Years ago, I was an attending author at a convention appearing on a panel about writing romance novels. with several other very talented romance novelists. The discussion was great veering from how to write a sexy scene to how to get into self-publishing. When the Q&A portion of the panel came, one of the audience members asked about what inspired us to write romance. One of the answers that a panelist gave kind of… well… it pissed me off. See, her stories were inspired by her real life job as a concert promoter and that her books were very real. As in, none of her rock star characters met and fell in love with the girl next door. All of her heroines were musicians, models, and other people “in the business” because there was no way that a rock star would ever in a million years fall in love with the waitress at the diner or any other “ordinary” girl. “It just doesn’t happen. Period.”
While I understand the author’s reasoning and admire her for wanting to be truthful in her stories, I couldn’t help thinking that statement was a bit of a turn-off. Most readers of romance novels are “ordinary” girls. They’re waitresses, teachers, retail managers, fast-food cooks, doctors, lawyers, bus drivers, librarians… the list goes on. And part of the joy of a romance novel, or any novel for that matter, is being able to escape your own sometimes mundane existence and share in a dreamy fantasy. I feel that my job as a romance novelist is to craft and sell that fantasy so that it is accessible to everyone no matter their job, socioeconomic status, race, religion, or sexual orientation. It may very well be true that a rock star isn’t going to fall in love and marry a waitress at the diner where he eats after every show, but that may very well be Jolene’s fantasy.
In my interactions with readers, I’ve heard all sorts of reasons why they love to read romance. Very often those reasons are, “I don’t have anyone in my life right now and sometimes I feel like I’m never going to find love. Romantic stories make me feel like it can happen even for me.” If a reader picks up your books and every heroine is a model or actress that she can’t identify with, what’s that saying to her?
I’m not suggesting that all romance heroines have to be “ordinary” girls. In fact, I think all of us girls are pretty special in our own way whether we’re a superheroine running toward the burning building or a super mom running after her kid that forgot his lunch. Romance isn’t necessarily about reality, and why should it have to be? Romance should be about telling a great story, providing an escape, empowering people, and giving us hope that there is love in the world. For everyone.
Not just supermodels.