The past two weeks I’ve been watching the French Open Tennis Championships from Roland Garros near Paris, France. I’m an avid tennis player so I love watching my favorite players dig it out on the dirt in France. I say that because the courts are made of red clay, and they can be very dirty. Players come off the court with red clay on their shoes and socks and many times on their clothes, as well.
So what does tennis have to do with romance? Nothing actually. In tennis zero is scored as love, but in romance love is never zero because romance writers love happy endings. The reason tennis comes into this blog post hangs on a commercial for Lacoste, a French clothing company that makes tennis apparel. It has been playing day after day during the broadcast of the French Open, so I couldn’t miss it even though I often don’t watch commercials.
As a romance writer I love all the tension between the hero and heroine that leads up to the first kiss. The Lacoste commercial puts into pictures the feelings of the hero as he contemplates kissing the heroine. What torture is he going through as he thinks should I or shouldn’t I? He knows a lot is riding on that decision. The title of the commercial is “The Big Leap.” It is an appropriate title for the first kiss. You must watch it to grasp what the hero is going through when he makes his move. Then you live in the minds of the couple as they share that first kiss.
In my latest book A Place to Call Home, the heroine is the hero’s boss. That dynamic makes his decision to kiss her even a harder one.
Have you read a memorable first kiss? I’d love to hear about it.
Merrillee Whren is an award-winning author who writes inspirational romance. She is the winner of the 2003 Golden Heart Award for best inspirational romance manuscript presented by Romance Writers of America. She has also been the recipient of the RT Reviewers’ Choice Award and the Maggie Award for Excellence. She is married to her own personal hero, her husband of thirty plus years, and has two grown daughters. She has lived in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Chicago and Florida but now makes her home in the Arizona desert. When she’s not writing, she spends her free time playing tennis or walking while she does the plotting for her novels.
LOVE THIS! Thank you so much for sharing the video Merrillee! I’ve often thought about that first kiss from the woman’s point of view but not from the man’s. This was both refreshing and hugely entertaining. :)
Thanks, Heather. I had to share that commercial after I saw it.
Wow. What a powerful message. I couldn’t believe the clip was only one minute long! Thanks so much for sharing.
Patricia, thanks for stopping by. I think the clip really takes one away into the mind of the character.