On Writing Contemporary Romance

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women's Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual traditions that nurture the soul.

I’ve lived a fairly long and varied life. I’ve had several different careers. The common thread in everything I’ve done is ‘education’ or ‘teaching’. From starting as a classroom teacher in my early twenties to now as an author, my goal is to share something I know about that may assist another person to create a happier life for themselves.

What a great first novel! Just finished reading Lily by Judith Ashley, and loved it. While romance is not a genre I usually read, I found the characters so interesting and well-developed that I was captured by the story, looking forward to what would happen next. As part of a sacred women’s circle myself, it was nice to recognize the supportive bond among the group of women, and to realize how that loving, spiritual bond helped Lily to grow through the difficult challenges of old fears. Now I am looking forward to reading Elizabeth, the next book in the series. G.G.

My time as a child protective service worker was a challenge but through it all, my focus was to support parents in being the best parent they could be. And, when that best wasn’t what the child needed, to find a home that did meet the child’s needs.

As an adoption worker, my goal was to educate the prospective adoptive parents about what to expect when adopting an infant or an older child. Challenges awaited them regardless of their direction. Their decision was to include which challenges would be easiest for them to handle.

Working in law enforcement (there were no corrections officers where I worked, we were all deputy sheriffs), I wanted the women in the jail where I was stationed to learn something that would be a positive in their lives when they got out. I set up and ran a program that allowed the women to make crafts and sell them at the local county courthouse after Thanksgiving. They always sold out!

I am one who finds it difficult to quiet my mind and body long enough to read a chapter or two in a book at one time. Judith Ashley’s Lily caught my attention in the first chapter and held it tight until the last page. I found myself wondering what character I would be in the book and responding as if I was a friend of the characters! Romance, personal growth, and a supportive spiritual circle…how can one not become wrapped into this book? KJ

For two years I worked in Public Welfare. My clients were anyone age 18 and older who was other-abled or over 65 or in a nursing or rehabilitation facility. With limited resources, learning how to use everything available in the best way possible to create the best lifestyle possible was important.

I was educating my clients and I was being educated at the same time. That education helped me establish myself as a case manager and guardian as well as an After Hours Emergency Responder for vulnerable adults.

Being an educator is part of who I am. It may not be in the job description, but I find a way to bring the knowledge I have to support others in creating a better life for themselves.

The characters and essence of Ireland leaped from the pages of this book right into my heart and mind. I could see and hear the characters and picture the surroundings. The author accurately represented the practice and spirituality of those who identify with the Goddess and know She also resides in each of us. Ms. Ashley also emphasizes that the bond of close women friends should not be forsaken because of a bond with a lover. She shows us that there is always a way to compromise to preserve both bonds. As a romantic novel this was delightful. M.M.

And that’s what I do with my stories. Ordinary women who’ve had normal life challenges (domestic violence, infidelity, post-traumatic stress disorder, physical injury, rape, homelessness, etc.) find a way through the dark times into the light of unconditional love.

Is their path easy? No. Their life experiences have taught them to be leery about trusting anyone. But because of the bond created by being part of a Sacred Women’s Circle, they are able to take the leap into the void and find their happily-ever-after.

One of my goals in writing these stories is to pass on to others, ideas about how they might handle difficult situations.

Have you ever gotten an idea that helped you solve a problem by reading a romance novel? Would love to hear your story!

You can learn more about The Sacred Women’s Circle series on my website.

Check out my Windtree Press author page.

Follow me on Twitter: @JudithAshley19

I’m also on Facebook

© 2016 Judith Ashley

Love Is ...

I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrate the journey from relationship to romance.

Love is …?

I invite you to take a moment and finish that sentence.

What words came to you?

Were they specific to a person as in “Love is how I feel about my (name of special person here).

Or perhaps something like this?

"Love is a warm/passionate/______ feeling."

Or maybe

"Love is how I know someone is right for me."

When we first think of love, seldom do we consider the painful side of the word – unrequited love, abusive love, controlling love, hateful love.

If you've ever been in a relationship that started out to be everything you thought or hoped a loving relationship would be, only to find yourself caught up in a nightmare, your perspective about the word “love” may be forever changed. 

To find yourself in a relationship where loving words are spoken against the backdrop of painful actions is crazy-making. What is the message about love then? How do you find the connection between loving words and a slap or fist to the face? Hateful words said in the context of "I love you".

As a writer of romance, my heroines and even my heroes are acquainted with this other side of love. Part of their journey is about finding their way back, back to deserving to be loved, or back to willing to do the work to have the loving relationship they dream of.

For these characters, the feeling of being "in love" is not wrapped in warm cozy feelings. They remain suspicious. They fight physical attraction. They dance away when the feelings become too intense. Until they are convinced this is real, right and forever, they resist. Why? They want it all. 

What that “all” looks like is different for each of them.

However, there are similar elements. 

They are safe (physically, emotionally, mentally).

They are confident they are loved in return.

They are respected, listened to and are co-creators of their relationship which means they've found a way to communicate with each other..

I’d love to know what four words you’d use to describe love, so please share.

For more about “love” check out my post at Intentions and Synchronicities. 

For more information about The Sacred Women’s Circle series, check here or here.

Remember the Genre-istas are sharing thoughts, excerpts, ideas and feelings about love so stop in often to see what romance authors have to say about this most powerful four letter word.