I just wrote a kissing scene in the Corfu book.

You know I always say: Write what you know.

Well, let’s be honest. I’ve been a widow for seven years. In all that time, I have not been on a single date, much less kissed anyone.

So I’m writing from muscle memory. Like riding a bike.

And it’s pretty good, if I do say so myself. I mean, I remember what goes where and why.

Plus, I have a good imagination. I can make up a pretty stellar kiss. One that would make your toes curl. Or at least the toes of my hero or heroine.

When I write romantic suspense, half the book is romance, and the other half is suspense. So a lot of my time is spent creating a growing relationship between my two protagonists. That push-pull that keeps them moving toward a climactic moment (in more ways than one, if you know what I mean, and I think you do.)

If they got together in the first chapter, the rest of the book would be as dull as toast. So, my job is keeping them apart, but giving the reader a little something something that keeps them reading.

Sexual tension.

A writer named Linda Howard created the Twelve Levels of Sexual Tension way back in the 20-aughts.It breaks down the levels of sexual attraction into the organic steps that lead to that inevitable climax we want (for my readers, that is an actual sex scene–graphic or not. For others, it’s a chaste kiss.) But you can’t get there without laying the groundwork.

So here are the steps. (If you’re squeamish about this sort of thing, turn away now. It’s just gonna get worse from here.)

1. Eye to body–Haile Berry coming up out of the ocean; Daniel Craig coming up out of the ocean. You know it when you see it.

2. Eye to eye–the cliché of seeing someone across the room and your gaze locks on his–happens a lot at parties or in bars.

3. Voice to voice–speaking for the first time in a non-confrontational way. Softens antagonism that had existed. The first sign that they can be friends or more. The emotion-laden “I love you” comes much later.

4. Hand to hand–often fingers brushing, which leads to hand holding, which is the first physical contact; also happens when dancing

5. Arm to shoulder–this can be a comforting gesture, can also be while dancing, or leading someone away from a location or situation–in a protective way

6. Arm to waist–also while dancing, but is more intimate than arm around shoulder, also leading her away

7. Mouth to mouth–first kiss; can be a near kiss that is interrupted, can be an interim kiss in a scene prior to sex. Can be sweet and gentle or passionate, depending on the situation. Generally, there is a kiss at the start of a sex scene

8. Hand to head/hair–This is a very intimate gesture. Touching the face, chin, or hair indicates comfort with the other person. It is very sexy to sweep a bit of flour from a cheek, whipped cream from a lip, or a strand of hair from a face. A woman weaving her hand through a man’s hair when dancing is very intimate. Also, this step very often happens before #7. In fact, I would put it before #7. Take that, Linda.

9. Hand to body–obviously, when a character feels comfortable enough to touch another person’s body, other than the places mentioned (we’re talking torso here), they have become close indeed. This is where sexual interactions begin.

10. Mouth to breast–Then things get serious. If you are going to write a graphic scene, this is generally included, but I will tell you, I am bored with breasts, so my books get as far as #9 and I close the door or skip to the morning.

11. Hand to “you know”–even more serious–this is when things get really hot and bothered. And there are a lot of ways to talk about this. No, I won’t tell you what they are. Just read my books. I’ve used all the euphemisms.

12. The Purple-Helmeted Warrior to the Golden Palace of the Himalayas–except these, I’ve never used these. No one has. Actually, I stole Golden Palace of the Himalayas from the play Brighton Beach Memoirs. It’s hilarious.

There are exceptions to these levels, of course. In romance, the woman can touch the man’s chest in the opening scenes, either by finger-pointing or by pushing in anger. These don’t count. He, of course, never touches her chest. That would be wrong. Also, the man can catch the woman if she falls from a ladder or put his hands on her waist to help her down from the sleigh. He is a strong, agile gentleman, after all.

So, in the Corfu book, we have gotten down to #7, and I am about 2/3 of the way through. We will get to #9-12, but then all hell breaks loose. We will plunge into despair when all is lost in the Black Moment, solve the murder in the Mystery Climax, then bring our protagonists back together as they were meant to be in the Romantic Climax. This will involve rocketing back through #1-6 in rapid succession before we hit #8, then #7 in slow motion. A satisfying ending.

There is a certain rhythm to these things. It’s all muscle memory.