You Give Good Love

You Give Good Love

First Love is Everything

Overwhelming, all-consuming, undeniable, irrational, everything.
Those are only a few of the words people use to describe the emotions they felt the first time they fell in love. Do you remember yours? I definitely remember mine.

You Give Good Love

I was 15, he was 19, and before you panic about the age difference, absolutely nothing happened between us. The first time I fell in love it was totally and completely unrequited.

Way too cool for camp
It was during family summer camp. We were all sure his mother had dragged him there. He was three years older than the next oldest guy there, smarter, and way too cool to be at camp with a bunch of teenagers.

Yet, he never acted that way. He was never condescending, never mean, and though he must have known that half the girls at camp had fallen in love with him, he never took advantage of it, never made us feel like silly little girls.

Late one night after most everyone had left the main hall, I heard someone playing the piano. I cracked the door open and saw him sitting at the piano in the dark room playing Whitney Houston’s “You Give Good Love.” When he looked up and saw me standing in the doorway, he called me over, then put on a piano concert just for me. “You Give Good Love” continues to be one of my favorite songs of all time. Here’s a video reminder of the awesomeness of the song.

The One

As only 15-year-old girls can do, I declared him to be “The One.” He lived in the south, and I lived up north. He was starting college and I was about to enter the 11th grade. And, of course, he saw me as a little sister. But, as only 15-year-old girls can do, I ignored all of that. The only thing that mattered was the certainty of my love for him.

I’m guessing you know how this story ends. I never saw or heard from him again, and by the time school started in the fall, I’d fallen in love with someone else. Such is the fickleness of some first loves.

In Free Falling, I write about a young woman who can’t seem to get over her first love. He hasn’t gotten over her, either, despite protestations to the contrary. Some first loves stand the test of time. Did yours?

I’d love to hear about your first love. Drop me a line at ggwynterwrites@gmail.com and tell me all about it!

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Thanks for reading!

Photo by Nick Fewings on Unsplash

That Look Right There

My new favorite movie cast is doing media rounds, and Lupita Nyongo posted this video of her challenging Michael B. Jordan to do push-ups. And although you could film this man doing push-ups for two hours and I’d watch the entire thing and award him an Oscar® when it was over, that’s not what I’m focusing on here. It’s the other moments. The soft, quiet moments that keen observers of romance will pick up on.

It’s the look on Michael’s face when he first sees Lupita.

The way he puts his hand over his heart when he tells her how amazing she looks.

The way she touches his face during their conversation, not once, but twice.

When he hugs her then does that thing with his eyebrows.

The way neither of them can stop smiling!

Bonus: After he tells her she looks amazing, he does this thing with his hands to emulate her shape. Watch it again if you don’t believe me. 🙂

This 60-second video is a masterclass on writing about newfound love. If I had one of those computer monitors, I’d mark-up this clip like they do videos of football games to study the plays. Okay, okay, I’m totally shipping these two, but I’m allowed. I’m a romance writer!

You can access the original video here on Lupita’s Instagram account.

Speaking of romance writing, my novel, Free Falling, celebrated its two-monthaversary last week. If you enjoy emotionally gripping romantic fiction with a little heat and lots of family drama, witty dialogue, and swoon-worthy leading men, you’ll love this small town, second-chance romance. Click here to grab your free Kindle Unlimited copy or to one-click buy on Amazon. The paperback is also available to order online at Barnes & Noble.