GREAT, GOOD OR GIVE IT UP: I WRITE!

I write. It’s what I do. More importantly, it’s what I love to do. Many would say I do it well. Just as many might disagree. I know that I do the very best that I can and with every new book, I try to do a better job than I did on the story before.

I’m published in the contemporary romance genre. But romance is not the only thing that I write. I did not consider my first book a romance novel. (Neither did hardcore romance fans!) Some clever editing made it so. (Hardcore fans didn't necessarily agree.) Some proponents of more literary writings have been known to malign romance writers and their work. Castigating what one does not know comes easily to some folks. But hey, who am I to throw stones when I once lived in that same glass house myself? I remember well when I would readily dismiss romance novels, thinking them in some way inferior. Some exceptionally talented authors who write romance set me straight with the absolute beauty of their prose. I know now that no matter what the genre, there are GREAT writers, Good writers, and others who probably need to find a new day job.

In writing romance I’ve learned that describing how to plant a tree may have its challenges, but describing the ecstasy of a kiss being planted some place one has never been planted before is a whole other beast. Don’t even get me started about writing about the seductive nuances of sheathing a man in a condom when he’s buck naked and skinny-dipping in a swimming pool. It takes a certain finesse to get that man and his partner protected without losing the ambiance of the moment.

I write about ordinary people, doing ordinary things. They work normal jobs, struggle to pay bills, raise children, the kind of ordinary things we all do on a daily basis. My characters, however, get a happily-ever-after ending. They find love, partners that complement their ordinary existences, something not everyone is blessed to know. I have plenty of stories in me where there are no happy endings but then I wonder who would want to read them? Our real lives have far too many unhappy endings for anyone to want to read about someone else’s trials and tribulations. I like being able to give readers a few feel good moments and a very happy ending in a book.

Romance fans are very critical and exceptionally demanding of their authors. They expect GREAT stories. Not all of us are able to deliver GREAT, but I certainly give it one heck of a try. When I’m only Good my readers don’t hesitate to say so. Fortunately, no one has suggested I find myself a new day job. So, until they do, I’ll just keep writing, because it’s absolutely what I love most to do.