And I use the term ‘we’ loosely because my eyes have really been opened as far as the differences in tastes when it comes to romance novels. I’ve been naive. Romance is an enormous genre and its fans are stupendously loyal, discerning and demanding.
I’m kinda floored by it all.
In my naive brain, I thought romance readers boiled down to wanting a few things: a Happily Ever After, and either sex or no sex.
Hahahahahahahahahaha.
Turns out, there are a million sub-genres. Here are a few:
Sweet, Dark, Christian, Contemporary, Historical, Fantasy, Clean, Gothic, Erotic, Paranormal, Comedic.
And within these, there are sub-sub-genres—each with its own kind of rules and patterns to follow. TikTok is saturated with high praise and fierce opinions on what makes a good love story. Some want their heroes strong and their heroines submissive. Others want to see equals growing their connection slow-burn style. And still others want a boat-load of kink set against a dystopian, steampunk end-of-days type situation.
Some of y’all are into some spicy shit and I am here for it! Admittedly, I’m out of my depth right now BUT have a deep willingness to learn more…
Here’s the thing. Like most of us, I’ve had some unlearning to do when it comes to romance in real, day-to-day life. But I will never lose my reverence for the magic that can subsist between two people during moments of deep connection. That is always worth writing about—no matter the genre.
The trick for me now is where do I want to land? As in, what sort of romance do I want to write?
My first novel, Without Fear of Falling, was considered Historical Romance with a touch of Paranormal and Spiritual. My second, The Sweetwood Series, is Sweet Contemporary Romance with a side of Billionaire and Suspense.
Where will I end up next? That’s what I’m sorting out. And the conclusion I’m coming to is NOT to write for an audience, but to write for myself trusting that the audience will be there. We all love love. And there is room out there for us all.
