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Why Romance?

“My name is Ellen Parker and I write romance.” This is how I started a short presentation at a library event a few years ago.

Romance? People wave it off as insignificant. Or they titter behind their hands.

I ask you to wait a minute. Have you thought about the definition — yes, popular fiction genres do have definitions and readers have expectations when they see the labels.

Romance (in my definition) is a piece of fiction with a central love story and an emotionally satisfying ending of “Happily Ever After” or “Happy For Now”.

A radio announcer once described the genre as “optimistic”. I considered his words a compliment.

Perhaps the world needs a little optimism. Within a romance, the path to the happy ending is not smooth. A well-written story presents characters with problems, (sometimes of their own making) living in the real world (or a historical world, or a future world, or a paranormal world) and presents one way the challenge is met and conquered.

Skeptical? Try one before you knock it.

This trio is set in small-town Wisconsin and keeps the bedroom door closed.

Check out the back cover copy by clicking on the title tab at the top of the page.

Happy reading in 2022!