Wish You Were Here: What’s Up with the Llamas?

So, let’s talk llamas.

I know, I know. I write romance. I should be introducing you to the hero in my debut novel, Wish You Were Here.

But the llamas — Kuzko, Pacha and Banzai — have have always attracted a bit of attention along the way to publication.

The conversation usually goes like this:

Interested person: So what’s your book about?

Me: It’s about a woman who kisses her fiance’s brother five days before the wedding.

IP: Oh … wow.

Me: Exactly. So the question is: Which is the mistake? The wedding? Or the kiss?

(IP nods in agreement.)

Me: The story is set in Colorado . . . and there are also llamas in it.

Silence. 

The kind of silence that means the person doesn’t know if I’m kidding (Should I laugh? Should I not laugh?) or if I’m crazy (Should I back away s-l-o-w-l-y?) or if I’ve hired a hidden camera crew to record their reaction to the llama announcement (Really, where’s the camera?)

So why llamas?

Because of my husband, Rob. Whenever I got to the “I don’t know what to write next” point, Rob always looked at me and suggested aliens.

And I always said, “I do not write novels with aliens.”

And then one day we were driving through Estes Park and he asked “How about llamas?”

And I laughed and said, “Why not?”

People who know me well know that laughter is my favorite sound. And I believe romance must include laughter.

The llamas in Wish You Were Here?

They’re a four-legged version of comic relief.

In Your Words:  What’s your favorite romantic moment — real life or fictional — that include laughter? I’d love to hear about it.