Positive Thoughts on Romance
The blog I posted on Sept. 25 has generated LOTS of comments, feedback, etc. This is great, since I wanted to enlighten people. That blog can be read by scrolling down a bit, or clicking Warning: A very serious blog
Many of the comments here and on Facebook expressed well-meaning, sincere concern of how I was feeling through all of this. First, thanks SO much for that! It is lovely to know people care about me, and my writing, enough to immediately turn their hearts my direction. My friends and fans ROCK!
However, I want to assure that nothing about this has shaken my belief in who I am and what I write. The biggest distress for me was that I was really excited about the teaching opportunity. I vividly envisioned a cluster of young ladies chatting writing, Regency fashion and history, Jane Austen, romance, and the rest, in a cross between a book club and interactive teaching session. I looked ahead at the Mondays up through the end of the year as my “fun” time. Having that fall apart was a blow, I’ll admit.
The worst, however, was the sadness of what I learned about these precious, innocent girls (and the many others out there caught in the same situation). They were the purpose of the blog I wrote.
Three, or even two years ago, this might have hurt me more or caused me to question my stories. Now I not only have a thicker skin – after all, bad reviews sting FAR more than this – but I also have hundreds of emails collected over the years conveying honest feedback on how my novels have been received by those who read them.
All writers have fan letters, and we cling to them in our dark hours, reading over and over if necessary. You who feel led to reach out and connect with your favorite authors have no idea how profoundly you inspire us! I could go off on a tangent, becoming either nauseatingly sentimental or boringly philosophical. I won’t do that, I promise! Instead I am going to share, from time to time, snippets of the emails I have received and general information on the positive aspects of romance novels.
I love how you make Darcy & Elizabeth very loving, but in all senses of the word. They respect each other, take delight in each other’s intelligence and wit, and continuously strive to learn more about each other. Wonderful!! It’s also so charming to watch them build their family around them, not just the baby, but in getting to know uncles, aunts, sisters, friends, etc. and building a loving and trusting support group.
I am so excited for you and am glad to know that Christian women do know true romance in the right perspective! MARRIAGE!
“Much of the coverage of romance novels focuses on the idea that they’re all about sex. They’re not. They’re about courtship! If you ask a couple, “How did you meet?” no two stories are the same. It’s the same with romance novels… Romance readers do not expect real men to be carbon copies of romance heroes — we don’t expect anyone to ride in on a horse wielding a sword and solving all our problems. Romance heroes are found in real moments of caring… Romances communicate that women should be the heroines of their own lives and that happy endings take work — there is no easy way to happiness. It doesn’t just show up. Romances teach that you are lovable and worthy of a happiness exactly the way you are and shouldn’t have to change drastically to please someone else.” Sarah Wendell, Everything I know About Love, I Learned From a Romance Novel
I am a pretty strong Christian believer and I just love that you made Darcy pure before marriage!! I so value waiting until marriage.
Four years ago I lost my beloved husband of 36 wonderful happy years. I was 19 when we married and I was never happier than when we were in the same room, space, bed, car, tub… you get the idea. Each page of your novels made me stop and remember my husband. It made me both happy and sad. But I also smiled as I said to myself, “This is how it was for me and I got to feel all those emotions again. THANK YOU! You see some people just don’t understand true deep love. You do, in your own life and in your writing and you are sharing and giving.
Dear Sharon,
what a lovely blog! I especially liked the second email, it made me smile and sad at the same time!
And by the way, are you in a bookclub? I can´t remember if you ever spoke about it.
Best wishes from Austria to the United States,
Susanne