Beth Kery | Do You Believe in the Magic of Romance?

Does true romance really exist? Or is it just the stuff and nonsense of romance novels?

I do believe in romance, or I wouldn’t write romance novels. Having said that, I have to admit there are a few qualifications that go along with that attestation. A romance is a story where people connect in a way that’s beyond that of the common-place and casual. I think we dream about making that profound connection with another person. It brings us out of ourselves; let’s us see the world in a whole new way. It seems to me that’s what readers want in a romance—to vicariously experience that moment of intense connection, to feel alive, to see oneself as unique and beautiful through the eyes of another.

But is romance escapism? Wouldn’t it be better to see the world for what it is—a place where war and famine exists, where people daily take advantage, lie and steal from one another? As a child, we slowly learn the lesson that ‘life isn’t fair.’ What’s more, life can be ugly, cold and harsh. By the time we’re adults, we’re wary about being seen as a pushover…someone who’s foolish enough to believe in dreams. We know from firsthand experience that if a political candidate should mention the word ‘dream’ in their speech, they’ll be attacked by their hard-nosed opponent as being weak or unsubstantial.

But it’s mainly because life can be harsh (or routine and boring) that the romance novel has its appeal. Almost everyone knows the thrill of going to a movie theatre and escaping for a few hours to a place of excitement, romance and adventure.

Of course, there’s always the risk that a person mistakes the 'escape' for 'reality.' This is one of the main criticisms about the romance novel. Sure, most of us recognize the fantasy elements…but what about the person who actually expects a knight in shining armor or an alpha (or two) with smoking pistols in their pocket to come strutting through their bedroom door?

What if she’s unable to see the cute, hopeful guy who’s into her big-time because she’s waiting for some amalgamation of every romance hero she’s every read?

For me, this isn’t much of an argument against romance novels. It does happen, and it’s unfortunate. But I can’t help but notice that people watch Clint Eastwood, Angelina Jolie or Harrison Ford incessantly, and rarely do they become convinced they’re a bad-ass who is going to save the world. That’s because the action-adventure hero is as much a fantasy as the romantic hero (and of course, these two roles blend together nicely.) It’s a ‘type,’ a myth that we as human beings recognize as easily as the warrior-hero or the brave, beautiful princess.

So back to my original question, “Does romance really exist?” I know that it does—just like other virtues, such as heroism, courage and altruism really exist. It’s an ideal, one that we should strive for in our relationships; not just passively wait for like a princess in a tower.

Romance is also a feeling. Sure, it’s something that happens between two people, but it’s also a person’s actions or a place that evokes a feeling of heightened awareness of oneself…the infinite possibilities of life. There’s a certain glamour to romance…a sense of something higher. It doesn’t have to be huge to be romantic. I have a scene in my upcoming Berkley time travel called DARING TIME where the early twentieth century heroine dances by herself, imagining being in her lover’s arms. It’s set in a lovely old ballroom and her satin, ermine-bordered dress swishes along the polished wood floor. That’s romance to me.

Romance lives. Sometimes it might even look and feel like a romance-novel-romance. Oftentimes, it’s as diverse, quirky, or quiet as the people who are romancing. Bolder, idealized romances in novels don’t take away from the beauty of that. Everyone has the ability to be the hero and heroine of their own life, to inject the dream into everyday existence…even if it is in some small, personal way.

So what do you think? Does romance exist in your life?

Beth Kery
www.bethkery.com/

Tony Eldridge | The Great Equalizer

I stumbled upon Fresh Fiction from the recommendation of a friend who loves the site. As I began surfing, I thought to myself, “Wow, we have come so far as authors and readers.” It hasn’t been too long since the only places you could find good books were in the bookstores and in the libraries. That meant that a lot of great books could never be found or read by readers. Why? Simply because of the limited resources needed to make the books available. Can you imagine walking into a bookstore and having to walk through a small sky scraper in order to browse every book available? Neither time nor money exist for something like that. Besides, there is something cozy about visiting a library or bookstore with a cup of coffee or tea in hand to browse through your favorite genre for a couple of hours. Can you imagine having to schedule your two-week vacation to do just that if every book ever written was available to you in a bookstore?

But the internet has broken through the barriers to make that happen. It has become “The Great Equalizer”. As readers, we have access to books that would never have been made available to us in the past. As writers, we now have a platform to reach more people than ever before. Not that every book we write will be seen by every reader, but at least the potential is there. And with sites like Fresh Fiction and others, we have the opportunity to see books, read reviews, and watch trailers to see what piques our literary interest.


Take my book, for example. I have written an action/adventure book, The Samson Effect, that Clive Cussler calls a “first rate thriller brimming with intrigue and adventure.” A major Hollywood producer has acquired the film rights to it. I also have some other big things brimming under the surface that should be announced soon about the book. How did this happen? Not because a million copies sat on bookstore shelves around the country. It happened because of “The Great Equalizer”. Readers surfed the net and found the book. They read it, blogged about it, and reviewed it. They told others about it and soon, the book appeared on countless number of sites and in search engines results.

Sure, The Samson Effect sat on bookstore shelves, but the lion’s share of sales came because of readers who found in on the internet. For that, I am thankful. Thankful for the readers, for sites like Fresh Fiction, and for living in a time when any author can compete for the privilege of having readers all over the world consider their work.

I still enjoy curling up on an oversized sofa in a bookstore with my Sumatran coffee and browsing through books in my local bookstore. But as I look back at the last 12 books I have read, they have all been purchased through the internet. And six of them have the author’s autograph on them. How cool is that? They were signed from authors around the world and I didn’t have to stand in line for even one of them. And you know what? I have found some new favorite authors that I probably never would have found if “The Great Equalizer” hadn’t existed.

So thanks for browsing, thanks for your reviews and your word-of-mouth recommendations, and for the time you have taken to read this blog entry. And if you have a few moments, I would appreciate it if you could make a quick stop to my home page, http://www.samsoneffect.com/ and check out my little corner of the internet. Who knows, you may just find another favorite author in the process.

Tony Eldridge

Jessica Andersen | Of Mayan Myths and Hot Men

As I talk to people about NIGHTKEEPERS, one question that comes up repeatedly is one of inspiration, and how I came to take pieces of ancient Mayan mythology and bring them into a modern day paranormal romantic thriller. Given that I’m a scientist by training and have spent the last bunch of years writing medical romantic suspense, it might seem a little off-topic for me to be writing about Mayan mythology. But really it isn’t. . . it goes back to being a little kid and visiting a big pyramid.

This was back when Cancun was just starting to become Americanized. My parents and I stayed at small local hotels and took rattling bus tours to Mayan ruins across the Yucatan. I soaked up enough Spanish to ask where the bathroom was, and to order a burger and Coke. More, I learned how the Mayans were masters of astronomy, and how they played a winner-loses-head ball game in huge, open-ended ball courts. I discovered flan (and subsequently Montezuma’s revenge), haggled at open-air markets, and learned a bit about how the coming of the Conquistadors in the early 1500s had changed the landscape forever.

Ever since, I’ve been fascinated with the Maya. I can still close my eyes and feel the damp chill of the narrow stone stairway inside the great pyramid at Chichen Itza, or remember the squirrelly quiver at the pit of my stomach as I stood at the edge of the Cenote Sacrada- a water-filled sinkhole hundreds of feet across and down, that the ancient Mayans used for ceremonies and sacrifice. It’s those images, those memories of history and grandeur and a deep sense of otherness, that came back to me, grabbed me by the throat and dragged me along for the ride when I stumbled over a reference to the endpoint of the ancient Mayan calendar, and how it aligns with scientific concerns about a stellar conjunction set to occur on that very day. . . December 21, 2012.

I mean, how cool is that?

So I started working on the concept for NIGHTKEEPERS and the subsequent books in the series. But the stories that I love to read and write aren’t about a place, or a situation. . . they’re about the people in those places and situations: How does a guy with a business degree and part ownership of a garden center deal with learning that he’s not only the last leader of a dying race of magi, but it’s up to him to save the world? How does a no-nonsense detective hunting her brother’s killer cope with learning that his death- and her own potential sacrifice- are tied up in ancient prophecies and the so-called 2012 doomsday? How do they both deal with an attraction that is part magic, part basic chemistry, and one hundred percent complicated?

I researched history and mythology, and I thought about the lives and loves of the modern-day magi sworn to protect mankind from the 2012 doomsday, and eventually I sat down and started to write, always with the question in mind: what would surprise me if it happened next? What would make me say, “Dude… didn’t see that coming!” For me, that kick of excitement is another kind of inspiration.

Thus, for me and the writing of NIGHTKEEPERS, inspiration began with a long-ago vacation and a lifelong interest, and then became a love story, and an adventure. I hope you’ll join me on that adventure, and that you’ll love Strike and Leah as much as I do.

Jessica Andersen
http://www.jessicaandersen.com/

T. Lynn Ocean | Reliving My Tomboy Days

It all began when I was five or six years old and saw a boy peeing on a tree. I remember being outrageously jealous. Not because he had something down there that I didn't, but rather because he could pee standing up and I couldn't. I know this for a fact because I tried, and trust me, it wasn't easy having to explain to my mother why my shorts and socks were wet when I went in from the neighborhood playground.

I never tried to pee on a tree again, but I did grow up playing with matchbox cars instead of Barbie dolls. By the time adolescence rolled around, I could outrun and out-climb all the boys my age. So when the idea for SOUTHERN FATALITY came to me, I decided to relive my tomboy days by writing from the first person male point of view.

A mystery, tough guy action adventure, it was so much fun to write as I tried to think and talk and fight like a guy. But then something strange happened. The character woke me up in the middle of the night and told me she was a woman. So I gave her a sex change and did a rewrite.

Who is Jersey Barnes? Take the toughest, most hardcore military-trained dude you can imagine. Then stuff him inside the body of a 5' 8 female with a gorgeous set of size D breast implants and a knockout smile. Give her a penchant for quality lingerie and a quick wit. Oh, and don't forget to strap on a .45 caliber Glock. Getting the idea? The first in a new mystery adventure series, SOUTHERN FATALITY is due out today. I hope you'll enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it!


T. Lynn Ocean

http://www.tlynnocean.com/