I LOVE ROMANCE
I love romance. I love it in everything. I just, in fact, had a dream where Anthony DiNozzo from NCIS, was falling for his partner (NOT Ziva). The tension was terrific (yes, I know, my dream). This is a guy who doesn’t go looking for love, and watching him fall was so much fun.
I love the build of the romance, I love the tension, I love the balance a writer has to find—don’t pay it off too soon, don’t pay it off too late. (In the book I’m listening to, I’m afraid it’s dragged on too long. It’s an older historical, though, so it makes sense in the context of the time, but still….)
All the shows I watch, except Supernatural, have romance in them. In fact, to get me to watch a show, just mention the romance subplot and I’m there.
I’m judging a contest, and got the single title category. The first two entries I read didn’t introduce the hero. They were great stories, well written, but no hero. The third entry not only introduced both the hero and the heroine, it gave them a past. I was so hooked.
Whether I’m reading or writing it, the story flows best when the hero and heroine are on the same page, interacting in whatever manner. The first romance I read as an adult separated the hero and heroine for pages and YEARS. And then there was DRAGONFLY IN AMBER, remember that? How long were Clair and Jamie apart? 20 years? My heart broke for the time they lost.
I made some of the same mistakes in earlier versions of HOT SHOT. I sent Gabe out on heroic deeds and left my heroine back in camp, anxious to write about it secondhand. Oh, no, no, no. That did not work. I revised so that Peyton, my heroine, witnessed Gabe’s actions firsthand. This helped her understand him better, helped her understand the very heroism she’s writing about. Separating them from the rest of the crew was an even better chance for their romance, for their sexual attraction, to blossom. The more time they spend on the page, the more I believed in their love. I knew they would get their happily-ever-after because they worked for it on almost every page.
What brings you back to romance novels? The happily-ever-after? The journey? Do you have to have romance in the books you read and the shows you watch?
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To read MJ’s bio and the back cover copy of HOT SHOT, please see yesterday’s post.
To learn more about MJ and her books, please visit her website.