Today we have a guest post from Juliette Cross, author of WAKING THE DRAGON.
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Hold Your Heads High, Romance Lovers
I know many romance readers who receive frowns or snickers when non-romance readers catch a glimpse at what book they’re holding in their hands. I also know many romance writers who are viewed as the red-headed stepchild of the fiction writing world. (No offense to redheads. I happen to be one.) So, what is it about romance that makes us so addicted to these worlds, no matter how many ugly looks we get from haters? Do we long to travel back in time and be courted by the dashing rake when we read historicals? Do we seek an escape that offers hope and inspiration as in contemporary romance? Do we choose a tome to fulfill unquenched or longed-for desires when we read erotica? Or perhaps, we have a darker motive. Do we yearn for a cathartic purging of our own blacker emotions via fantasy, such as the vengeful death of a ghastly villain by a dark hero as we see in paranormal and fantasy romance? The answer could be one or all of these reasons.
From the moment I read JANE EYRE when I was sixteen, I’ve been drawn to the Gothic romance. I’m lured by the dark hero, the strong-willed heroine, the misty, moonlit settings, the good versus evil plotlines where a vicious villain threatens to tear my MC’s world asunder. Above all, I yearn for good to prevail, for the hero to save his girl, and for her to save him right back. I suppose this says a lot about me as a reader and as a person. I yearn for the romances woven with haunting settings and dark characters with secrets to hide who eventually get their happily ever after. I suppose this is why I write the same types of stories myself.
Romance novels take us to that faraway place where adventure, passion, and love triumph in the end. And while the real world still contains all these things, the mundane chores of everyday life (paying bills, changing diapers, cooking dinner, washing dishes, etc.) can often drag us down. Romance lovers know that an instant vacation to escape all of this is just a mind-trip away. All we need do is pick up a good romance book and let the author carry us to a new world where a hero promises to sweep us off our feet. So cheers to romance lovers! Hold your heads high, ladies. There are many more of us than you know. ;)
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For more Juliette, check out the following links:
Here's the scoop on WAKING THE DRAGON:
The Gladium Province is on the verge of civil unrest as humans and Morgons, the dragon-hybrid race, clash once more. But amid disorder can also arise passion…
When the bodies of three human women are discovered in Morgon territory—with the DNA of several Morgon men on the victims—it’s just a matter of time before civil unrest hits the Province. But for ambitious reporter Moira Cade, it’s more than just a story, and it may mean risking her own life.
Descending into the dark underworld of Morgon society, Moira is paired with Kol Moonring, Captain of the Morgon Guard, for her protection. Fiercely independent, Moira bristles at his dominance, and defies his will at every turn. Yet resistance proves futile when passion flares between them, awakening powerful emotions within both, body and soul. But as the killings continue, can their fiery newfound bond survive an even greater evil—one that threatens all of humanity, Morgonkind, and Moira’s very soul?...Purchase: Amazon
There's a tour-wide giveaway of:
$20 Amazon GC
2 bundles of SOULFIRE and WINDBURN, books 1 and 2 in the Nightwing Series
The excerpt was amazing! This sounds like a fascinating book! Thank you for the great post and contest! I fouled up on the rafflecopter and didn't get my full email address entered.
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Thank you so much for hosting me on your blog! Much appreciated. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the excerpt. I really enjoyed reading Jane Eyre as well.
ReplyDeleteadding this to my wish list and love that cover
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