Talladega and NASCAR got together this weekend. What you might not know is Harlequin Romances and NASCAR have also joint ventured. Here’s the story:
Fabio in the Fast Lane
Guess what? Harlequin Romance is teaming up with NASCAR to bring out 20 racing based romance novels. The first book by Pamela Britton came out in February with the cover showing a hunky driver from the back holding his helmet under his arm with the title written right across his buttockical area reading “In the Groove.” I don’t know, but this sounds a little “racy” to us.
I don’t mind NASCAR and Harlequin hooking up but we think it’s going to have racers getting a little smoochy. We don’t know how Fabio is going to squeeze his hair into a driver’s helmet… and if there’s a bodice ripping fire suit we think the fire marshals will take issue.
Here’s some of the other titles: On the Edge by Pamela Britton, A NASCAR Holiday by Kimberly Raye, My Left-Turning Man by Roxanne St. Claire, My Personal Pit Crew by Debra Webb. And just so the huge African American audience isn’t left out – The Blacktopper by Nora DuBose.
Thumbing through the first two books we find some rather juicy passages. These may be the only ones we can print in family papers: “As the caution flag went up, Mario downshifted with thoughts of Petula and the night spent under the stadium in what truly became a grandstand. That was the night he knew she was going to be the pit crew of his soul.”
“She was searching for his dipstick. His hood was up, her blouse was dirty and she wanted nothing more than to prove she knew as much about servicing his engine as any of the grease monkeys who usually worked on his truck.”
“Her buttons snapped, pushed to maximum pressure by her heaving carburetors. He quickly swigged his Jim Beam, stomped out his cigarette and drew her closer. He was sweating like Jeff Gordon posing with Tom Cruise. His rpms were rising as their lips met and all he could think of was crossing the finish line before his tank emptied.”
Whew. NASCAR claims 75 million fans with 30 million of them females and several of the women are readers. It may be a match made in Daytona. What’s more romantic than the smell of exhaust in the morning… his and hers earplugs? Certainly those around Wal-Mart are rubbing palms in anticipation. Expect life-size driver promo boards, sponsor tie-ins and NASCAR romance cruises.
If this works and it cements more women as fans of the sports expect NASCAR to line up more female friendly sponsors. We have a Viagra car, why not a Pamprin car? You don’t want a car that retains water and, surely, you don’t want cramps if you’re trying to pass somebody on the straightaway.
We took a look at advance copies of the steamy “Blacktopper,” a NASCAR romance involving African-American driver DeMond Jordan and the heroine, Carla Brown. It’s a real page turner as Jordan battles his way up the Nextel Series while constantly getting pulled over by the cops just as he’s about to win a race. This one’s is not only racy, it’s about race and it’s about a race. Okay… we can’t fool you. Even Harlequin doesn’t concoct stories so wild as to include black NASCAR drivers. Sorry.
Ironically, I’m a male who writes romance and knows absolutely nothing about car racing. I need to start studying, but not in the area people would think!