Thanks so much to everyone at Romance Book
Haven for having me here today!
As I come to the end of an amazing three
month trip through Greece and Cyprus with my four kids, my husband and my
in-laws (no, there hasn’t been any blood shed...yet) I’m in one of those “top
ten” moods. The kids and I have been listing our “top ten” meals of the trip,
the “top ten” public toilets and the “top ten” ways their dad can embarrass us
on public transport.
As I’ve been celebrating my debut book Contract for Marriage this last month,
I’ve also been thinking about the “top ten” things I love about being a romance
writer. And here they are!
#10 – Always having an excuse to save
pictures of hot men to my desktop
#9 – The amazingly talented, creative,
generous, beautiful women I’ve met in the romance writing community
#8 – the discipline I’ve learned to take an
idea from its tiny beginnings to its happily ever after
#7- Being able to go to work in my PJs and
having my work colleague (my Mini Schnauzer, Cosmo) ALWAYS happy to see me.
#6 – Convincing my husband that having the
latest e-Reader is not only a NECESSITY, it’s tax deductible
#5 – Turning my fascination with people
watching into a legitimate activity
#4 – Getting to know my hero and heroine so
deeply that they feel like best friends
#3- Being able to step outside my story to
go to my kids’ sports days and school shows
#2 – Being immersed in the world of words
and beautiful language every day
#1 – Holding my very first book in my hand
and knowing a dream has come true
I’d LOVE to give away a copy of Contract
for Marriage to one commenter. Just let me know the top three things you love
about romance OR the top three things you love about your job.
Thanks so much for dropping in to Romance
Book Haven today.
You can find Barbara at:
Barbara’s Bio
Barbara DeLeo’s first book, co-written with her
best friend, was a story about beauty queens in space. She was eleven, and the
sole, handwritten copy was lost years ago, much to everyone’s relief. It’s some
small miracle that she kept the faith and is now living her dream of writing
sparkling contemporary romance with unforgettable characters.
After
completing degrees in Psychology and English then travelling the world, Barbara
married her winemaker hero and had two sets of twins. She still loves telling
stories about finding love in all the wrong places, with not a beauty queen or
spaceship in sight.
I do a couple of things. I write and I read. I've had five pieces pubbed in the last year (four short stories and a feature) and I review books. My three favourite things about that?
ReplyDelete#1 I love the fact that having an e reader isn't a luxury, it's a necessity!
#2 I love the fact that I can indulge in my two favourite pastimes and actually call it work
#3 I love the excitement I get every time a new book arrives in my life.
Lovely to see you here, Maria and congrats on your five pieces pubbed, that's fantastic! What I love about your list is that they all involve books! Fabulous.
DeleteWelcome to Romance Book Haven, Barbara! I hope you'll enjoy chatting with my friends here!
DeleteHi Maria! Thanks for your comment!
Thanks, Nas! What lovely friends they are. {:o)
DeleteHi Barb & Nas!! :)
ReplyDeleteI love writing/reading romance too. I love living in a world where I know there's a happy ending. I love exploring new settings and getting to know new characters/people. I also love the people I've met!!
(PS - don't enter me in the draw as I already have my own copy!)
Jemi! Thanks so much for stopping by. Happy endings are so important for me to. It seems like there are so many things to put on a list of what's great about romance!
DeleteHi Jemi!
DeleteThanks for stopping by!
Hi Barb,
ReplyDeleteLucky you having such a wonderful trip! For me, the top three things about writing romance are:
1. Playing god. I can make these guys do anything I want
2. Reading heaps of romance novels and calling it work-related.
3. The people you meet. Romance readers and writers are the best.
Don't enter me in the draw as I already have your amazing book. Loved it!
Oh, Louise!
DeleteI love your #1! Playiong God, hehe!
Thanks for reading along!
Hi Lou! Oh, isn't playing God, fun!! I love your top three things about being a romance writer. So glad you loved Contract for Marriage. {:o)
DeleteI appreciate the intro to Barbara, thanks so much! I love the idea of a top ten list. This really gives me some great ideas, thank you. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for dropping by, Karen. We've been having a lot of fun with our top ten lists. It's a great way to keep memories alive and it really think about what's important.
DeleteThanks Karen!
DeleteI love this list, though I think #10 would be a little distracting. How did you ever manage to finish writing the book? :D
ReplyDeleteHi Stina! Number 10 can be a bit of a problem...but it's also the one I remind my writing friends about when they ask how I can stare at a computer screen all day. My answer? There's more than just words to look at {;o)
DeleteLol! Stina! Looking at hot men can be a chore sometimes!
DeleteFantastic list! #10 made me giggle. And I love your #2.
ReplyDeleteMy top three would be:
#3 - My full-time day job supports my writing.
#2 - I get to create new worlds.
#1 - Finding out something I've written has brought another person enjoyment.
Hi Cherie!
DeleteHere's to getting all your dreams fulfilled!
How fantastic to have a day job which supports your writing, Cherie. That's something that all writers must wish for. And your number one is something I've just started to experience. How wonderful.
Delete#1 must be pretty awesome! Great list. :)
ReplyDeleteRomance writers are always looking at hot man...ahem...photos of hot men, Lydia!
DeleteHiya, Lydia! (have always loved that name). I feel I should do my duty and have good reference materials for my heroes {;o)
DeleteI'm just here to try and win the book. But I love the list too. ;)
ReplyDeleteAll the best Princess!
DeleteLovely to see you here, Fiona! Good luck
DeleteBarbara- loved your reasons for liking your job- and best of wishes on your release.
ReplyDeleteI'll try for a copy- 3 things I love about my paying job as a nurse (writing hasn't paid off yet):
1.Taking care of people in their time of need
2.hearing a grateful thank you for doing a little something extra
3.being able to work around my husband's schedule so we never had to stick our kids in daycare.
Thanks so much for your comment, Rose, and your good wishes. I love your top three reasons for loving your day job. We have number three in common and I'm really grateful for it too.
ReplyDeleteI love your reasons for being a romance writer - especially number 10 ;)
ReplyDeleteHi Sherry! I know it's naughty but I like it too...{;o)
DeleteFantastic list. I especially like #4 and #10 isn't bad either. ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks, Medeia! It really does feel like that with characters sometimes. A good friend just emailed me and said she keeps wondering what Ruby and Christo are doing now.I like that!
ReplyDeleteTop three about romance in general? In no particular order:
ReplyDelete1) wine
2) flowers
3) chocolate
:-)
Take care
x
Hi Old Kitty, I'm totally with you on that top three! And to get them all at once would be perfect. {:o) Thanks so much for dropping by.
DeleteThe top three things I love about romance?
ReplyDeleteHmm, let's see...
#1 : the HEA of course ^^
#2 : the banters between the hero and heroine (I always love if they dislike each other first LOL)
#3 : the thrill and excitement of the conflict (I so love a 'good' conflict :D)
Thanks for the giveaway, Barbara! :)
Lovely to see you here, Aline. Oh, the conflict! I LOVE the conflict too, the more complicated, the better!
ReplyDeletelol!! #10 and #5 are the best!! (after #1 of course)
ReplyDeleteHi Lynda! It's amazing how many writers I know love that about #5! Thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, what an amazing trip! I bet you did cool things you'll remember for the rest of your lives. Also, I loved your list. The first one cracked me up, and I'm grateful for the second one every single day.
ReplyDeleteI like the hot men part of your experience, also making dreams come true.
ReplyDeleteThe top three things I love about romance:
ReplyDelete1) HEA,
2) the story of the romance,
3) description of the characters.
Thanks for the giveaway.