Redefining Romance

Sometimes, I get funny reactions when I tell people I write Christian romance. They look at me like I’m nuts. Like the two terms are completely contradictory. Christian romance? Isn’t that some sort of oxymoron?

This reaction makes me sad. Oh so very sad. Because God invented romance. Jesus Christ’s sacrificial love for His Bride is the most romantic tale of all time.

So how did we get here?

To this place where romance novels elicit images of bodice rippers and half-naked Fabios? To this place where Christian and romance don’t fit in the same sentence?

Let’s Talk: What images come to mind when you hear “romance novel”? What’s the best romance novel you’ve ever read? What made it so good? And for the love of all that is holy, are there really women out there who think Fabio is cute?

Romance and the Bible

Those words aren’t paired together too often. Yet whether you know it or not, the Bible is filled with romantic tales. And some of those tales are downright steamy.

We’ve got…

Adam and Eve
God created Eve for Adam. If that isn’t the definition of soul mates, I don’t know what is.

Rebecca and Isaac
A beautiful story of love at first sight.

Jacob, Leah, Rachel
One of history’s oldest recorded love triangles. With a twist. Instead of a woman choosing between two men, we have a man torn between two women.

Samson and Delilah
A story of deception and betrayal.

David and Bathsheba
The epitome of forbidden lust. With devastating consequences.

Ruth and Boaz
Ruth would get along well in our modern-day world. Because in this story, she’s the one who does the pursuing. And guess what? God blesses her boldness.

Esther and King Ahasuerus
Think Prince William and Kate’s story, only on steroids. A commoner marries royalty, but instead of happily ever after, she must use the king’s favor to rescue her people from death.

Hosea and Gomer
The Biblical version of Pretty Woman. A story of a man burdened with love for a fallen woman. The prophet and the prostitute.

Joseph and Mary
They fall in love. Get engaged. Mary gets pregnant. Only it’s not Joseph’s child. Then an angel appears and the story goes all paranormal.

Song of Songs
An entire book of the Bible written between two lovers. It drips with passion. In fact, anyone who thinks Christianity is a prude religion must have skipped this book.

How handsome you are, my beloved! Oh, how charming! And our bed is verdant.
Song of Songs 1:16

Brief vocabulary lesson. Verdant means green. Green symbolizes life. You make the inference.

Jesus and His Bride
Battered. Bruised. Broken. Marred with scars. Covered in filth. Yet Jesus looks upon her with so much love, so much yearning, so much passion, He lays down His life to rescue her.

Let’s Talk: Do you think of the Bible as romantic? Why or why not? Did I leave out some stories that should be included in the list?removetweetmeme

Love Triangles

I write romance, but I’ve never written a love triangle. The tension in my stories doesn’t arise from a girl choosing between two guys. It arises because the hero and heroine have conflicting goals.
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Yet love triangles are popular in the world of romance. And in the world of vampires, apparently. Because Bella has to choose between Jacob and Edward, just like Elena will ultimately have to choose between Stefan and Damon.
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Only in Twilight, we all knew who Bella would choose. Sure, there are people who wear Team Jacob shirts, but I don’t think many of them truly thought Bella would choose Jacob in the end. It was obvious. Jacob would not win.
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Yet in Vampire Diaries, I have no clue who Elena will end up with. And I’m genuinely torn, because I love her with Stefan, yet I’m rooting for Damon at the same time. 
This is rare.
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Love triangles tend to be obvious. The heroine might have feelings for two guys, and those feelings might add some tension to the story, but usually the reader knows who she’s going to pick. I don’t think any of us watched The Notebook and really thought Alli would go with Lon. Of course it had to be Noah, even though Lon was an attractive, likable man. 
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I tweeted about this recently. Love triangles. I asked if it was possible to write one where the reader truly has no clue who the heroine will choose. And my friend Heather Sunseri replied: Yes, but apparently it makes readers a little angry with the writer.
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So this leads to a conundrum.
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The majority of love triangles are obvious. But even if a writer manages to write one that isn’t, she risks angering 50% of her audience. Or maybe I’m missing the point. Maybe it’s okay for love triangles to be obvious. Maybe the point of them isn’t to keep the reader guessing.
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Which leads to my question….
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Let’s Talk: What’s the point of a love triangle? Do you like them? If so, what’s your favorite one?

After an insanely intense round of final line edits, followed by a trip to St. Louis, this girl needs a blogging break. I’ll see you in October!

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