Dear Friend,
Love is an all-important concept when you consider what happens in romance, or life.
In a previous blog, I’ve shared thoughts on “Where is Love?” Recently, I read a post on 1440, which delves into concepts on almost any topic you might consider, and the author wrote about how people’s brains “click,” and some people can connect with others smoothly and easily. The implication could be that’s how love begins. Two brains aligning. (“Interbrain connectivity.”) It’s a fascinating study showing that when people’s brains are connecting, it finds that the same parts of the brain are being accessed for each person.
What does it take to know your brain is aligning with the other person’s? Staring straight in the other person’s eyes. Paying attention.
Great start, I’d say. Really, it’s communication. What I’m reading in many places is that people feel lonely. Again, communication is necessary. For those who’ve become isolated, communication can be a problem. If someone struggles with impaired hearing, I’ve read that they can become withdrawn and not even try. Close your world down? Naturally, communication isn’t going to happen. If someone only communicates remotely, like with their computer, with no verbal communications, they’re missing the nuances of a voice, the enthusiasm, the sense of connection.
Back to love! (As a romance writer, that’s where I want to be.) Having spent over 22 hours with my future husband on the phone talking, laughing, and sharing the first week we began to date, I felt I knew him. We met in a business setting, but that was formal and stilted. I knew he was a competent human being, what he looked like, and that he had a sense of humor. Everything else came together. My son even “approved” of him and whispered to me that my date was “a good one.”
He has indeed, been a good one for 33 years now. Although we don’t agree on everything, we talk about it and work things out. In contrast, both of our first marriages were the epitome of terrible marriages.
Lucky me! I learned from my mistakes.
Now, about the charactersꟷalmost like real peopleꟷin my books. They emulate real people. They have flaws; they don’t always listen; they jump to conclusions. Like a doting aunt, I want them to succeed, and lavish them with attention. Even the antagonist in the book I’m completing had some redeeming qualities, at least originally. (I won’t share more, because that would be a spoiler.)
In the midst of my writing, I try to fit in reading books from other authors. My most recent reading was a book by Christina Lauren (really two people who write together, whom I met at the Los Angeles Book Fair). The True Love Experiment is one of the most enjoyable romances I’ve read in a while. The engaging and original characters are involved in developing and producing a TV reality show. They communicate, but don’t share their deepest fears and concerns soon enough to avoid problems. But of course, that’s what a romance requires, so the protagonists earn their happily ever after.
True Love Experiment reminded me how important the opening is to catch a reader, as Felicity “Fizzy” Chen is hilarious as a college commencement speaker. She shows her self-doubts and lack of self-confidence early, but by then the reader is hooked. The MMC (main male character) Connor Prince is a worthy partner for Fizzy, as he is a devoted father, although divorced, and comes with his own set of issues and lines he’s drawn. The secondary characters are also memorable.
I highly recommend the book!
Wishing you all a happy, healthy, sweet, and kind October!
COMING SOON!
Louisa’s Passion is relaunching on October 18th! (Appropriate, as October 18th is “National Sweetest Day,” for both candy and kindness. I hope you have many instances of both!)
You’ll be able to purchase the ebook on KDP for free. I’ll also share the Special Bonus Epilogue, A Picnic at the Lake, posted on my website for free, so you can feel extra special yourself. A Picnic at the Lake is an original short story featuring Will, Louisa, Joe, and Sophie. Will and Louisa’s visit at Joe and Sophie’s new lake house is not the idyllic weekend they’d hoped for. (But it’s still a steamy contemporary story for a mature reader.)
I hope you join the readers who use the relaunch as an opportunity to get acquainted with the characters of my Louisa’s Vineyard Series!
Let me know what you think!
Warmest regards,
