Romance Awareness Month by Lynn Lovegreen

 August is Romance Awareness Month. Eileen Buchheim created the event to encourage people to improve their relationships through romance. That’s a great idea. But as a romance writer, I take the liberty to use this occasion to encourage people to learn more about the romance genre.

 

According to RWA (the Romance Writers of America), there are two main elements of a romance story: a romance is central to the plot, and it must have an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. In romance circles, we often call that a HEA (happily ever after) or HFN (happy for now). Outside of those two things, the sky’s the limit! Romances can be contemporary, fantasy, paranormal, you name it. And subgenres can be combined to create smaller niches. As you may know, I write young adult historical romance set in Alaska.

 

Thousands of readers find solace and joy in reading stories about couples who find their HEA. Why not enjoy one yourself?

 

Where to find that special romance book? Romancing the Genres is a great place to start. You can scroll through posts to get to know us and see what we write. You can also try searching online by the trope or subgenre that tickles your fancy. Enemies to lovers? Second chance romance? Shapeshifters? Rom-com? Romantic suspense? Yes! There’s something for everyone!

 

Whether you’re a longtime romance fan or just discovering the genre, go find a romance to read this month. J

Lynn Lovegreen has lived in Alaska for most of her life. After twenty years in the classroom, she retired to make more time for writing. She enjoys her friends and family, reading, and volunteering for her local library. Her young adult historical romance is set in Alaska, a great place for drama, romance, and independent characters. See her website at www.lynnlovegreen.com. 

 

Images of Romance Awareness Month by Lynn Lovegreen

 It’s Romance Awareness Month!

 

Romance is in the eye of the beholder, whether we’re experiencing it or reading about it. 

 

Maybe you want your romantic partner to give you flowers

Or a walk on the beach

Or a night in the city

Or simply a shoulder to lean on.

It’s all part of romance!

 

What does romance mean to you, or what do you love to read about in a romance novel?

Once upon a time ...

 

I have so many half-started and half-finished stories under my bed, metaphorically, I need a stepladder to get to my pillow. Each and every one of them is worthy of rescue, not because of scintillating prose or clever twists, but because the characters deserve their happily-ever-after. 

Starting with the first story I ever wrote in which the heroine retreats to the recently inherited house of her late grandmother to lick her wounds after both a failed career and a failed relationship. I mean … how many tropes do you need? Sure, the conflict is difficult to find, the description goes on and on and on, but the dialogue sings! I discovered early on that I love writing dialogue and I occasionally can’t type fast enough to keep up with the chatterbox characters. The hero is worthy of a book cover, dark haired … no, blond … no, definitely brown hair. And his blue eyes sparkle with humour … except they’re brown. It’s a design-your-own hero book!! The newest fad!

My second story ever written is a retelling of the fairy tale The Princess and the Pea, with magical elements, a foreign prince, and steaming hot sex on the page. Woo boy … not something I want my mom to read! The story opens when the heroine’s car breaks down on a dark and stormy night outside the gates of a castle. She’s on her way home from a cocktail party so isn’t dressed for hiking through the pelting rain. Needless to say, she’s soaked by the time she gets to the prince’s castle. And needless to say, she needs to borrow dry clothes. And needless to say … I’m sure I don’t need to go on, do I? Did I mention the erotic nature of the prose? But there is intrigue, and a bad guy that needs to be defeated, and an overbearing father who needs to come to terms with his daughter’s wants and needs as the royal family moves into the 21st century. A real slice of life story we can all relate to, am I right? But, again, the heroine and hero deserve to be happy.

I guess my problem is I fall in love with my characters and can’t stand to leave them hanging. Unrequited love is no fun for anyone. I put them in that mess, the least I can do is get them out. 

My other problem (how long do you have?) is the never-ending supply of new story ideas. So, yes, I could return to the story of the witch who messes up her spells – oh, how they laughed! -  and is being stalked by a demon who will claim her soul if she doesn’t fulfill a promise, but when would I finish the next book in my contemporary series? Or finish the second book in my paranormal women’s fiction series (as yet unpublished) about the recently divorced real estate exec who discovers she’s a hereditary witch with phenomenal power, a wise-ass cat for a familiar, an angry ghost for a roommate, and a smokin’ hot hero for a love interest – not on your life! – who doesn’t know if he can trust her. 

And so those first few tomes will remain entombed (ha!) under the bed until I get the other stories and characters out of my head. Oh, and I didn’t even mention the cosy mystery series I have sketched out complete with recipes, or the historical series I have all the characters for, or …

Luanna Stewart has been creating adventures for her imaginary friends since childhood. She spends her days writing spicy contemporary romance, romantic suspense, paranormal romance, and historical romance. When not torturing her heroes and heroines, she’s in her kitchen baking something delicious. She lives in Nova Scotia with her patient husband, a spoiled cat, and five hens. 

Website ~ Bookbub ~ Twitter ~ Instagram ~ Facebook ~ Goodreads 

Thankful For So Many Things

Hi, I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic women’s fiction with light paranormal elements. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you make choices to overcome the darkest nights and choose love and light.

I’ve so many things for which I’m thankful including being a part of Romancing The Genres, a WindtreePress author and a great grandmama. I’m celebrating all three today and a little bit more by writing this post, spending time with my great grands (so post may be shorter than usual) and introducing you to my fellow authors at Windtree Press and sharing with you links to a couple of authors I really love to read. An added bonus is talking a bit about my favorite independent book store, Jan’s Paperbacks, Beaverton, OR.

My great grands are 6 and 4 years old. Unfortunately they live 5 hours away so I do not see them as often as I’d like. When I learned I was to be a great grandmother, I thought that a bit of a mouthful. I didn’t care for Nana (reminded me of the dog in Peter Pan). I know there are other monikers for grandma, etc. but I decided I’d be Grandmama (two ma’s instead of one). I’ve no idea what we’ll do when they come visit. That’s always a surprise.

I joined Windtree Press, an author cooperative, in 2014. We now have over 20 authors and 200 titles. Check out our website and learn more about the variety of authors that make up Windtree Press. One of my favorites is Paty Jager, who published her 50^th title in May. Another one of my favorites is Maggie Lynch, one of the founders of WP. Maggie not only writes books that speak to life’s challenges, she does it in a variety of genres!

Jan’s Paperbacks has, as far as I know, always supported romance authors. Here is the link to see if an Indie Book Store in your area is involved in the Indie Bookstore Romance Day event. And those authors I love to read? While I am a longtime fan of both Paty Jager and Maggie Lynch, new on my list is Eleri Grace. 

Perhaps because I had an uncle who was a bombardier during WWII stationed in England so flying over Europe including Germany, I’ve found her books fascinating and thus another window into that part of my uncle’s life. Ms. Grace’s Red Cross Clubmobile Girls series is so well researched, I found myself slogging through the mud, ice, snow in Europe (Courage To Be Counted) and dealing with bugs, snakes and the tropical jungle in Carry a Crusading Spirit.  

I’ll be at Jan’s on Saturday, August 21 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. I’ll have copies of my The Sacred Women’s Circle series available as well as free gift to anyone who stops by whether they purchase a book or not. Authors involved in Romance Bookstore day are donating to at least one basket.

If you are in the area, I’d love to meet you. After this past year, I’m excited to be able to reconnect in person with people. We will be outdoors and appropriately spaced.

And if you can’t stop by and are not yet on my mailing list, you can sign up for Choices here. I’ve created a new free offering that includes the novella Sarah’s Ankh along with the first chapter of Lily: The Dragon and The Great Horned Owl. I hope you enjoy them.

Look for my next non-fiction Yes, You Can Create The Life You Love this fall.

All of my books are available at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series on her website JudithAshley.net

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on Facebook!

© 2021 Judith Ashley

Romance Novels as Therapy

 Good Morning!

I’m Judith Ashley, author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, soul nourishing romantic women’s fiction that honors pagan spiritual practices. My stories show you what life could be like if you had a place like The Circle where you are unconditionally accepted, supported and loved. And where, with this support, you do overcome obstacles and find your happily-ever-after.

Welcome to a discussion or more accurately a Blog-Versation on Romance Novels as Therapy.

As an author, how do you show (consciously or intuitively) your readers ways to manage/handle/deal with negative or abusive relationships? Or perhaps you show your readers ways to enhance a relationship from okay to outstanding?

As a reader, what book(s) have you read that helped you find a solution to a relationship problem in your life?

And the third perspective applies to author or reader. When have you used reading romance novels to support you through a difficult life experience?

I’m so excited to have this Blog-Versation with you.

I'll be watching for your comments, so please leave one or more. After all this is a 'discussion'.

True Romance - More than Chocolate and Flowers?

Sarah Raplee here.  I write Romantic stories in several sub-genres of Romance.

Today’s Blogversation is about defining what romance is to you, and sharing what you find romantic.

I think the Wikipedia definition of romance is a little dry, but on point:

“Romance is an emotional feeling of love for, or a strong attraction towards another person, and the courtship behaviors undertaken by an individual to express those overall feelings and resultant emotions.”

To me, romance refers to words and actions that express a feeling of love, strong attraction and deep connection between two people. It includes elements of mystery and surprise.

For example, when my husband and I had been dating for a couple of weeks, he “pinned” me with a child’s Smokey the Bear pin to show he wanted to date me exclusively. This was special because part of his job as a forestry firefighter was to visit schools in a Smokey the Bear Costume to give talks about preventing wildfires (and it expressed his quirky sense of humor).

Simple things like choosing a special gift for your honey, or writing a love note on an ordinary day, can be very romantic.

What does romance mean to you?  What do you find romantic?