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The Subtle Art of Romance Writing

When I looked up the word romance in the dictionary, numerous definitions came up:


1)     A love affair, especially a brief and intense one.

2)     Sexual love, especially when the other person or the relationship is idealized or when it is exciting and intense.

3)     A spirit or feeling of adventure, excitement, the potential for heroic achievement, and the exotic.

4)     A fascination or enthusiasm for something, especially of an uncritical or inexplicable kind.

5)     A novel, movie, or play with a love story as its main theme.


Romance writing concerns itself with a love story, which could possibly be a brief, exciting and intense affair; includes sexual or physical love and can be filled with the spirit of adventure and generally, a fascination with the other person. Each of us has our own perception of what defines an exciting or intense affair, how we perceive adventure and experience physical love and passion and what might draw us to another person.

When writing “paranormal romance,” I have the additional responsibility of bringing romance into the world of beings that are not entirely human.  Vampires – those seductive creatures whose very speech or touch can bring us to our knees and lead us down a very wicked path.


Within the realm of romance writing, I weave a bit of the erotic, something elusive and arousing, yet I tend to leave much more to the imagination than I put down on the page.  I prefer to hint, to suggest and let the reader fill in their own fantasies based on what sits well with them.  This connection elicits the emotional response between the characters and the reader.  When Amanda Perretti finally meets Christin Du Mauré and realizes he truly does exists, her fascination and need for him are palatable, even when she discovers he is a vampire.


Conversely, vampires experience love too and Christian Du Mauré is no different.  Having loved and lost centuries ago, he still harbors guilt and pain and still pines for his lost love to this day.  His regrets and desires form an interesting paradox. Each of us experiences love in a myriad of ways and it might be safe to say, we would define romance differently as well, no matter whether we are mortal or immortal.

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