Romance That Gets Us
Romance is a funny thing. Clichés seem to dominate the popular view of what’s romantic–cards and flowers and dinners out–but what sends me over the moon, is usually much quieter. For me, true romance happens when you least expect it. And if you look at the romance genre as a whole, the heroes and heroines in our books never expect love and romance to find them. It just does. As a fairly new author, I’m still in the first steps of my journey, but I get all the ‘usual’ questions my more experienced 
colleagues have learned to handle with great finesse.
Where do I get my ideas? From everywhere.
Do I write real people into my books? Not usually.
Your heroes are so romantic, that can’t be from real life, is it? Actually, yes.
I truly believe I’m one of the lucky ones. My real life romance hero, my husband, does inspire me. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not married to a billionaire who needed to stop putting business first, or a macho athlete who needed a good woman to help him settle down. I’m not even with the guy who was a confirmed bachelor.
My guy and I have been together since high school and the romance comes quietly from every day life. It comes from the way he was when our children were little, building them a sandbox to play in or taking them to the beach or park. How he made time to coach soccer. He trained puppies, grocery shopped and fixed a leaky roof.
But the most romantic thing my husband ever did for me was to give me the time and space to follow my dream to write. You see, he gets me. And when you boil it all down…from the most cliché laden Valentine to the grand gesture, true romance that gives us cause to celebrate is a simple thing.
We want someone who gets us. That’s it.
Romance in real life and, in turn, romance novels is really about something very simple. It’s about a look, a touch, a brush of the lips. It’s about passing the tissues during a sappy movie, knowing when hug is needed or when to interrupt and drag me away from work for a break. It’s about saying yes to the third dog, or the cat you didn’t want, or going shopping when there’s a game on.
I celebrate romance in my writing because there are so many ways for us to find it in the everyday. We should celebrate the ones who get us. The one who wants nothing more than to see us happy.
Being asked to do this post was such a gift. I love that Read-a-Romance Month gives authors the chance to tell readers why we do what we do, and to write about the celebration of love and happiness that lives in our hearts and our books.
Recommendations:
There are two authors who I think are something special. Claudia Connor writes hot romantic suspense for Random House’s Loveswept. Her first book, Worth the Fall, comes out in September. Catch up with Claudia on Facebook.
I also suggest you keep an eye on Sugar Jamison who writes the Perfect Fit series—these are fun, flirty, sexy books. Her next book, Gentlemen Prefer Curves, also comes out in September. You can read the RARM content Sugar created here.
Questions for the Author:
Describe the most daring, adventurous or inspiring thing you ever did.
I wish I had something. I don’t know that I do. Hmmm…adventurous? Oh! I know. I got a tattoo when I turned 40. I know that doesn’t seem like much, but it was a huge deal for me. HUGE! I went with a friend, who was an art teacher and she’d done a pretty design. I have the crescent moon, surrounded by flowers sitting pretty on the back of my shoulder.
Tell is about your journey to becoming a writer?
I write because I love stories, and that I get to share stories I’ve written with happy readers is very rewarding. I’d loved writing when I was young. When I was in high school, 10th grade I think, I wrote romantic short stories that I would keep in a binder and friends would borrow at lunch, read and return to me. Then when my focus turned to journalism, I didn’t write fiction. As the years went on I focused on my family and my career as a teacher. I got the burning desire to write fiction again right before I turned forty. I guess “the age” was a turning point for me and it took me a number of years to land my first contract…like 12…but it’s been a great ride since then.
What’s the name of a book that changed your life?
Nora Roberts’ Irish Thoroughbred. I read it in the late 90’s after one of its reissues and I just fell in love with the genre. I’d always loved romance, but this was different. That book was my spark, and I’ll love it forever for that reason alone. More recently, romance helped me through a difficult time. My dad died in 2012 and in the month following his death, I devoured Harlequin Presents like they were candy, specifically ones by Jane Porter. At least three times a week, I would find a couple of hours and be swept away into a world of Greek tycoons, princes and sheiks. It was magic and the books helped me heal.
Jeannie Moon is generously offering the first two books on her backlist, The Temporary Wife and Unexpectedly Yours, to one lucky winner. Digital only and domestic only, apologies to international readers. Entry form below.
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Also be sure to check out the giveaway page to enter the Read-A-Romance Month Weekly giveaway:
Week 1: A Month of Romance from Berkley/NAL
31 Books by Berkley/NAL Romance Authors (U.S. only)
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Jeannie Moon has always been a romantic. When she’s not spinning tales of her own, Jeannie works as a school librarian, thankful she has a job that allows her to immerse herself in books and call it work. Married to her high school sweetheart, Jeannie has three kids, three lovable dogs and a mischievous cat and lives in her hometown on Long Island, NY. If she’s more than ten miles away from salt water for any longer than a week, she gets twitchy. Visit Jeannie’s website at www.jeanniemoon.com. Jeannie’s next book, THE SECOND CHANCE HERO, will be coming out on October 21st, 2014.
Buy Jeannie’s Books:
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