For the first time since before Covid, I participated in an author panel and book signing at a local library. It featured four romance writers. One of the questions the moderator asked was what inspired us to write romance. We all began our answers with, we read romance. And we read it for the feel-good happy endings.
From there, our stories varied some. One author had been laid off from her tech job when the internet bubble burst and was home with a toddler. Reading romance books gave her some adult time and prompted her to try her hand at writing it--to her success and enjoyment.
Another was writing fan fiction online as entertainment and realized what she was writing could be a book. A romance book in which she controlled the characters (as much as possible) and the storyline.
The third author is a first-generation American who turned to reading romance to relieve some of the stress of feeling she didn't fit in. But she was looking for lesbian romance and not finding much. So she wrote one of her own.
As for me. I had a day job writing technical financial copy and supervising the editorial team at my employer. I really liked my job and the people, but it could be stressful. Reading romance was some relief. I thought, maybe, writing romance--fun writing--could be, too. And I could get to meet other romance authors through a local romance writer community and other romance writing groups.
And here we all are, more than a few years later, still reading romance for the uplifting joy of a happily ever, or for now, after ending. And writing it for the joy of sharing our happily ever afters.
Now, passing the question to you. Why do you read romance?
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