Whether you’re a Valentine’s Day believer or you just like to insist that it’s just another day (which in all technicality is true), it’s now over. Now we go back to just loving each other the normal amount we do every day.
So, as it’s Valentine’s Day and we’re putting the window graphics on my boyfriends truck that I bought him as a gift (and it looks pretty awesome, just saying) I’m thinking what about books that makes love seem like such an impossible feat for some. In books it seems there is some fairytale romance that no one can relate to and doesn’t really exist and on and on. And to this I say…not true! Now, I’m going to go out on a limb here and make everyone gag, but I love my boyfriend very much. He never fails to be perfect everyday, which in all honesty sometimes annoys me because then I feel like a big bag of bird droppings when I get mad about something stupid and I think I have yet to see anything really make him mad that I’ve done.
Anyways, my point is, that kind of love in books that we read and get all dreamy eyed and so on and then we close the book and look at reality and go…yeah, right…really does exist. Here’s the part that makes it cross from reality to fantasy…conflict. In a book there is always an element of conflict, something standing in the way of these two characters and we just see them constantly fighting for each other and there we are, cheering, crying, gasping in suspense as they overcome these obstacles and at the end we all sigh in relief that these two have made it so far and finally get to be together in happiness. Enter the euphoric feeling at the end of the book when we jump up, ready to go find this beautiful battle for love and happy ever after. Then a few days, weeks, months later reality hits us and we say “Oh, well that wasn’t what I thought…”.
You know what we don’t see in books? The every day life after this couple reaches their happy ever after. You know why? Of course you know…it’s BORING! Because in real life that kind of love is found by finding moments of fun and laughter, of getting away from the every day at random. Let’s face it, how many of us are really on the run from some guy trying to kill us and the guy of your dreams JUST HAPPENS to be your bodyguard. Yes, that would sorta be cool (considering you lived) and exciting and make that love seem impossibly amazing because you’re always afraid that the next second is going to be your last.
I realize for many, with troops being over seas and such that some of you are in those situations, where the person you love is constantly in danger and love is so intense and I feel for all of you who find yourself living with that fear everyday, it’s not something I ever want to do but I admire the courage you all have and hope I would have it if need called for it. But for the most part, we live boring day to day lives and we pay bills and take care of kids and sometimes we lose each other in the mix. Love is finding each other again and knowing no matter how things go that other person is still going to be by your side holding your hand and on your side. So, as I said before, it’s not that the kind of love in books doesn’t exist, because it DOES! What doesn’t exist or is rare to find is the DRAMA filled part of the book that fuels the story line and puts our star crossed lovers in some kind of peril or another.
As I write my new book and The Order of the Elements series I have to weave the plotline with romanace drama and I can’t just leave out the romance drama because even if there is a war going on somewhere, we still don’t want to read about a perfect couple who never struggles through anything. It’s these things that make a good book, an amazing plotline, a romance conflict and moments where we really feel something as we read. And making that all work in a good book seems like an almost impossible task some days as I question myself a million times over if one thing will work or if I should just cut it out because it’s stupid. It’s these times I find myself thinking to myself “What would J.K. Rowling do?” “What would Rick Riordan do?” “What would Suzanne Collins do?”. At the end of the day, I do what I think is the best and hope someone besides me likes it.
Until next time…have a wonderful day! Cute cat —–> 
