I was asked to talk about what it’s like to be a male
romance writer, by my new friends at The Wild Rose Press. First of all, TWRP is
an amazing place to grow in craft and friends, with plenty of support. One of
the things I want to do is a blog tour when my novel, Cinnamon & Sugar,
comes out. The many authors at TWRP are a ready audience of like-minded souls
(who also blog and seek tours), thus making a tour easy.
Being a male romance writer means that I am like-minded with
female romance authors. Does this mean that my mind is feminine? No. I have
always adored women and suffer from a severe attraction, lol. I feel about them
the same way they feel about good-looking guys. Therefore, I write the same
when it comes to interior monologues, the arc of the guy and gal. A good writer
is a good writer no matter the sex.
For guys reading this, you might question my choice, but I
remind you that once upon a time you courted that lady you are married to or
living with. Need I say more? Yes, some men prefer action movies and novels to
rom coms, but plenty of men read romances and watch rom coms or UP or Hallmark.
I don’t buy the idea that I write my romances differently. They are either good
or not so good. Two of my romances have won numerous awards. Now, I’m on the
verge of publishing my best.
There’s a range in writing in which there is less plot and
more interior struggle and visa versa. That is a style difference, and it isn’t
unique to one sex.
About prejudice in the romance community against male writers:
It exists (barely) and is rapidly diminishing. RWA is doing an amazing job of
leading the way forward for multi-racial equity and is against all forms of
discrimination.
Once years ago, I was interviewed by a literary agent who
asked me why I wrote romance, but not in a nice way. She said her readers were
mostly female and she couldn’t take a chance on a guy’s take/style. I thanked her
for her honesty. I knew she was disabled by prejudice and would not easily be
swayed. I gave up on her and later published Autumn Breeze, which won Best General
Romance by the San Diego Book Awards, Assoc. and announced as best novel of the year by Amazon. I think Amazon did that to a number of books, lol.
Women who read romance want the hero to be realistic so that their fantasies become closer to reality. I might not capture every hero, neither would a female writer nail every
heroine although we can try. We observe, we learn, and some of us get it right. We’re all human
and therefore understanding male and female needs is not all that different and
remains necessary to pen a good romance. That’s why I write this blog. I will be
taking my insights on the e-road as a series of lectures for RWASD.
I have not come close to exhausting the subject of guys writing romances, but this
is enough for now.
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