Brockmann is an expert storyteller with remarkable skill at weaving several seemingly-incongruous narratives into a single story arc, and she creates unique and deeply human characters that it is a true pleasure to read about. I have only one problem with these books and it’s not Brockmann’s fault. They’re dated.
Romance novels create a utopian relationship, critics often squawk. There aren’t any real men like this. Every reader or writer of the genre has heard the refrain in some way, shape or form and there’s a reason for that. It’s called sexism.
Romance has a problem with men. Make no mistake, this is a feminist issue and, like questions of diversity in age, race and sexual orientation, it needs to be addressed before romance can fully move forward as the progressive, open-minded genre it is.
I went to the summer book sale today. Should I have gone to the summer book sale? The answer is an unequivocal no. Filling a shopping bag with second-hand books for just $8 and a good cause is the kind of feels-so-good-because-it's-so-bad fantasy I write about in my romance novels. But I went, knowing I am a weak, and I returned with bounty.
Now, of course, removing a transmission is a wildly complicated and difficult process, a little like saying Step One: Animate the monster or Step One: Walk on the moon. In my family, the term has become synonymous with comically difficult tasks– such as writing a book.
This idea of the muse, of some catch-all messenger of creativity is delightful and fantastical. It’s also completely made up.
I sat down with author Sandra Tilley to talk writing, passion and her book, The Ghost and Mrs. Miller!
