know that it's my child doing that."
"Whoa! Was asking me what I thought about the whole idea any part of what you've been thinking about?"
"Of course. But in my fantasies, you are as excited about it as I am. Somehow I'm sensing that's not the reality, is it?"
Saoirse sighed heavily. "It's not that I don't want to have your child. Actually I'd like to have three or four of them. Just not ten!"
He smiled. "I don't want that many either. But just enough to know that our love has produced new lives. I need that. We need that." He gave her a significant look.
"Um, let me ponder this a bit, okay? I'm due for a pap smear soon--like in a couple of months. Can I at least have that long to think about it?"
Diego's frustrated growl let her know that neither of his personas were happy with her answer.
***********************************
Copyright 2020, Fiona McGier
To read what time periods other authors prefer to write in, check out the others on the 52 weeks blog hop.
In this scene, they've been married for three months, when Diego starts acting weird due to the spring solstice.
Most of March flew by also. But Saoirse was unprepared for the festivities that were planned to celebrate the spring solstice.
"After all," she noted, "the snow is still falling around here. How can you even tell it's spring?"
Diego grinned. "Our wolves know. It's part of the natural cycle of things, and we feel it in our bones. It's a time for renewal, for rebirth, and for new life."
Looking back, Saoirse realized that's when conflict crept into the storybook happiness of her marriage.
On the last Friday in March, she and Diego were soaking in the Jacuzzi to relax after a long, hard week. He was sitting behind her, massaging her shoulders, when he suddenly stopped.
"Why did you stop?" she asked him.
"Please turn to look at me, Saoirse," he said, and the tone in his voice made her obey quickly.
"Is something wrong?"
He shook his head. "No. But I have to ask you something."
She studied his face as he looked deeply into her eyes.
"Have you ever considered having your IUD taken out?"
She didn't even try to hide her surprise. "Why? It's good for another two years before I have to replace it."
"But I don't want you to replace it."
"No?"
He shook his head decisively. "No. We're married now. Haven't you ever thought about having children?"
She smiled at him. "Of course. I'm from a big family, remember? But I always figured that would be sometime in the future. Even now that we're married, I thought we'd at least get a year or two to get used to being husband and wife, before we have to become dad and mom."
He learned forward, his hands tracing her curves. "I don't want to wait. You're mine now. And it's only natural for me to want to watch my seed grow in your body."
She made a face. "Come on! You're kidding, right? I mean, we're not just talking about growing a house plant here. You're asking me to let another person grow inside of me, then to spend the rest of my life taking care of it. That's a huge decision, dude. Not something to be entered into lightly--without talking about it long enough to get used to the idea."
"I don't need to talk about it. I'm already used to the idea. In fact, it's about all I've been thinking about lately."
"What?" She scooted over to the other side of the tub.
Diego watched her, his eyes almost black with passion.
"Ever since the wedding, I've wanted to talk with you about this. But there never seemed to be a way to work it into the conversation. So now I'm just blurting it out. I want to get my wife pregnant. I want to watch as your belly grows, and know that it's my child doing that."
"Whoa! Was asking me what I thought about the whole idea any part of what you've been thinking about?"
"Of course. But in my fantasies, you are as excited about it as I am. Somehow I'm sensing that's not the reality, is it?"
Saoirse sighed heavily. "It's not that I don't want to have your child. Actually I'd like to have three or four of them. Just not ten!"
He smiled. "I don't want that many either. But just enough to know that our love has produced new lives. I need that. We need that." He gave her a significant look.
"Um, let me ponder this a bit, okay? I'm due for a pap smear soon--like in a couple of months. Can I at least have that long to think about it?"
Diego's frustrated growl let her know that neither of his personas were happy with her answer.
***********************************
Copyright 2020, Fiona McGier
To read what time periods other authors prefer to write in, check out the others on the 52 weeks blog hop.
