Canadian Romance Author Donna Alward

What's your Passion?

by Donna Alward

I always wanted to be a writer. When I graduated university, I had this backup plan of traveling to England and writing in a little cottage for six months. I’d taken creative writing courses (I did my degree in English Lit), wrote a lot of poetry and short stories, and wanted to try a novel.

I took a bit of a detour from that dream for a few years, and never did move to England (though I did manage a trip there in 2007). But in 2001 I started a novel which turned out to be a romance, and I fell in love with the process. Now, twelve years after my first sale, I’m fifty-odd books into my career and I love it.

I always thought writing – and writing romance in particular – was my passion. And it is, in a way. But this year life changed a bit more. I’ve got two kids in university. And the publishing biz is really, really tough right now. I decided to look for some part time work to supplement my income, and just before Christmas got a job at a chocolate shop. Can you imagine a happier place than a chocolate shop at Christmas? I love it.

I took on another part time job in the late spring, working for a bookstore. I mean, if I’m going to work retail, it doesn’t get much better than books and chocolate, right?

I absolutely love working retail (and I only get the odd grouchy customer). There are many reasons, but it wasn’t until I attended a company summit that I realized that I’m actually mislabeled my passion. I thought it was for writing and happy endings, and that’s part of it, but it’s not truly what I’m passionate about.

I love making people happy. Whether I make them smile, or laugh, or help them find the perfect book or card, or pick out the perfect chocolate for their taste…I love making them happy. I love the idea of someone reading my book and smiling at the end, or that it might have helped them get through a rough day or situation. I love talking about chocolate and adding a little sunshine to someone’s day. I also love the thought of someone going home with a book, reading it, and it being exactly what they needed.

Maybe it seems frivolous that I’m not dealing with “necessities”. But then, what makes us human? It’s connection. It’s emotion.  We are almost *too* connected with tech these days, but we don’t always connect with other people. If I can have a customer leave or a reader finish a book feeling better than when they started… my work is done.

Second Chances series

So that’s what I’m passionate about. I knew deep down that I am an optimist, but I really didn’t realize that sharing that optimism is my purpose. And that’s really kind of neat when you think about it.

What’s your passion?

About the Author

Donna is the prolific author of 50+ western and contemporary romance novels. She lives on Canada’s east coast with her family which includes a husband, a couple of kids and two crazy cats. When she’s not writing she enjoys reading (of course!), knitting, gardening, cooking…and is a Masterpiece Theater addict. Learn more on her press page. 

You can visit her on the web at www.DonnaAlward.com and join her mailing list at www.DonnaAlward.com/newsletter.

Social media links: Facebook | Twitter: @DonnaAlward

Find all Donna's romance novels on her author page at Amazon.com.

Donna is also a writing coach and content editor at The Red Pen Coach. Check out her non-fiction books for writers.

Canadian Romance Author Melanie Robertson-King

Love Can Encompass Time and Place 

By Melanie Robertson-King

Melanie Robertson-King

First off, I have to say how thrilled I am to be invited back, especially for your 2nd Blog-O-Versary celebrations. Congratulations, Genre-istas on this auspicious occasion.

While we’re talking about romance and anniversaries; my husband and I will be celebrating our 38th next month. He’s been a great supporter of my dream to become a published author and now supports me as I promote my debut novel and work on my second.

True love knows no boundaries. Great obstacles can/are and have been overcome when you love someone enough.

One truly romantic story (well, I think it is) that’s been passed down through the generations in my husband’s family is about his great-grandparents. His great-grandmother told her husband that she would follow him anywhere but across the ocean. Yet, the couple with eight of their nine children (the eldest was older than the others and employed as a domestic) boarded a ship bound from England to Canada. Family lore said it was because of the sinking of the Titanic that she wouldn’t get on a ship but they sailed before that and their two youngest children were born in Canada – and both before 1912. Still, it’s a lovely story.

I wish I had something romantic like that hidden away in the archives of my family. I never knew my grandparents on my father’s side, let alone my great-grandparents so I don’t know if there were any romantic stories about them or not. The only one I’ve heard is that my grandfather was a great cricket player and was a member of the Huntly Cricket Club (note to self, must investigate this the next time I get over). I can’t see anything romantic coming out of playing cricket – a few sniggers and belly laughs over some of the terminology used in the game – definitely.

My main purpose when I visited Scotland for the first time in 1993 was to discover my roots and meet family members living there. Little did I know how much more important that trip would become. Yes, I visited the cemeteries where my ancestors were buried and I met living relatives but somewhere along the way, I fell in love with the musical lilt of the Scottish voices, the rugged beauty of the country and the hulking ruins of a derelict mansion – all in close proximity to my father’s birthplace.

One of the things I love most about Scotland, England, and Wales (yes, been there, too) is the age of things. Castles, abbeys, stone circles, standing stones – things we don’t see here in what we affectionately refer to as “the great white north” (this past winter that moniker was most deserved) except in books, movies or on television. History is embraced and these ancient monuments remain for people to enjoy, thanks to organizations that work to preserve the past.

Love doesn’t have to be for another person. It can be for a place, an object, an era.

A Shadow in the Past

When a contemporary teen is transported back through time to the Victorian era, she becomes A Shadow in the Past…

Nineteen-year-old Sarah Shand finds herself thrust back into the past. There she struggles to keep her real identity from a society that finds her comments and ideas strange and her speech and actions forward, unlike Victorian women. When Sarah verbally confronts confining social practices, including arranged marriages, powerful enemies commit her to a lunatic asylum. After falling in love with the handsome Laird of Weetshill, Robert Robertson, she must decide whether to find her way back to her own time or to remain in the past with him.

Publisher: 4RV Publishing LLC
Author Website: http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/
Author Blog: Celtic Connexions http://www.melanierobertson-king.com/wp02/
Facebook Author Page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Melanie-Robertson-King/221018701298979
Twitter Account: @RobertsoKing https://twitter.com/#!/RobertsoKing