​I have been thinking a lot about why I write romance, and I came up with an answer or two.
I think when I am writing I’m not just looking for a simple love story. I am seeking a specific psychological experience. I think I am writing something that fulfills deeper needs in my mind.
One of them is the emotional safety I get from a happy ending. My books always end happily, and I like it that way. I turn to this genre for emotional security in an uncertain world. I want to experience intense emotions, jealousy, passion, heartbreak, but I want to do that within the safety net of knowing everything will work out.
I am told there is some psychology behind it
I have been told this need stems from our basic psychological requirement for security and predictability. Romance writing provides a controlled environment where I can safely explore complex emotions without real-world consequences. The guaranteed HEA (Happily Ever After) allows me to invest emotionally without fear of devastation.
I am not saying that I will always write romance. I might branch out one day. I have lots of ideas, but for now, I know who I am and my mind set. So, if you are here, and you like what I create, pick up a romance and join me in a story that will always end happily.
Nothing scary here.

As some of you might know, I have a series called the Ice Era Chronicles. It is a post-apocalyptic, futuristic romance series. The main line of the books, the times, is all about male-female love stories with action, sex, and the question of whether the world of ice will kill everyone.
I also have a series of books called the Alien Love Series. My Dagerstanteens are all a bit gay, but if you want to get down to brass tacks, in the end, the alien species has no gender. They are considered male by the humans they meet, and they fall in love with men from Earth. It’s a bit of a gray area.
I have a four-book collection called “In the Mountains.” I don’t consider that a series, though. It was just a set of books I wrote when I moved to the Appalachian Mountains of Georgia. So that one really doesn’t count.
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And so on to what this post is about...
I wrote a book for a writing contest with a specific prompt. It was supposed to be about a research base floating in space and an alien prince. I put my own spin on it because I am who I am.
I didn’t plan to do much with this book other than submit it in the contest. As it was, the story got rejected. I don’t know why. But as I worked on it, I thought I could write a story for all seven characters in the first book. I labeled it on my computer as “Reel Legends.” They are on the planet of Reel. The first book in the Reel Legends introduces Trace and it sends this person on an adventure. I then made an outline for a second book and a third. Who am I kidding? I did an outline for all seven main characters, but when the book was rejected, I didn’t pursue writing more stories. I think I was caught in that place of writing for myself and wondering why write if no one wants to read my work. (I live in this space.)
And so, time passed, and I wrote a book about vampires… and so now here I am.

I could write another Ice Era Chronicle or start a new set of “In the Mountains.” I could write another love story for my Dagerstanteens or keep going with “Reel Legends.” Or finally, I could write about more vampires. Heaven knows I got some ideas for the Lex Sanguis and the vampire Enforcers. They have human vampire hunters trying to kill them and evil vampires turning, and they all have some serious insecurities about their fang size…

But I digress. I don’t know what to work on. So, does anyone have any thoughts?

I don’t feel old. But I bet that is what all the old people say.
​As time goes on and I talk to my twenty-something daughters, I realize that my age shows in my work. I am not sure if that is a good thing or a bad thing, or if it just is.
I was reading a story the other day, and the author made a comment about a Rolodex. I chuckled, but then I wondered how old this lady was to know what a Rolodex was. My mom had one of those. I didn’t even have one. So… that’s like a really old reference even for me.
I think about that when I’m writing. Now that it happened to me, I wonder if what I put into words just sounds like an old person and her babble. Don’t get me wrong, even if you said yes, you are a babbling old person, I would still write. I would write and give you the finger between chapters. But still, I want to be conscientious about the terms I use, not because they age me, but because I want to paint a story for you. I want to immerse you in the very best tale I can weave, and I don’t think I can do that if I am referencing a Nokia flip phone. (I used to have one of those.)
As I write this post, I think about the movies and shows from the eighties and nineties, or even the ones made in the fifties. Some stories are timeless and still hold up. I want that magic. Maybe if I keep working on being the best writer I can be, I will get there one day.