Why I Love Romance...

by Donna MacMeans

I've been in conference mode all week. First with Accounting conferences (zzzzzzz), then - this weekend - the Central Ohio Fiction Writers conference with Suzanne Brockman as the keynote speaker.

Suzanne was great! She's a dynamic speaker and a wonderful teacher as well. As part of her presentation, she asked the 200 or so people in the audience to raise their hand if a romance ever made them laugh or smile.

I think every hand in the room went up. Mine did. Susan Elizabeth Philips never fails to get me smiling. Kristin Higgins, Susan Sey, Susan Heino, Lisa Cooke ...

Then Suzanne asked, "how many have read a romance that brought them to tears?" Again, the hands were raised. Now, I have to admit that while I may feel anxious over a particular romance, they rarely make me cry...but I remember tears tracing a path down my cheeks while I was reading an old Judith McNaught book. Jude Deveraux had me in tears over one of her medieval scenes as well. Newer romances haven't had that effect on me, but that might be the result of my reading choices. I'd rather laugh than cry.

Suzanne then asked, "how many have read a romance that brought them hope or solace during a particularly difficult time?" I was surprised by the number of hands raised, though mine was not one of them. I can't say I've had that particular experience. Reflecting on it, my life has been blessed (knock on wood) so I can't say I found a romance uplifting in the sense of giving hope. Of course, I've always assumed that given sufficient time, all difficulties will work out for the best in the long run. What-doesn't-kill-you-makes-you-stronger sort of philosophy.

So I thought I'd ask you the same questions. Have you read a book that made you laugh or cry? Have you read an uplifting romance that gave solace in a dark time? Spill some titles and share.

I won a basket of books at the conference. To be honest, I forgot I even dropped a raffle ticket in the bag (grin). So let me grab one - here we go - a copy of Sandra Hill's DESPERADO to someone leaving a comment.