Feels weird to be writing a blog post the day before the election, knowing the huge impact November 3rd will have on all of us U.S. writers. I don’t expect we’ll know the outcome until several days after this post goes live, either. But here goes, in an effort to keep my chin up and remember that life will go on, somehow…

Time again for the Insecure Writers Support Group blog hop! Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

The awesome co-hosts for the November 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemi Fraser, Kim Lajevardi, L.G Keltner, Tyrean Martinson, and Rachna Chhabria! Be sure to check out their writerly wisdom.

November 4 question – Albert Camus once said, “The purpose of a writer is to keep civilization from destroying itself.” Flannery O’Conner said, “I write to discover what I know.” Authors across time and distance have had many reasons to write. Why do you write what you write?

What an apropos quote, eh? As a French major, I had to read L’Étranger by Camus–a very depressing tale that ends with (spoiler alert) a guy on death row finding enlightenment and happiness. We also had to read Madame Bovary and other tales of existential despair. Ugh.

Perhaps that’s why I ended up writing romance? Gotta have that HEA (happily ever after) to stave off the creeping gloom all around us, especially now. Romance is the literature of hope.

If you’re not a citizen of Romancelandia, you might be surprised to find nary a wolf shifter, duke, billionaire, vampire, or cowboy among my characters. Mind you, I’ll gladly read romance stories with those characters, but as a writer I enjoy creating slice-of-life love stories featuring characters you might actually meet in your neighborhood. (Remember the good old days of meeting people in your neighborhood? How I miss those halcyon days.) My characters aren’t rich, have no superpowers, and must deal with families who don’t understand them, squabbles at work, thwarted ambitions, job stress, all the stuff we deal with every day.

Sounds boring, you say? Bring on the flying dragons and magic swords? Gimme a horde of blood-thirsty mutants? Serve up odious foes to slay with a gory thwack of my battle axe?

Hear me out, though. In writing these realistic love stories, I get to curate the best of contemporary life and create satisfying, funny, touching tales that readers can imagine themselves experiencing. This is key for me as both a reader and a writer: no matter how fun it is to watch characters whiz into battle in spaceships or astride mythical beasts, that kind of victory is never going to happen in my life. But reading a love story reminds me that hope is possible even where I actually live, even during lockdown. We really can build a world where found family sticks by us, where love gives us the strength to overcome struggles, where we confront our worst faults and end up seen, heard, and cherished. No magical mage required. Just a wide-open human heart.

And Flannery O’Connor is right: writing shows us what we know. Creating these stories has taught me so much about my own inner void. In healing my characters, I’m healing myself.

I look forward to reading about the other blog-hoppers’ reasons for writing what they write. If you’re so inclined, leave a comment about what your stories do for you.

Speaking of funny, uplifting, sexy love stories, might I suggest my Christmas romance Christmas Rekindled? It’s set in a neighborhood bar in my hometown of Tacoma, Washington and features a pair of grumpy, Christmas-hating Scrooges who come together to save the bar they love–and find love along the way, of course. Get your copy here:

https://books2read.com/b/3JjPxP