Kiss me baby!

We all do it. Love it. Enjoy it. We all remember the first time we did it - Kissed a lover.

Scientists believe that the biological process and motivation of kissing is more than just an attraction or a chemical response. It's all about taste testing. A kiss can help you determine if the recipient is a good match for your life partner. So what does the taste test tell you?

There are many subconscious messages been transmitted to each of you when your lips meet that first time, but there are more conscious messages being processed and evaluated.

It's a known fact that if your romance is escalating and moving to the next stage, the first kiss is going to determine if you keep going or if everything comes to a screeching halt with the sound effect of a needle scratching across an old vinyl record echoing in your head.

Many wonderful romances have been doomed by a bad first kiss. Chances are if that first kiss doesn't curl your toes, you aren't going to grant a do-over. No second chances with the first kiss because you've got all the information you need to make that decision.

So will being a good kisser help you in this taste test? Surprisingly, this is one time practice and expertise doesn't mean much.

The first criteria is to put your heart into it. You can't just kiss someone without genuine emotion and expect your partner not to sense it. Kissing should be fun and exciting. It should set your heart pounding and your senses tingling. If the chemistry isn't there, no amount of kissing techniques can change it.

On the flipside, if that first kiss spark ignites a wildfire, then you're on to more great kisses and romantic moments with your newfound love.

So pucker up those lips and get ready to taste test romance..

Examining Romance Books

If you're new to the romance genre or have never read one, you may want to spend some time examining romance books.

==It's all about the romance==

Romance readers are a very loyal bunch. We need our romance fix and love our favorite authors. Many times readers will stick with only one sub-genre. Many historical readers don't venture beyond their beloved past while others may read many sub-genres. It's like anything else and depends on the individual.

==Boy Meets Girl==

It all starts with boy meets girl. Then the boy either loses or nearly loses the girl due to a conflict, but then the boy gets the girl back. That is the reader expectation of a romance novel and what separates it from a book with romance elements. A romance reader is assured that the story will end with a Happily Ever After affectionately referred to by those in the genre as the HEA.

==Examining Romance Books==

While examining romance books you may believe these stories have a fairytale essence about them. With the happily ever after ending, sure, they do. But, make no mistake that these books can be gritty, hard and powerful. You can read romances that have action, death and mayhem. You can find heroes who are cops, firemen, vampires, werewolves, shape shifters, gargoyles, demons, faeries, soldiers, cowboys, furturistic aliens or humans, historical figures, and well, just about anythingyou can imagine. Some of these books may have explicit sex while others may have little to no sex. Romances can be sweet or inspirational. That's the overall appeal of the romance genre- there's always something there for everyone.

Romance is More than Words

It’s true, that romance is more than words. Thanksgiving affords us a time to reflect and count our blessings. It’s also a time when you can show your love and appreciation of your lover by introducing a little more romance into your relationship.

==No place for complacency==

So often couples become complacent and even negligent when it comes to taking the time to make those little gestures of love. These nuances of a relationship are vital to a healthy romantic relationship because when it comes to romance, actions do speak louder than words.

== Romance is more than words==

Are you in a lip-service mode? Do you go through the day on remote control when it comes to wooing your lover? What an antiquated word – wooing, and yet it’s such an eloquent word for the artform or romancing your lover.

==Gestures Vs. Words==

When you say, I love you, do you back it up with a little romance or are you just mouthing the same phrase over and over without feeling anything new or without giving any gestures that demonstrate just how deep your love runs? Next time you say those three words all lovers wait to hear:

• Surprise your lover with a dramatic flare when giving her/him a kiss.


• Literally sweep your lover off her feet and dance around the room, humming in her ear.


• Present a single red rose as a token of your love.


• Kiss her hand in a gesture of devotion.


• Whisper ‘I love you’ softly in her/his ear.


• Hand him a love letter where you’ve shared your deepest thoughts of love.


• Surprise your lover and brew a special blend of coffee for breakfast that just the two of you can share in a quiet morning before setting off for the day.


• Steal your lover away to a movie or play at the best theater in town.


• Surprise your lover with a carriage ride through the holiday lit streets.


• Take your lover on a surprise holiday house tour.

==Many ways to show appreciation==

There are so many ways you can show your lover how thankful you are for having her/him in your life this Thanksgiving. Just remember romance is more than words.

Sally writes a romance column for examiner.com.

Holiday Shopping - Romantic Gifts

So you’ve started to think about the holidays and buying your special someone that perfect gift to convey the depth of your love.

This is probably one of the most difficult decisions you’ll make during the holiday shopping season and it’s not too early to start a list.

==New in a relationship==

If your relationship is fairly new and you haven’t gotten to know each other well enough to have a lot of gift choices, sit down and make a list of your new love’s likes and dislikes.

This will give you an instant list of what not to buy.

==Seasoned lovers==

It seems like this would be the easiest shopping of the season, but typically it proves to the most difficult for two reasons. One reason is because you’ve been together for so long and had so many gift-giving events that you’ve run out of ideas. The second reason is that you simply can’t decide because you have too many choices. It’s usual one extreme or the other.

For your two lists, make one header known and the other unknown. Under the known write down everything you’ve heard your lover say would be great to have. Under the unknown, write down items based on how well you know your lover that would make excellent gifts.

Before you know it, you’ll have a nice column under each heading.

==Still uncertain==

If after all of this you’re still uncertain there are a few things you can do.

• Take an hour to window shop through your lover’s favorites' file on the computer. Open the closet door and take a brief inventory of the most items there. Note color, size and style. Changes are this is a favorite.
  
• Same thing for jewelry inventory. If your lover is a woman, include cosmetics and perfumes. Is she running low on her favorite perfume you gave her last year.


• Ask the best friend as long as that friend won’t tell you asked.
  
• Look through your lover’s magazine stash. Anything circled? Any catalogs?

==Buying the perfect gift==

If you're like most people, you're looking for one main gift, oftentimes called the big ticket item. This is of course an individual choice, and in today's economy you may opt for a main gift that isn't considered a big ticket item. Whatever you choose, make sure you know your lover’s likes and dislikes.

Bottomline on romantic gifts, if you 're uncertain your lover will like the gift, ask a best friend. It won’t mean a lack of love on your part. It’ll mean you really want to buy the perfect gift for your lover and when it’s opened, you’ll be glad you took the time.

Romance is more than candlelight, music and wine, it’s all about the time you spend nurturing your lover.

(Read more romance articles by Sally at National Romance Examiner)