My initial foray into writing a romance was inspired by two facts. One, I genuinely enjoyed reading romance and two, it looked so simple anyone could do it.
Are you laughing? You should be. I was so sure I could just whip one of these out in days and it would be picked up immediately. Wrong on both counts. It was much more difficult than I anticipated, and it appeared that the parts I skimmed over while reading other romances were essential in a publisher's eyes.
After much moaning and groaning, I learned to put all the goopy stuff in a romance, but as the years went by without publication, I learned that I wrote faster and quicker when there was a bit of a mystery involved. In fact, one critique partner commented that it seemed like one half of my books were romance and the other half mystery. Not a bad thing if both were integrated throughout the story. They weren't.
Since I was struggling with explicit scenes, I switched gears to mystery and found myself liking that very much. I wrote a good many of these as well without getting picked up. Meanwhile, I missed the happily ever after of a good romance, so I went back and started dusting some of my better romances off and reworking them.
The first revised romance I sent out got picked up. Great, I thought. I really am a romance writer. Then a mystery got picked up by a second publisher. Great, I thought. I can be a mystery writer and a romance writer, just like Nora Roberts and her alter ego, JD Robb. Then I landed another romance contract with a third publisher for sweet romance. Great, I thought. I really am crazy...
How'd I end up writing 3 genres? Pure stubbornness. I just wouldn't give up.
Keep on writing!
Maggie Toussaint
romantic suspense, mystery, and sweet romance
catch me at Killer Nashville next week
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