Since releasing my new series, I’ve had numerous readers ask me about its origin. IOW, why write about mothers in romance novels? So I thought I’d share my thoughts.
When I started writing romance, I never planned to write about mothers. It was only after I’d published quite a few books that I realized they weren’t just about romantic love; they were about families. Mothers. Fathers. Children. And all the wonderful messiness of family. (Even my suspense novels include children.) At first, that realization surprised me, but it probably shouldn’t have. I come from a large family—I was one of six kids—with an even larger extended family. So it makes sense that the family theme is woven throughout my stories as a way to explore and understand the nature of families and how the individual members interact with each other.
So, from there, my series A Mother’s Heart surfaced. All three books in the series are about single mothers; a difficult road to travel at the best of times. Then a man and romantic love enters this woman’s life, which complicates things further. I was a divorced single mother when my daughter was young, so these stories again come from within. They are a reflection of my own need—and that of most single mothers—to believe that the men in our lives will rise to the occasion and love our children as their own.
However, my love of family, of exploring the multiple facets of family life, extends beyond what I write. I also love to read about families—about how other authors see family. So I thought I’d share some of my favorites with you. Each week I’m going to feature a book I love, usually a romance, that extends beyond the romance to a love of family. I’ll post my review here, and then copy them onto my series page.
I hope you’ll enjoy this feature because, after all, love is love. It may manifest in different ways, but at its core, it’s always beautiful.
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