Highbury author Heidi Rice has written her first Mills and Boon novel: ‘Women enjoy the fantasy side of sex’

Mills and swoon for the bad boy

Hopeless romantic Heidi Rice has taken her first steps into the steamy world of female fantasy fiction, writes Peter Gruner

Bedded by a Bad Boy by Heidi Rice (Modern Romance extra) Mills and Boon £2.99). order this book

THE only problem with Bedded by a Bad Boy is that the romantic hero, rather than being short, fat and middle aged (er, rather like me), is tall, rugged, young and impossibly handsome.
As writer Heidi Rice explains, the idea behind her modern romance is to give women a bit of fantasy and titillation in this often-loveless world.
This is former Daily Mail film critic Heidi’s first Mills and Boon novel. It is a tempestuous romance between a feisty English girl and a gorgeous Harley motorbike-riding American ex-con.
Highbury resident Heidi has set her tale in Long Island, where flame-haired Jessie Connor is staying with her rich and aspiring married sister and her software company director husband.
Enter stage left by way of the patio one Monroe Latimer, a part-time artist, who decides to go skinny-dipping in the couple’s pool.
Jessie thinks Monroe is a trespasser and tries to arrest him with a fake gun. But instead she is arrested by the sight of his impressive muscles and striking blue eyes – not to mention his naked bum – as he emerges from the water.
The man, incidentally, has high, slashing cheekbones, rakish stubble and a daredevil scar across his left eyebrow.
Monroe turns out to be the down-at-heel brother of the software man, and is invited to stick around for a few days. He begins to flirt with Jessie and it soon becomes evident (by reference to the tightening in his loins) that he fancies her something rotten. The girl, however, is not impressed by this assertive and uncouth young gent and plays hard to get.
It is the motorbike which appears to act as a catalyst to ignite Jessie’s desires for the leather-clad Mr Latimer.
“His back felt firm and warm against the thin silk of her dress,” Heidi writes.
“He pushed back to kick the bike into life. The powerful vibrations of the machine rumbled up through her thighs, making Jessie painfully aware of all the places where their bodies touched.”
Before long, nipples are hardening, blood quickening, flesh weakening or strengthening and (or) pulsating and they are getting down to it.
Stupidly, the couple don’t use protection and Jessie soon discovers she is pregnant – much to Monroe’s initial dismay.
It’s a formulaic story, of course, but, despite myself, I quite enjoyed it. There’s lots of sexual tension, which kept me turning the pages. There’s a half-decent story and even a happy ending after the endless arguments and emotional tantrums. And it’s only 218 pages.
Heidi showed the manuscript for the book to her mother, who quite liked the story but suggested there were probably too many erections. Wise words indeed, and Heidi decided some erections would be omitted from the final draft, or at least replaced with a different word.
Married with two sons, aged 14 and 9, Heidi, 44, started her journalistic life as sub-editor on the Radio Times before graduating to the Daily Mail where she became weekend film critic.
She plays netball for the Agents team at Highbury Grove School and is on the PTA at William Tyndale School.
“I’m an absolute sucker for romance,” she said, “and I’d always wanted to write a Mills and Boon.”
Her first novel was rejected but then she joined the Romantic Novelist Association, who for £50 provided a proper review of her manuscript.
She said: “So when I wrote BBB I took on board a lot of what they said. I think the first story was targeted at the wrong line and was perhaps a jot too sexy even for Mills and Boon.
“I improved leaps and bounds for the second manuscript and the woman from RNA told me who I should be sending it to. It is all about targeting the right title.”
Bedded by a Bad Boy took about a year to write but her most recent novel, The Mile High Club, due out shortly, took just five months.
She admits that the titles – not her choice – are highly suggestive and might give a wrong impression.
“My books are not just about sex,” she laughs.
“They deal with feelings and relationships. There is a sexual tension just like in any real new relationship.”
She completes a preliminary rough draft and then re-writes and polishes the manuscript.
“Mills and Boon have guidelines about what they want in a hero and a heroine,” she explained. “The hero usually has to be an alpha male – rich, successful, good looking and sexy. However, Monroe is not rich or successful but a former prisoner and an outsider.
“Actually Mills and Boon appear sometimes to like the fact that you can work outside the guidelines,” said Heidi.
In Bedded by a Bad Boy, Jessie makes Monroe work before she finally succumbs. In The Mile High Club the couple have a one-night stand.
“Here she’s not hard to get at all – she’s very easy to get,” said Heidi. “However, she does have second thoughts. There’s a Mills and Boon line for every type of romance. Mine is a sensual romance. There’s a lot of sexual tension, but most is left to your imagination. But there are also more traditional lines where they close the bedroom door.”
On acceptance of a book, Heidi receives a modest advance and will earn a few pence in royalties every time a book is sold.
“I couldn’t live on what I earn from a couple of books.,” she said.
“But I have met a woman at a romantic writers’ lunch who has written 50 books and says she makes a very good living out of the royalties. So I suppose you’ve got to keep churning them out to make a living.”
Writing about sex for women is still fairly new, at least with Mills and Boon.
Heidi said: “Women enjoy the fantasy side of sex. With male writers, Harold Robbins, for example, it’s all about the mechanics of sex rather than the emotional side.”
She’s a big fan of romantic writers Nora Roberts and Rachel Gibson and thinks men might even pick up a few hints about what turns women on by reading a Mills and Boon.