Have you ever wondered exactly why you read romance? Being more of a by-the-seat-of-my-pants type of person, I’m not one to analyze things. But when I was on the final pages of my upcoming book, TOUCHED BY FIRE (out on October 2!), I ran into some startling developments that I hadn’t planned on. After the showdown with the bad guy, I couldn’t bring myself to simply let the hero and heroine declare their undying love and ride off into the sunset. It just wasn’t time. I needed to draw it out more, needed for Marla and Luke to angst a little more, for me (and the readers) to wonder if they would ever find a way to be together. Then there was another startling development (which would be a spoiler, so I’m not revealing it) that really surprised me. All of this unplanned story that came pouring out was emotional and heart tugging and ultimately made the ending more satisfying, more of an “Ahhhhh” moment.

Why did I need to put Luke and Marla (and myself) through all of these emotional gyrations? Because my involvement with the characters and the story was so great, the buildup so powerful (hopefully), that I wanted a greater emotional payoff. I always feel let down when a book ends too abruptly (as if the author ran out creative energy or reached the end of her allotted page count or had a deadline to meet). I want to see at least some of the happily-ever-after or be allowed to let of emotional steam, which is probably why all the books in my Shielder series have an epilogue. Strangely enough, my first two Sentinel books don’t, and I think I missed not having more payoff, which is why I wrote the extra pages at the end of TOUCHED BY FIRE. I’ve realized I’m really into epilogues, and that it’s because I want that final emotional fix. For me, the characters, and the emotion they evoke, are the main reasons I read romance. I love the steamy scenes, and I like the descriptions of the world, but if the emotion isn’t there, it’s not enough.

So, why do you read romances? Is it the characters, the relationship, the sex, the world building, the suspense, the emotional impact, the feel-good-at-the-end, or maybe the whole package? I hope you’ll share.

~ Catherine