« Whenever I smell fried chicken …Dali and Me »

Fantasyland

Jan 24th 2008Nicole Jordan
Nicole JordanOn Writing!

fanatasy-world.jpgLately I’ve been thinking a lot about romantic fantasies. Probably because my new editor wants to know what stories I have in the pipeline, so I’ve recently had to plot my next three books in detail – which, for me, first means determining what romantic fantasies I want to write about.

When I say “fantasy,” I’m not talking about the myriad improbabilities we find in many romance novels, including mine. The stuff that requires us to suspend disbelief while reading. Let’s face it, it’s so unlikely that historical heroines have long flowing hair that never needs washing, and that they never suffer such mundane troubles as PMS or toothaches or require bathroom cinderella.JPGbreaks.

In contemporaries, the heroine usually looks beautiful and the hero seems sexy (at least to each other) no matter the circumstances, even if they’ve just crawled out of a sewer. And fictional characters rarely worry about world issues such as war or poverty or personal ones such as bad breath or serious illness. Unlike in real life, where not all relationships have happy endings, and not everyone gets their just rewards.

No, when I say “fantasy,” I’m talking about the core fantasies we find between the pages of a romance novel. Of course, the basic premise of a romance is that love conquers all; that it triumphs over all obstacles and divisions. But beyond that, at the heart of all my favorite beautybeast.JPGromance novels is a core romantic theme. A primal, gut-deep fantasy that resonates with me as a woman. That shows me a view of life as I dream it could be.

Some of the themes I most love to read and write about? Taming of the savage male, Redeeming a rake, Cinderella, Beauty & the Beast, Banding together with a hunky hero to outwit a killer…. those get me every time.

My new Courtship Wars trilogy is about three very eligible guys who are attracted to three sisters, not because of superficial reasons such as their beauty or breeding, but because these women are very different from the norm. I’d have to say that the basic romantic fantasy in all three books is that a wonderful man will see past your flaws to your own special qualities and love you for yourself – and want your love for himself. That’s the kind of fantasy that makes me melt.

Why is it that we romance readers buy into these fantasies? I mean, really. How many wealthy dukes and earls could Regency England possibly have? What’s the likelihood that a gorgeous Prince Charming is going to hugh1.jpgappear and sweep us off our feet? Or if he does, that he’s going to be someone worth knowing and not just some pretty-boy arrogant jerk? When, actually, is Brad or Hugh or Gerard going to take one look at us and decide he wants to spend the rest of his life with us?

The reality is, probably never. But that one chance in a billion could explain the appeal of the romance novel. It’s the lovely happy-ever-after fantasy that makes us smile and sigh and believe that all’s right in our world, at least for a brief moment.

So how would you explain the wide appeal of romance novels? What romantic fantasies do you love to read about? To write about? How do you justify you tastes to skeptics? And have you ever seen your fantasies play out in real life?

67 Comments »

67 Responses to “Fantasyland”

  1. Kimberly W on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:29 am #

    I guess alot of it has to do with being able to believe, at least while we are engrossed in between the pages of a book, that these things CAN happen. I really don’t have any particular fantasy that am enamored of. I am more of the as-long-as-it-is-set-before-the-turn-of-the-20th-century type. That comes from my deep and abiding love for history as much as a love for the way a historical writer writes over a contemporary one. If I had to pick my favorite fantasy it would be the duality of the Beauty and the Beast story line. It can be that the heroine is the Beauty and the hero the Beast or that they each embody both be it in looks, deformity, or initial character. I can’t say that I have seen any of these scenarios play out befor eme in real life but there is always that hope that something like that may happen.

  2. Marie Conley on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:45 am #

    I guess a man that can control, yes I mean control, a strong woman. A man that has a slight air to him that will drive us nuts. I want a loyal one.

    Strong, loyal, dependable. Like a dog, only can speak. Yep, that’s what I want.

  3. Ellen on 24 Jan 2008 at 7:34 am #

    LOL, Marie. “Like a dog” is too funny first thing in the morning.

  4. Kay on 24 Jan 2008 at 8:02 am #

    The Happily Ever After is so appealing to me. There is so much divorce in the real world that it’s great to read about couples who BOTH want to work it out–not one person giving in all of the time– to make a relationship last. I have a friend going through a very ugly divorce right now. The pain radiates out and affects so many around her, even though it is the best for her & her kids.

    In the real world there’s so much hurt without the guarantee of HEA.

  5. cail on 24 Jan 2008 at 8:07 am #

    i’d say the reason i’m drawn to these stories is the HEA and the suspension of reality. I don’t want to read about something that is going to break my heart. When I’m relaxing I want to enjoy myself, feel good, and day dream. I’m partial to quite a few of the storylines- the best friends from childhood falling in love, the beauty and the beast, the former flames reunite years later, the teaming up of two wonderful people to concur evil…

    i happen to be living my own best friends falling for eachother. makes you realize sometimes these things happen. all it takes is that one turning point, and its there.

  6. cail on 24 Jan 2008 at 8:09 am #

    also, I get very vocal about defending my taste in books. People definitely can mock my taste in lit all they want, but they’ll just get a lecture on the merits of romance novels, and the history of them, and the different types you can find. it’s really fun!

  7. Malady on 24 Jan 2008 at 8:30 am #

    i ignore those who doubt the power of a romance novel. they pick me up when i am down.Romance has power becuase humanity needs a little happiness. i love historicals. and Vamps. and thoughtful contemparies. I think it is the romance were people grow thier characters that i like best. defeating at least one evil is a plus. as it a fantasy disfigurment can be tricky. but just ’cause your different doesnt mean you cant find your HEA.
    My life isnt easy, no-ones is. Every woman can identify with a heroine, while we may not get our HEA, the thought that others do is what helps keep people going.
    If the whole world fell in love with Love, it would be a better place.

  8. Lisa H on 24 Jan 2008 at 8:39 am #

    1. The appeal of romance novels, I believe is to give women the romance they desire but are not getting in real life. Romance novels are also a great escape into a “happy place” where only happy endings occur, and the heroine and hero always get what they deserve.
    2. My favorite storylines are Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, and what I call, Somersby—where the hero goes away and returns so different, you wonder if it’s really him.
    3. I justify my romance obsession to others as a way to escape from the unhappiness I often see around me. Not that I’m burrying my head in the sand, but I choose to believe in true love and romance and the power of love, and reinforce those ideas with my reading.
    4. I have a friend who recently went through a terrible divorce. After years of unhappiness and a terrible sex life, she met a new man (9years her junior) he has made her so happy. He is kind and loving, great in bed, and gentle with her and her needs. He is good looking with a nice

  9. Lisa H on 24 Jan 2008 at 8:39 am #

    body, although he isn’t rich - which is not an issue for my friend. So for her, her fantasy has come true.

  10. Freedom Writer on 24 Jan 2008 at 8:49 am #

    I’m drawn to romance because of the of the passions and good feelings one feels when a relationship first starts or rekindles after years of separation. The couples feelings are so much more intense at this beginning time than they are after the relationship has started to age. In the beginning it’s just two people focused on each other. As time goes on their attentions become divided by work, kids, PMS, and the feelings evolve to something less passionate. The sexual attraction, love and excitement can still be there but it is diffused by time and the day to day.

    As for defending my tastes in my reading. I don’t care what anybody thinks about what I read so I don’t feel the need to defend it.

  11. doglady on 24 Jan 2008 at 9:12 am #

    There are a couple of things that make romance novels appealing. First of all, reality is hard enough. I don’t really want to read about reality. I want fantasy. I want to escape, even if it is just for a little while. I want to read something that makes me laugh, cry, shout, curse, and laugh some more. I want something that is going to draw me in so deeply that I forget where I am and what pile of laundry or dishes or day at work is waiting for me. Romance novels do that for me.

    Second, I get to travel to some of my favorite places without paying for an airline ticket! I get to travel back in time. I get to live a life of luxury. I also learn things I didn’t know.

    Third, I get to believe in HEA where men are strong, honorable, and yes, vulnerable and women are tough, smart and able to hold their own with the men.

  12. SnikWhite on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:05 am #

    Who doesn’t want the hope of unconditional love? What little girl hasn’t closed her eyes and thought about being swept off her feet in the most amazing romance possible? (No matter how unprobable)

    The appeal of the romance novel is the escape from the mundane. While most people will experience love in their life, usually that experience is us settling for less than what we desire because we don’t think the other is possible. If you ask me, the skeptics who say that romance like the books/movies don’t exist are people who settled in life and it either ended badly, or they have lost hope for more.

    No matter how much my love life has sucked, I still believe in the possibility of more…no matter how naive that may seem.

    Plus I’m positive I will meet him on Oly Cliffs. How’d those numbers work out KariE?

  13. KariE on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:05 am #

    I totally agre with doglady. Hit the nail on the head with my thoughts.
    The appeal for me is the escape of reality. After a day of working on invoices and talking with customers I look forward to my book. Even if is only for 30 or 40 min I still get that little bit of an escape of my reality.
    I enjoy reading a lot of diffrent fantasys. That is the nice thing about reading and enjoying different authors. I might read 5 stories by 5 different authors that have the same fantasy but each author has his/her own take on it.
    My favorite, like Nicole, would be the fantasy of the hero loving the heroine for who she is. Blind love?
    So far I haven’t had to justify my taste to skeptics. All the femals in my family are romance readers. In fact, a majority of my romance books are from my grandmother. So, for the men in the family, its par for the course with us woman.
    As of yet, I have not seen a fantasy played out my real life. Here’s to hope though.

  14. Julia London on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:14 am #

    This is so timely, Nicole — I have to give a talk to a writer’s group about the appeal of romantic fiction, so these thoughts are great. I hope no one minds if I use them.

    I think some of the appeal is the fantasy that a man could sweep you off your feet and take care of all your needs, because in our every day life, we are taking care of everyone else’s needs. That’s not to say we don’t have romance, or our significant others aren’t supportive and caring. But men don’t treat women like fragile flowers like they did in the 19th century, or someone who really should be engaged in nothing more taxing than charitable endeavors while they are strong and alpha and take care of everything else. There are days that sounds so wonderful to me…

    But it only a fantasy. I’d have to kill someone if my life was really like that.

  15. KariE on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:14 am #

    Sniky-
    KariE got caught up in her unreality of ways To Catch A Highlander and thought about it at 10:30 last night.
    She fears the same thing will happen next week as well considering she will be reading on ways To Pleasure A Lady.
    (2 plugs in one post!!!)

  16. Meg on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:22 am #

    Historical and Regancy romance are the only books I read. And have for a long time. I love that it is not now. I once tried to read a contemporary. It was the only book that I have never finished.
    And I love just about every story line. If I had to pick a favorite, it would probably be where the couple team up to “defeat a certain evil” not knowing that they are falling in love in the process and in the end they finally understand that they cannot live without each other.
    I also love the “costumes.” What woman doesn’t like to imagine themselves in the role of the heroine and being able to wear all the pretty dresses and not have to worry about anyhting other than what event to attend in the evening. Now I know that things can get more complicated, but… Oh to be so carefree.

  17. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:28 am #

    >>>>Marie Conley = Strong, loyal, dependable. Like a dog, only can speak. Yep, that’s what I want.

    Lol, Marie! That’s one kind of great fantasy.

    And I love reunion stories, too!

    As for escapism versus reality, I’m all for it. So we can live vicariously in someone else’s life for a little while. Even if our own lives are full and satisfying and we have a great guy we love, we can still experience that wonderful feeling of falling in love all over again. Sigh.

  18. Malady on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:30 am #

    KariE how fortunate you are to have an absence of skeptics. The only romance readers in my family died many years ago. Only 4 of the marriages in my family lasted, this makes my family a tad cynical about men. Keeping hopes for a happily ever after safely pegged to the ground is a habit among us. My friends ALL think romances are either “dirty” or “featherbrained”; I want to set them right and convert them, I dont though.

  19. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:31 am #

    You’re really good, KariE! LOL. I would love to know what you came up with for clever ways To Catch a Highlander. Did you post it on the Forum bb?

  20. Meg on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:35 am #

    And don’t get me started on skeptics! I mean, how can someone be so closed-minded?! I know that I don’t have to go on and on here, but I can get more than a little vocal if need be.

    In the end, it’s all about escape, isn’t it? For ANY genre.

  21. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:35 am #

    Julia, I’m sure you’ll get some great answers from our goddesses. These are all wonderful so far.

    >>>>But men don’t treat women like fragile flowers like they did in the 19th century, or someone who really should be engaged in nothing more taxing than charitable endeavors while they are strong and alpha and take care of everything else. There are days that sounds so wonderful to me…
    But it only a fantasy. I’d have to kill someone if my life was really like that.

    >>>>Meg
    What woman doesn’t like to imagine themselves in the role of the heroine and being able to wear all the pretty dresses and not have to worry about anyhting other than what event to attend in the evening. Now I know that things can get more complicated, but… Oh to be so carefree.

    LOL! I know the idea of having such an easy life is really appealing when we’re crazy busy and under a lot of stress. But I’m like Julia. I would get sick of it after a while… and then I would want to kill somebody.

  22. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:38 am #

    LisaH, that is wonderful about your friend finding a great guy who makes her happy!

  23. Malady on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:41 am #

    true, Meg, true. Escape into a gooood book is the only holiday i could recommend for stress relief. People are never quiet so lovely as you wish. Sounds like a cycle to me.
    Annoyed -> Read book. -> reading taste criticised -> Annoyed -> Read.
    Ecetera, Ecetera, Ecetera.

  24. KariE on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:42 am #

    Not yet. I have many ways in my head but when I type them out I fell I come across as……..unpleasant. I will though. The ones I have read so far are great.

  25. SuzyQ on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:07 am #

    For me, like so many others, reading romance is just an escape from the everyday stress and chaos. When I read a book I want to be entertained with a smile, a sigh, and sometimes tears. But in the end it’s always the HEA.

    I also agree with cail - I am partial to those where the longtime friends end up together. I married my best friend, so you can see why :)

  26. ct009ct on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:17 am #

    The appeal of romance novels for me is the same as it is for doglady.
    I could not have said it better myself, so I won’t even try.
    As for justifying my reading choices, I usually just say “It’s what I like”.

    As for romance and fantasies playing out in real life, it happens. Maybe not always on such a grand scale as a rich Duke sweeping you off your feet, but I do believe it happens. Thirty-three years ago a Private in the Army sweep me off my feet, and even now, when he’s not making me crazy - he still sweeps me!

  27. Sabrina Jeffries on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:22 am #

    What I love is the DRAMA. So many of those unrealistic scenarios make for great drama and I like that a lot. It’s why I watch L&O or Cold Case or Without a Trace. It’s why I love biographies of great and tragic people. Drama is fun! And it reminds me of how thankfully devoid of drama MY life is.

    As for fave themes, mine include reunion stories, cabin romances (trapped together in a carriage *G*), Beauty and the Beast, marriage of convenience, masquerades (I LOVE masquerades), spies. Hmm, I like a lot, don’t I? I have to confess, though, that Cinderella isn’t my favorite, nor is the Ugly Duckling. I mean, I like the heroine being able to thumb her nose at everyone once she’s rich or beautiful, but in the first case, I don’t want her to be totally rescued, and in the second, I don’t want a story where she has to become beautiful to be loved.

  28. RachelG on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:28 am #

    I don’t justify my reading tastes to people. Just as I don’t justify what I write to people.

    I think the appeal of romance novels are their optimistic happy endings.

    I love secret baby books. I’m a sucker for them. And if readers would let me get away with it, I’d write them a lot.

    rachelg

  29. ct009ct on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:39 am #

    We all want a wonderful man who will see past our flaws to our own special qualities and love us for ourselves, but you also have to see past his flaws to see his special qualities and love him for who he is. And that’s not always easy.
    IMO, Happily-ever-after is hard work!

  30. Marie on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:40 am #

    Yes, ellen like a dog. Last night I broke up with my boyfriend of the last 5 months.

    I think we read happy endings because they don’t happen in real life. I’m being very pessimistic right now.

    I write them because I can escape from reality. Men are stronger, more dependable, loyal, and don’t cheat in fiction.

  31. cail on 24 Jan 2008 at 12:02 pm #

    Marie’s comment reminds of the storyline i DONT like. the adultery one. Where he or she is with someone else and has to get the man away from the other woman, or vice versa. def not a fan.

    Sorry the men in your real life are so scummy right now, I’m sure we can all suggest some books to escape into…

  32. Marie on 24 Jan 2008 at 12:07 pm #

    Thanks, but romance books just make it worse. Any line you give a hero, Dante has used on me. He knows them well.

    I refuse to read Danielle Steel. Okay I get that she is suppossedly the romance queen. I don’t care.

    1. Cheating-how many of her books have the wife leaving the husband?
    2. Children having kids-How many of her MC’s kids have kids even with each other

    Geez, we have enough of this in real life.

    Sorry, rant ended.

  33. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 12:27 pm #

    There is so much stuff I don’t want to read about in fiction! We have enough of that in real life.

    >>>>ct009ct
    The appeal of romance novels for me is the same as it is for doglady.
    I could not have said it better myself, so I won’t even try.

    I agree, ct! Doglady put it beautifully. And so has everyone else.

    Some other fantasies I love that I forgot about…

    Marriages of convenience/forces marriages.

    And when one of the protagonists starts by wanting revenge on the other but is forced to give it up when he/she falls in love.

  34. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 12:30 pm #

    Sorry about your breakup, Marie! Hugs! And I hope you find some wonderful romances to console you and to restore your faith in love.

    Your comment about Danielle Steel made me curious. I think the general public may consider her a romance writer, but I never have. Although I’m not quite sure WHAT genre she fits in. Any thoughts on that?

  35. Marie on 24 Jan 2008 at 12:36 pm #

    Woman’s Fiction… maybe…It’s not Chick-lit. And why do we call it chick-lit? A man calls us a chick and we get mad. Its basically telling us we are objects to be objectified…so why do we call ourselves that?

    I’m fine about the breakup or will be. There been someone new for me for awhile. I was just being faithful while he wasn’t. UGH!

  36. zambonigirl on 24 Jan 2008 at 12:59 pm #

    My favorite is pure fantasy. Give me a world with three moons and a green sun. A princess who likes to try and escape her guard, a handsome knight just come home from a long journey who happens upon her. They fall in love, find a dragon, foil some kidnapping attempts, and then gain the blessing of her parents and get married and have lots of sex and babies.

    *sigh*

    Yeah. That’s my kind of story. That’s my kind of fantasy.

  37. cail on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:11 pm #

    THANK YOU Nicole. I don’t think Danielle Steele is a romance novelist either!! I was livid when I chose someone else in Trival Pursuit for who the best selling romance novel author was, and then it was her. I made a fuss, and everyone thought I was crazy.

    EVERYONE assumes I read her. I don’t.

  38. Mia Rose on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:16 pm #

    Wow, what a great topic Nicole.
    PERSONALLY, I know the appeal of Romance novels is something the society we live in promoted. For me, being 4 years old and dreaming about being Cinderella or Sleeping Beauty and finding a Prince Charming was all I ever wanted… and I don’t think I ever really grew out of it completely. The unattainable perfection dream (the ‘disney princess type) will always be a part of my fantasy world, making me sigh and smile, even though I know it just doesn’t happen in real life, and like a couple of you agreed, I wouldn’t really want it.
    I LOVE to read, and write, about drama romances. Any sort of drama… maybe they are enemies, maybe they were forced to marry, time travel, psychotic ex… anything that creates excitement.
    I think mixing SERIOUS drama & imperfection WITH Happily Ever After is great… & slightly more believable.

  39. KariE on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:18 pm #

    I don’t recall ever reading a Danielle Steele book but I know I have read a few Jackie Collins books. Are they similar in genre?

  40. Julia London on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:20 pm #

    I think its a common misperception re: Danielle Steele. She has romantic relationships, but they aren’t romances in the true sense of the word because they don’t end happily with the H/H moving toward or in a committed relationship. I think….I’ve read maybe two of her books and both of them a long time ago.

    But talk about a following!!

  41. Mia Rose on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:22 pm #

    Regarding Skeptics…
    I’ve always thought that if romance novels were made into a movie, people would love the movie (IF they didn’t know it was originated as a romance novel), but simply because it’s under the classification of ‘romance novel’ they sneer.

    Sorry, that was kind of hard to explain so I don’t know if it makes sense. It’s almost 10:30 my time and I’m still not fully awake… even after 20oz of coffee.

    All I know is that someone can look at the front of the book I’m reading, look at the title, and assume. But reading it, it’s no different than a romantic comedy or even a thriller! There’s still a hero/heroine in every movie, and they usually fall in love and it’s happily ever after. But I think people accept it more in a movie format for some reason.

  42. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:29 pm #

    OOOO, I love the hero&heroine as enemies theme!

    And like you, Sabrina and Mia, I like drama in stories. And at least a touch of emotion that pulls on my heartstrings.

    Funny, but I used to write romances with tons of conflict and angst, and I loved reading those deeply emotional stories. But in the past several years, I’ve lightened up alot, both in what I love to write and what I love to read. Maybe it’s because world events seem so dark these days.

    I think it started after 9/11 for me. Does anyone else feel the same way?

  43. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:33 pm #

    >>>Julia London
    I think its a common misperception re: Danielle Steele. She has romantic relationships, but they aren’t romances in the true sense of the word because they don’t end happily with the H/H moving toward or in a committed relationship.

    I think you nailed it, Julia. And Cail, I laughed at your story about how you got riled. I’ve felt the same way.

    KariE, Jackie Collins is a lot more sex-and-scandal fiction than Steele. And I haven’t read either of them for ages!

  44. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:35 pm #

    Mia, I’ve always thought it hard to turn a romance into a movie since so much of a romance is about feelings. But when it’s done well, it can be great.

    And I know a lot of bestselling male authors deliberately put at least a small romance in their stories in order to appeal to women, since we make up the largest portion of readers!

  45. Mia Rose on 24 Jan 2008 at 1:45 pm #

    HA! I tried to pick up a Danielle Steel book years ago, I think I needed something new to read while taking a bath and my mom was in a book club.
    Thank god I didn’t spend the money on the book.
    I don’t even know what book it was, but I put it down maybe 20 pages into it (SO unlike me) because I was certain there was no way I’d enjoy it.
    It’s probably one of the only times that’s ever happened to me, because even if I’m on the fence about a book… I finish it.

    Nicole, I think you’re right about the world events reflecting reading (or writing) choices. Books are a definite place to escape… I know depending on current moods I’ll reach for either a dramatic story or a a light hearted magical ‘fantasy’ story.
    But I guess personally my moods don’t change indefinitely… it’s more like daily.
    :D

  46. Marie on 24 Jan 2008 at 2:34 pm #

    I have watched one of the movies based off her books. That was enough to kill anything I regard for her.

    It’s kinda a horror story. Like if you want love this is what you are going to have. So be happy.

    I’m going to be optimistic and say there is better out there.

  47. claudia dain on 24 Jan 2008 at 2:57 pm #

    I love marriage of convenience or arranged marriage stories, I think because of the intense and immediate tension it creates. Two strangers? Married? Yikes!

    Marie, big hugs today. I write romance because I believe that HEA happens every day. That there is a wonderful man somewhere for each one of us. That unconditional love is the only kind that counts.

    And I don’t defend what I read or what I write to anyone. And no one ever asks me to. I think because I’d zap them with a lightning bolt straight from Mt. Oly!

  48. Marie on 24 Jan 2008 at 3:02 pm #

    I’ve never had to defend it, but the strange looks as I go down the romance aisle at Hastings. Too dang bad. You aren’t reading it so leave me be.

    I read textbooks all day. I have every book written by Dan Brown. I am an intellectual. But I get to read for fun as well.

    My best friend has NEVER read a book before. That wasn’t read to us in English. NEVER. At least I read.

  49. tal on 24 Jan 2008 at 5:06 pm #

    I read also to escape “reality”… my reality is two kids, homework, dinner,husband , laundry… .. trying to be good mom, good wife , good daughter, sister ect..
    I don’t even want to know what professionals say about what I feel,but I would love to only worry dresses, charity whatever… some one else be strong for a change, some I can depend on…. to get what needs to done..DONE…
    I love the Ugly Duckling stories… or about coming home form war damaged or something
    about the heroine/hero.. esp. heroine as long as she is NOT a redhead..
    I also enjoy it when the hero/heroine work TOGETHER to solve whatever… as opposed to aginst each other that is soooo old
    Rakes/scoundrals ALWAYS enjoyable…
    I also enjoy when the hero/heroine get together early in the story
    Having a really fiesty, unlikable female is tough for me to read,
    but at the end I will read it ALL,I wnat to laugh esp.laugh, cry enjoy the witty banter everything!

  50. KariE on 24 Jan 2008 at 5:07 pm #

    What about coming back from the dead fantasies? I enjoy those too. It fun to see how the characters react to their “dead” lovers/husbands/wives walking back into their lives.

  51. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 6:18 pm #

    >>I think because I’d zap them with a lightning bolt straight from Mt. Oly!

    Yay, Claudia! You go, gf!

    I don’t usually feel compelled to defend my tastes, either, except when somebody calls romances trashy novels or bodice rippers. Then I set them straight!

    And I think arranged marriage stories are great, but they work best in medievals like you write. When you get to the 19th century, I think it makes the hero and heroine look a bit whimpy if they all someone else to arrange their future for them. Of course, NEEDING to marry for some good reason changes the dynamic enough to make it fun for me.

  52. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 6:24 pm #

    >>My best friend has NEVER read a book before. That wasn’t read to us in English. NEVER. At least I read.

    Boy, that is truly sad, Marie.

    >>>some one else be strong for a change, some I can depend on…. to get what needs to done..DONE…

    Yep, Tal, that is a lovely fantasy, lol. And it’s so great when it actually comes true.

    I also love Ugly Duckling stories and Coming back from the dead stories!!

    And Zambi, that’s interesting that you’re so into true fantasy. I love SF, especially tv and movies. I have friends who write nothing but fantasy and love it. But I never have quite gotten the hang of it.

    Did you flip over the Lord of the Rings movies? Most of my friends did, but one friend called the first movie a long video game. I guess like romance fantasies, you have to figure out what rings your on personal chimes.

  53. zambonigirl on 24 Jan 2008 at 6:35 pm #

    The LOTR movies…I’ve gotta say that I loved them, and not just becaus of Orlando Bloom and Viggo Mortensen. I really didn’t like the books too well. Well, I loved the first one, but I almost didn’t make it through the second. Tolkein really needed a good editor (and I know I’ll be stoned out of the Trek Convention for this, but why the HECK would you make up a stupid character like Tom Bombadil and then do nothing with him? He was so unimportant to the plot of the book. Editing, people!), and I thought that the first movie really helped to edit those rough patches out. The second movie was great. Again, it sort of skirted over the stuff that didn’t make make sense or took too long, and it was a good movie. I did not like the third. I felt that it really did the canon of the story a disservice. A lot of people didn’t like that Arwen’s role was expanded upon in the first, but I thought it was okay. I felt it got ridiculous by the third. You’re supposed to see that even though

    TBC

  54. zambonigirl on 24 Jan 2008 at 6:38 pm #

    You’re supposed to see that even though Eowyn would be a better choice for Aragorn, he chose Arwen and she chose him. That happens in life. Heck, I just broke up with someone because even though we *seem* perfect for each other, we really weren’t. Also, they really skirted over the whole Eowyn/Faramir story line, which was really…

    Oh, who am I kidding? Tolkein needed an editor! An editor! His kingdom for an editor!

    LOL. Now that I’ve put everyone to sleep…

    Anyway, I really wish there were more fantasy romances out there for adults. Most of the ones I’ve seen are more for young adult, and they sort of skirt over the lots of sex and babies part.

  55. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 6:53 pm #

    LOL! Wow, I can see I really hit a nerve. LOTR’s is supposed to be the latest holy grail of fantasy, and I thought you gave a good critique for all us novices. You clearly love your fantasy!

    One of my friends has co-written with a lot of the big women’s names in fantasy, and she’s now ghostwriting for another big name that she can’t even tell me about. And I have another friend who’s just started writing fantasy in addition to time travels cause she loves them so much. You all would get along great!

  56. Marie Conley on 24 Jan 2008 at 7:12 pm #

    One of my critique partners writes Fantasy Romance. I love her current one. It’s named Nevermind. You won’t find this one on shelves yet though she does have a couple published.

  57. Marie Conley on 24 Jan 2008 at 7:19 pm #

    >>My best friend has NEVER read a book before. That wasn’t read to us in English. NEVER. At least I read.

    >>>Boy, that is truly sad, Marie.

    Why would anyone never read? Seems idiotic to me.

  58. zambonigirl on 24 Jan 2008 at 7:26 pm #

    Give me some names, Nicole! I have an Amazon account, and I’m not afraid to use it! I think I also have a gift certificate, so it’s not like I’d be spending real money…

    Or I guess I could just do a search. ;-P

  59. zambonigirl on 24 Jan 2008 at 7:48 pm #

    And I need to say-I appreciate what Tolkein and Lewis did with their fantasy novels. They carved out the niche from the hardest granite that you can find. Their canons have influenced most of the fantasy novels that I have ever read and loved. (It’s also flavored some pretty shoddy rip-offs. Eragon, anyone? Anyone?) It wasn’t until Anne McCafferey came along with the Dragonrider series, and then Ursula LeGuin with Earthsea that Fantasy began to turn to other ideas. (Yes, I consider Dragonriders to be fantasy, not Sci-Fi.) Maybe Tolkein needed to be reigned in, but what he wrote is still strong. He wrote those books in the 40’s. Fantasy novels. People still obsess over them. That’s saying a lot. No, the movies weren’t perfect, but they were pretty darn good, even with the Arwen stuff that happened. Tolkein didn’t just write a book, he created an entirely different world. So did Lewis. Their work will probably always stand the test of time. My kids will think they’re cool. That’s huge.

  60. Kay on 24 Jan 2008 at 9:44 pm #

    I LOVED the LOTH books when I was a kid & eagerly reread them before the movies came out.

    Two good things about LOTHR movies–the theme song, which my kid is learning to play on the piano, and Viggo.

  61. KariE on 24 Jan 2008 at 9:51 pm #

    Aahhhh Viggo. I must agree.

  62. Sabrina Jeffries on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:50 pm #

    I’ve always considered Danielle Steele to be “glitz,” along with Judith Michaels, Jackie Collins, possibly even Olivia Goldsmith (whose books I ADORE). It’s a sort of class unto itself. I’d also throw Barbara Taylor Bradford in there, maybe. They all have romantic entanglements, but I wouldn’t call them romances. I’d say they were sort of the more grown-up version of chick-lit.

    I slogged through all the Lord of the Rings books and hated them (although I loved C.S. Lewis and some Ursula LeGuin). So I still haven’t seen the movies. One day, maybe.

  63. Freedom Writer on 24 Jan 2008 at 10:55 pm #

    I live in a house full of LOTR and Harry Potter fans, but I have only seen bits and pieces of the movies and have never read the books.

  64. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:26 pm #

    >>>I’ve always considered Danielle Steele to be “glitz,” along with Judith Michaels, Jackie Collins, possibly even Olivia Goldsmith (whose books I ADORE). It’s a sort of class unto itself. I’d also throw Barbara Taylor Bradford in there, maybe.

    That’s a good description, Sabrina. In fact now I remember there used to be a whole subgenre called glitz. And a couple of Judith Michaels’s books I loved and are on my keeper shelf.

  65. Nicole Jordan on 24 Jan 2008 at 11:31 pm #

    I agree, KE, Viggo is pretty appealing!

    And Zambo, my writer friend here in Utah who’s recently started writing fantasy in addition to her time travels is Lynn Kurland. She’s really loved branching out.

    And my long term very close friend who’s written with a lot of big fantasy authors is Rosemary Edghill. She’s done books with Marion Zimmer Bradley, Andre Norton, and someone else whose name escapes me at the moment. Plus she’s done Regencies and mysteries by herself, too.

  66. BeatriceYoung on 02 Feb 2008 at 4:44 pm #

    I love to read and write light historical romance novels, whether it be in London or Scotland. They are very enchanting.

  67. BeatriceYoung on 02 Feb 2008 at 4:45 pm #

    I love Beauty and The Beast! Great story, great plot.