Firsts

Since I’ve got my first book, Nature's Pentacle, coming out on March 25 with Loose Id, I thought I’d write about romantic and erotic “firsts.”

Ever read a book where the hero and heroine spark so much heat, but just can’t seem to get into bed together, and by the time they have sex for the first time you’re panting right along with them? Laurell K. Hamilton’s Anita Blake series comes to mind, since it takes several books for Anita to finally hook up with Jean-Claude, the Master of the City.

Or maybe the first erotic encounter comes fast and heavy, right at the outset of the plot, like when Lena and Matt are thrown together in a forbidden sexual rite on the first page of Nature’s Pentacle.

And what about the first kiss? Do you have any favorite first kiss scenes from movies or books? I love both the first kiss and first lovemaking in the mainstream novel What Looks Like Crazy On An Ordinary Day, by Pearl Cleage. The heroine is HIV positive, and her relationship with the hero is so beautiful, so healing, that the “firsts” pack even more power than usual.

What about your own memories? First crush? First kiss? First date? First relationship? And of course all those exciting erotic firsts. Any stories to share?

Believe it or not, my first crush was on a freckle-faced fifth grade boy who much, much later became my husband. We were in the same class, and I always hoped he’d choose me as a square dancing partner in gym. I had to wait a lot of years to dance with him, though. Finally got that dance when we went to the senior prom together. We hooked up again after seeing other people in college, so sometimes those firsts stick.

Firsts can be good or bad, sublime or just plain humorous, touching or painful. But one thing’s for certain, we tend to remember them. So come on, share a few of yours…