Please give a big Casa Welcome to fellow Sourcebooks
Casablanca author, USA Today Bestselling author Leigh Greenwood. His—yes HIS—latest
western romance, Texas Pride, hits
stores this week! Today, Leigh shares with us just how he got started writing romance novels...
Being one of the only men having
written on this blog— and every other blog I’ve written for, for that matter—reminds
me of why and how I got started writing romance. Frankly, I don’t know why. I’d never studied creative writing, majored
in English, or written anything longer than a research paper. I’d never wanted to write anything until I
developed a nagging need to write about becoming a father for the first
time. The whole process was pockmarked
with the unexpected and unplanned, some incredible and some ludicrous, so I
thought getting it out of my system would put an end to the need to write. Rather than end it, it stoked the need until
I was writing humorous sketches about anything from a summer workshop for dance
choir directors to raking leaves with my preschool aged children.
I got married in 1972, the year Kathleen
Woodiwiss and Rosemary Rogers published their first romances. My wife bought both books and every other
historical romance that came out until they were in piles all over the
house. I had never read a romance, and
never intended to, but the suggestive covers elicited some rather tacky
comments from me. One night my wife
threw Georgette Heyer’s These Old Shades
at me and said, “read it or shut up.” I
read it and loved it so much I searched for and found every book Georgette
Heyer had ever written, romance and mystery.
After reading all those books, I started on the books with the
suggestive covers.
Teachers didn’t make a lot of
money forty years ago, so I tried to get my wife to write a book while she was
staying home with the children. Instead,
she encouraged me to write one. Very
foolishly I took up the challenge without having a plot or knowing anything about
the publishing industry. Occasionally an
ill-planned undertaking will have a happy ending. Fortunately, mine was one of those. After writing three books and joining Romance
Writers of America, I sold my first book.
Wyoming Wildfire came out in
1987. I’ve written more than fifty books
since then.
In the twenty-five years since
then, I’ve gotten to know many wonderful fellow authors. Some have become friends despite the fact
that living all over the country we see each other once a year at conventions
and have to keep up by email the rest of the year. So many have become New York Times bestsellers I feel like I’m name dropping with I
talk about them. Others are still
struggling to sell that first book, but all have been energetic, optimistic,
and very accepting of my poaching on what is generally thought to be a solely
female preserve.
There’s something about being
in love with romance that brings out the best in people, writers and readers
alike. Over the years I’ve received some
terrific letters from readers, some challenging, some humorous, and some
inspiring. It’s a fun part of what it
means to be a writer.
Thank you for joining us today, Leigh, and
congratulations on your new book, Texas
Pride! To celebrate this new release, we have a giveaway! 2 copies of Texas Pride to 2 lucky commenters. To
enter, leave a comment telling us what got you started reading/writing romance,
along with an email address that we can reach you at (US and Canada mailing
addresses only)! Winners will be chosen on Thursday.
TEXAS
PRIDE BY LEIGH GREENWOOD—IN STORES MARCH 2012
A
PRINCE AMONG MEN…
Carla
Reece had never met anyone more infuriating in her life. The blond giant who
swaggered up to her door had no right to take over half her ranch - no matter
how stupid her brother had been gambling it away in a high-stakes poker game.
Her new foreman claimed to be some foreign royalty who promised to leave in a
year. Still, a year was way too long to spend with a man who made her madder
than a wet hen and weak in the knees all at the same time.
A
HELLION AMONG WOMEN…
Ivan may have charmed everyone in town into thinking he was the
perfect gentleman, but Carla knew better. There had to be a chink in his
armor-a red-hot passion under that calm, cool gaze. But once she finds it, she
may be in for more than she ever bargained for...
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
Leigh
Greenwood is the author of the popular Seven Brides, Cowboy, and Night Riders
series. The proud father of three grown children, Leigh resides in Charlotte,
NC. He never intended to be a writer,
but found it hard to ignore the people in his head, and the only way to get
them out was to write. Visit www.leigh-greenwood.com.
Congratulations on your new release! And on the fifty plus books! WOW! Loved the post and getting to know you better.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your new release. Sounds great. I started reading romance as a preteen. My mom would let me read her books and I was hooked. :)
ReplyDeleteCrystal816[at]hotmail[dot]com
Great to hear you share about your being a man in a woman's world. 50 books is impressive!
ReplyDeleteGood for you for getting past the "I'm a man and can't be bothered with soft emotions like love" bull that most men pretend to believe.
Congratulations! I admit I read you when I thought you were a "she" but I still read you knowing you are a "he" lol. Not too many men can really write romance the way you do!!I started out reading gothics and then found Kathleen Woodiwiss and there was no turning back :)
ReplyDeleteOh sorry forgot to leave my email - catslady5(at)aol.com.
ReplyDeleteYou've come a long way, Leigh! Welcome to Sourcebooks and congratulations on your new book. I know it will be a winner!
ReplyDeleteAmelia Grey
You've come a long way, Leigh! Welcome to Sourcebooks and congratulations on your new book. I know it will be a winner!
ReplyDeleteAmelia Grey
Congrats on your new release! I must ask, since your career pretty much began from you teasing your wife about her love of romance novels, what does she think of your success in writing them. :)
ReplyDeleteThis is such a pretty cover. I've always loved the romance element in stories. They give me a chance to connect emotionally with the characters. I believe I first started reading category romances occasionally. I would read anything I could get my hands on: classic, comic books, encyclopedias...but the first romance that hooked me onto the genre was a single title historical romance. I loved seeing a couple's journey to HEA in all their ups and downs. I've since gone on to discover all sub-genres of romance. Yay!
ReplyDeleteCambonified(at)yahoo(dot)com
Congratulations on your new book! It sounds very good. Pride and Prejudice got me started.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
Dude! Congrats on your latest release and proving that romance knows no gender boundaries.
ReplyDeleteI love the premise and the cover of your latest, Leigh! I've been a fan for years...how could I not with Seven Brides for Seven Brothers as one of my all time favorite musicals. :)
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your release, it's on m TBP list!
Thanks to everyone who gave Leigh a warm welcome! Our winners are Catslady and Brooklyn Ann. I'll be emailing you both shortly!
ReplyDeleteDanielle
I loved your story about how you got started writing romance, Leigh! Bravo!
ReplyDelete