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. Â Â
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? Â 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)
Â
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.
Comment
I like to imagine that I am the heroine of the story and it is my guilty pleasure.I like all kinds but my favorite is the paranormal ones bibbiesparks@yahoo.com.
Comment
My favorite book genre is contemporary romance. I feel like I can lose myself from the real world just a little while.
Comment
This sounds so good…can’t wait to read it!!! I love to read and lose myself in a good book 😉
Comment
I love every genre of books. However, I love erotica romance and it is my guilty pleasure! Why would be because the women in the books are someone I could never be. I wish I could be one of those girls but, not likely to happen.
Comment
Hi, My favorite genre of reading material is contemporary and paranormal romance. I like reading romance because of the story line and it takes me someplace else for a while, sometimes we all need to just take a break from life…. 😉
Comment
Hi ladies, thanks for the comments! Yeah, it’s the escapist factor that I like too. And imagining yourself as the heroine with a super hot guy makes real life, with the kids and a job, just a little better huh? Oh and I’m rather partial to paranormal myself since having cool powers – as well as the super hot guy – is also a bonus! 😉
Comment
Romance novels are all about the happy ever after. No matter what the characters go through along the way, you *know* they’re going to be happy and in love by The End. As for sub-genres, I enjoy historicals, contemporary and some paranormal, but I’m partial to romantic suspense.
Great post and blurb! Sounds like a great read!
Comment
Romance has always been and will always be my favorite type of book.Mostly because 99% of the time there is a happily ever after,which sadly there is not enough of that in real life in todays world.As Ive gotten older my taste have changed,I now like to read a lot of paranormal romances and I like steam in my romances for sure.When I was a teenager some of the books I read now would have been considered porn I guess,but now as an adult with a daughter and 2 small grandchildren,I realize that its not porn,its just the kind of sex where the woman is allowed to have an orgasm everytime ,and I think romance books encouraged that once women realized that it was not their fault and started taking things into their own hands as it were,lol, they discovered that though love and sex may not be the same,that when combined they are wonderful and a dream that as shown by book sales,many women love knowing that they can have both!! zanarigrandma@gmail.com
Comment
I so agree – to me when I dive into a new book it’s my way of escaping into a world where there can be a happy ending even if my life doesn’t look like it’s going to have a happily ever after. In someways they give you hope that things just might work out. Thank you to all the writers out there for giving us Happy Endings!
Comment
For me it’s both… I shout about it and it is a guilty pleasure:) I’ve gotten my sisters and a few friends hooked on reading romance too, so I’m not alone when I need to shout about it:) I totally agree with your post, Jackie… romance isn’t fluff or nonsense to me either and in so many surprising ways has changed me personally since I started reading it. I’d like to think I have more confidence now because of it. I don’t there is anything I don’t like about reading romance:)
yadkny@hotmail.com
Comment
I have no problem telling people that I am a romance reader. I love all versions of the genre as long as there is a logical plot and a HEA. Thanks for sharing your intriguing blurb.
Comment
Depending on the group of people Im with, Ive got a hard time telling them I read erotic romances. I am finding that Im beginning to like all genres.I like a lot HEA in the story.
lauratroxelatyahoodotcom