Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Please Welcome Beth Kery to the Island!


I’m thrilled to be back here on the island and am looking forward to kicking back, soaking up some rays and sharing a margarita klatch with the ladies of DIK!

The topic: love triangles—talk amongst yourselves. :)

Now talk to me. What’s your honest opinion about love cubed? Do you have a favorite love triangle story? Leave me an answer, and you’ll qualify for a $15 Amazon gift card.

Originally, the theme of my upcoming anthology, Three to Tango, with Emma Holly, Lauren Dane and Megan Hart (I’m writing as Bethany Kane for this one) was ménage a trois, but I’m glad it became the more general love triangle theme. Why? Because while a ménage a trois can mean many different types of love affair, the love triangle theme has even more possible permutations. It gave a lot of room for the four writers to create their own unique stories and relationships.

My favorite love triangle comes from the classic movie, Casablanca. Yes, it would be nice to be Ingrid Bergman’s character, Elsa, and have two such amazing men want you. (Or it would be terrible, depending on how you look at it). She was lucky enough to experience a spiritual love and deep, abiding respect for her husband, and at the same time, the earthy, passionate kind of love for the warrior-hero archetype, Rick. In many ways, the Casablanca triangle can be likened to the even more famous and enduring King Arthur triangle between Arthur, Lancelot and Guinevere.  The woman in both of these love triangles is the lynch pin. She’s the one who feels the friction because she desires and loves both men. With sexual liberation and the gay rights movement, we are opened up to a whole new realm of the love triangle.

The appeal of the love triangle doesn’t have to be sexual. Even teenagers are being exposed to a new world of romantic geometry, as in the wildly popular Twilight series. One could even make an argument that there’s a love triangle in the Harry Potter series.

In my contribution to the Three to Tango anthology, On the Job, I decided to have a little fun with the triangle concept. My heroine feels that the hero, Walker, abandoned her once, when she was young and most needed him, and as a result, she’s out to inflict of a little pain of her own now that’s he’s returned—pain of the sexual torture variety. Such games are tricky, however, and Madeline soon learns that sex as a means of revenge puts her heart at high risk. When she learns by accident that Tony, her and Walker’s long time friend, has made a huge mistake and is about to pay for it by his freedom, she ups the stakes. She brings Tony into her sexual power play, not only to prove her point to Walker, but to tell a good friend good-bye. In the end, I was happy with this blazing hot erotic romance with a touch of suspense that involves a passionate, fiery romance between two people and an enduring love and friendship between three.

The permutations in a love cubed are endless.

I hope you’ll check out Three to Tango, where four authors put their unique spin on the eternal theme of love times three.

Three to Tango, available now from Berkley Heat

18 comments:

Chris said...

Well, I did like The Philadelphia Story quite a bit... :)

lisabea said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
lisabea said...

Oops. I'm signed in as Lisabea. Uh. That should read: LB Gregg.

lbgregg said...

Hi Beth! Lovely to have you back on the Island.

I think my favorite is so predictable, but Stephanie, Ranger, Joe are worth following--and I think if they'd just chuck Trenton to the wind and move to their own Desert Island, their story would really pick up.

Of course, I'd love to see a Ranger/Morelli m/m novel, but perhaps that's just me?

:)

LB

lbgregg said...

I NEED COFFEE.

Chris said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Chris said...

*passes mug o' coffee to LB*

[_]3

D'oh - how could I forget Ranger/Morelli/Stephanie?

Nope, that's not just you. I totally think Ranger & Morelli should chuck Stephanie. :)

Tracy said...

Hey Beth!

I have to say I'm not a fan of the love triangle. I've read a couple of historicals where they worked for me because it was OBVIOUS that one man was front and center in the heroines mind. I think I'm just more of a traditional romantic and want a clear choice made.

Menages are ok for fun but only for a night or so.

Jason said...

I don't know if I have read a three way love affair book. :( My fave would have to be mine! Its not a book. I have both Eth and Mark and they have me. :)

~smooches~

Jess said...

Three to Tango sounds like a steamy fun read. Though I have to agree with Tracy, menages are good for the short term but at some point I want the best choice to be made for the Heroine/Hero.

jcross719 at yahoo dot com

Izzy said...

My favorite love triangle is the one from Jane Eyre between Jane, St. John, and Rochester.

bradunwanted at yahoo dot com

Izzy said...

My favorite love triangle is the one from Jane Eyre between Jane, St. John, and Rochester.

bradunwanted at yahoo dot com

Jane said...

Congrats on the upcoming release, Beth. I'm not the biggest fan of love triangles, but I did enjoy Jennifer Haymore's "A Hint of Wicked."

janie1215 AT excite DOT com

Chelsea B. said...

I do like love triangles... but I will admit, I want it to be the girl torn between two guys, not the other way around. I know it sounds bad, but the guy being torn between... it just makes him seem flakey in my eyes. Haha! I know. Makes no sense ;-) But I am a girl... so I guess it makes a little sense. I mean, what girl doesn't want two guys totally gaga over her? :-)
I recently watched How Do You Know (loved!) and it was triangle-y. I also really liked The Philadelphia Story-- I honestly, for a while at least, had no idea who she would get that! Which is rare. You usually at least have an idea :-)

Bookwyrm369 said...

Congrats on your latest release! Love triangles aren't my fave story but I do enjoy the Stephanie Plum love triangle :-)

smaccall @ comcast.net

beth kery said...

Hey all! Loved the posts. The thing about a love triangle theme is that it can be served up in so many ways. It's the trio of friction that makes it interesting. My story for the Three to Tango anthology is actually a m/f romance. The fun thing about the anthology is that the authors were really creative with the theme.

Hi LB--a classic!

Hi Tracy, Jess and Jane--I'm with you on that, to be honest. I actually like when there's a clear cut delineation...when I know the real thing is between two people. I'm sort of old fashioned that way.

Artemis--Lorelei is very talented, I agree.

Chris and Izzy--Philadelphia Story and Jane Eyre--great triangle choices!

Chelsea B--it doesn't sound bad, completely normal, given you're a girl!

Anonymous said...

My favorite is Stephanie Plum's triangle with Ranger and Joe
lisa gk at yahoo dot com

Lea said...

Hi Beth!

Delighted to see you hear on the island. Sorry I'm late to say hi!

I like love triangles, as long as the theme is handled well by the author. If the relationship results in one of the characters involved in the love triangle does not factor into the HEA then the 'odd man/woman out' is either a less than likeable character who the reader doesn't feel deserves to be part of menage / long term situation, or, the third person is very likeable and becomes one of the protagonists in a sequel, in other words - there is another HEA in the cards.

Great post Beth and TTT is an excellent anthology.

Thanks!

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