Why I Love Romance Novels…Even When I Thought I Didn’t
I didn’t grow up with romance novels. I never disliked them, never judged them, I just never read them. I was that kid dressed in black reading Camus at three a.m. Growing up, my favorite authors were Charles Bukowski and Ernest Hemingway, and they still are. But neither of these literary greats has really ever been known for their romantic turn of phrase.
Big surprise – I ended up in a liberal arts college where I majored in English with a concentration in British Lit; and then continued on to get my Master’s Degree in Theatre History. I loved studying the greats: Bertolt Brecht, Edward Albee…Tennessee Williams. I became a playwright and my plays always tended to skew toward the real and ugly side of life.
I was definitely a dark and gritty girl.
Then, one day, I read a contemporary novel that had an underlying love story, and I found myself… smiling. Actually smiling. Forgive me this, but I may have even “Ohhhhed” at the love story. And then I realized I felt happy while I was reading this novel, and that was okay. This contemporary novel showed me there is more to read in this world than I had ever previously imagined.
Call it maturity, marriage, motherhood—whatever label you give it—but I suddenly liked the feeling of happiness, even when I read. What’s more, I found myself wholly and completely engaged in the circumstances and the characters when love was at stake.
With my curiosity peaked, I discovered that “romance novels” can be anything. Romance novels today crossover all sorts of genres: from YA and NA, to mystery, suspense, action, paranormal, fantasy…the list goes on and on. And yes, to my heart’s delight, I have found many of them are downright gritty.
That’s why when I turned to writing novels, there was no question in my mind. I would write romance—my way.
My newest YA/NA novel, THE LETTING, is the perfect example. THE LETTING is set in a run-down summer camp, hidden deep in the woods. The lead character, Veronica “Ronnie” Billings, has unknowingly worked tirelessly for a gruesome and chillingly awful cause. Her love interest, Phoenix, is her enemy.
My challenge was to engage you, the reader, by offering a story that would stand on its own, with or without the element of love. But as I’ve discovered, and as many of you have as well, one of the greatest things in life is, to quote George Sand: “To love and be loved.” So I hope you enjoy THE LETTING, a gritty, dystopian story that will hopefully make you smile a bit, as well.
Big surprise – I ended up in a liberal arts college where I majored in English with a concentration in British Lit; and then continued on to get my Master’s Degree in Theatre History. I loved studying the greats: Bertolt Brecht, Edward Albee…Tennessee Williams. I became a playwright and my plays always tended to skew toward the real and ugly side of life.
I was definitely a dark and gritty girl.
Then, one day, I read a contemporary novel that had an underlying love story, and I found myself… smiling. Actually smiling. Forgive me this, but I may have even “Ohhhhed” at the love story. And then I realized I felt happy while I was reading this novel, and that was okay. This contemporary novel showed me there is more to read in this world than I had ever previously imagined.
Call it maturity, marriage, motherhood—whatever label you give it—but I suddenly liked the feeling of happiness, even when I read. What’s more, I found myself wholly and completely engaged in the circumstances and the characters when love was at stake.
With my curiosity peaked, I discovered that “romance novels” can be anything. Romance novels today crossover all sorts of genres: from YA and NA, to mystery, suspense, action, paranormal, fantasy…the list goes on and on. And yes, to my heart’s delight, I have found many of them are downright gritty.
That’s why when I turned to writing novels, there was no question in my mind. I would write romance—my way.
My newest YA/NA novel, THE LETTING, is the perfect example. THE LETTING is set in a run-down summer camp, hidden deep in the woods. The lead character, Veronica “Ronnie” Billings, has unknowingly worked tirelessly for a gruesome and chillingly awful cause. Her love interest, Phoenix, is her enemy.
My challenge was to engage you, the reader, by offering a story that would stand on its own, with or without the element of love. But as I’ve discovered, and as many of you have as well, one of the greatest things in life is, to quote George Sand: “To love and be loved.” So I hope you enjoy THE LETTING, a gritty, dystopian story that will hopefully make you smile a bit, as well.
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