Last month the Guardian reported on an interesting survey undertaken by the Festival of Romance, an international convention on romantic fiction. They interviewed 58 romantic novelists to find out what qualities are important in a man. These were the results: The perfect man, according to romantic novelists (% agreeing), is: Essential: Loyal (91%) Honest (89%) […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
… Or so the popular saying goes. Heathcliff and Cathy. Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy. Scarlett O’Hara and Rhett Butler. Jane Eyre and Mr Rochester. Pip and Estella. Dexter and Emma (One Day)… Romantic stories throughout the history of literature are peppered with the prolonged separation of lovers, which serves to bring them closer together. […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
The phenomenal success of Fifty Shades of Grey has brought romance (of the erotic variety) into the public eye. The book series has sparked all sorts of discussions over feminism/anti-feminism in terms EL James’s plot and characterisation. It got me to thinking about romance stories, and about the balance of power in them. Is there […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
When developing the idea for a novel, one of the areas I must consider carefully is the job of the hero and the heroine. Sounds superficial and unimportant, perhaps… after all, we are not our jobs; we are much more besides. But the job of a character is important for two reasons First, the career […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
To celebrate its third anniversary, my publisher Omnific is holding a great Kindle giveaway, and to tie in each author is writing a post from their hero to their heroine on Valentine’s Day. As a break from the norm, I’ve decided to have fun creating a pictorial love note from Rafe of Burning Embers to […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
I confess I love romance novels in which there is a tortured hero, because I think any love story needs conflict, some struggle that must be overcome, and inner conflict is, for me, the most compelling. I love human characters, real characters, who are imperfect and wrestle with themselves, because these are people with whom […] ↓ Read the rest of this entry…
