Why Do You Read Romance?

I wasn't sure what to blog about today. I don't have any news (apart from Fallen Idol coming out on the 29th) and things seem fairly ordinary at home. The only excitement we've had recently is my husband going to the dirt shop to purchase soil for his garden and cramming it into his work van. He's frightened to open the rear doors in case it all falls out since it's loose dirt. Or I could tell you about the dog thinking the two painters that came to look at the house were going to steal her bone and trying to shift it. The bone is almost bigger than her. See what I mean - not that riveting!

I thought I'd get back to basics. Why do you read romance? What is it that keeps you reading more?

The happy endings do it for me. I'm a sucker for a happy ending. I like the predictability of knowing that the hero and heroine are going to end up together. It doesn't matter whether they are battling sea monsters, aliens or the neighborhood bully who lives at the corner of the street - in the end, love will triumph.

I like visiting new worlds without the discomfort. If I want real and gritty I book an overland holiday! I love exploring the question of "what if". What if there really was magic and witches, wizards and vampires were part of our world. (Can you tell I've finished reading Thrice United? Run, don't walk, to get your copy. Lauren has done it again - produced a wonderful read with characters that stay long after "the end") I love to believe in magic.

Why do you like reading romance?

This is a photo of me at the Antarctica Centre in Christchurch from our recent holiday. I'm pretending to be down at Scott Base with the penguins but notice the handbag and tevas? What can I say - I have a vivid imagination and that's why I'm a writer.

And in case you wanted to know what happened to the dirt - it's early Saturday morning here in New Zealand. My husband has backed up his van as close as he can to the garden and opened the doors...