Reason Enough
Reason Enough is available now! Here's the blurb:
Elle and Dan haven’t quite achieved their goal of having sex in every room of their new house--but almost! Marriage hasn’t dampened their hunger for one another in the least, and their relationship is as hot and passionate as ever. But when Dan brings up the subject of having a baby together, Elle finds herself conflicted. Between her dysfunctional family background and her fear of how a baby might change their life together, Elle’s not sure she’s ready for the big step. Dan doesn’t bring the subject up again, but the issue takes hold in Elle’s mind. And as their frequent lovemaking sizzles with unquenchable desire, Elle’s heart is filled to the brim with love and the longing to give Dan everything.
Why did I write this story?
I think the better question is: How could I not? I've always had a soft spot in my heart for Elle and Dan -- they pop up now and again in other stories beyond Dirty, the book that told their tale. So when Spice Briefs came about, and I was thinking of short pieces that would work, naturally Elle and Dan came to mind.
I'm not sure many people think of trying to get pregnant as particularly sexy -- I mean, you do have to have sex (usually!) but from what I recall there can be a certain level of effort to it that takes the place of unbridled lust.
But what if you're not sure you want a child? You're not sure you're ready to make that step? What if you're on the verge of deciding...what would making love be like, then? Dangerous? Scary? Or would making love to your partner take on a whole new filter, based on the "what if" you're contemplating?
Thus, Reason Enough was...well...born.
It's not long and it's not meant as an epilogue to Dirty. It was my hope that even readers who hadn't read Dirty could enjoy the short story. It wasn't meant to change anything that happened in Dirty, either, but rather to build on that book and what I showed for Elle and Dan in the brief glimpse of them in Broken. Reason Enough is another piece of their tale, not another ending. After all, in real life, stories don't end, right?
I loved writing this story, as I've said before, and I'm so proud and pleased it's out in the world right now for others to enjoy (I hope) as much as I did.
Want to win your own downloadable copy from eHarlequin? Comment to this post and I'll choose one winner by Friday, June 13! You'll get a free download of the story.
M
yes loved dirty. love this
yes loved dirty. love this couple one of the best in 2007. congarts on all the gret reviews.
thanks!
Thanks, Kim! I do love Elle and Dan, they hold a special place in my heart. I'm glad to keep "finding" them.
Read in bed!
www.meganhart.com
Megan--What an excellent
Megan--What an excellent idea for a story. And you're right--stories don't really end. Chapters end. :)
Good point, Jeannie! Read in
Good point, Jeannie!
Read in bed!
www.meganhart.com
I'm twisted...I know.
This is going to sound really horrible, but I'm not sure how else to explain it, so bear with me. LOL
I have always thought of getting pregnant as extremely sexy. Well, maybe not always, but at least since I was in high school and wasn't supposed to be having sex, much less unprotected sex. To me then (thank God it never happened), getting "knocked up" by the bad boy was always a secret fantasy. Sick, I know. Judge me, I don't care. LOL
You'd think that as I aged and eventually did have children (with my not-so-bad husband), the fantasy would lose its appeal. Wrong. I still think getting pregnant, intentionally or accidentally, in a marriage or out, is a really intimate, sexy...event?
I love that you made a sexy story out of the subject, because it's always kinda bugged me that pregnancies/babies are a bit taboo in steamy stories. In fact, you might have inspired me enough to just write the preggers story I have in my head just to write it. And who knows? Maybe you'll start something and I can eventually sell it. LOL
ETA: I always thought Dan would make a great dad. Can't wait to see if it happens or not. ;)
I don't think it sounds
I don't think it sounds horrible! I understand what you mean. There's something so intimate about creating a baby with someone, especially someone you love, and there's something so intimate and sexy about knowing that each time you "do it" you're possibly making a baby...it adds another level, I think!
M
Read in bed!
www.meganhart.com
Wow, Sassa!
What an interesting way of looking at this! It's NOT sick...and that would make a fabulous story for the right publisher (JMHO, of course, but I'd buy it).
I think you're so right...maybe that's a subtle undercurrent (or not so subtle, LOL) in characters in erotic stories agreeing to have sex without a condom. Yes, it feels better, but at some level, isn't that a big statement of trust, a recognition at some level of the consequences, a claiming? I remember a Linda Howard SIM, Loving Evangeline, where, at the end, the incredibly alpha hero tells the heroine (after he says he loves her, of course) that he won't use condoms and doesn't want her to take the pill, to protect herself against his semen, I think is the exact line (alpha to the extreme, LOL). He also says a bunch of other stuff about binding her to him every way he can, legally, financially, marriage, etc, that makes the feminist in me sit back and make very worried clucking noises, LOL. But the reality is...at some level, this works.
Erin McCarty also wrote a Spice Brief in which the heroine is aroused by the hero's semen inside her...there's just something...primitive about it.
This is all probably TMI and Sam will ask me to leave the boards and never come back! ;) Thanks for making me think on a dreary Wednesday, Sassa and Megan!
Margaret (who also doesn't need to be entered in the drawing b/c I also ready have Reason Enough)
LOL! Yeah, I'm not so much
LOL! Yeah, I'm not so much of the being bound to my "mate" sort of thing, but there is something nice and sexy about knowing my "man" is taking care of me. Not that I *can't* take care of myself. But having him do it means I have time for other stuff. LOL
M
Megan, I love your idea for
Megan, I love your idea for this story. It's the ones that seem simple that always have the most impact on us, isn't it? This topic can really touch something personal in everyone because I think most of us will be faced with that decision at some point. It's not only a question of whether or not to have a baby, but a realization that to try for one can be an emotional rollercoaster ride, and will mean putting your emotions back out there on the line, even if you thought you were finally secure in your relationship. It also forces you to a realization that a baby will be a tie between you and the other person that will go beyond just sex, or even love, for the rest of your lives and that can be daunting and scary.
Congratulations on your release!
J.K. Coi
Immortals To Die For
www.jkcoi.com
Yep, it's a big decision!
Yep, it's a big decision! Thanks, J.K.!
M
Read in bed!
www.meganhart.com
Loved this one
You don't need to enter me in the contest becuase I've got a copy already but I did love this brief and loved getting the chance to see Elle and Dan again - it's nice to glimpse them in their lives and to know they're happy.
For me, it wasn't the actual pregnancy part I found saxy (I am not a pleasant pregnant woman, lemme tell you) but it was the idea of it, the way my husband and I were working to create a family that I found so alluring and sexy. And now, watching him as a dad is just soooo sexy to me, it's odd I know, but men who are good dads are one of the sexiest things in the world, IMO.
Yep, dads can be very sexy!
So not odd, Lauren--good, caring dads are VERY sexy!
This sounds really intriguing...
Megan, as J.K. said, the decision to have a baby can be very intimate and is definitely life-changing--I love that your story focuses on this part of Dan and Elle's relationship. I don't think that happens too often--it's usually the couple's relationship or maybe after they've already gotten pregnant. Looking forward to reading this!
Thanks, fedora! I was
Thanks, fedora! I was thinking when I wrote it that a lot of times the story is focusing on the pregnancy, not so much on the decision. I think it worked.
M
I have it, too
though I haven't read it yet -- I will say, I think I relate more to Elle's reluctance and fears, if that's the case, and your questions about uncertainty are huge. After two miscarriages and one difficult pregnancy, I can't say pregnancy has ever equaled sexy in my mind -- I just don't equate the two -- though I can see how it might be that way for others.
Mike and I have been looking at adoption, though it's expensive, but what about kids isn't? LOL I agree that seeing men interact with kids is sexy, but then again, a good man is just sexy no matter what.
Sam
Sam -- I can see where
Sam -- I can see where you're coming from. And Elle's fears are the bulk of her issue in the story, rather than the actual "trying" part -- maybe I need to write that one! :) Haha! And I think deciding to have a child together whether through natural methods or adoption or anything else is a very intimate decision.
Men with kids! wheee!
M
I am looking forward to
I am looking forward to reading this story!
Thanks, Estella! M
Thanks, Estella!
M
Cute!
I love epilogues like this - that fit but also stand alone [and also it won't take anything away from the original book] - that being said, I just got my hands on a copy of Dirty today, and I plan on curling up with that, and a bowl of ice cream later :D.
Hope you enjoy it! ;) M
Hope you enjoy it! ;)
M
I loved Elle and Dan's story
I loved Elle and Dan's story in Dirty and would love to read their epilogue.
Thanks, Cathy!
Thanks, Cathy!
I have yet to read DIRTY
I have yet to read DIRTY *lowers head in shame* but I have it at the tip-top of Mt. TBR as I'm really looking forward to it. Keep up the writing Megan! I'll catch up on all the reads one day! ;)
Heeeeey Rhonda! :) So great
Heeeeey Rhonda! :) So great meeting you this weekend. ;)
M