Archive for February, 2016

CAUTION: SPOILER IF YOU HAVEN’T READ ALL THE BOOKS YET

A little late for Valentine’s day, I know. My other full time job got in the way…

Anyway, as you probably know, Dairyland Murders is written in the genre of romantic suspense. And while it’s fun writing the suspense part and making characters squirm, it’s also fun for me to write the romance part too.

I’m not just talking about the sex scenes though. The emotional aspects are very fulfilling as well. Maybe some of my fans are less than thrilled about that. I don’t care. In my opinion, in order for characters, particularly recurring ones, to be fully developed, they need to be emotionally rounded.

That doesn’t mean that the romance goes smoothly. Far from it. Darlene and Cameron seem to have a very stable romantic relationship, but even their marriage is continually bogged down in social and racial differences, as it should be. No marriage is perfect. Like a good garden, a marriage needs constant tending and attention. If you ignore the weeds, they take over.

Evan and Bernice have the complete opposite of a smooth romance. It’s a love that persists despite itself. Continuing with the garden metaphor, their love is the weed; I’d say a dandelion. Its resilience is peskily admirable. No matter what you throw at it, it survives.

Their love is what a romance is suppose to be. It’s always turbulent and dramatic. She tells him she loves him, but hates herself for it. He runs away from her love to prove he deserves it. They betray each other. She runs from him because she thinks she can’t live up to his expectations. He goes on a noble quest to get her back and prove once and for all that they should be together. But will it last?

If you swear up and down that you NEVER read romances because they are sappy and unrealistic, then you are missing out. A billion dollar industry makes a mockery of your claim, and my books would be one dimensional shams without it.