When I decided to "come out" as a romance writer, it was a hard decision. I have a lot of friends who are writers. I worried they'd judge me. Maybe they do. And that's fine. To each their own. But now, I think reading a little romance is good for your soul. Here's my Top 5 list of why you should give it a shot.
1. The ending is always happy. ALWAYS! Romance novels aren't about "will they get together", they're about "how do they get together". We get enough bad news everyday. Take a little mind vacation and go to a happy place. And if you're single, you might learn something. If you're not single, well, that brings me to point 2.
2. You'll learn what to do to make your love happy (and what not to do!). I'm married. And while my hubby can sometimes pull off something romantic, it's not top of mind for him. Romance novels are brimming with lots of little examples of how to show someone you love them.
3. They don't take long to read. No one ever spends weeks reading a romance. You pick it up, and if it's good, you put it down when you're done. A good romance hooks you in quickly, reads like a conversation with a friend, and makes your pulse quicken when you get to the racy bits.
4. The racy bits! Some romance authors get vivid in details, and others leave more to the imagination. But they all, at some point, get in some action. And whether you choose to skip over the sex, or savour every detail, you're sure to get a little blush, and maybe a little more.
5. They are good books. Period. Like any genre book, sure, there are some predictable things like happy endings, and love scenes, and romantic conflict, but most romance novels out there are written by people who love to write. They've been through reams of edits, and advance readers, and countless rewrites. Romance writers (at least to the best of my knowledge) aren't writing to win the Pulitzer. We write because we love writing, and we want to make people happy. I can't imagine anyone going through the process and not doing it because that's where their heart is.
So do yourself a favour and give one a try. Not sure where to start? No worries. My next post will help you out with that.