Emotions are the entire basis for any romance novel. I
write contemporary romance, romantic suspense and historical romance but for
each sub-genre, emotions such as joy, love, loss, bereavement, fear and courage
are all felt the same today as they were in any past century. It’s the constant
that we all share and always will.
As I create my characters and their goals, motivations
and conflicts, I focus my mind on what issue will evoke the most emotion in the
characters and the reader. This is a vital
consideration if I want my readers to be wholly invested in the characters’
journeys and, ultimately, their happy ever after.
Romance writers also tend to use their stories to explore
an issue they feel strongly about or as an avenue in which to purge a conflict
they are enduring, or have endured, in the past. Hopefully, everyone has the
opportunity to experience falling in love, but it’s not always a happy one. By
the time we hit our mid-twenties (quite possibly younger), many of us would’ve
experienced heartbreak, betrayal and/or disappointment. These memories and the
feelings that we went through provide a melting pot of emotion to pour onto the
page.
One of the hardest of my books to write was Saved By
The Firefighter, but it was also one of the most cathartic. Just before I
started writing this book, I had lost my beloved, ten-year-old black Labrador,
Max. He was my first family dog and my constant companion. He was with me
pretty much twenty-four-seven and would lay for hours at my feet while I
worked. During our walks I would plot and plan, solve problems and gain new
inspiration. He was everything to me.
When he died, I was struck down with grief. I was
lost. Didn’t want to do or think about anything…and I had a deadline looming. I
had to start work. But how?
That was when I knew the book I needed to write had to
involve bereavement, a fight through the hero or heroine’s grief until they
come out the other side, happier and stronger than they were before their loss.
As soon as I believed the writing of this book could be my way of healing, of
purging everything I was feeling and how much I was hurting, the writing began
to flow.
I poured everything into every word, every scene and
every character action and decision.
The feedback from readers was fantastic - Readers have
told me how Trent and Izzy’s story brought them hope, evoked tears and
memories, but they finished the book smiling. This is my aim when I write – to
heal a little of something in me and in the lovely people who read my books.
Romance writing is therapy. Great therapy!
Happy Reading,
Rachel x
How can she forgive him for what
he didn't do?
Photographer Izzy Cooper feels as
frozen as her pictures. Trent Palmer might be the hottest firefighter in
Templeton Cove, but she can never face him again. Not after he failed to save
her brother. But when they're forced together by a calendar shoot, the sparks
between them are undeniable.
Izzy
knows it's not fair to blame Trent for the tragedy, but opening herself up to
loss again isn't something she's prepared to do, no matter how determined Trent
is to show her that pain is part of life and that love—their love—can make any
suffering bearable.
Buy Links:
Amazon UK: http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B01JFHYGQW
Amazon US: https://amzn.com/B01FQX473Q
Barnes & Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/saved-by-the-firefighter-rachel-brimble/1123750035?ean=9781488006906
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