Sunday, June 2, 2013

Fantasy versus Reality - Laura Strickland


 
We all enjoy a good dose of fantasy along with our romance.  By fantasy, I’m not talking little green aliens, dragons or hobbits, but that tinge of magic that colors a good romance novel.  Our heroes and heroines are always a little taller, braver, and more beautiful than real life.  After all, who would want to read a romance wherein the description of the hero began, “He was about five foot eight inches tall with a receding hairline and poor eye sight.  You might walk past him on the street and never give him a second glance.”
Many of us read romance in order to escape the demands of our lives for a little while.  We want the love that can never die, the hero who remains unafraid in the cause of his beloved, the love scene that goes on all night and into the next morning … Nobody ever gets tired, and no heroine ever gets a zit right before the ball.

As a writer of Historical Romance, however, I’m willing to argue on the side of a good dose of reality, as well.  I always try to ground my stories in the actual history of their chosen periods.  Medieval England was not always a comfortable place.  Life there wasn’t easy and people enjoyed few luxuries.  Seventeenth-century Scotland was often violent and life there could be desperate.  Clans warred with clans, with disastrous results.  Women were given few choices and sometimes only the strong survived.

But, oh, the beauty of the contrast!  Give me characters digging in their heels, struggling to survive – when love comes to them, it tastes that much sweeter.  Give me a tormented hero who has to fight for his last and only chance of happiness, and who is willing to do whatever he must in defense of his love.
Just such a man is Dougal MacRae, hero of my Historical Romance, Devil Black.  Chased by a dark past for which he cannot forgive himself, he starts out wanting only revenge – ugly, violent revenge if need be.  Enter Isobel Maitland, on her own crusade to ransom her sister’s happiness.  Neither of them expects to fall into a maelstrom of undeniable attraction.  But before the story ends, each of them is willing to do whatever he or she must, for the sake of love.

If you enjoy a hearty helping of reality with your romance, Devil Black is available in ebook or print format from the publisher, the Wild Rose Press at:  
http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_138&products_id=5154

Or from Amazon at: 
http://www.wildrosepublishing.com/maincatalog_v151/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=176_138&products_id=5154

 
Author web page: www.laurastricklandbooks.com

Invite a fantasy home tonight!

 

 

2 comments:

Debby said...

I do like a dose of reality in my stories that I read but I also accept the fact that reality can be twisted a bit.
debby236 at gmail dot com

JENNIFER WILCK said...

I like a bit of a balance.