What A Girl Wants

I write romance novels for both adults and teens. And while these genres are markedly different in their content, one thing remains the same: what a girl wants. Both women and teenage girls want the same thing when it comes to romance. We want to be cherished, valued, respected and of course, loved. When we read romance we get to experience that ideal, as well as see the work it takes to get there. I know there are some critics who say that romance is bad for women, that it teaches women to have unrealistic expectations from their romantic relationships. I say nonsense!

First of all, women and teen girls are not stupid; we know the difference between fiction and reality. But why should we not have the expectation of being respected, loved and valued in our romantic relationships? Why would we want to be in a relationship where we did not experience these elements? If anything, I think reading romance can encourage women to have higher expectations about the way they are treated by guys. That is a good thing.

In my soon to be released novel, No Regrets, a successful career woman is reunited with an old high school flame. He is wary that her demanding career means she is not maternal. He has been jaded by his ex wife, who left him and their baby to pursue a modeling career, so naturally he is concerned about his son's well being. But as Aidan and Jamie fall in love, they discuss career and parenting, with Jamie voicing her opinions loud and clear. Aidan realizes that his successful career doesn't make him a bad or uncaring father, so why would it matter that Jamie is a successful business owner? She is proud of her success and respects herself, so she has no trouble demanding that same respect from Aidan. And she gets it, but only because she won't settle for anything less.

Gone are the days of weak heroines who wait to be rescued by the hero. Well, maybe there are some of those stories still out there, but they don't resonate with the modern woman or the savvy teen girl. My heroines are independent, smart and successful. They go after what they want whether it is a career, a college scholarship or harnessing their unusual powers, as in my Urban Fantasies. In my work in progress, a Young Adult Urban Fantasy, Awaken Me, Camille, who has been orphaned by her adoptive parents, wants to find her biological parents. Despite every obstacle imaginable that is put in her path,  (and her discovery of extraordinary powers she can't understand) she perseveres. Her spunk and intelligence is one of the things that causes the hero not only to fall in love with her, but also inspires him to deal with his own issues regarding his parents, (sworn enemies, though not exactly human). They bring out the best in each other, support each other and respect each other. That, my friends is True Love - and isn't that what a girl wants?