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Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss by Deb Marlowe Deb Marlowe joins us as a Valenduckie cupid.  This historical romance author gives us a new genre for her Valentines remembrance.  Don’t forget to catch her Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss, released by Harlequin Historicals 1 Feb 08.

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A Paranormal Moment for a Practical Girl

Sybil suggested writing about Your Most Romantic Moment and a particular instant sprang to mind—as it always does when this sort of thing is mentioned. But I had to truly consider whether I was ready to tell this story. Because, you see, I experienced My Most Romantic Moment with my dh, and he didn’t even know about it.

Until now, I’ve only shared this with my dh, who scoffed, and my critique partner—when we were deep in a conversation about character and motivation. She was too kind to scoff, but I could tell she wanted to.

Let me preface the story by saying that I am a very hands-on, ‘don’t worry, I’ll take care of it’ Practical Kind of Girl. I don’t obsess over the paranormal, have never seen a ghost or met someone I suspected of being a vampire. I’ve never even been overly troubled by déjà vu. When I was young I wanted to be either a writer or a history professor, but I was counseled that neither of those choices came with a good prospect of a living wage. Being a Practical Kind of Girl, I opted instead to purse a more stable, universal career.

anna_nicol_sporting_big_hair.jpgI was in college, in pursuit of said stable career when My Most Romantic Moment occurred. It was Halloween. I was dressed as a flapper in black fringe, a red boa and my big Eighties hair. My girlfriend and I set out to celebrate, and after Assorted Adventures we ended up at a party in the basement of a Frat House. I was not drinking, since I am also a Smart Girl and not about to become inebriated in an unfamiliar environment.

A Young Man approached and asked me to dance. We rocked it out to some bitchin’ late Eighties tunes, talked a little, and discovered that we came from the same hometown, had a bazillion acquaintances in common, but had never met.

A slow dance came on. We danced it. At first it was a perfectly normal, head-on-shoulder dance. I remember the song, the grungy, grainy smell of the place and the sensation of our shoes sticking to the floor. Then I looked up and he smiled down at me.

dancing.JPGI swear, it was a movie-worthy moment. Promise not to laugh at me, Valenduckies! The music faded completely away. The light changed and I had the strangest feeling of disorientation, as if I were dancing and also watching us dance from far away. I felt very strongly that I was looking back, and that I was very, very happy. I knew. I knew, deep in the core of me, that this Young Man was Special.

And then the lights and music came back and I laughed and told myself I had been watching too many romantic movies. But I never forgot. Years later that Young Man became my DH and even though neither of us can really be called young anymore, that moment stands out as one of the most vivid and compelling of my life.

I can’t explain it. Was it a young girl’s fantasy? A body chemistry/brain electricity function recognizing someone compatible? Or maybe the old legends are right and the barriers between the worlds are thinner on Old Hallows Eve. No idea. All I know is that I cherish both that memory and my DH. And when I’m writing, I want my hero and heroine to have that breathtaking moment when they know without a doubt that they’ve found the one for them.

So there! I’ve laid myself bare before you, Valenduckies! Scoff if you will, or share your own odd, unearthly moments and make me feel better! Two commenter’s will win a copy of my debut release Scandalous Lord, Rebellious Miss.

Deb MarloweTGTBTU Devil Heart