From Mariellen:

“I was wondering if your readers talked to their spouses about the romance novels they are reading. I will tell my husband that the book I am reading is …’good” or “bad” and tell him why I think so….but any more info would make his eyes glaze over. Is it something women talk about with their man I wonder?”

Do you think your husband’s reaction would have been the same if you’d talked to him about a new thriller or a spy novel?  The problem is that with romance, as a genre, people have certain expectations.

• That the book is girly and has too much luvvvv.
• That it’s unrealistic.
• That it’s all sex scenes.

I’d love to see more men pick up a romance. I think they’d be pleasantly surprised.

To answer the critics, I’d say that most great books feature relationships, and that’s what romance is all about. Realism? I read for escapism, to be entertained, to be enlightened. Too much of the real world is not a good thing, especially when I want a happy ending.

Now, sex scenes. I think you can portray the relationship between two people quicker in a sex/love scene than in any other way. I’ve always said that it’s easy to write a sex scene, but damn hard to write a love scene. But where else is a human being as vulnerable both physically and emotionally?

I think I segued a little from your question, Mariellen, but I’d be very curious about everyone else’s experience. Do you share your romance books with your spouse?

Weird thought #1

If an apple didn’t have a core, it would crumble in on itself.

What started that thought?

I was reading this absolutely wonderful book that I’d been asked to review. I was really “into” the character and the setup, but the longer I read, the more I kept wondering where the book was going. I had no clue. I could feel my anxiety level rising.

I kept going back to the cover, reading that it was a mystery, then realized the mystery was this: what was the plot?

The writing was wonderful. The setup, as I said, was unique. The character was delightful, funny, insightful, droll. But there was no murder. No body. No mystery. We wandered aimlessly for two hundred pages until the end, where it turns out that the bad guy was importing drugs and everything fizzled out.

I haven’t the slightest idea how to write this review. I loved the shiny peel of the apple. I loved the taste, the firmness of the fruit, but there was no inside inside. It just fell apart.

Weird thought #2

I would have loved to have seen the main character featured in another book, one that had more substance to it. I think that proved something I’ve always known about my reading. I read for characters, not setting or even plot (unless there IS no plot).

Weird thought #3

Why do I get anxious if I don’t know where a book is going? Some anxiety is good and what a writer strives for. This kind of anxiety felt like the times when I’ve been disappointed by an author killing off a character, or describing hideous child/animal abuse, or otherwise performing a “gotcha” moment.

Weird thought #4

Does that mean that books need to be comfort reads for me? I think it does. Sometimes, I’m in the mood for adventurous stuff. Most of the time I want to read about people I could like doing things I can’t do and having a happy ending. I love mysteries and romances and tend to avoid (like the plague) “literary fiction”.

How about you? Ever want to pluck a character from one book and put him into another? Ever run across a book with no plot? Do you get anxious if you don’t know where a book is going and you’re already hooked?