A Little Romance… A Little Love

I am sometimes asked why I have written romance novels. What led me down that path?

That’s a very good question, and one I am not sure I can answer with any certainty.

You see, I love to read, but romance is not one of the genres I read a lot of. I have, in the past, read some great rom-coms (think Bridget Jones and the like), but more often than not you’ll find me with a British or Scottish police procedural. Hand me a Colin Dexter, Ian Rankin, Peter Robinson, or Ruth Rendell, and I’ll read it cover to cover, usually without stopping!

But, as I have mentioned in previous blogs, there is an adage “write what you know.” I know nothing about how a police investigation works, or how a murder case is solved. And I may not be an authority on romance either, but I do live at the beach on Hatteras Island. After coming here for over half a century, and living here for more than a decade, I think I have a finger on its pulse. And to be fair, I am married to a cute guy I met on the beach in 1971 and had a huge crush on at the time, so I suspect I do have some romantic bones in my body!

Beaches, and for me, especially Hatteras beaches, lend themselves to romance. When I worked the front desk at the Cape Hatteras Motel for eight years, I talked to many guests who got married on the beach, honeymooned here, celebrated anniversaries here, and yes, even started their families here! Cape Hatteras, and all seven of our little villages here on the island, can be absolutely magical.

Take a beautiful stretch of isolated sand, a brilliant blue-green ocean, gentle waves (and they can be gentle at times), and a perfectly cerulean sky, and the days are made for hearts skipping a beat. Or, take the nighttime. There are cloudless skies with the Milky Way and a zillion stars all around. Then there are the storms that rumble through, over the ocean, watched at a safe distance. The lightening flashes and claps of thunder require a warm, safe hug.

When people vacation here, it’s often to get away from the crazy routines of life at home. When people are here, they can embrace the wildness that is our island, and appreciate both its energy and its stillness. It’s often a place to reflect, and find where the heart leads.

I like to write romance because I think it’s something this island helps create. All of my books have what is known as the “HEA” or Happily Ever After. With everything we experience these days in real life, I want my words to give the reader a chance to reflect. But more importantly, I want my stories, my characters, and their attempts at love, to be heart-warming and to bring smiles to faces.

Beach reads are an attempt to calm the ups and downs of daily living, to remind readers of a very special place, and to give hope. If I accomplish any of those, I know I will have succeeded. Thank you for letting me know when I have made one, or all, of those things happen for you!