Whats_Wrong_With_Romance_Not_a_Damn_Thing

Why Romance?

Greetings, Vallerians!

Whats_Wrong_With_Romance_Not_a_Damn_Thing

 

Question for today: Why did I start writing romance? Short answer: Because I loved reading it! Want a longer answer? Okay, here goes…

There are a lot of completely fabulous authors out there. Being an author doesn’t make me like books any less, though sometimes I might not have the time to read as much as I used to (see my previous post on my daily life), but here’s why I chose romance.

I LOVE a royal romance. I love fairy tale endings and happily-ever-afters and – just to be totally honest – my life at times was pretty rough (in some respects it still is). I was always an avid reader growing up because I could lose myself in the pages and, at least for a few hours, I’d be able to forget reality. The same was true for romance, which I didn’t start reading until my late twenties. One of the first romances I read was about a fictional heir to the throne and his family.

I fell in love.

The prince in that book was already married, but I loved the way he loved his wife. I loved the way he cared about duty and family and how he showed her his love in little and grandiose ways. I wanted a man like that. Not a prince (though I’m not ruling that out!) but just a man who’d take care of me, the people he loved around him, or even strangers he’d never met.

Well, I’m still looking for that man, but back then I’d found the first (but not last) genre of romance I love. There just wasn’t enough of it for me. Since then, a lot of other royal romances have popped up on the bookshelves, but back then it was much sparser. I thought that if I couldn’t find the book I wanted to read, I’d write it.

So, I did.

Now, if you think that I just picked up the proverbial pen and started writing, think again. I’d always loved writing, had always wanted to write, but I was SO AFRAID to write. Afraid to pursue my dream, afraid of things in the world I had no control over but which affected me, I was just…afraid. Nearly all the time. I can talk about how I overcame that and started writing in a future post (just comment below and let me know if you’re interested in reading about that).

For now, know that writing romance was – and is – another form of escape for me. I love it. I love reading the books I wrote (a requirement for me). I love creating the world of Valleria and the royal family so many of you have come to love, too.

It’s been almost three years since I published the first in my Royals of Valleria series, and I’m still so gobsmacked and grateful that people continue to pick it up and read it, and continue to read more in the series, too. Nearly three years after the first, I recently published the ninth book in the series! How crazy is that? Me. Little ‘ole me. I published my NINTH book in a series and, in a couple months, I’ll have published the TENTH. Wow.

If I seem in awe, it’s because some days I still can’t believe I’m doing this, that I overcame my fear and doubts and that I’m writing and publishing books. True, other fears and doubts have come and gone (or stuck around) since then, but now I’ve got better tools to kick their asses and keep on going.

Another thing I’m trying to overcome is a tendency to contemplate the ‘what-ifs’ of life.

What if I hadn’t gotten over those fears? Where would my life be now?

What if I hadn’t chosen romance? Would I still like to read the books I wrote? Would I even be writing at all?

What if…

What if…

What if…

It’s been a hard road, and I know some of the road ahead is still rough, but I’ll get through because of the amazing things that romance novels have brought into my life, whether it’s an escape, or a dream I’m slowly making a reality.

Reading AND writing romance makes me happy. What’s so wrong with that?

Not a damn thing.

~xoxo Marianne

 

This is Post 3 of 100 as part of the #100DaysofMKAuthorLife.

7 thoughts on “Why Romance?”

  1. Thank you for your Valleria series. I have been enjoying them thoroughly since I recently discovered them through my Kindle. They are sweet, full of romance, and mystery. Being able to read these on my Kindle has been a wonderful addition to my “old-fashioned” written-page books. Being able to take my favorite books and others with me on vacation and while on break at work has been wonderful. Please keep on writing! Thank you again for your Valleria series… a happy fan.

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