When I was little I used to love the Goosebumps books by R.L. Stine.  It was him that introduced me to horror, and I fell in love.  When I got a bit older, I made a discovery that was quite shocking:  R.L. Stine also wrote romance.  Since that time, I noticed that this trend seemed to be the norm as opposed to the exception.  Time and time again, I hear of horror writers getting involved in the romance genres.  I practically come across dozens of horror author’s websites with sections dedicated to romance.  I’ll provide not only R.L Stine, but Anne Rice and Nancy Kilpatrick, as examples of this phenomenon.  So, I decided to embark on a journey to discover what this romance trend is all about.

 

I started by picking up Jane Eyre at my local library at the suggestion of my romance loving friends, who told me about the “ghost” that “haunted” Jane throughout the book.   I discovered a story of two plain people, living unique lives, trying to find love.  I’ll admit, I’ve gotten to the part where Jane leaves Thornfield, and have yet to finish it.  For those of you who have read it, you’ll understand this:  my lack of interest is probably because I no longer have the promise of a haunting.  Although romance may not be my cup of tea, I have started to understand what makes romance so appealing.  As such, with my apologies to Ms. VanRooy (Scribe & Quill’s resident romance authority) for no doubt not doing this genre justice (you can correct all my mistakes in a follow-up article), I would like to comment on writing romance fiction, for all of those non-romance types who’d still like to try their luck.

 

Now that I had a familiarity for the romance genre (I count reading one book as familiar enough for me), I decided to seek out a professional and friend, Sara Fitzgerald, who has recently had multiple romance novels accepted for publication.  With all of her recent success, I figured she must know something about what romance readers want today.  Strangely enough, she is working on a vampire novel in addition to her romance novels (another romance\horror crossover example).  This sparked some questions, and the following is an excerpt of an interview that I conducted with her:

 

Rick:  Sara, why do you think romance is so popular today?

 

 

Sara: I think romance continues to be so popular today because romance changes with time.  Romance novels (at least most) no longer talk about the sulking, rich, all powerful thirty-six year-old man who meets the eighteen-year-old virgin.  Nowadays romance novels are filled with larger than life women with exciting careers and passions.  These women are real too - they could be your best friend or sister.  And romance novels now deal with real issues - like divorce, death, blended families, etc.

 

 

 

Rick: How do you explain the increase in authors that write both horror and romance?

 

Sara: It seems like many horror writers also write romance, how do I explain that? Simple. Romance sells.  If a writer wants to make a lot of money - he’ll or she’ll write romances.  50% of the book market is romance.  Plus, writers like to write different things now and again.  I know I do.

 

Rick:  I have recently written an article defining five types of horror.  What are the different types of romance?

 

Sara: There are as many different types of romance novels.  You have romantic suspense, inspirational, erotica, sweet, mainstream, paranormal, historical, etc.  The fastest growing two are inspirational and erotica.

 

Rick: Do you recommend using romance elements in every genre?  Why?

 

Sara: I think romance elements should be used, even cross-genre, because almost everyone has fallen in love at one time in their life and can relate to that roller-coaster ride.  Romance will draw your readers in and help them to relate to your characters.

 

Rick: What is the main difference between romance and the other genres?  What sets romance apart?

 

Sara:  The number one difference with writing romance is that there is a certain formula to writing romance; in fact, so much so that there are contests for romance writers that focus on specific character developments, such as the first time they meet, their first kiss, the first time they make love, etc.  The novel’s main focus is on the relationship between the couple - everything else comes in second.  And of course there has to be a happy ever after.

 

Rick:  That’s much different than in horror.  How do you create conflict in romance?  Obviously killing off one of the two main characters isn’t a good idea.

 

Sara:  The conflict is about the relationship between the couple - the WHY they can’t be together.  Of course you will have plot conflicts too, but the main conflict is why these two beautiful people can’t possibly be together.

 

A good way to create conflict in a romance is sexual tension.  That in itself is a whole another interview - *smile*.

 

Rick:  And the question to end all interviews:  What advice would you give to the aspiring romance author?

 

Sara: The advice I would give other writers who want to write romance novels is to first and most importantly write them because you love a good romance - not to make money.  I always believe that writers should follow their heart.   Second write the kind that you enjoy reading - paranormal if that is what you like (like in your case).  Third - read as much as you can - see how other writers write.  And never give up!!!   If you believe in yourself, your voice will find a home and readers will be happy it did.

 

 

So armed with new information and a few new tools, I set off to learn how to write romance.  Granted, I’m going to have to refrain from blowing up people at the end of my story, but I think I can handle that.

 

Special thanks to Sara Fitzgerald, who lives in the Rockies with her husband Russ, her two dogs Blizzard and Storm, and Jesse the cat. With poetry published in The Voices of Utah, Sara is actively involved in the League of Utah Writers and the Utah Romance Writer's Association and has had several books, short stories, and articles published. When she is not writing, Sara is working towards a master's degree in social work at the University of Utah. More information about her books can be found on sarafitzgerald.com, but I’m warning you now, her website is really really pink.

 

Next time: romantic elements, and how to write a good romance… from the amateur perspective, of course.