SO, I have always been a romance author. I like writing about people who fall in love. But working with Leona on Seven Days to Niche Fame has thrown me for a loop. Because while romance and contemporary are definitely right, what else am I?
My books don't necessarily match.
I have a romantic suspense novel set in the US about a man who is wrongfully jailed and his best friend who goes to extreme lengths to free him.
I have a gritty duet about two brothers in a rock band.
I have a follow-up duet involving one of the brothers from the book above, but it's about a girl who experiences a sexual assault and following that, a storm of social media bullying (although there is a very slow burn romance involved - like... really slow).
I have a standalone novel about a lady living with anxiety after divorce who meets a slightly younger man who is living with domestic abuse from his partner. Also an extremely slow burn.
I have a book about a lady who is trying to save her business after the pandemic and crosses paths with a cocky photographer who can help her business back on its feet - which is more sweet with heat, but the heat is pretty hot!
And then my story on Ream which is way higher in the heat levels, as will be my upcoming release All Of You - which is also super angsty.
So.. the main theme that runs through is actually angst and heat. Is that a thing readers find appealing?
What do YOU look for in a romance?
But there's also a thing I have that I can't quite seem to overcome. I like my books - that's not the bad part. The bad part is that I worry that if people I know, people I respect, see me promoting high heat level books, they will look down on me as untalented. Because that's a common misconception about romance too. That it's sort of the lowest level of fiction and requires little imagination. Let me tell ya, writing romance requires a LOT of imagination if you don't want your books and love scenes to be repetitive.
SO, I guess I'm just over here, tripping over myself. Getting in my own way. And I don't really know how to stop that.And I'm wondering if anyone else feels the same way.
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