In the last year I’ve begun tweeting–on Twitter–and my Twitter bio says I “enjoy writing about everyday real, non-vampire, non-werewolf people falling in love and learning to make relationships work.” I didn’t have room on Twitter to add the last line of “…Call me crazy, but I think we all have a better chance at this.” My emphasis on in-this-world romance could be partly due to the fact that in my other profession, I am a therapist helping people do just that…make relationships work.
I believe in love, true love and in living a fulfilling relationship with a mate who likes you as much as you like him.
For years, my critique partners and I have had a on-going discussion about the subject. They claim–and they don’t write fantasy or paranormal–that readers want fantasy, make-believe beautiful relationships, not the real thing…which can sometimes be not beautiful. Oddly enough, all the members of my critique group are long-term married themselves and all claim these are happy marriages.
The essence of fiction is that the protagonists meet challenges…and over-come these. This helps characters and readers feel strong and capable. Isn’t this what we’re going for?