Shelley Sommers: Why I Love Writing Romance
Writing is my life. That sounds corny, doesn’t it?
But, I’ve been a writer for most of my life. Website blogs, newspaper and magazine stories, fiction and non-fiction, ghostwriting, obituaries, business profiles, exposés, character features, and screenplays, I’ve written them all. I’ve even won awards.
Romance writing came late to me. My mother dramatically declaimed, “romance is trash!” She even threw away a book I’d paid for with my babysitting money, because it was a romance. Peace at any price, I didn’t read romance until well into my adult years.
When I finished college and had time to read for pleasure, I read several romances. Susan Mallery’s book, Three Sisters, sold me on romance. It held joy, heartbreak, exuberance, and LOVE within its covers. I even cried! That was the moment I realized I had to write romance myself!
To portray people with feelings, true to themselves, and just trying to find their way in the world compelled me to write romance. And, why not include their sexual lives as well? I’d been restrained in my writing─no curse words, and no hint of sex in my business and personal writing.
In romance writing, I found my calling. Characters came to me in dreams. I’d write industriously and find I’d written several pages of a sex scene. I wasn’t hindered by my upbringing anymore! My characters share joyful sex lives, which I’m happy to create for my books.
My characters are real to me and I grant them the power to help govern who they’ll be. If they’re brave and crusade for worthy causes, that’s great! Also, if they’re afraid of something, they can work through that and share with others who will help them. If they’ve been hurt in their lives by cruelty, they try to cope and not let it happen to others.
One of the hardest things I had to write about was when my main character’s best friend experienced sexual harassment at work. It took me a long time to write that plot. I avoided it. Since I experienced it myself, I wanted to get it just right. Finally, I was comfortable with what I developed and included in Louisa’s Passion.
Mostly, I focus on the happiness and joyful times, the comic and humorous moments. Somehow, humor comes to me. Shannon and John (in Love at First Sight) even make jokes during their wedding vows.
You never know what people will find funny. An early reader of Louisa’s Passion told me it was hilarious when Louisa said she was memorizing the patterns on the floor and would be happy to go out when Will asked her on a first date. (Context is everything! Louisa had sprained her ankle, which kept her indoors for weeks.)
Having the thrill of knowing people enjoy my work is another reason I love writing romance. Knowing that my books allow people to immerse themselves in a book which gives them pleasure is my greatest reward.
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Any of the books in the Louisa’s Vineyard Series,
are available in both e-book and print versions,
Louisa’s Passion, Book 1, where you’ll meet the main characters, Louisa and Will, their parents, friends, teachers, and employers. Will and Louisa definitely have a meet cute, which eventually turns from enemies to lovers and more!
Will’s Secret, Book 2, continues Louisa and Will’s story. Louisa and her best friend Sophie are preparing for their high school graduation. Louisa’s still recovering from her injury. And, Will and Louisa get married and start their honeymoon! Will has a secret he finally shares with Louisa that will change their lives forever.
In A Vision of Home, Book 3, Will and Louisa are looking for a home in Davis where she’ll be attending UC Davis in the fall. The path toward homeownership doesn’t go smoothly─at first.
Love at First Sight, Prequel to the Louisa’s Vineyard Series, introduces John and Shannon and how they first met. (John and Shannon are Louisa’s parents, who met the first day of school at UCSD.) Filled with laughter, sexy adventures, friends, family, and tests of their love from unexpected sources, Love at First Sight is a turn-on and page turner as strangers become lovers …and more.
Note: All the books in the series are steamy contemporary romances, describe explicit sexual activity, and intended for mature audiences. Included themes include mild sexual harassment, stalking, an automobile accident that results in death, and an unpleasant divorce. (But not all themes are present in one book.)