C'est L'Amore!

Happy Romance Awareness Month! I've recently been working on revising a contemporary romance series, which takes place in my homtown here on the Gulf Coast of Alabama. As long as I can remember, I've loved romance and the white sands of Gulf Shores and Orange Beach and the picturesque quality of the Eastern Shore of the Mobile Bay seemed like the perfect place for romance to unfold. I planned eventually to set one of my love stories against this tangible backdrop.

Funnily enough, before I could find the characters and premises I needed to do just that, I found love of my own. And it turned out, I was right: this is the quintessential place to fall in love. So much so that when I finally found the characters and premise I needed for my first contemporary romance novel, I harkened back to those sweet, summer days with my first love and future husband. There's a two-lane highway along the Eastern Shore called South Mobile Street or Scenic 98 that overlooks the bay and goes on and on for miles underneath a tunnel of ancient oak limbs and lazy Spanish moss. This is where my husband took me on my first motorcycle ride. (And, ah, the look of horror on my parents' face when he rolled up in the driveway on that speedster with a second helmet just for me....)

There are no words to describe the intense beauty of a sunset on the Mobile Bay. It's just breathtaking. Imagine experiencing it from the back of a motorcycle with a very fine-looking man in the driver's seat. C'est l'amore! My heroine found herself in a similar situation on the same highway with her hero in the driver's seat of a Harley Davidson.

So often romantic fiction reflects real-life romance. Even for those of us writing it, we just don't always realize its influence on our storytelling. I was inspired to write my first novel, Forever Amore, after reading love letters from World War II. Amidst the longing words penned by men and women decades ago I heard the voices of another hero and heroine and was moved to tell their story. Whenever I lose my way in the storytelling process, I go back to those love letters and it doesn't take much to remember why I write romance to begin with.

I'm convinced readers reach for romance novels because they want to be connected or reconnected to feelings of intense love and longing. To love and to be loved are two of the purest needs of the human spirit. Is it any wonder so many people read romance novels - and at such a high rate, too!


This month, let's not shy away from celebrating real-life romance as well as the romance genre. Readers, I want to know why you read romance! Take it away....


Amber Leigh Williams is a multi-published romance author, a member of Romance Writers of America, former Secretary of the Gulf Coast Chapter of RWA, and a monthly contributor to The Roses of Prose and Sweethearts of the West. Her first western romance, Blackest Heart, was the 1st Place More Than Magic Novella in 2009 and her historical romance, Forever Amore, was nominated for Best Book of 2009 by Long & Short Reviews. She is represented by D4EO Literary Agency and lives on the Gulf Coast with her husband and their three labs. Read more at www.amberleighwilliams.com!

Romantic Gestures – You Gotta Love ’Em

In honor of Romance Awareness Month, I’m blogging about romantic gestures. Come on ladies, you know the ones. They make your heart (among other things) melt just a little. Here’s a few that spring to mind.

Flowers for no reason at all
A romantic dinner for two, prepared by your man
Foot massage – pure bliss!
Holding hands after a dozen or two years of marriage

And then there are the gestures guaranteed to put you in the mood.

Laundry put away
Dishes washed
Toilet cleaned

Am I right? You know I am!

The romantic gesture in a movie is the scene that makes us sigh.

Robert Redford washing Meryl Streep’s hair in Out of Africa Molly Ringwald giving Judd Nelson her diamond earring in The Breakfast Club Richard Gere climbing the fire escape in Pretty Woman Humphry Bogart letting Ingrid Bergman go in Casablanca

And my personal favorite

Tramp giving Lady the last meatball in Lady and the Tramp

Book Give-a-way! My first book in the Class of ’85 series, Lonely Road to You, debuted one year ago in August. In honor of this momentous anniversary, I’m giving away a PDF copy to one lucky commenter. And happily for me, the story fits my theme. Lonely Road to You is the story of Tyler North, ex rock star, and proper and reserved Kate Abbott, children’s book author and illustrator. The two meet on the way to Summerville, NY on an adventure filled road trip to their high school reunion. At the end of their journey, Tyler makes a grand romantic gesture. He sings a song he wrote for Kate. Now I’m no song writer, (as my 14 year old daughter was the first to point out!) but my editor said it brought tears to her eyes. Since she published the book and left the scene alone, I can only assume they were the good kind! You can't ask more than that from a romantic gesture.

What is your favorite romantic gesture? Please share!

For more information on Lonely Road to You and my other books visit me at www.JannineGallant.com. The winner of the book give-a-way will be posted in the comment section tomorrow.