Category Archives: mermaids

All I need to know about writing I learned from a cartoon cow!

Carlene Love Flores, mermaids, Writing,

Mermaid CarleneWell, maybe not everything, but what I did learn was HUGE!

It was Sunday morning and ahem, I was watching Nick Toons. 🙂 Back at the Barnyard was on with an episode called “Cowdyshack”. For the record, I did not plan to come away with this writing nugget but I’m pretty much convinced that I was meant to receive it. And share with you.

So, Otis (the main character, a boy cow) is out with his posse of barnyard buddies and wrangles them a day on a golf course from his friend, a human named Crazy Louie, who sneaks them in. Once they’re all on the golf course, Crazy Louie bids them adieu. Otis and his buddies are practicing their swings when Pig takes a whack. He lets it rip and the golf club goes flying. It travels through the air and lands smack in Crazy Louie’s back, knocking him to the ground! Otis and friends run to his side. Crazy Louie is in udder 😉 agony and says his appendix has been hit. He vows he’ll be a goner within hours but is happy with the life he’s led. The animal posse are distraught for their human friend and feverishly brainstorm for ideas on how to save Crazy Louie. It’s then when they spot a sign posted on the golf course. The “Appendix Golf Classic” just so happens to be taking place there today and the prize? Did you guess? Yep- one shiny new appendix! All hope is not lost for Crazy Louie after all. At this point, you shouldn’t be surprised…Of course the barnyard animals best the human pro-golfers to win Crazy Louie his new lifesaving organ.

What I loved about this preposterous episode was how the writers asked and trusted me to enter their world of fiction. 300_DSCN2296

However improbable these particular circumstances would be in my everyday life, they invited me to play in their world for those twenty minutes where it WAS possible. They asked me to forget the fact that if you lose your appendix, you don’t need it replaced!

I took a second to ask myself, why with all the ridiculousness, was I willing to overlook the insanity hatching up 😉 all over this episode?

It was because of the highly loveable and entertaining characters. I wanted to hitch a ride on their unbelievable adventure, no matter how far-fetched because I cared about their uniqueness and their plight.

Three cheers to writing AWESOME characters who bring us our audience and then allow us to entertain. And three cheers to the readers who are willing to jump on the Barnyard band wagon with them, no matter how crazy the ride.

Life is short. Write what YOU want to write. Have fun and your readers will too.

Fishy kisses,

Carlene Mermaid xoxo

 

But It’s Pretty, Right?

mermaids, Pintip

pintipYesterday morning, I was annoyed. The snow had started too late for school to be delayed. When I opened my car doors, flurries of snow rushed inside, only to melt on the floor mats. My neighborhood roads were a mess, and I slipped and slid out of my driveway. There was so much traffic on 495, it took me THREE times as long to drive my kiddo to school. So, even though we left early, we arrived late. (Although: not really. We got to school after the bell, but *everybody* was late, so no tardy slips were given). Needless to say, I was not happy with the white flakes fluttering from the sky.

But then, I passed another mom dropping her student off. She smiled at me and said, “But it’s pretty, right?” These four little words made all the difference in the world.

Let’s unpack this sentence a little bit. She didn’t say, “It’s pretty!” with so much Pollyanna cheer someone (not me, but you know . . . someone) might be tempted to punch her in the face. “But” at the beginning of the sentence acknowledges all the annoyances of the morning. “Right?” at the end involves me in this observation, inviting me to affirm or disagree. When backed into this corner, I was forced to agree. It was pretty. A blanket of pristine snow, unsullied by dirt and footprints. A continuous sprinkle of flakes, transporting us to the winter wonderland of a snow globe.

It was pretty, and as soon as I appreciated this, my annoyance disappeared.

Amazing, isn’t it? I was so impressed with this change in my mood, I’ve decided to apply this little trick to my future frustrations.

My manuscript making me want to bang my head against the wall? I’ll think, “But you love writing, right?”

My children fighting for the umpteenth time about something ridiculously insignificant? I’ll tell myself, “But they’re cute, right?”

Traffic on 495 backing up at completely random times of the day? Well. If you come up with a sufficient come-back, be sure to let me know!

What about you? When was the last time you were annoyed, and what did you do to combat the frustration? Please share!

My Lying Eyes

mermaids

Because it’s 4am and because I can’t think of anything witty, interesting or half decent to write, I will force upon all of you, what will soon be forced upon me:  to talk about myself.  Blech, ech and barf.  And, to make matters worse, I have to do it in front of a large crowd of work people.  String me up by my toenails and hang me in a car wash.   The only saving grace is I have completely lost my voice.  Hand puppets, here I come.  However, in the spirit of giving, I will make this a fun game.  Give five fun facts about yourself, with one of them, being a lie.  The rest of us have to guess the untruth.

Me:

1.  I was selected for the Russian Olympic gymnastic team
2. I speak 4 languages
3. One of my previous jobs was as a dental assistant:  I helped yank out tooth gunk during root canals.
4. I once pretended to be a stripper
5. I ate an ear from a ram’s head

Your turns!  Go!

Writing through the Fog

Kimberly MacCarron, mermaids, Writing, , ,

Caution Heavy Fog pic

This past weekend I attended the SCBWI conference in NYC, and while we were waiting for the next great speaker, random quotes would appear on the mega screens to keep us patient.

One quote by E.L. Doctorow kept with me during the weekend, and I wrote it down in my handy-dandy composition notebook. It was this: “Writing is like driving at night in the fog. You can only see as far as your headlights, but you can make the whole trip that way.”

Wow. That’s it exactly! Each scene, each chapter leads you to the end of the book. That made me think about WIPs and the obstacles that get in our way while we’re writing. I started to see all these similarities between driving in the fog and writing a book.

Then I did what some writers do best. I distracted myself and started Googling. I found a bunch of warnings for driving in fog, and I realized many of them would also apply to writers. Let me share with you my epiphany. â˜ș

1. Drive with lights on low beam. High beams will only be reflected back off the fog and impair visibility further.
As writers, we tend to shine a very bright light on our current work. We try to see every little mistake as we’re going along when maybe the best course of action is to put on the low beams and see the work in progress as it’s meant to be. A rough draft.

2. Reduce speed.
This is a pretty straight-forward warning. I’m guilty of participating in NaNo and writing full-steam-ahead, but often times, after November is over, I’m looking at a rough draft that has lots of random information that doesn’t add anything to the plot or character development. Sometimes taking things slow is the way to go.

3. Listen for traffic you don’t see. Open your window a little, to hear better.
Take a breath and listen. Listen to what our characters are trying to tell us. They know where they should be going better than we do. If we open ourselves up and just listen, they will speak.

4. Use wipers and defrosters as needed for better visibility.
All writers have special tools that work for them. Some may be as simple as a pen and notebook. Others may use the beloved post-its and highlighters. Some have three-fold poster boards divided into three or four or twenty acts. When we are having difficulty seeing ahead, sometimes writing aids can help us.

5. Use the right edge of the road or painted road markings as a guide.
As a pantser by nature, I used to have a hard time with following an outline. I thought it stunted my amazing creativity. Now I realize that those outlines can be guides to just keep me on the right path. Otherwise I get very distracted and tend to off-road.

6. Allow more distance between vehicles. Never get too close, and don’t rush.
As writers, we tend to compare ourselves to others. We look at the deals of those who just signed with an amazing publisher. We ask ourselves when it will be our turn. Sometimes we follow blindly. Sometimes we follow trends when we should be starting our own. Take your time. Don’t follow too closely to other people. When the fog clears, you very well may find yourself all caught up. â˜ș

7. Don’t drift. There’s a natural tendency to wander to the middle of the road when visibility gets bad.
Oh, yes! When we lose sight of the story, we start drifting. I once put a random stalker in a story when it didn’t make any sense. I didn’t have a clear plan, so I panicked and drifted myself and my characters right out of the story. Don’t drift!

8. Be patient. Do not pass lines of traffic.
Many of us are tempted to self-publish, but sometimes it’s okay to wait. Sometimes it’s okay to hone our craft and work a little longer on that manuscript. By changing a few things here and there, we’re making it better. With some deeper editing, books can always be made better–even ones that are already published. Having said that, if your manuscript is ready and has been edited and the only thing holding it back is that a publisher doesn’t know quite where to market it, then self publish that baby!

9. Pull over when there’s no visibility. Wait for the weather to clear.
Sometimes the best thing for a manuscript is to set it aside and wait. It’s better than throwing in a random stalker, I can tell you that much from experience. If you find that you’re having a hard time seeing at all, then there’s something wrong. Ask yourself why you’re banging your head against the table in despair. It may be that you’re writing your character into a corner with no hope for any resolution. Or you’re having your characters do or say things that aren’t true to them. Put the manuscript aside for a limited amount of time while you think.

Passengers

Critique partners and passengers. Not all that different.
Pintip, Holly and me at SWBWI in NYC.

10. It’s okay to ask for help. Have passengers look for obstacles in the road.
Critique partners are with you on your journey. If you’re traveling a very foggy road, ask them why you can’t see it clearly. They will likely see better than you do. The writer is so focused on a certain portion of the book that they can’t see what’s happening in other places. My critique partner told me point blank that the stalker wasn’t working. She also told me that she hated my newest main character’s best friend. So, I changed that character’s best friend, and now the manuscript is very much improved. Ask your critique partner for help! Just as you almost always know what’s not working in someone else’s work, they will see the same in yours.

It’s okay to drive through the fog as long as you heed the warnings. It’s okay to keep writing even when you don’t have a clear idea of the ending or where the story is going. But sometimes, it’s even better to sit back and wait for the fog to clear.

I set my book aside for a while, and now I know how it’s supposed to end. Now I know those few scenes that pull the whole plot together. But, I decided to wait out the fog in the comfort of my home and not even venture out into the bad weather. I’m not stressed out, white-knuckling my steering wheel through the fog. There may be times when visibility gets rough, but that’s when I’m calling on my passengers. That’s when I’ll put my low beams on, drive slowly and follow the marking on the road.

How do you get through the fog?                      Car in Fog

Publishers/Authors/Publishing: It’s All About the Kwan? Right?

mermaids

Denny S. BryceI am excited. After a fabulous writing weekend retreat, I am jazzed anew about writing. Even if lately, I’ve been  jazzed about writing pretty much all the time:)! Just getting things done and submitted makes me happy. But being in the company of writers always fuels my creative juices. And in addition to talking about writing, craft, deadlines, and the number of commas I can put on a page (don’t ask:), we sometimes talk about what’s  in the news or what author blogs are saying about the publishing industry.

I’m not going to share my POV on any of the content listed in the links below (obviously, I’m thrilled about the great news for two fantastic authors:), but the round-up of links below is for your enjoyment, and in case you missed some of these items during the past few months. So take a moment to read or ignore, but as in the first quarter of any new year, publishers and authors have been talking about money – who has it, who doesn’t, and how they can make more or not lose out on the big bucks waiting to be raked in.

As you might imagine, I like money, so these topics and headlines interest me:).

However, the subject of today’s post is not art, or marketing, or writing the best book you can write. It is a  journey through a few news headlines and author blog posts that caught my attention. Have fun, and do feel free to share your thoughts!

Publishers Weekly – Book Sales Decline Slows in 2013. 

The Guardian – Hugh Howley Calls for Author Earnings Revolution (internet news article, not a blog post)

Publishers Weekly – Sales Up at S&S, But Profits Dip

Huff Post Books – Self-Publishing – The Myth and the Realty

Lexi Revellian Blog Post – Why Authors and Trade Pubs Don’t Reveal Earnings

Delilah Marvelle Blog Post – An Open Letter to the CEO of Kensington Publishing

The Hollywood Reporter – Sylvia Day Signs Blockbuster $10 Million+ Deal With New Publisher for Next Series

Entangled in Romance – Operation Cinderella to be a Major Motion Picture

Have a great Tuesday!

images

What is Your Favorite Romance?

Books, Giveaway, mermaids,

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187

We know how to celebrate Valentine’s Day in the Waterworld Mermaid lagoon.  It’s not a one-day thing.  We started on Tuesday by telling why we write romance, and we asked you to tell us why you write or read romance.  Yesterday we asked some industry professionals to tell us their favorite heroes/heroines.  We had a lively debate in the comment section, and several of us have since added recommended books to our TBR pile.  If you missed either of these days, it’s not too late to add your comment.

Today we’re talking about romance again.  Whether it’s a favorite book or a movie that moved you to laughter and tears, we know you have a favorite.

Just like yesterday, it’s hard to limit yourself to one book or movie that pulled at your heartstrings.  Where the characters remained with you like a sneaky shadow for days afterwards.  Where you relived a favorite scene over and over again because it was too delicious to imagine just once.  Where you found yourself discussing the characters like they were family.  🙂

If I absolutely had to pick a favorite book it would be Judith McNaught’s Kingdom of Dreams, but luckily I don’t have to remain faithful to just one book.  When the fancy strikes, I can read about one of Julia Quinn’s Bridgertons.  Or Lisa Kleypas’s Wallflowers and Hathaways.  Or Jude Deveraux’s Montgomery and Taggert men.   I’m fickle that way.

In appreciation for your thoughtful comments and recommendations this week, we are offering a $50 Amazon gift card to one lucky commenter.  That commenter can run straight to their computer to order some of these recommended books or movies.  I know I have Beth Miller’s favorite series–The Black Jewels trilogy– in my cart right now.

Make sure to go back and comment on our Tuesday and Wednesday posts for extra chances to enter.  Why settle for one entry today when you can have three?

In the spirit of Valentine’s Day, what is your favorite romantic story? What is your go-to book or movie that grabs you by the heart and won’t let go?

We will randomly select one commenter from all three posts on Sunday and let you know on Monday who will win the gift card.   Good luck!  And Happy Valentine’s Day!

 

All-Time Favorite Heroes/Heroines

Agents and Editors, mermaids,

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187Happy Valentine’s Day from the Waterworld Mermaids!!!

We love Valentine’s Day so much that we are celebrating all week long. Today we ask some of our favorite industry professionals the question: Who is your all-time favorite hero/heroine?

Yesterday, the mermaids discussed why we write romance. Our celebration will wrap on Thursday with a gift card giveaway. Leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway. You can also earn extra chances by leaving comments on yesterday’s and tomorrow’s posts!

Enjoy!

Who is your all-time favorite hero/heroine?

Beth Miller, agent, Writers House:

My favorite hero (focusing on books) is Daemon Sadi from Anne Bishop’s gorgeous dark fantasy Black Jewels series.

In a world in which Jewels are a reservoir for power, and the darker the jewel means the stronger the power, Daemon Sadi is a Black-Jeweled Warlord Prince, the strongest man in the Realms—and yet, he is a pleasure slave, bound to serve at the whim of an evil corrupt Priestess who holds the life of the person he loves most in her hands to keep him under her thumb. A prophecy is made, that She is coming, the Dreams Made Flesh, the Queen all who are good have longed for, and Daemon knows he is meant to be her lover. So he waits—for centuries—serving evil, selfish women; tortured at their whims, barely suppressing the violence that lives within him. The only thing keeping him going is the knowledge that She is coming. But when he finally meets her, she is a child, and so he must continue to wait for her to grow up, in the meantime befriending this fragile, powerful child that is the hope of his race. Daemon endures unspeakable horrors for his Queen, horrors that could mean the permanent loss of his sanity, his family, his friends, and her, the woman he loves above all else.

I don’t want to be too specific, because this is such an amazing series that I recommend to everyone. Be advised that it’s pretty violent, but the world is so vividly drawn, the characters so remarkable, that I re-read the entire series (the trilogy and beyond) at least twice a year. Here’s the link to the trilogy:

http://www.amazon.com/The-Black-Jewels-Daughter-Darkness/dp/0451529014/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1391528371&sr=8-3&keywords=black+jewels

 

Michelle Grajkowski, agent, 3 Seas Literary Agency:

Who is my favorite fictional hero?  What a delicious question!

 

To me, Rhett Butler is the ultimate hero.  His rough and tumble, bad boy past taught him to be the man he was when he first laid eyes on the woman he knew he must have.  On the outside, Rhett truly appeared to be a scoundrel.  Willing to do anything to get what he wanted.  (Truly, was he much different than Scarlett???)  He was the epitome of an alpha hero – determined, strong, stubborn, opinionated, dangerous and just a tad rough around the edges.

 

But, once Margaret Mitchell introduced us to the true, ooey-gooey, makes-our-heart-melt Rhett, raise your hand if you didn’t swoon!  When we met the Rhett who stood at the bottom of the stairs and knew, immediately, that Scarlett would be his.  That he would prove to her through kisses, gifts, passion and compassion that he would be there for her forever.  When he proudly cherished his daughter with the same intensity that he had for her mother.  When he finally realized that Scarlett truly would never love him for the man he was, and had the strength and courage to finally walk out the door


 

Frankly, my dears, I DO give a damn.  Rhett truly, truly was a man of strength, honor, courage, passion and above all, love.  (Oh, and the fact that he was completely, 100% swoon-worthy doesn’t hurt, either!)

 

 

Nicole Resciniti, agent, The Seymour Agency:

Pick one–one–favorite hero? I think that’s why romance is my favorite genre, because I get to ‘fall in love’ with a new hero each time I pick up a new book. I have some faves that vary by genre.

RS– Frank Knight. He’s the hero of Julie Ann Walker’s second, BKI book, IN RIDES TROUBLE. He’s big and gruff and loyal. He has a heart the size of Texas and is a total badass. He isn’t your typical, pretty-boy perfect hero. Frank has scars and some inner fears. He reminds me so much of my hubby Frank, that it’s impossible not to adore him.

PNR– I have to say that I’ve found myself falling for Gideon. Y’all haven’t met him yet, but . . . damn. Gideon is the hero in Kate SeRine’s EVER AFTER (A Transplanted Tale Novel). He’s smart and gallant, and so . . . good. Look for it when it releases from Kensington.

HISTORICAL– Johanna Lindsey totally ensnared me with her Malory Family (and, as an agent, I’d LOVE to discover a family saga in this vein), especially James the ex-pirate/gentleman. His story, Gentle Rogue, is a go-to for rereads.

YA–This one goes to Aelyx. Of the planet L’eihr. Yeah. He’s a foreign exchange student–foreign, as in, another solar system. Raised in a complex society where emotions are not expressed, seeing that Aelyx has feelings (and they run deep) is just more incentive to L’ove this hero. Check him out in ALIENATED by Melissa Landers.

 

NA– Mateo from Cecy Robson’s new series ONCE PERFECT. Matteo is a bouncer who was dishonorably discharged from the military after he beats up the guy that raped his sister. He’s down on his luck, down on himself, and supporting his family through underground MMA fights. He’s a tough guy with the purest heart. He is . . . perfect. The author keeps talking about the hero in her second book ONCE LOVED, Brody, but I’m still team Mateo. The other NA hero that I’m crushing on is also former-military. In BROKEN, Paul Langdon comes home from Afghanistan scarred, crippled and as broken internally as he is physically. His journey is heartwarming and beautiful.

 

CONTEMPORARY– Kate Meader’s hero, Chef Jack Kilroy is H-O-T in the Chicago-set FEEL THE HEAT. He knows his way around women–and a kitchen. Shane August, the hero in Jessica Lemmon’s TEMPTING THE BILLIONAIRE has that same, powerful I’m-in-control sexy vibe going on.

 

Sandra Pesso, marketing direction, Evernight Publishing:

http://www.evernightpublishing.com/

http://www.evernightteen.com/

My favorite all-time hero is James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser, better known as Jamie, from Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series.

Even though I read the first book in the series many years ago, Jamie has stayed with me as my number one. Jamie is the perfect hero without being too perfect.  He’s a fine blend of determination, wit, loyalty, humility and honor. He’s brave and willing to do anything for the people who are important to him, whether it’s living in a cave for years, having nails driven into his hand, letting the love of his life leave him, or even sacrificing his body to his enemy. To top it all off, Jamie is a Scottish Highlander complete with an accent and yes, a kilt. Men in kilts just seem to do something for me!

Jamie is the ultimate hero. But don’t take my word for it. I’ve selected a few of my favorite quotes to illustrate my love for Jamie Fraser


“I can bear pain myself, he said softly, but I couldna bear yours. That would take more strength than I have.”

 “For where all love is, the speaking is unnecessary. It is all. It is undying. And it is enough.”

 “It has always been forever, for me, Sassenach”

 “Ye werena the first lass I kissed,” he said softly. “But I swear you’ll be the last.”

 “You dinna need to understand me, Sassenach,” he said quietly. “So long as you love me.”

*Sigh*

 

Stephen Morgan, editor, Entangled Publishing:

My favorite heroine is Anne from Anne of Green Gables.

 

Now it’s your turn! What do you think of the heroes/heroines our industry professionals picked? Who are some of your favorite heroes/heroines?

Why We Write Romance

Alethea Kontis, Dana Rodgers, Denny S. Bryce, Diana Belchase, Kerri Carpenter, Kimberly MacCarron, Masha Levinson, mermaids, Pintip Dunn, Susan Jeffery, , , ,

Valentines-day-valentines-day-22236757-2560-1600-300x187Happy Valentine’s Day from the Waterworld Mermaids!!!

We love Valentine’s Day so much that we are celebrating all week long. Ever curious about why the Mermaids write romance novels? Today we decided to share our answers to the question: What made you start writing romance?

Come back tomorrow when we turn the tables on industry professionals with their very own question. Our celebration will wrap on Thursday with a gift card giveaway. Leave a comment today and tomorrow for extra chances to be entered in the giveaway on Thursday.

Enjoy and smoochies!

What made you start writing romance?

Alethea

This should come as no surprise to anyone: Fairy Tales are the reason I started writing romance. Fairy tales are full of fantasy, adventure, magic, mystery, blood, and death…but the tales I always found most interesting were the ones that involved true love. This love might end tragically (The Little Mermaid) or wonderfully (Rapunzel) or coincidentally (Briar Rose) or with a heaping spoonful of vengeance (Snow White/The Goose Girl), but the meeting of two soul mates in these unlikely settings gave me hope that I was not destined to be alone in this lonely world.

Carlene

So the story goes that it was 2008 and I was knee deep into my brand new fascination with Sherrilyn Kenyon and the romance genre. I think it was around her thirteenth or fourteenth Dark Hunter book I’d read when I realized no matter how horrifying or dark the stories became, the couples always clawed their way back out to a happy ending. The stories were so compelling that it honestly took me that many reads to finally figure out that they would all end on a happy note. It also struck a deep chord with me that many of her characters needed redemption and how their path to that came by way of new-found responsibilities toward the person they now loved. I thought about several real-life people I knew and cared about, people with good hearts but who had missed out on that perfect happy ending. I figured out that I could give them that through my stories. I love reading and writing romance! Wishing you all the best on this Valentine’s Day! Fishy Kisses, Carlene Mermaid

Dana

Once upon a time, I was on a preschool board and I became friends with another board member, Anita Clenney. Anita is one of the nicest people on the planet and we kept in contact for years after our preschool days were over. One day we were talking and she said something along the lines of, “Oh I have so much to do. I really need to get back to my manuscript.” Intrigued, I asked loads of questions about her manuscript and discovered that Anita was an up and coming romance writer. As an avid reader with an eye for detail, I was thrilled when she asked me to be a beta reader. What she got back was way more than what I think she was expecting – actually closer to line edits than your typical overall impressions.

I have been working with Anita ever since. I can’t express how excited and proud I was when Anita signed a three book contract later that year. And I couldn’t have been more thrilled for my friend when her first book made the USA Today and New York Times bestseller’s lists.

Being a good friend, it didn’t take long until Anita suggested I put some of my great ideas into a manuscript of my very own. It took several months of her prodding, but now I’m so happy she did. I love the outlet writing gives me and I now understand why I’ve had this constantly running loop of ideas and images floating through my brain all of these years
 Writing was what I was meant to do.

Denny

My journey to writing romance started because of a television show. Yep. I fell in love with an old show named Buffy the Vampire Slayer (and no, not Buffy), but the character Spike—but not because of what he was on screen as much as what was missing from Spike’s tortured existence—romance. At the time, I read horror, mostly, and lots of paranormal, but not necessarily romance, except maybe gothic romance and tragic love stories (always liked to sob with my heroines:). But then I discovered fan fiction (which since 50 Shades of Grey, I no longer need to explain:). Fanfiction writers in the Buffy fandom wore obsessive romantics. I read thousands of pages of fan fiction, and wrote 500,000 words of fan fiction myself (and no it wasn’t all one book:). And through fan fiction, I met a writer named Alicia Rasley (I won’t share her Live Journal name here though:), and she introduced me to RWA, and the idea of writing original romantic fiction. That was quite a few years ago, and I had SO much to learn (which I’m still learning), but that’s who and what started my journey in romance. Buffy, Spike, and Alicia Rasley (http://www.aliciarasley.com/).

Diana

I write what I love, and I also write the books I cannot find and would like to see on shelves. The inspiration of strong women who find more than love — they find love with the right guy — proves such men are out there. When they find their happily ever after, it makes me happy. I guess I write because I’d like to spread the happiness around.

Kerri

The summer before my senior year of college, my mom handed me Nora Roberts’ Sea Swept to read. A couple pages in, I was hooked. That summer I read all about the Quinn’s, the Calhoun sisters and the MacGregor’s, and I haven’t stopped reading romance since. I’d always been a writer but I guess I had never found my niche. What really struck me about romance novels was that everyone got a happy ending. For a twenty-one year old about to enter the very scary and unsure “real world,” nothing sounded better than escaping to a place where dreams come true.

Kim

I write young adult romances because I want girls to read about boys who treat them with respect.  I want them to EXPECT that.  To have those high expectations of boys who will grow into men of good character.  To hold out for love.

It’s not that I ever expected my relationships in high school to pan out into a golden anniversary, but those innocent romances helped me discover what I expected from an adult relationship.  And really, when you come to think of it, they’re the same.  I think the only difference is that we become more jaded and insecure as adults, so teen romances are probably the most pure and real ones out there.  When everything is fresh and new and even heartbreakingly real.  I write teen romances because I still remember those feelings quite vividly.  It’s the promise of something special…something magical…something unforgettable.

Pintip

I cannot imagine writing a young adult novel without including some element of romance. I believe first love is integral to the teenage experience. An essential part of understanding who we are is discovering who we can be as a result of another person — a person who brings out the best in us, a person who inspires us to be the best version of ourselves. That, to me, is the definition of true love.

Susan

I’ve loved reading romance since my early teens, when my family made its annual trek to Georgia and visited family. My grandmother lived with two sisters and me-oh-my, they had half a garage PACKED with grocery bags full of Harlequin books from their shared subscription. Unlimited access to these tiny miracles not only kept me quiet, it gave me my early training. Since I never really stopped reading them, I’ve also never stopped wanting to tell my own stories.

 

Your turn. Tell us in the comments why you *read* romance novels?