Jun 10, 2012

Why I Write Category Romance


I love reading stories about how people came to be writers. Some have dreamt about it from when they were very small, others came to it through a love of books when they were older. I came to write category romance for a whole lot of reasons, but I’ve stayed with it for a reason I could never have imagined in the beginning.


I read my first category romance as a new mum. They weren't too long - I could finish one and still remember the beginning by the time I got to the end, despite being interrupted a zillion times. They had a happily ever after - so lovely to think about in the middle of an all-nighter with tiny babies. And they focused on adult things like relationships and conversations, not baby vom and nappy rash.

I used to think about those reasons a lot during my first writing attempts. Now I think about Di.

Di is the mother of my very first boyfriend. He had jet black hair hair and big blue eyes, and he wrote, “Love, Mark” in my birthday card when I was 13. I can still remember the thrill of opening that envelope and keeping it carefully stowed in my “treasures” for years. I lost touch with Mark after leaving school, but later learned that at twenty-six he’d had a catastrophic accident and was left a quadriplegic with a severe brain injury.

A few years after I’d begun writing, I met Mark and his mum again. Mark couldn’t speak, but Di was adamant that he remembered me - she said she could see the twinkle in his eye. I happened to tell Di I was hoping to one day be a published romance author and her reaction blew me away. 
 
For years, Di told me, category romances had been her lifeline. Through the agonizing initial days and nights waiting for Mark to wake, and then the endless anguish as the extent of his injuries became known, the promise of love, hope, and a happily ever after kept her going. She'd carry those books with her to physio appointments, insurance meetings and therapy sessions, and she'd dip in and out when she could. For Di, the achievement of finishing another category, losing herself in a story, was a small but significant one.

Sadly, Mark died last year. When I visited Di at home shortly after, I could still see the space the hospital bed had taken up, the hooks in the ceiling that had held hoists and monitors. But around the walls were Di’s category romances  - hundreds and hundreds of books, their slim spines speaking of tycoons and babies, doctors and daring. The authors of those books, Di says, are like old friends, women she can count on to  transport her from the ups and downs of everyday life and give her hope when she needs it.  

I hope I can bring half the amount of joy to my readers as all those women before me have done for Di.


~I'd love to know how you came to read category romance and what it is that keeps you coming back for more~

42 comments:

  1. Wow. Barb. That is one of the most touching stories I've ever heard. That poor guy. But thank heaven he had such a loving devoted mother. And how wonderful that she found some relief in romance novels.
    I know you'll be giving Di a copy of your first. I also know she'll enjoy it immensely, as I have.
    Looking forward to more Barb DeLeo posts in the future =)

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  2. What an amazing story, Barb. I bet Di will be so proud of you when she reads The Marriage Contract.

    I too love category length books. I can sneak off to another life that's isn't filled with lost shoes, driving to another swim meet or thinking of new and exciting ways with peanut butter sandwiches. Heaven.

    Sandii

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  3. Barb, thanks for sharing that story. I know that category romance plays a huge part in the lives of those of us who are regular readers, helping us through the tough times and, even when times aren't tough, giving us a break and pure pleasure, in a different world.

    Good luck with your first release. I hope Di loves it.

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  4. I absolutely will be giving Di a copy, Robyn. And you're one of the people I was talking about. I'm sure Di has a fair few of your books in her collection.{:o)

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  5. Sneaking off to another life's a fabulous way to put it Sandii. Funny how I haven't read about too many lost shoes and peanut butter dilemmas for our heroes and heroines!

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  6. Thanks for the good wishes, Annie. An interesting thing about Di's collection is that she has everything from medical romances to sweet to more sensual stories and she enjoys them all. It's the promise of the happily ever after that she loves the most.

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  7. Lovely story Barb. And huge congratulations on you upcoming release. I've been reading category romances since I was eleven and love just as much now as I ever did. Even better, I get to write them too :) Great post.

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  8. Gosh Barb, that's a very moving story and it's so great that Di found a way of coping with her tragic loss.

    I discovered category later than most people but now Iove them for all the reasons stated by everyone else- they're easy to dip in and out of in my busy life, they are wonderfully optimistic and believe in the enduring nature of love.

    Can't wait to read The Marriage Contract!

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  9. Thanks for sharing that story Barb. It's so lovely to know that Di could find joy in reading romance. I guess that's what I enjoy about them too -- I chance to escape for a short while into another world, knowing that there will be happy ending for the characters I'll come to care about while I'm reading.

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  10. Barb, that was a tear-jerker of a blog post. Thanks so much for sharing. :) I'm sure you'll do Di - and Mark - proud.

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  11. Thanks for the congrats, Helen! Eleven? I have two eleven year old daughters but it feels like only yesterday they were five. It's teacher only day at school today so they've been choosing a movie to hire." Ugh, it doesn't have kissing in it, does it?" says twin two. Think their romance reading days are still a little way off...

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  12. Hi Louisa! Yes, optimism's not always easy, is it? But it's hard not to feel optimistic with the world when you've read about a hero and heroine who've pushed through adversity to be together.

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  13. Lovely to see you, Emmie. It's funny, even though I KNOW I'm going to get the happy ending with a catrom, I'm regularly convinced that there's no way this hero or that heroine can overcome their barriers. Those clever authors who do that to me time and again are my favourite.

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  14. Thanks so much for your message, Maggie. Every time I see Di she wants to know titles and release dates and it's lovely to share it all with her.

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  15. My gosh Barb - I had tingles reading your amazing story!! I also came to category romance after kids in those midnight hours, but WOW Di's story is amazing. You rock for following your dream and isn't it a buzz to do something you love everyday. x Rach!

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  16. Aww, thanks, Rach! You rock for following your dream too. It IS a tingly story. Every time I tell someone I get that "back of the neck" breath that reminds me how connected we all are and the power that people have to touch our lives in the simplest of ways.

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  17. Tears in my eyes from reading Di's story. I too started reading Harlequins (I'm Canadian) when I was 11. My mom would read them first. Back then a kiss at the end of the story was about as hot as it got. I too read for all the reasons above and from a lot of lines. Congratulations on reaching your dream and I hope Di loves your book.

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  18. So nice to see you here, Kaelee. That's another lovely thing about categories. So often I hear about the stories passing from grandma to mum, to daughters. What a lovely thing to pass on. Thanks so much for your good wishes.

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  19. That gave me chills Barb. The power of a story..

    Looking forward to reading more of your blog posts.

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  20. Barb, that was such a beautiful story.

    I didn't come from a category-reading family and I look with envy to people like Kaelee who had them passed down from mothers (or aunts or grandmothers). :)

    My first category was handed to me by my friend Cathy. I loved it, so she loaned me her entire category collection - boxes and boxes! I devoured them all. I still remember feeling overwhelmed with riches when all those books arrived. Such a treat!

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  21. Stories can be so powerful, can't they, Kez. And the funny thing is that what one person can take or leave, another is deeply touched by. I love the diversity in category romance. I'll look forward to seeing you back here (:o)

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  22. Hi Rachel,

    Mothers, grandmothers, good friends - it's a lovely womanly thing to do, passing down a story that's so positive and celebrates love and relationships.

    We're all so VERY grateful that Cathy passed that book down to you. A world with out Rachel Bailey's category romances isn't worth contemplating.

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  23. Sniff sniff, you've made my eyes (and nose) watery with that lovely piece, Barb. I can SO see Di reading and loving your first book.

    I re-discovered category romance when I had young kids as well. Perfect length and weight in the hand while holding a baby and the perfect emotional engagement.

    Bron

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  24. Barb, what a beautiful and poignant story. I had the biggest lump in my throat as I read about Mark and his mum. How special to know that category romances can help to be a tiny escape for someone in such a sad and overwhelming situation.

    I came to romance reading when I stayed at a girlfirend's place when I was a teenager. We devoured her mum's stash of Lucy Walker novels! Loved them and I wanted to see the places in the stories - which, I'm rapt to say, I'm doing at the moment!

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  25. Lovely story Barbara. And congratulations on you upcoming release. I've been reading category romances since I was a teen. Went off them for a while when our library loaned only two books at a time and I could finish two categorary in a day. So I would bring longer length books from the Libarary- Sidney Sheldon, Jeffery Archer, Dean Koontz to name a few.

    But now I'm back with my first love- categorary with a bang! And yes, share with my teen daughter too!

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  26. I was just thinking last night and wondering why I read category romance and my sister who is seven years older than me does not read them as a rule. When I was ten my dad had a nervous breakdown. My sister had already moved on to college. I think my mom turned to category romance for solace. I read my first ones tucked under the bed covers with a flashlight until my mom realized what was going on and let me read them openly. I do have boxes and boxes of mainly Presents in my basement with quite a lot more of them still at my former parents home which my younger brother now owns.

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  27. Lovely lovely story. Thank you so much for sharing.

    Robin

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  28. Such a sad but heartwarming story! I think all authors hope to reach out to someone like Di and help them through the tough times. Reading & writing romance helped me survive the angst of high school. Obviously, it wasn't as bad as what Di went through with her son, but it was a seriously difficult time in my life. Don't know what I would have done without my romances!

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  29. Sorry for the watery eyes, Bron (:o) Thanks for the lovely comments. Emotional engagement - yes, that's it - almost as if you can fall into the lives of others and be enriched by the experience. Ooooh, you've got me waxing all poetic on a chilly Tuesday.

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  30. Hi Sharon,
    Those "stashes" of categories come up time and again. What a great thing for you and your friend to share. It obviously had a lasting impression on youT

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  31. Thanks so much for the congrats, Nas. I wonder if you've borrowed any categories online? My library has just started the service but I haven't tried it yet. How great that you can share your love of catroms with your daughter.

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  32. Lovely to see you again, Kaelee. Isn't that interesting that you've pinpointed that difficult time as the moment your mother and you turned to categories. They certainly have a healing power. And you've got one of the "stashes" too!

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  33. So glad you liked the story, Robin. I agonized for ages about my first post but as soon as I thought about Di I knew exactly what I wanted to say.

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  34. So lovely to see you here, Tonya! Boy, high school can be rough, can't it? I spent a lot of my high school years buried in books too. So great to be able to transport yourself away from a difficult place and time.

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  35. Gorgeous post, Barb. It's so wonderful to know that people can find solace in a romance during difficult times. Romances provide us with the emotional justice that's so often lacking from real life. Whenever I'm feeling down, I find reading a romance can give me a real boost.

    Nearly all the women in my family--grandmother, mother, aunts--all read Mills & Boon. I'm proud to follow in their footsteps. :-)

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  36. Emotional justice. I love that term, Michelle. Again, I just love the idea of catroms being passed down through your maternal line. I didn't have it but will be making sure my daughters do.

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  37. Oh, Barb, that story made me cry. What an honour to be among the writers who get people through the tough times. If that isn't success, I don't know what it. Thanks for sharing!

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  38. Great to see you, Imelda! You're so right, and I guess that's what's blown me away the most about my writing journey so far. I'd never really considered that romances could have that sort of impact on a person until I met up with Di again. Now I think about it a lot when I'm trying to create identifiable characters and the "emotional Justice" Michelle was talking about.

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  39. I began to read category romances after I joined RWA. One of my chapter-mates shared her story, similar to Di's, of how reading them helped her through her father's long illness and passing - the long hours spent at his bedside in hospital and so on. Those books inspired her to become a writer and her story inspired me to try out category romances. I discovered there's something for everyone among the category lines. Now I have some new favorite category authors.

    Loved your post!

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  40. Barb, a really lovely story - right from the heart which is so what writing is all about. Sorry - I'm a day late.... Best wishes, Rae

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  41. Great to see you here, Sarah! You're so right, there really is something for everyone in category romance. I started on the romantic suspenses, moved to the sweets and am now reading the more sexy stories. It's great to try out new styles and authors.

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  42. Hi Rae, thanks so much for dropping by.Writing from the heart - that IS what it's all about and I guess when our readers can feel it in their heart, our job is done {:o)

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