Six Reasons You're Awesome for Reading Romance

Hello lovelies! First of all, I am absolutely honored to blog alongside this fine array of authors. A quick intro: My debut novel, Under Her Skin, will be out with Sourcebooks Casablanca in February 2017. It’s a dark, emotional romance—the first in a series set in a small sleepy town in the lush mountains of Virginia—about love that goes more than skin deep.

Over the past couple of weeks/months/years, I’ve seen a lot of things go wrong in this world. I don’t know about you, but every time I see troubling events on the news, I turn to Romance for a much needed influx of goodness. I’ve been thinking about just what it is about these stories that takes my mind off the bad things and reminds me of all that’s good in the world. Here are just a few of the things that make Romance a very happy place:

• Romance is an industry run by women, about women and for women. And women kick ass. I’ve never seen such an uplifting crew as the people I’ve met through romance. Every conference, every meeting, every night out with these fabulous sisters proves that uniting can and does make a difference. I’ve encountered nothing but kindness from the beginning—people who have gone above and beyond to help, critique and lend a hand. Seriously, if you’re a woman who wants to empower women—buy more romance.

Women rooting for women.

• Romance writing can be top-notch. Oh, yeah, you heard me! Literary snobs beware—there’s quality writing in this genre. Some of my favorite authors, such as Eloisa James, Amanda Bouchet, Susan Elizabeth Philips and Anne Calhoun (to name just a few) run the gamut from historical to fantasy and erotic, giving the literary world a run for their money. 

• Romance isn’t just a love story. It’s all flavors of writing: Science Fiction and Fantasy, Mystery and Suspense. Seriously, though, why shouldn’t you get a little love with that epic dystopian zombie story? Romance has everything you could possibly want with a cherry on top.

Oh, yes she did just kiss a zombie.

• No one gets hurt in the writing of a Romance. You like things rough? Enjoy an alpha hero or a submissive one? Fantasize about falling for a shape-shifting billionaire coal miner? Well, you can do all that vicariously through Romance, without leaving a single victim in your wake. 

Is it wrong to find this slap sexy?

• Sex is good. Women deserve a good time in bed—whether in reality or fantasy. In romance, we might just get it. And if we do, it's sure to be satisfying.

• Happily Ever Afters are good for the soul. In a world built increasingly of violence, it’s a relief to have a place where there’s light at the end of the tunnel. 

My favorite Romances are the ones that dig deep into the nitty gritty of real human emotion and bring us out the other side stronger. Because, though life is hard, it doesn’t mean we can’t all have our happy endings. What do you like about Romance? What led you to read it and keeps you coming back for more?

Adriana Anders has acted and sung, slung cocktails and corrected copy. She’s worked for start-ups, multinationals and small non-profits, but it wasn’t until she returned to her first love—writing romance—that she finally felt like she’d come home. Today, she resides with her tall French husband, two small children, and fat French cat in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, where she writes the dark, emotional love stories of her heart.

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