So what do romance novels give to women like I
was and those who read the romances today, the women I'd like to
interest in reading mine? In the sociology studies I have seen, they are
frequently read by women with high stress jobs, sound marriages,
families, and a lot of pressure. The books aren't a substitute for
reality but just provide a break from it.
If someone thought they
are generally read by lonely spinsters at home waiting for their Prince
Charming, the studies say they are not (leave that to social media-- wait don't.
Romances are mostly read by women and men with very active lives, most frequently satisfactorily married. They are
very unlikely to have a hero/heroine like those in the books and they wouldn't
want them. They are pretty satisfied with what they do have. They aren't
plotting when they will run off for their dream. Like men's Tom Clancy
novels, it's just a break to travel into someone else's life for a few
hours where it's exciting.
For women, it's a bit like the Barbie
dolls that some feminists had a fit little girls were being ruined for
life if they played with them. It doesn't make those girls want to have a
figure like Barbie. She just represents glamor, imagination and play. I
think that's a lot of what the romance books represent-- a break from
reality and not in a bad way.
The romances that I write are involved with history, other relationships, and the difficulty of two people combining their lives as my husband and I did 61 years ago. Like the romances that I write, we've had our ups and downs, but luckily still enjoy each other's company. Romances combine love with real life obstacles.
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