Why I write romance.
I am a journalist and I take that title seriously. I’ve spent decades writing stories about the lives of real people, and I have seen the impact my words and my photographer’s video can have on a person’s life. I wield power in my pen, be it literally or digital. And with power comes responsibility. I must get the facts right. I must make sure I get both sides of the story. I must make sure the person I’m interviewing is not snowing me for personal reasons and personal gain. I must not let my opinion show, because I’m not stupid, so yes, I do have one. I must meet a daily deadline. I must make the copy exciting, urgent, relevant and interesting enough to capture your attention. There are days when trying to do all this in a couple of hours is exhilarating, but also exhausting. So when I get home at night, when I’ve fed the kids and helped them with homework, when I’ve talked with my husband or enjoyed him in other ways, when the to-do-list is checked off and the day is almost done, I used to pour a glass of semi-good wine and slip into a hot bath and into a good romance novel. Nothing difficult to read, no appetite for big lessons, don’t want to learn or grow or feel impressed with myself for understanding some big concept novel. I just wanted to relax. And one night, instead of reading, I started writing. My love of writing romance novels actual started on the anchor desk. I was sitting next to my co-anchor reading a story on an adventure vacation and I turned to him and said that would make a cool background for a romance. And that was the beginning of 'Alive at 5.' My co-anchor and I formed the first skeletal plot during commercial breaks. (Thanks Walt.) With my fiction writing, I’m not trying to impress you with my intellect or my great knowledge on things you don’t know. I hope to do that with my day job. I just want to help you disappear into a fantasy world that is easy to enjoy and simply satisfying. Give you a place to unwind and reset. I write romance for women just like me. Hard working women, who need cave time too. I don’t want ESPN. I want adventure and a man who looks like a fantasy and acts like a hero. Unrealistic. Well, yes. That’s why it’s fiction. But romance serves a purpose. It’s that portal from which we can escape – just for one hour or two. I will never apologize for what I love to read, or what I love to write. My goal is honest, kind, pure and true. I just want to make my readers happy. That makes me happy, too.
