The books range on length from novels (60-130,000 words) to novellas (20-40,000 words). My books do have sex between consenting adults. The novellas are mostly ♥♥♥. Novels are ♥♥♥♥. There is some violence and mild profanity.

------holding hands, perhaps a gentle kiss
♥♥ ---- more kisses but no tongue-- no foreplay
♥♥♥ ---kissing, tongue, caressing, foreplay & pillow talk
♥♥♥♥ --all of above, full sexual experience including climax
♥♥♥♥♥ -all of above including coarser language and sex more frequent

Saturday, March 10, 2012

Under the Covers

Hey finally someone writes an article depicting what I see as my goals for  romance novels. Romances are the disrespected part of literature and yet a lot of writers are like me with using the novel format to express other ideas. Sure they are meant to be fun and emotionally satisfying, that roller coaster ride that I have written about before, but why can't they offer something else along with that.

When I wrote a story like Moon Dust, I was using a love story to discuss two important issues. The main one was the adult repercussions of childhood abuse-- in this case of a man where often the thinking has been that it won't be that harmful because he's a guy. That's not true. What fit with that was our educational system, and the problems it faces in today's culture. It's a love story and to be enjoyed as one, but what's wrong with setting it into other issues? Something can entertain and educate.

When I began writing, this kind of thinking was quickly my goal. I'd be interested in something like say the Oregon Trail. I would then put a story along with the traveling the route; and in the case of that book, the journey is one of emotions as well as physical.

For me putting something I find interesting, which could be a historic period, a place or emotional issue, into a story is a lot like my other blog in how I write about what interests me.

So I set those kind of issues into a story of two people falling in love or maybe back in love. Writing about the love story is fun, emotionally satisfying to me, but I always like that added aspect, the element that makes me feel good about the message within the story. I was happy when I saw the link which Andrew Sullivan had in his blog which said my goals are the goals of many romance writers.