I’ve just returned from a long weekend at the UW Writer’s Institute. I enjoy it every time I go. I meet new friends, pick up new nuggets of information, and, sometimes, I meet someone who changes my perspective.
This trip, it was Bobbi Dumas, founder of ReadaRomanceMonth.com Wow, this woman is passionate about romance.
I admit, I’ve never given the romance genre much thought. I, like many, thought of it as bodice-ripping, semi-erotica where the plot was always leading to a man sweeping the woman off her feet, breathless, saving her from a life of spinsterhood. Or some other such sap.
Apparently, I’ve had it all wrong. Apparently, romance novels have changed with the times. These days, I’m told, the men of romance novels treat their women with respect, are actual partners, are, well, romantic. Romance today is more about empowering women, about personal and relationship development, about two people who come together because they bring out the best in one another.
Now that’s story telling I can endorse. For more, and to read her view, check out her article on NPR: Don’t Hide Your Harlequins: In Defense Of Romance
Thanks, Bobbi, for setting me straight.
