Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Valentine's Day

Valentine’s Day

As a teenager, when I didn’t have a boyfriend, I hated Valentine’s Day (or, as some “brilliant” kid in high school wrote on a sign in the hallway, VD Day). I was jealous of all the girls who had someone with whom to celebrate the holiday.

Once I met my husband, the holiday was much more enjoyable, filled with romance, candy, stuffed animals and flowers. It wasn’t until we got married that I truly found out his dislike of the holiday. No, he doesn’t dislike showing me how much he loves me; he just dislikes having to do it on some predetermined date set by a card company. He’d much rather show me he loves me on March 3 or April 27 or ten minutes from now.

Now that I’m older and wiser, I understand his feelings and can appreciate the thought he’d rather put into his feelings on his own. I, too, would much rather spontaneously say, “I love you” than say it on command. And there’s something not quite comfortable about the competition to make the most of the holiday.

Still, I like anything that celebrates love, which is why I insist on some form of acknowledgement of the holiday.

It’s also why I like writing romance. While I don’t like writing perfect characters, I do like writing perfect moments, perfect reactions, perfect demonstrations of love. They are sprinkled throughout lots of imperfect moments, unanticipated reactions and less than ideal demonstrations of emotions. They’re rewarded to imperfect characters who have a lot to learn before they get those hearts and flowers. But they hopefully give the reader an escape, a chance to dream about what could be, and a moment away from the reality of life.

My latest romance, The Seduction of Esther, (http://www.amazon.com/Seduction-Esther-Jennifer-Wilck-ebook/dp/B00D4J6A80/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1389974309&sr=8-1&keywords=jennifer+wilck) is on sale for Valentine’s Day for a special price of $0.99! So if you haven’t bought it yet, now is a great time!

And this Valentine’s Day, nine other author friends of mine are celebrating love and romance with a Words from the Heart Valentine’s Day party. Feel free to hop along to any of their blogs and check them out:

Nancy LaPonzina http://nancylaponzina.com

However you celebrate, and with whomever, Happy Valentine’s Day!



2 comments:

Librarian Judith said...

What a wonderful sentiment... I'm with you and your husband. If the love isn't shown all year round, then the holiday is meaningless (I am a sucker for some flowers or chocolates though )

Catherine Lee said...

My hubby shows me he loves me on an ongoing basis. We don't need the pressure of VD Day to prove anything. I do, however, like to read about very romantic setting and moments.