The Top Ten Reasons Why I Love To Read And Write Romance

10. I’m such a girlie-girl.

Seriously, I’m not even going to tell you how old I was when I finally had to give up my Barbie dolls. (Buying new outfits and accessories for that chick was so much fun!) I will say that I soon found a grown-up way to still… err… play with dolls. (Yes, we call it collecting now.) And as long as some of them are porcelain and have an official certificate of authenticity or something, you’re cool. No one will know it’s because you’re a big ole girlie girl who still likes pretty dolls… wink wink…

9. I’m a sucker for love.

Give me any chance to sigh and say awwww and I will do it every time. It’s like a reflex, an impulse. I couldn’t stop it if I wanted to. Classic lines in romantic movies had me at hello. Sappy sweet romantic lyrics in love songs make my heart beat a little faster and my breath catch every time. And if the hero in a novel says the right thing at the right time to the heroine in the right way… Let’s just say I live for those moments and that’s one of the reasons why I’ve been devouring romance novels since the age of twelve.

8. I puffy-heart-love secret babies.

Some people can’t stand this tried and true romance storyline. I can honestly say that ever since I found out there was such a thing it has remained on of my all-time favorite romance storylines. I have no idea why. I don’t think it’s because I’m mean and like to say in the tone of nah-nah-nah-nah-nah-nah ‘She had your baby. She didn’t tell you.’ I don’t think I’m that mean… being a sucker for love and all... But I do know that when browsing through the books store and reading back cover blurbs, if I see a secret baby book, nine times out of ten it is coming home with me.

7. I blame Disney…

Just like every other little girl in American I was indoctrinated with fairy princesses and handsome princes from an early age. All I’m saying is very few women make it through this type of outright propaganda without having a thing for romance. Sure they don’t all grow up to read and write romance. But I’m just saying…

6. Nikki Giovanni said “black love is black wealth” and I believe her.

I honestly believe that the more stories we can tell and share about black folks falling in love and making it work can’t help but be a good thing. The more people we have believing in love in these times of war, poverty and disease the better.



5. I like a well-written love scene.

Sue me! I’m not going to lie about it. I know there are some women who could care less about the love scenes in romance novels. I’m not one of them. This isn’t to say that I can’t read and enjoy sweet romances or inspirational romances. I do because at the end of the day it’s the love story and the romance that I’m really after. But what made me sneak my mother’s romance novels at the age of twelve had more to do with those love scenes than not. I wanted to read them. I still want to read really good ones. And I like writing them. When you write a really good one, it’s almost like writing a really good poem. And when I have to stop and fan myself in the middle of reading one or writing one that’s better than… cake… wink, wink… I know you didn’t think I was going to say better than sex? They’re good but they aren’t that good. But when they’re really good they can serve as inspiration and that’s all I’m saying about that…

4. Happily ever after…

Yes, I still have a need to believe it exists and need constant confirmation and affirmation. Thus my steady diet of romance novels since around 1982. Maybe it has something to do with being a child of divorce living in the hood where there weren’t a large number of folks sticking together and making it work… I’m not going to psychoanalyze myself… But I will say that romance novels offer models of positive relationships, healthy loving relationships and people making it work. I like that.

3. My name is Gwyn and I’m a bookaholic.

When you’re a book junkie such as myself who enjoys pretty covers and has to constantly purchase new books all the time, romance novels provide a somewhat inexpensive fix. You can buy a lot of them and the mass-market size and prices take a while to really make your problem become noticeable. By the time anyone really realizes that you have a book-buying problem you could have thousands stashed here and there. And now that there are e-books, you could really satisfy your book jones without anyone being the wiser. Add when you add writing your own novels and holding your own book in your hands into the equation, we’re talking about a book high that surpasses all others. Yes, I have a problem. I know my addiction is bad. But they keep calling me… and calling me…

2. I like a good cry.

I really do. In addition to being a girlie-girl, I am so-oo corny. We’re talking crying at Hallmark commercials corny. If a romance novel makes me shed a tear, then that book has earned a place on my keeper shelf. I think that might be half the excitement of picking up a new book, I might get a tear or two out of it and a sigh. I know I love it when readers tell me something I wrote made them cry. I get all smiley-faced and gleeful. And I say, “No-oo... Really? What part?”

1. I love a good story.

And no matter what anyone says, I find them more times than not in the pages of romance novels. And I get to tell them when I write romance novels. And that is the number one reason why I love to read and write romance. What about you?