Anita Bunkley | Writing Romance

Last month, as I began writing my fifth romance for Harlequin's Kimani Press, I was just as excited about starting this romantic journey as I had been the first time I brought a gutsy, intelligent, and of course --beautiful heroine to life as she fell in love with a hero who would make any woman's heart beat a little faster.

Writing genre romance has been a big change for me because nearly twenty years ago, I started my literary career writing sprawling historical novels. Soon after, I shifted to writing mainstream women's fiction, followed by a foray into non-fiction and several novellas in anthologies. Both the contemporary and historical novels demanded lots of research, which I loved to do, but they took the better part of a year to complete, with their intricate storylines and vivid secondary characters that made for intriguing, multi-plotted novels that often spanned several generations.

Click to read the rest of Anita's blog and to comment.

Devon Vaughn Archer | NEIGHBORLY LOVE -- FACT OR FICTION?

When I was writing my current Harlequin romance release, KISSING THE MAN NEXT DOOR (Kimani, May 2009), I couldn’t help but wonder just how many romances in real life actually develop with the gorgeous and available woman or hot, single man next door?

A friend of mine told me after the novel had been published that she had a relationship for a couple of years with the hunk that moved in next door. Though they eventually went their separate ways, she still spoke of the romance enthusiastically and as a memory she wouldn’t be opposed to reliving. Or recreating with a new man should the opportunity come along.

In KISSING THE MAN NEXT DOOR, it starts innocently enough as my hairstylist/jazz singer protagonist, divorced with her teenage son living across the country with his father, welcomes the new next door radio deejay neighbor to town. Sparks fly instantly and soon turn into all consuming flames.

Click here to read the rest of Devon's blog or comment.

Michelle Monkou | Inviting Classic Romance Characters To A Reunion

My 25th high school reunion came and went. Out of all the reunions, I’ve only attended one. It was great to see people who had been a major part of my growth as a young adult. I have to be honest. There were those who caused me to inwardly cringe because they were the loud mouths, bullies, or obnoxious jerks to a large school population.

Thankfully for the most part, I had a chance to connect with many who were my friends. Would love to say that we kept in touch, but that never happened after high school, and it didn’t happen after the reunion.

Reality hit hard, though, with the deaths of several people I knew. One particular friend passed after the high school reunion where we both promised to stay connected. Her diagnosis of colon cancer came within a few short months of her passing. And the feeling of invincibility was made vulnerable.

Yet, I’m still glad that there are a hearty bunch of volunteers who put together these high school reunions. No one expected that I would be a romance writer. I had aspirations to be a Broadway dancer and choreographer. From the time that I was seven years old, I danced and trained and dreamed. But as a hobby, I was an avid reader. And if there is an extreme form of being a bookaholic, I had it.

I curled up with many books, falling in love with the characters. I literally grew up with these books from the early ‘80s to the present. Stories stayed in my heart to the last page and beyond, in my imagination. Before there was the trend of sequels and series, I created my own continuation of those stories and characters. These were the keepers.

If you could schedule a reunion, of sorts, which characters (or books) would you invite to see where they are now?

Michelle Monkou

http://michellemonkou.com/

Celebrate my 10th Book

Gamble On Love; Kimani Romance; Oct. ‘08