“Always You” Author Karen Stivali Takes Over the Tule Blog!

Seduced-FrontOnlyWhen Friends Become More than Friends

There’s no question that the friends-to-lovers theme is one of my favorites. Maybe it’s because I grew up watching movies like When Harry Met Sally and shows like FRIENDS, or maybe it’s because I’ve had more than my share of male friends who’ve gone on to become more-than-friends. Whatever the reason, it’s a trope I always enjoy reading and often find myself writing.

Friendships are close relationships. They’re fun. They’re intense. They’re playful. They’re serious. Friends are the people who know your secrets and like you anyway. You can depend on them. Call them when you’re in crisis. Count on them to cheer you up and want to be there when they need you. There’s an intimacy to friendship that is as personal, deep and bonding as any aspect of a lover’s relationship. So, when someone you’re friends with suddenly (or not so suddenly) seems attractive in addition to all the other things you already adore about the person, the result can be earth shattering.

Realizing that someone you’re such close friends with is someone you’re thinking about in a more-than-friendly way is something that can shake anyone to their core. Everything between you and that friend takes on new meaning. Double meaning. Meaning that keeps you up nights questioning its significance. Did he always hug me so long? Was he watching as I walked away? What did it mean when he said he loves me? Simple things become complex. Possibilities become endless.

Friends who become lovers have a head start in the intensity department because there’s already a level of closeness and caring that isn’t present in brand new relationships. It adds a whole new dimension to what you already shared. That can be exhilarating, terrifying, overwhelming, or more typically some combination of all three.

That’s what makes the friends to lovers storyline so intriguing to me. The dynamics of a friendship are already so complicated and layered I love writing them. Adding the extra ingredients of love, lust and attraction just take that over the top. In a deliciously wonderful way. I love watching it happen with real life friends, I’ve adored the times it’s happened in my own life, and when it happens between characters I’ve created it’s downright magical.

When Jon and Shari make the leap in ALWAYS YOU, the results are explosive and passionate…but not without the doubts that always come with risking a friendship for the chance at something more. I’m pretty sure in retrospect they don’t have a single regret.

authorXphotoXKarenXStivaliX2015Karen Stivali is a prolific writer, compulsive baker and chocoholic with a penchant for books, movies, and fictional British men. She’s also the multiple award-winning author of contemporary and erotic romances. She writes novels about love…like real life, only hotter.

Karen’s lifelong fascination with people has led her to careers ranging from hand-drawn animator, to party planner, to marriage and family counselor, but writing has always been her passion. Karen enjoys nothing more than following her characters on their journey toward love. Whether the couples are m/f or m/m, it’s guaranteed that Karen’s novels are filled with food, friendship, love, and smoking hot sex—all the best things in life.

When Karen isn’t writing (and often when she is), she can be found on Twitter attempting witty banter and detailing the antics of her fruit-loving cat, BadKitteh. She loves to hear from readers (and other writers), so don’t hesitate to contact/follow/like her!

3 Comments

  1. My husband and I were friends for about 6 months before we ever dated. My ex and I were friend about 10 years before we decided to date and eventually marry. Luckily after it all ended, we remained even better friends than before.

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