Summer Lovin’
When I think of summer, I think of summer romances and beach reads. I imagine steamy nights and cocktails with umbrellas. In honor of summer’s arrival, and being a writer of romance among other things, I thought I’d share a little bit about my journey into this genre. Most of you know that I write speculative fiction under my given name, Tabitha Lord. I’ve talked about why I love the weird, wonderful world of science fiction and fantasy, and why it’s still my focus a good bit of the time as a reader and writer. You can check that out HERE.
But the romance bug bit me, and I now have as many titles published as a romance writer as I do a sci-fi writer. I guess I’m something of a romantic at heart, and I just love a story with a happily ever after. Romance delivers that. In fact, it’s one of the rules of writing romance. The story must have a happily ever after, or at least a happy for now, ending. There will be conflict, strife, angst, misunderstandings, or maybe suspense, danger, and mystery, but we can be assured it will all work out in the end. To me, that’s hopeful.
In the midst of COVID, when the world felt scary, I couldn’t seem to focus much on my usual writing fare. I also couldn’t attend book signings, cons, or any other events where my audience gathered. The final book in my original sci-fi trilogy launched just before COVID. Everything I had planned for promotion was cancelled within weeks. My whole attitude around it was just flat, and while I didn’t want to stop writing, I couldn’t seem to focus on the big themes or the intricate world-building needed for speculative fiction work.
I found myself gravitating more toward romance as a reader. I needed the hope and the assurance of a happily ever after in the midst of the world’s uncertainty. In addition, my author brain understood that from a practical perspective, reaching romance readers might be a whole lot easier with the many online reading and writing platforms.
My creative energy broke through in fits and starts, and I found myself weaving different sorts of tales. The Tactical Solutions International series was born during COVID, and I released the first three titles during that time. The fourth is out, and I have several more planned, but as the world slowly recovers, the other side of my writing brain has come back online. Now, I split my time between Maggie and Tabitha. This means it’s taking me a little more time to finish the romance series, but I promise I’m still on it!
Anyway, as summer arrives, my Kindle is stocked up with the steamy stuff, and I find myself once again plotting a few happily ever after stories. So, stay tuned!
IN OTHER NEWS:
If you’re an aspiring romance writer, check out this article I wrote for Author’s Buzz titled Writing Romance - 7 Basic Tips.
I’ll be at Denver Fan Expo from June 30th - July 2nd signing books and moderating panels. If you’re in the area, stop by and say hello!
Finally, here’s a glimpse of our time in Colorado from the last two weeks including Great Sand Dunes National Park, Garden of the Gods, Pike’s Peak, and Grand Lake. Some of these places are so beautiful they don’t even look real!
