Dissecting family drama series romance
I’ve long been drawn to the alchemy of family. It’s where the emotional action is in life, and in fiction. When writing a romance series, grounding the series in family drama provides a rich and dynamic cohesive element in which romance readers become deeply invested. They care greatly about what happens to the family over… Read More
Me, too
Women are speaking up in the #Me,Too movement like never before and the world is taking notice. At last, women’s stories are being listened to and taken seriously. This is truly an extraordinary time. So how does Romance become part of the #Me,Too movement? While some critics claim Romance novels reinforce negative stereotypes, I disagree…. Read More
Summer Romance – Revisited
by Joanne Rock There’s no denying it’s fall now. But I’m always in the mood for a summer romance. I’m not sure if it’s because I have my own fun memories of summer and summer romances as a teen, or if there’s something more specific about summer stories that appeal to me in particular, but… Read More
PTSD Sufferers Can Love
by Karen Rock In my September released Harlequin Heartwarming novel, SOMEONE LIKE YOU, my main character, Niall Walsh, is an Afghanistan veteran harboring a terrible, classified war secret that keeps him from wanting to live the life he’s been spared. In fact, he tells his concerned sister, Mary Anne, that the wrong man survived the… Read More
Naughty or Nice: Writing a “Sweet” Love Scene
In June 2013, Harlequin began publishing original content for its new, clean romance line, Harlequin Heartwarming. While this line does not contain faith-based elements, it would earn a G to PG rating because the emphasis is on creating a deep, tender, clean romance that would be appropriate to share with your daughter. As I’d been… Read More