Hello my friends! ALBTALBS world is all off kilter. Let’s ignore that, shall we? As you see, Selena Laurence is visiting, and I’d love to hear what you have to say in response. Get a discussion going! And guess what? Her debut romance came out on April 22! Isn’t that fantastic? So let’s give this debut author a warm welcome!
What’s In It For Me?
I read a book recently (you’re shocked, I know) and in it the hero is a professional chef whose family doesn’t approve of his career. At one point, his father who is a lawyer, and his brother who is a doctor, ask him something to the effect of, “Who do you help by being a chef? What do you contribute?”
I thought to myself that the same question could be asked of writers. When you write Romance novels, what do you contribute? Who do you help? Why do I write these often denigrated books about people falling in love and doing other assorted ridiculous things?
The answers weren’t hard to come up with. All I needed to do was think about why I read Romance novels. And ultimately, the tagline on my website says it all: Escape the Everyday.
For me, Romance novels are the ultimate therapy. If I’m lonely I can read about people who I’d love to know, and I can feel like I’m part of their lives for a brief period of time. If I’m stressed after a day of wrangling kids and pets and editors, I can get involved in someone else’s problems and have mine seem minor in comparison.
As a Romance writer, my goal is really to give my readers the same things I get from reading Romance novels. If I can make someone laugh, help them feel that blush of first love again, give them a distraction from their own stresses and problems, make them feel a little less alone in the world, then I’ve done my job. It’s simple in concept, harder in practice, and maybe most people don’t consider it important, but to me it’s a highly worthwhile endeavor.
Human beings have always needed entertainers, therapists, mentors, lovers, and friends. A great Romance novel can fulfill all of these functions for a short period of time, and if I can write something that does even one of those things for someone, I consider it a job well done.
Bio: Selena Laurence loves to write romantic stuff that helps you get away. Life can be a grind, and things like jobs and kids and dirty dishes make Jill a dull girl – and Selena too. So, she writes about hot guys and smart girls and exotic locales to give us all an Escape from the Everyday.
Seems like the question is up to me. 😀 You know I love asking stuff. 😉 So – what do romance novels “mean” to you? How do you view, or treat them? Inquiring minds want to know.
Great! Like Selena, romances are an escape for me. When life is a little too stressful, the people around you are a bit too annoying jump into a romance novel. People have asked me this before and I always tell them, I have enough drama and sadness in real life, let me enjoy the HEA that comes with a romance.
You tell ’em Priscilla! If more people indulged in some fun and fluff maybe the world would be a happier place! 🙂
I think you hit on it. I read romances because they are so far removed from my everyday life. I get to travel, have adventures & meet very interesting people all from the pages of a book. I couldn’t imagine NOT reading.
Me either, Mary! Reading has always been a huge source of comfort and entertainment to me. We’re so lucky that there is no limit to the number of new books humans can write! 🙂
They mean losing myself in them. I get to meet “people” or catch up with those I’ve met before, see their romance and love grow, travel to new location or revisit old ones. I also get to share with family and friends as we talk about books we like. I’ve always loved to read and romances are my favorite genre.
That’s so great that your friends and family read some of the same books that you do. It’s always a great bonding experience when everyone loves certain characters, isn’t it?
I agree with all the ladies above,romance takes you away from the mundane,I speciallyl like the paranormal romances because even tho you know there is not reality to them,that the whole point,I want to lose myself in a book and forget the everyday bs.And considering that 3/4 of the people I know who are married are either in the process of divorce or on their 2nd or 3rd marraige and so when I read a book,I want a HEA.Its a little harder with ebooks cause I can’t read the last page first to make sure its a HEA,its what I used to do with all my paperbacks,I read the last 2 pages in the store and if someone died or it ended badly I didn’t buy it.Ebooks don’t allow me that so now I have to be very careful about my authors now and make sure the authors I pick do HEA ending,stupid I know,but I read to escape and in real life HEA is less than 50%,I want 100% LOL
Sharon, my 14 yr old daughter won’t even read something without an HEA, so you are not alone! HEAs rock, and are essential to any romance 🙂