I love Christmas. I love the music, the decorations, the food… I even
love schlepping around looking for the perfect present. Christmas puts me in a
good mood; it makes the world glow for a few short weeks during a cold and dark
time of the year. It gives me the warm fuzzies.But something odd happened this year. For some reason, the Christmas season affected me differently. It put me in a romantic frame of mind. Maybe it’s because so many of my friends are romance writers (including many on the Not Your Usual Suspects list) and they all seem to be having fun. Maybe it’s because I’ve been travelling a lot these past few months and a lot of the places I’ve been to have been quite romantic. Or maybe I’m just getting soft and mushy.
Whatever the reason, I suddenly found myself thinking about love and
Christmas and before I knew it, I’d written a romantic short story! A
contemporary romance, at that, with not even a speck of mystery. I feel a
little sheepish about it because I’ve always said that I don’t have a romantic
bone in my body, but there you have it. Apparently I have a teeny tiny one,
hidden somewhere deep inside. A wishbone, maybe.
I blame Christmas.
So, writers, have you ever been surprised by the story that emerged? And
readers, has a favourite writer ever surprised you with the direction they’ve
taken?
I’ve called my little aberration Running
Away From Christmas and you can find it on Amazon and on Smashwords, and soon
enough, in all the other regular places.
8 comments:
Oh how fun to try something new, Marcelle! (And I'm always soft and mushy around the holidays - too many sweets within reach.) ;)
I've always written romance, and usually romantic suspense, but part of me wants to write just contemporary romance (without dead bodies - go figure). I even got about 30,000 words of a series I had plotted, but then the suspense stories started doing well for me, so I went back to those. Some day, though... :)
I turn into an old romantic when Christmas looms. I think it's the cheesy music and films on offer. :)
I used to write romance and I often think that when I have the time (ha!), I'll leave the dead bodies behind and write another love story. When I have the time... :)
I like being enveloped in the warmth and love of the holidays. Many people are softer more tolerant this time of year. Hugs and kisses more abundant and genuine. As romance authors we have the pleasure and honor to evoke those feelings all year long.
I always suspected you were a romantic, Marcelle.
My one weakness is slow-dancing to Christmas music in front of a Christmas tree. I have yet to put that into a book...but one day I will.
@Anne Marie -- oh! I hadn't considered that I was growing soft and mushy because of the *sweets*!
@Shirley, I've tried writing romance before (it really does look like fun) but I always ended up with a body. This is why "Running Away" is such an aberration.
@Rita, you are so right. Folks around here are even more cheerful and friendly than they usually are, even though it's -23C (-10F) with a bitter wind. Warm hearts, and all that.
@Maureen, did I never mention the "not a romantic bone in my body" thing? Mind you, slow dancing in front of the Chrismas tree sounds lovely...
In answer to your questions, Marcelle: Have you ever been surprised by a story that emerges and do you know of any writer whose writing took on a surprising turn? (Paraphrases there, I think!) Anyway, "yes!" to both. I'm always stunned when a new plot pops into my mind, and my stories take on surprising turns without any help from me.
My favorite Christmas gift? A gorilla. Stuffed. See, that story took on a surprising turn. Okay, enough said, Merry Christmas, marcelle.
Stories are born in very cool ways. I think sometimes we need to have a change. It's as good as a rest, so they say. Congrats on your new story.
Merry Christmas to you, too, Jean. And my favourite Christmas gift? A little stuffed owl. Still have it...
Thanks, Shelley. And I agree; switching genres can be completely refreshing!
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