"And we learn a lot from stories, whether romance or not, whether books or not. My own values come almost more from the TV than from my parents, however good they were, because I’ve seen bad behavior and the consequences played out before me again and again, and the reason these things are not good."
Description:
Five years ago, Tristan Kendall left home and the woman he loved to prove himself on the sport bike racing circuit. With his career briefly on hold, he’s come to realize everything - and everyone - he ever wanted was right at home all along. Now he’s determined to win back her heart no matter the cost.
But Victoria Lane’s been through more than Tristan knows since he broke her heart. No longer the girl he once knew, she has a life to live, and a heart to give, but only to someone who’s planning to stick around. And she’s sure that isn’t him. Can he convince her that she’s the only victory lane he wants to be in?
The Best and Worst of Romance
The good and bad part of romance stories comes from the same thing: seeing what to do, and what not to do, in relationships.
We’ve all made mistakes, and when writing a romance, I make sure my characters do it, too - saying and doing the wrong thing, or at the wrong time, with the wrong tone, or giving the wrong impression. And then trying to handle the mistake, misunderstandings, and hurt feelings.
In my book TRISTAN, the titular character finally says “I love you” at the worst possible time: while having sex with Victoria, who’s been waiting to hear those words for a long time. This could make it seem like he only loves her for sex, or just the sex itself, which is what she immediately wonders.
Now the tricky part for her. Does she ask him about it? What does she say? “Did you really mean that?” Of course a guy would say yes, or hesitate, neither of those being particularly reassuring. And if you have to ask a question like that, it’s lame. How can she handle this?
And if she asks, when? In the middle of having sex? Immediately after? The next day?
What if she says nothing? That’s no good, because a nagging feeling is dogging her. Does she wait for him to say it again? Does she say it back first? Does she pretend he didn’t say it (you know that isn’t going to work for her)?
And then she realizes that Tristan doesn’t seem to realize he’s said it (despite actually saying it twice). Does that make it more genuine or less?
This fictional situation is all too real and has undoubtedly happened, and one of the great things about romance books is showing us how to handle something well. To find out what she does, you’ll have to read the book, but it serves as an example of real-life problems we can learn from in fiction.
And we learn a lot from stories, whether romance or not, whether books or not. My own values come almost more from the TV than from my parents, however good they were, because I’ve seen bad behavior and the consequences played out before me again and again, and the reason these things are not good.
We seldom see the good portrayed, however, because that’s not dramatic, but I strive to show people eventually getting it right. I show them listening, apologizing, making it right or better. We have to let people know we didn’t mean anything by it when we screw up. There’s a good way to handle these mistakes. There’s a good way to react when our partner makes them. And there’s forgiveness.
We learn from what we see, hear, and experience, whether it’s happening to us or someone else, and whether it’s about relationships or not.
It’s the same reason I read about motorcycle accidents in my area (I’m a rider) - I can learn from someone else’s mistakes, even though the descriptions of their gruesome ends make me uncomfortable. And Tristan is a sport bike racer, so I used what I know in his story with Victoria.
For example, after she leaves a motorcycle parked in neutral (not in gear) and it’s stolen, he advises her never to do that because someone can just wheel it away to steal it. They don’t have to start it or even lift it into a pickup truck. It’s much easier to steal a bike that’s parked in neutral. In theory any biker reading TRISTAN would already know this, but if not, now they do. Somebody somewhere has to tell us these things.
One consequence of learning so much about the world without having personal experience of many things is that some of us become a know-it-all, and so this can be a double-edged sword.
Stories can educate and entertain at the same time, and the best and worst thing about romance books is learning how to handle the troublesome road of intimate relationships so you don’t end up like Victoria’s motorcycle - broken, upside down, and of no use to anyone.
And of course the very best of romance novels is when naughty sex scenes give us new ideas to spice up our own!
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About the author:
Randi Everheart is an avid author of romance, due in no small part to being a diehard romantic. After all, Randi once wrote a song for the object of a crush and penned a fifty page love letter for another! The same spirit now flows into these stories – hopefully to win your heart!
Randi has a Bachelors of Music in classical guitar but has always been more of a rocker, having released several albums under another name. Tendonitis in both arms ended career plans in music, leading to a new career as a software developer. Today Randi co-owns a software consulting firm and lives in the Maryland suburbs north of D.C., is married, and loves spending time with son Ryan when not writing, playing guitar or golf, or writing smut.
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