You write WHAT?!?!
Since starting my writing journey, I’ve had a good majority of family and friends who encourage me to write the stories of my heart. That just so happens to be romance, but I have encountered the fair few who think that what I write falls into their “less than” category of what constitutes a good book or a great read. They don’t come right out and say that they think what I write is “smut” but I believe they are under the notion, and quite possibly the misconception, that any books that are classified under the heading of “romance” are “those kinds of books.”
I have no problem with most genres of books—I’m a book hog of the best kind and tend to follow my nose into a variety of genres looking for the best “truffles.” Oh the spoils I enjoy because you just never know what you might miss if you snub a book based on its genre. When I run across family and friends who do view the world from a book-snobbish view such as this, I find it rather silly and cynical.
I’ve had some people tell me I might want to reconsider how I categorize my novels lest I be pigeonholed and snubbed, because romance is not “worthy” reading material, that it’s not the kind of books libraries tend to shelf and that they’re basically the “trash” of the book world. I should aspire to mainstream or I might as well give up having my books noticed at all, so said a former librarian friend of mine. I’ve been encouraged to write and illustrate children’s books instead of what I LOVE to write because I’m such a “wonderful artist” and it seems a shame to squander my talents. I haven’t been interested in drawing in years, unless it’s to scribble doodles for my kids. Bless my grandmother’s heart, but children’s books and illustration are not where my stories tend to lead me.
I grew up on fairy tales and in a family where I knew very little of divorce, though I had plenty of friends who grew up between two households. I believed when you said I do, that stuff is suppose to stick. I believed in LOVE. I believed in the everlasting kind of love, that conquers all, that is in fact strength rather than weakness. It’s glue that holds families together. It’s magic that has held my parents’ marriage together for nearly forty years and the bond that kept my grandparents bound to each other until death did them part. I believe in that power, that strength, because it’s something miraculous and special and it inspires me.
Sure, I grew up to see that sometimes not all relationships work out, that sometimes people need to go their separate ways or their time together was cut short, but that doesn’t mean they won’t find love again. It’s the reason why I write happily-ever-after romance, because I believe everyone deserves that chance whether it’s the first time or a second or third chance at love. Especially for those who’ve been through a lot, who’ve had their hearts broken and who have nearly lost all hope that they will ever be loved for who they were or who they are and who they will become. I believe they deserve that HEA ending, fictional or otherwise.
So, what is it about “romance” that gets certain people’s panties in a wad to the point they refuse to give a book the benefit of the doubt just because wears it’s heart on its sleeve? (In this case, when it is categorized that way on its spine…)
Maybe it’s what romance represents, that the mere mention of the word implies intimacy and sensuality. Perhaps that represents insecurities for some, as well. It’s okay to be loved, but heaven forbid if we are romantically inclined. That might mean we love on a physical level as well, that the laws of attraction and sexuality also bind us to another.
I’ve often wondered how “romance” became such a dirty word. Is there something wrong with having a connection to someone, on all levels, mental, emotional, and yes, even physical? I say, no, there’s nothing wrong with it at all. That’s why I will still write the stories of my heart and I will keep the flame of romance alive between the pages of my stories, where love and romance go hand in hand, just as I believe they should.
To those fair few I know who poo-poo romance, I say Bah Humbug to you!
Christmas with Catherine & Dawson, the heroine and hero from my debut historical romance, CASTAWAY HEARTS, published by Turquoise Morning Press is going on now over on my blog. Though the 1st giveaway I had last week is over, I do have the 2nd giveaway going on over on my blog now and a 3rd one coming up next week.
I know Catherine & Dawson would love the company, comments are welcome and entries in the giveaways are a must if you’re interested in winning a little something special this holiday season- please feel freel to swing by.
I will also be giving away 2 KINDLE EBOOKS of CASTAWAY HEARTS here at Margaret’s to 2 lucky readers who leave comments~ winners will be chosen on Sunday and posted her Monday, December 10th. Oh! And all commenters are automatically entered for Margaret’s reader appreciation gift card drawing too!
Do you read just certain genres or are you like me, and believe variety is the spice of life?
Castaway Hearts Blurb
Twice orphaned, Catherine Barrett arrives in Virginia a stranger to her closest kin and secretly engaged to the one man her family would disapprove of- her seafaring grandfather’s apprentice. Add to her troubles, the rich and intriguing older brother of her secret betrothed, Dawson Randolph, a plantation owner who is as heartless as he is handsome. Heartbroken when her intended sets sail for his maiden voyage, Catherine finds it difficult to adjust to her new life, hoping to befriend the one man who is, undoubtedly, the match her grandparents wish for her. Dawson’s distaste for her secret engagement to his brother makes it clear he has no designs for marriage to anyone. Especially her.
Ten years since the tragic loss of his young wife and infant son, Dawson Randolph is convinced love and marriage is a fool’s game and resents being pardon to his brother’s hidden engagement. Damned by his instant attraction and his own growing desire, Dawson vows to befriend her against his better judgment. Determined to bring her happiness in a time of fear and uncertainty, Dawson puts aside his animosity to become her confidant, only to realize Catherine holds the key to his heart. When tragedy strikes at sea, Catherine’s guilt pushes Dawson to the fringes of her life as madness consumes her.
Can his love save her before she drowns in her own grief? Or is he doomed to love her from a distance, always in the shadow of her love for his dead brother?
Castaway Hearts is available in eBook & print from my publisher-
Also available on Amazon for-
Various formats on
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