One of my favorite people on the planet – yes, the planet – is visiting with us today. She’s Monica Burns, and she writes award-winning, bestselling historical and paranormal romance. Monica has won the RT Book Reviews Reviewers Choice Award and the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. In addition to writing great – and spicy! – romance, she’s also a wonderful person.
I’m going to turn things over to Monica, who has a lovely blog about friendship and the romance community.
Do you have any idea how many times I’ve started this blog post now? Seven. Seven different openings and now that I’m on the eighth effort, I’m feeling desperate. Well that resonates, because as an author I *am* desperate. You might ask why? Well, like all creative types, we just want to be loved. Seriously, we want people to love our books and love us for writing those books. Any author who disagrees with me, well I’m not gonna believe them.
Whether you’re a fan of Star Trek, Star Wars, NASCAR, football, or whatever, you’re going to meet people you connect with because you both like the same thing. The romance community is the same, and yet I firmly believe we have a fundamental difference. We love to read about love, and we all know that love is the most powerful emotion of all. As a result of that binding love, friendships develop among readers who might have met only one time in person, but communicate almost daily with online.
For instance, I consider Vanessa a close friend even though our friendship is a long distance one. I honestly don’t know why she chose me to be her friend, but she did (Vanessa, here. Because Monica has a huge heart and she’s funny!). She listens to me whine, gives advice, offers emotional support, and makes me laugh. All of the things a friend is supposed to do. I reciprocate when she needs me, although that’s hardly ever.
Vanessa rarely rants, but I’m always there to support her when she does. Vanessa is one of four people in my most intimate inner circle of friends. You know the kind; they’re the friends who will call you on something you know better than to say. The friends who empathize, are ready to storm the castle with you and have your back.
Friendship is one of the strongest threads running through the romance reading community. A few years back, on a now defunct blog, I talked about the friendships I’ve built over the years. Friendships I wouldn’t have if it weren’t for the Internet and the romance community. I can tell you right now that I would never have met Vanessa, Becke, Keri or Rosie if it weren’t for the romance community and the Internet.
So, have you met another lover of romance books via the Internet? Have you met in person? Do you chat daily? Weekly?
Vanessa, here. Thank you so much for that wonderful post, my friend! And you know what else is wonderful? Monica’s new historical, Love’s Revenge. Take a look at this awesome cover!
Love’s Revenge
All her life, Sophie’s tried to earn her father’s love to no avail. Even her one chance for happiness was crushed beneath his tyrannical thumb, leaving her firmly on the shelf at forty-one. Sophie accepts her fate until she impulsively uses her father’s criminal activities to escape a life of servitude and right a wrong at the same time. She never really expected the Devil of Devlyn to actually accept her rash proposal, and she certainly hadn’t planned on falling in love with a younger man.
When Quentin Blackwell, Earl of Devlyn, discovered the woman he loved was carrying another man’s child, he refused to marry her. In retaliation, her father ruined Devlyn. When Sophie Hamilton, the man’s eldest daughter, comes to him with an unexpected offer, Devlyn seizes the chance for vengeance. What he doesn’t bargain on is how revenge could cost him the one thing he wants the most. Sophie’s love.
Sounds enticing, doesn’t it? For my readers today, Monica is giving away a copy of the book. And I’m giving away a copy of one of my historical romances, too. Just answer Monica’s question about friendship for a chance to win Love’s Revenge and my first book, Mastering The Marquess!
Love’s Revenge:
Amazon Kobo Smashwords Barnes & Noble
Twitter — @MonicaBurns
Pinterest — https://pinterest.com/monicaburns/
Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMonicaBurns
Website – http://www.monicaburns.com
i work with a couple of book lovers, then theres my sister in laws. we share books back and forth..of course im usually the one buying them and letting them read after im done lol. i would love to meet some authors from my fb page that would be cool
Amy, I think that’s awesome that you have SILs to share romance books with. My sisters read, but not so much romance, and we live 3-15 hrs apart from each other so not much chance of sharing. Although, now that I think about it, if they have Kindles…nah, they still wouldn’t read my kind of romance. Bwwwaaahahaha
Can’t say I’ve made any friends from the romance community tho I visit lots of romance blogs. I have utmost admiration for the bloggers. Everyone seems to friendly. I’d love to meet all the authors who’s books I’ve enjoyed…Vanessa & Monica would you consider a trip out to Asia (where I live) 😀
Linda,
Unfortunately, I don’t think Asia is in the cards for me at the moment. You should consider visiting one of your favorite authors Facebook Page (ask Vanessa, on my page I NEVER shut up. LOL) Striking up a conversation might seem hard, but it’s not really. And readers are so friendly. I’ve had a couple of people chat with one another on my page. In fact, I think I need to encourage more of it with nudges. Thanks for putting that idea in my head!!
Linda, several countries in Asia are on my bucket list, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get there!
I’ve met a couple of people via the Internet who love to read Romances as much as I do. We live worlds apart, so I doubt we will ever meet. We just chat informally whenever.
Mary,
That informal chatting, can create some strong friendships even when you’ll never meet in person. In the distant past, people built up friendships off of letters even though they rarely if ever met or saw one another. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams had an enduring friendship despite the distance separating them for most of their lives. Their friendship has always fascinated me. http://www.monticello.org/site/jefferson/john-adams
Actually, my sister and I trade our favorites regularly.. And I do wish to thank you for writing a story about a woman who is older..
Cate,
It’s wonderful to trade romance books with people who are family. As for writing older women, younger men, I think that’s been my destiny. I wrote another one that won a 2011 RT Reviewers Choice award (Pleasure Me). I think that’s because I married a man 5 years younger than me. *evil grin*
I’ve met quite a few on FB, several of us talk every day about kids, grand kids, shopping, etc.
Shelia, Your situation is precisely the type of connection I’m referring to in my post. It’s that interaction that we might never have had if not for romance and the Internet.
Not really but I do run in the same people on blogs… and it’s nice to read their comments and thoughts on books!
Mary, I think you should start chatting with people online that you see have similar tastes. The internet gives us a buffer that keeps us from facing someone up front. Now that has the ability to be used for bad (anonymous posts that are snarky and plain hurtful) or it can bring a lot of joy when you connect with someone who loves romance and has even more common denominators with you. Using the Internet for developing a friendship where one might never have existed is a major plus in my book. 🙂
No, I haven’t met another lover of romance books via the Internet.
But I often visit romance blogs.
Olga, if you visit romance blogs, then you’ve met romance lovers. 😀 You might not talk with them, but that’s not to hard to do. Just strike up a conversation like you did here when you see someone make a comment that you like.
Great post! Your cover is beautiful and the book sounds awesome. I have a huge love of books with my sisters and we share our books. I have not really become friends with any book lovers on line yet but I am sure I will before its over.
oops forgot to click reply her and answered your comment in the next post. *banging head on desk*
Thanks for the kudos on the book and its cover. I think it’s one of my best covers ever, although the one for Pleasure Me comes close (another older woman/younger man/virgin story).
I think its wonderful that you have your sisters to share your romance with. I never got that with my sisters and my SIL doesn’t read at all. So I’ve been going it alone since I first started reading romance.
I’ve met a few
Yes. We don’t chat daily, but we do keep in touch.
Thanks for the contest.
I’m a new-ish historical romance reader (but an avid Jane Austen student) so I haven’t made any friends via reading romance novels. But I hope to someday. Right now there’s nobody I know who also shares my interest.
Maria, you’re certainly free to hang out here with us! We all love reading romance.
I met a lot in facebook, we always chat about this book, that book and what book was good and about cover book too. I always chat daily with them, but usually when am free from work. I met few of them if i going vacation to their city, we will gathering on mall cafe or any place we’re agree 🙂