My Hopeless Addiction to Romance

I openly admit that I am addicted to romance books. Since the age of fifteen when I began reading romance they’ve been my favorite genre. That is not to say that my reading is limited to just love stories. No. I have to admit that there are great horror stories, westerns, biographies, etc out there that I’ve read that have nothing to do with romance. But really, isn’t it romance that makes our world go around and around? And isn’t it romance that great songs and movies are made of? Don’t we all wish to experience that all inspiring passion at least just once?

If you don’t like romance that is fine, but don’t assume the attitude that romance is less than other genres. At a writer’s conference this past summer I introduced myself to the four other people sitting at my table. I was eager to meet other writers. I found out that they were all from the same town and had driven from out of state together to attend the conference. They wrote poetry and were actually in a poetry group together. I like poetry and read it and I told the group that. We were all sitting and chatting being friendly when the lady sitting to my immediate right asked me what I wrote. “Oh, I write romance,” I replied. This lady immediately got a sour look on her face. She haughtily tilted her chin and looked down the length of her nose at me. “I have never read that type of book nor would I write it,” she stated and then she sniffed. I kid you not. She sniffed!

Completely stunned by her rudeness and for a moment speechless, I felt the heat of my embarrassment rise as I looked around the table at the other poetry writers. They ducked their heads.

Why you old biddy, I thought as my temper soared.

Turning back to the lady, I asked as sweetly as I could, “Are you published?” “No,” she replied. “Well I am!” I snapped and then I—Oh, no, you didn’t, you are thinking. Yes, I did and I hate to admit to it—I tilted my chin, looked down my nose at her and I sniffed! (Not my proudest moment) In hindsight of this lady's rudeness, I realized that I should have just responded with "Well that's too bad," and left it at that.

Later that day, the speaker in one of the workshops I attended talked about romance writing. She told the group that if they thought that writing romance was easy to think again. It is hard and yes, there is a story to tell. I was glad to see the poetry writers sitting two rows ahead of me. The gentleman sitting beside me who knew that I wrote romance leaned over toward me and smiled as he teased, “So your stories are not just kissy, kissy, you actually have a plot.” I had to laugh. Yes, my stories have a plot, but within my stories there is always, always a budding romance.

Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone and may you always have romance in your heart. I hope this next year brings you all that you wish for.

To visit Zequeatta's website go to http://www.zequeattajaques.com/