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Love Makes Us Do Crazy Things
What is the craziest thing you or your characters have done in the name of love?
Suzanne Brockmann
In OUT OF CONTROL (on sale February 26th!) and the other books in my ongoing
Troubleshooters series, I write about a team of U.S. Navy SEALs. These are men who
regularly make HALO jumps -- they jump out of airplanes at ridiculously high altitudes,
yet don't open their chutes until they nearly hit the ground. These are men who regularly
swim for miles in cold, choppy oceans, who lock out of submerged submarines, who go deep
into enemy territory in small, seven man squads, who push themselves beyond perceived
human limits again and again. Their "normal" is what most of us would call
"crazy." And they do it all for love -- for love of country.
-- Suzanne Brockmann, author of OVER THE EDGE
Suzanne Brockmann's Website
Millie Criswell
In my romantic comedy THE TROUBLE WITH MARY (January 2001), Dan Gallagher declares he's
crazy in love with Mary Russo, by taking out a full page ad in the newspaper and proposing
marriage. And in WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANNIE? (August 2001) Joe Russo leaves the priesthood to
be with the woman he loves, Annie Goldman, there by making his overbearing mother nuts.
Not to be outdone by my characters, I once purchased a pair of jockey shorts for my then
boyfriend that were decorated with tiny hearts and accompanied by a wind-up beating heart
that declared "My heart beats for you." It worked. We've been married 32 years!
-- Millie Criswell, author of WHAT TO DO ABOUT ANNIE
Millie Criswell's Website
Dee Davis
Once when I was younger and thinner, I went on a skiing trip. Now you have to
understand that my idea of a workout is getting up from the couch and walking to the
refrigerator, and this was my first time on the slopes. But when the
man-of-my-dreams-du-jour said he thought I could ski down from the top of the mountain, I
smiled, batted my eyes, and headed up the slopes. Six hours later, (it was a ten minute
run) I was still coming down that mountain. On my butt, mainly -- over moguls. At one
point, he actually skied while carrying my skis. I walked. It wasn't easy. But I did it.
To this day I still don't think much of skiing. Fortunately, I later found my real prince
charming, who lets me go to the top of the slope, park my butt, and read a good book.
-- Dee Davis, author of JUST BREATHE
Dee Davis' Website
Judith E. French
Love does indeed make us do strange things. The wildest thing I've ever done for
the man I loved was to marry him a week after my high school graduation. I was
seventeen, and he was twenty-two. Everyone said it wouldn't last. Four decades
and four children later, we're still together . . . still as devoted to each other as
ever. Love can work miracles.
-- Judith E. French, author of FALCON'S ANGEL
Judith E. French's Website
Gaelen Foley
In THE DUKE, Robert, the straitlaced Duke of Hawkscliffe, shocks high Society (and
himself) by marrying his courtesan mistress, Belinda, with whom he is madly in love. Not
only that, he proposes publicly to her while she is at the theater one night. He bursts
into Drury Lane Theatre astride a white steed, stopping the show. Belinda says yes and
climbs onto the horse with him, and they ride off together into their happily ever after.
:)
-- Gaelen Foley, author of LORD OF ICE
Gaelen Foley's Website
Jane Graves
I once had a heroine who greeted the hero naked in a turn-of-the-century clawfoot
bathtub filled with bubbles. Knowing he was on his way over, she dug through her dresser
drawers looking for sexy lingerie. Finding nothing but happy face panties and Looney Toons
nightshirts, she decided on a different course of action. Since she had nothing at all to
wear, she decided to wear nothing at all!
-- Jane Graves, author of I GOT YOU, BABE
Jane Graves' Website
Nicole Jordan
I confess, I'm pretty straight-laced myself, so I leave it for my characters to do the
crazy stuff.
Thus far, the heroine in my Regency historical, TOUCH ME WITH FIRE, takes the prize for
bold and brazen. She abducted the hero in order to force him to listen to her apologies
and her professions of love.
But she'll soon be outshone by the hero in one of my upcoming Notorious Series
romances, PLEASURE, due out in mid 2003. Dare North, also known as The Prince of Pleasure,
is an outrageously charming rake who begins a calculated campaign to seduce the heroine
and conquer her heart. The crazy stunts he pulls are enough to drive any mortal woman
wild, but it makes for wonderful romance!
-- Nicole Jordan, author of THE PASSION
Nicole Jordan's Website
Sally Mandel
I was thinking back on my own life after just graduating from college and remembering
when my then boyfriend lived in Boston and I lived and worked in New York City. Every
weekend Iíd go visit him. All too soon, Sunday would roll around and weíd drive to the
Greyhound station for me to catch the 4 PM bus to Manhattan. It was just too painful. So
weíd turn around and go back to his apartment, then put ourselves through the same
routine with the 8:00 PM and then the midnight bus. Ultimately, Iíd climb onto the 4 AM
bus, sleep a little, and roll into the New York Port Authority on 42nd Street
and 8th Avenue at 8:30AM on Monday morning. The terminal was not then what it
is now. In those days, it sheltered the scariest, most unbalanced elements of humanity.
Iíd dodge the muggers and find my way to a stall in the ladies room to try to make myself
presentable for work. High heels, eye liner, and gloves (no kidding, I had three pairs:
white, black and beige, depending on the outfit). Then Iíd hobble into my job at
McCallís magazine and try to pretend Iíd gotten a decent nightís sleep in my own bed in
Manhattan. In those days, I think this routine fell under the category of crazy for love.
Now Iím pretty sure it did. In any event, we finally tired of it, gave up and got
married. That was 35 years ago this August.
-- Sally Mandel, author of HEART AND SOUL
Maggie Osborne
Geo and I were walking in the rain on a warm summer evening in Rome when a fit of
passion overcame us. While kissing madly, madly, we fell into the pool of an ornate
fountain. The kissing continued. We tore off each others clothes. Made
mad, passionate love in the Roman fountain on a romantic rainy night. It was crazy and
fabulous. Oh wait. This never happened, I just hoped it would. Sorry.
-- Maggie Osborne, author of THE BRIDE OF WILLOW CREEK
Patricia Rice
Cleo, in ALMOST PERFECT, converts her hero's luxurious foyer into a flashing,
glitter-spewing mechanical Christmas display to show she's ready to make changes if he is.
-- Patricia Rice, author of NOBODY'S ANGEL
Patricia Rice's Website
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