Whenever I tell someone that I have a book coming out soon (Whoo, June 24^th !), nearly the first thing everyone says is, “A book? That’s great.” Kudos, kudos, kudos… Then they inevitably add, “How’d you find the time to write a book?”

I’m like any other writer, or maybe like most. I don’t get to support myself with my writing, so I work a full time job—44 hours a week. That’s not easy and takes up a great deal of my time, but there are bills to pay. And I like my job. Of course, I don’t end up with a lot of time left over to write, but I manage. The best ideas always hit in the shower, when I don’t have a pen and paper handy. But I usually get them down before they disappear. Inevitably, I write on the way to work. Sometimes in my head. Sometimes on the notebook I keep in my purse. At traffic lights only, of course. And like most writers, I carve out a little of my day to—

“You don’t need a snack right now, sweetie. Supper will be ready a minute. Now go practice your guitar, mama’s trying to write her blog.” Sorry…that was my son, Now where were we? Oh, yeah, Somehow I manage to sneak in a couple of hours before I go to bed. And, if I’m lucky, a half-hour or so when I get home from—

“What was that, honey? Okay, I’ll do a load of whites. Just let me finish this up. I understand that you don’t have any t-shirts for tomorrow. I’ll get them done. Promise.” Now, what was I saying? Oh, yeah, if I’m lucky sometimes I can sneak in a paragraph or two while supper cooks—thank the lord for casseroles!

“No, honey. I don’t know if he fed the dog, Why don’t you go ask him? Well, you’re as close to him as I am. You go ask. I’m trying to write before the ideas leave.”

What of my time isn’t promised to the “day job” gets divvied up between the various members of my family. I have a son and a husband, three sisters, a brother, a mom and dad and all sorts of in-laws who—

Hold on a sec. That’s my sister calling. “Hey. No, I’m not too busy. Just writing my blog. What’s up? For real? Uh-huh. I know. Give it a day or two and things will be back to normal. Yeah, I should go. I’ll call back later, ‘kay? Love you. Bye.”

Where was I…? Oh, my family. They are the true loves of my life. They give me support and encouragement and don’t deny the call when they see my name on the caller ID.

But I guess most of the spare time I chisel out of my day comes from not watching TV. The boob-tube’s all right, I suppose, but I’d rather be writing. Consequently, I’m a little out of touch with what’s going on in the wor—

“No, its not ready yet, son. Just a minute more.”

What was I saying? Oh, that sometimes I’m a little out of touch with what’s going on in the world. What movies won awards and who’s dating/divorcing/cheating/loving/making up in Hollywood. But that’s okay. I don’t feel like I’m missing—

Hang on. Need to go start that load of whites.

much. There’s not really anything good on anyway. (And if there is, please don’t tell me. I don’t want to get sucked into a show like I did with American Idol this season! Go, James!)

So all in all, I suppose I’m just like any other writer, taking my spare time and turning it into—

Yikes! There’s the smoke alarm. Gotta go! Time to rescue dinner.

Whew! Where did I find the time to write a book? I’m not quite sure myself!

I am proud to state for the record that I am a romance writer. (In case anyone was wondering.) But before I was a writer, I was a romance reader. Still am.

Anyone who’s ever read my blog knows I cut my teeth on “white cover” Harlequins. Janet Daily…Charlotte Lamb. Then Silhouette Romance came along with their pretty purple border. For the Love of God and The Wildcatter’s Woman. And Kismet…don’t forget Kismet. I would to share them with my mommaw (for those of you in the city, that’s country-Southern for grandmother). I practically devoured those books, reading at least one a night on school days. This adoration for amour started at the tender age of twelve. And I have loved them ever since.

So in honor of the Fool For Romance Contest, I’m gonna give you the top ten reasons why I’m a Fool for Romance—and why I read it.

#10—Eye candy. Romance novels have the best covers, hands down. Not that other covers aren’t great. They serve their purpose. They represent the book, pull the reader to them as they sit waiting on the shelf. But those pecs! (And I shrug, even though there’s no one around.) I Love Fabio. I love hunky guys, and I love hunky guys on the covers of my reading material. Thank you, romance cover artists, for giving me a fab ab to look at every time I pick up a book.

#9—Travel package. I can go to around the world and not even leave the house. I can go to Montana in a winter snow storm, the beach, a castle, or even to another world. The romance genre is so vast, I can go back in time to the world of knights, the Old West, or even the time of Regents. I can go forward in time, or into a magical world of someone else’s imagination. Or even a little of both. The places are as limitless as the sky.

#8—Fringe benefits. I can fall in love every day of the week and still stay happily married. I don’t say this lightly. I love my husband. And I’m glad he’s mine. I have only been in love (for real) once in my life—and that’s been with him. With a romance novel, I get to experience falling in love every time I open one.

#7—Favorable Comparative Analysis. Romance novels, like life, don’t go off without a hitch. Things happen. Heroines get pregnant, couples wake up accidentally married, stranded in a snow storm, excluded from (and included in) the will. But it’s safe to say that usually the heroine’s in more trouble than me. And her conservative husband is yelling that life with her is like living with I Love Lucy and…No, wait. That’s me. Oh well…

#6—Somebody else has to take care of the twins. Or triplets. Or more. I love babies They are amazing, wonderful creatures. But my time of mid-night feedings and burp rags is over. Sometimes I’m sad about that, sometimes not. A romance novel can give me a “baby fix” without the trouble/cost/weight-gain of actually having another baby. Or two. Or three.

#5—Monogamous relationships. When I open a romance novel, I know a lot of things can happen. I also know the hero and heroine are going to be exclusive. There are some racier romances out there—erotica and such—with a little more, ah…variation…but for the most part, mainstream romances can boast of monogamous relationships…one guy, one girl. I may be a bit old-fashioned, but that’s just the way I think it should be.

#4—Murder, Magic, and Laughs. Along with falling in love, raising kids, and going to other worlds, romances offer a great deal of backdrops. Intrigue, paranormal, and comedy. And sometimes a combination of all three and more. I love (and write) romantic comedies, but I’ve been known to read historical, time travels (oh, I looovvveee time travels), mysteries, vampire, wizards, and…well, you get the picture.

#3—Love always wins. Always. Love is the ultimate fault changin’, do-goodin’, makin’-up-for-lost-time, forgivin’ element there is. And romance novels are full of it!

#2—Cowboys, deputy sheriffs, and billionaires. I have nothing more to say about this. Except sheikhs, princes, and CEOs. <g>

And the #1 reason why I read romance is…

Satisfaction Guaranteed. Guaranteed. I don’t know about you, but I don’t get many of these in my life. I got a warranty with the microwave, but that’s about it. A romance promises a happy ending. If it doesn’t end with the reader satisfied (and the couple happy), it’s not a romance. The end. Danielle Steele…not romance. Nicholas Sparks…not romance. Dan Brown…well, duh. Romances end Happy Ever After. And that’s why I read them. If I want to be depressed, I’ll go watch the news.

When in doubt about a book’s true genre, it usually says on the spine. Look for the ones marked ‘romance’. And the aisle where those are located…well, that’s where you’ll find me!

Happy Reading!

PS—don’t forget to leave me a comment. Tell me why you love romance—or whatever your preferred reading material may be. I’m giving away a basket of goodies as well as a chance to win a Kindle!

And therefore I love to write romance.  The first thing you should know about romance authors is that we don’t know any more bedroom secrets than other women…we just write them down!  (And edit them, send them to others to read and eventually have them published.  But that’s another blog…)

I cut my teeth on white cover Harlequins.  I had a friend who would bring them to school in a brown paper grocery sack. I would take them home, do my homework (I always did my homework first, of course).  Then I would read one.  Yes, the entire book in one evening.  If I had known all that went into those sweet romances I would have least taken a couple of days to read them.

I love romances for many reasons.  It’s the only happy ending you’re guaranteed.  And I like men.  Real men.  Men who make multi-million dollar deals without blinking an eye.  Men who kill their own food and men who only have to think about it for a page or two before they agree to be a father to their best friend’s/next door neighbor’s/secretary’s baby.  Who doesn’t love a man like that?

But whenever I tell someone about my writing, they inevitably ask, “what kind of book is it?”  And I always try to reply with confidence, “It’s a romance novel.”  But somehow I sound like I’m apologizing.  Why?  I don’t know.  I’m a skilled writer.  I can write whatever I set my mind to.   (I know this is true because my agent told me so!)  And I choose to write romance.  But I find myself stumbling around as if my hard work isn’t worthy of general praise.  My books won’t change the world, but they will allow you to escape it for a night or two.  No one dies (at least not many).  There’s no big mystery to solve, no disease of the week so obscure that you have to Google it in order to find out what it is.  But there is always always a happy ending.  (Therefore I will never make it to Oprah’s book list–and I’m okay with that.)   There’s always a good man, a woman I hope the reader can identify with (at least on some level) and their journey to love.  What more do you really need?

So here’s my blog about writing romance…the things that inspire me (oh…not that!) and the journey through the treacherous wilds of publication.

And here’s your warning…Happy Endings ahead!

A friend of mine once said, “A good man is easy to find…read a romance novel.”   Better still…read one of mine!

Writing tip of the day–do a “that” search.  Most can be left out.  And forgive yourself (and me) for the ones that remain.