Why I Write Romance

I’ve been writing since I was twelve years old and most of my friends and family knew I loved to write. But when I finally “came out” that I was writing romance and that I intended to try getting published as a romance author, one of the first things questions they asked was “but are you ever going to write anything else?”

And the answer to that is no, I probably won’t.

Romance is what I love to write. Human relationships are the glue that holds society together and I’m fascinated by them, especially romantic relationships. Love is an awesome thing and it has a lot of power, and exploring the pain and heartache and joy that goes along with falling in love is amazing.   

Let’s face it. Real life can suck so hard sometimes. And part of what I adore most about being a writer is the fact that I can take two broken people who have had bad things happen to them, and give them the happy ending they deserve.  Because there really aren’t enough happy endings in this world.

I guess this is why I find writing romance an honour and a privilege. It’s like I’m putting a little more love out there in the world. Giving people a little more of the happy, a little more of the optimism. The sense that bad things can happen but you’ll be okay and that happiness is possible. In fact, it’s not only possible but necessary and deserved.

Romance isn’t fluff and nonsense and not real literature. It’s powerful and amazing. Yes, sometimes the characters are larger than life and sometimes so are the situations, but the heart of every great romance novel deals with something everyone single person in the whole world can relate to – we all want love and a happy ending (even though we won’t admit it).

So yeah, I’m pretty happy with writing romance thank you very much. And I’m thoroughly stoked that my little contribution to world happiness is now out in the world!

What about you guys? What is it about reading romance that you love?  Do you shout about it or is it a guilty pleasure? And what’s your favourite kind to read? (Jackie will give away a download of this book to one lucky commenter! ~DD) 

When you’ve been burned, the heat of the moment is the scariest place to be.

Six months after a sexual assault, Anna Jameson has decided enough is enough. She’s sick of being a victim, of letting the experience have power over her. She wants her fear of physical intimacy gone, as in now.

In the quest to reclaim her sexuality, she needs a man. A man she trusts absolutely. A man like her best friend, Finn.

Finn Shaw is all about taking risks. He does it every week on his extreme sports TV show. But there’s one boundary he’s never pushed, and that’s his friendship with Anna. When his hyper-intellectual family kicked him to the curb over his dyslexia, Anna stuck by him.

Her request to become friends with benefits throws him for a loop. He can’t deny her anything, but this is a whole different ball game. Once they’re skin to skin, there will be no hiding the fact that he’s loved her for years.

When their chemistry burns out of control, Finn decides he’s the one who’s had enough. It’s time to break out of the friend box—and show Anna that risking her heart is a risk well worth taking. Even if it costs him her friendship.

Warning: This book contains a strong-willed heroine who knows what she wants, a daredevil hero intent on showing her how much more she could have, sexy love scenes that’ll melt your heart, and a grand gesture you’ll need a tissue for.

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