Christina Mandelski | Love Makes the (Otherwise Pretty Screwed Up) World Go Round

The world can seem like a pretty dark place some days. Sometimes just checking your Twitter feed can leave you wanting to crawl back into bed and hide under the covers. But before you do that, you find the remote and take it under there with you – and then, after your panic attack subsides, you peek out and turn on the TV. And there, in all its glory, on some random cable channel, The Holiday is being shown for the millionth time, and there you are, with Cameron Diaz, in that quaint English pub, looking up and seeing Jude Law, who smiles at you like you are the only other person in the entire crowded room. You watch the rest of the movie—Will Cameron finally get in touch with her emotions and cry? Will Iris find the strength to finally leave the Jerk? YES! Of course, all these things will happen! Then, when the credits roll, you take a deep breath, and emerge, ready to face the day.

Romance novels do the exact same thing, don't they? Except they're portable and
available whenever you need them. If you think about it, they're like little
paperback (or electronic) weapons against the less appealing aspects of life on
this planet. Having a bad day? Open the book, dive in, pick up where you left
off, and things will get better, even if for just a little while.

As a romance novel reader, you know that your hero and heroine will end up
living happily ever after. That's the payoff, of course, but HOW will it happen?
How much trouble will they get in first? How close will they come to disaster,
and how in the world will they finally come together? Like a good movie, the
author will keep you guessing, on the edge of your seat, amping up the heat
between the characters and bringing you along for the ride.

To put it quite simply, a good romance can give us hope despite our circumstances. Hope that true love, no matter how difficult it is to find, is out there. Hope that everything will work out in the end. And I don't think it's living in denial or putting faith in something silly. In fact, I think that's how the human heart works—it's made to want love, to have faith in love, and to seek out reminders that love is real, and attainable, and worth it.

Whether they're told on film or on the page, love stories have the ability to
transcend the problems and concerns of a world that seems to get weirder and
darker by the day. They shine a light, and make us forget, even for a little
while, about struggling relationships, politics, finances, diagnoses, even the
laundry. I'm a big fan of anything that makes me forget about the piles of
laundry that constantly wait for my attention. In short, they lift us up.

Who doesn't need that kind of lift once in a while?

Thank you for having me here today, and Happy Reading!