After five years of not being able to write a single blessed word, I found myself bombarded by characters demanding to have their stories told. The issue arose in that I needed (yes NEEDED) a world in which marriage and monogamy were vital and important. Other authors have addressed this same issue in many ways. I began to read series like I needed them to survive and learned some very interesting things. Many authors it turns out, also wanted this life-long connection. So, I studied what they did to see what worked and was acceptable.
They wrote books in which faith played a factor in intimacy decisions. Genre: Christian Romance
They wrote in a time period where marriage had to come first. Genre: Historical Romance
They created something known as life-mates, there is no escaping from being fatefully chosen to be someone’s mate for life. Genre: Paranormal Romance
They created a society in which marriages were important because creating families to maintain a healthy population was necessary. Genre: Paranormal/Sci-Fi Romance
They made sure relationship boundaries were set and understood – This IS going somewhere before we fall into bed together, I’m not a one-night-stand-kinda-gal. Genre: Fantasy Romance
Right away, while being a Christian myself, I had to cut that one from the list. While Christian romances are sweet, and I enjoy them to a degree, I found them unrealistic and, in many ways, disappointing. I enjoy intimacy in my marriage. My husband and I did a lot more than kiss innocently before we were married. I appreciate, and respect the decision in the industry to keep things incredibly sweet, but that’s not my cup of tea. The faith aspect in most of books was merely a footnote to the hero/heroine’s decision to ‘social distance’ from their love interest, so faith wasn't even a huge driving point to the plots. Yes, in many I read a hug was often too much contact, a kiss was even rarer. Moving on to the next.
Historical romance. Okay, this used to be MY genre. I couldn’t get enough. I loved how important marriage was, the stress of it, the issues it often caused. And oh the romance! So romantic. However, as I grew older, this genre began to fade from what I enjoyed. The tropes were just too similar, it was like reading the same book over and over again with a different voice. I also learned pretty darn quick that’s the point. Historical readers are incredibly picky. They want specific tropes, and they want the language and environments to be just so. This was not the genre for me. I needed more freedoms. The exception to this rule seems to be Steampunk/Paranormal Historical romances. I have really enjoyed discovering those and they seem to be able to bend the genre rules a bit. Still though, language and syntax are very important and I can’t nail those. I have mad respect for the ladies who do. On to the next.
I was really intimidated when I realized I’d be writing here. Creating a world is crazy hard. And honestly, I was three books in before my world made sense to me. Thankfully I was able to keep going back, layering and building my world up in each previous book. However, there is no doubt, that like with every other paranormal/fantasy book, the longer you read the series, the more the world becomes a part of you. My world is no different.
Romance is a huge factor in my books. They are, at their core, solid romance novels. If you’re a romance junkie like me, then my books, no matter what genre you prefer, will likely appeal to you. I
The paranormal and fantasy elements are in place because I want them there, because it’s fun, because having my own unique world was too awesome to pass up. I can make anything happen. The freedom is incredible. Learning all the amazing talents my people can inherit has also been remarkably fun and exciting. I can’t wait to share them with you.
If all of this sounds like something you’d be curious to
explore, be sure to keep up with the series and follow me and my adventures. 😊
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