I shared a blog post from one of my favorite Romance writers, Molly O'Keefe on Facebook and Twitter today because I think that those us who love romance fiction and wear our love proudly on our sleeves stand together against the degradation of the genre by small minded men...
You should read Molly's Open Letter to Armie Hammer here before I start my rant...
I have to admit two things before I get into my post -
One - I had to google Armie Hammer to find out who he is and what all the fuss is about... and eh... I could take him or leave him - he looks like a brainless airhead with less between his ears than most... yep, drawing all my conclusions from a few pictures and a few tabloid stories and posts and not really delving into finding out what he's really all about (serves him right in a way?)
Two - I haven't read 50 Shades of Grey... not because I don't like Erotic romance or a good story, I just haven't read it.
On to my rant - for me, romance fiction is an escape that has been part of my life since I was young... a voracious reader, I devoured every book in the house and more - and I was precocious too... so when I was bored and out of books one day, my mom handed me a very 'safe' romance novel with a bit of kissing and petting... and I read it cover to cover in an hour... loving the ability to read a contemporary story with flawed characters, romance and a story line that I could appreciate...
I honed my love for the genre by reading everything I could get my hands on - Christian romance, Harlequin Romances, Historicals - everything from more of the kissing and hand holding stories to true Erotic Romance - BDSM, Menage, and more... for me it's about the characters and the story development - and I have to say that as I have evolved as a reader, the hotter the sex scenes are the more likely I am to re-read those passages - heck, I am a sexual being with needs and as a woman who reads as much as I do, it makes sense that a well written sex scene can stir me up...
As Molly said in her post, there are times when as a 'mommy' I didn't love my body or myself especially just after giving birth.. and with three kids, there are times when hubby and I don't get to connect as much as we'd like to as a couple - and reading romance novels keeps my head in the game... releasing the desires that writers express for that purpose...
Any good book lets you lose yourself in it's words and escape to the world that's created... as a mom and a woman of the world, I see enough horror, mystery, science fiction and non-fiction in the world around me, so when I look for a way to give back to myself, I turn to a good romance :-)
