Romance readers expect the satisfaction of a happily ever after (HEA) at the end of a novel. As an author who writes contemporary romance novels, so do I … really, I do. I understand there’s an implicit promise between my readers and me that I will deliver a HEA – or else. Or else I’ll disappoint my readers. Or else I shouldn’t even bother starting a new novel because I’ve lost my audience by betraying them. The romance genre, by definition, promises an “and they lived happily ever after” of some sort or another. A kiss – with the promise of more. (And different authors provide varied levels of “more.”) An engagement, complete with a close-up of the ring. A lavish, Pinterest-perfect wedding. One of my goals is to balance romance and reality. Why? Because there’s more to happily ever after than the fairy tales tell us. Classic “and they lived happily ever after” stories often avoid the struggles you and I face here on this side of the printed page. Yes, there are evil stepmothers and dragons … but there are also fairy godmothers and magic potions – and a romantic fade into the sunset. In true-to-life romance, relationship…

Fresh Pick for Friday, May 16th, 2014 is THE ROAD TO TESTAMENT by Eva Marie Everson #InspirationalFriday Abingdon Press April 2014 On Sale: April 1, 2014 320 pages ISBN: 1426757980 EAN: 9781426757983 Kindle: B00IN5RONK Paperback / e-Book Add to Wish List Inspirational Fiction Inspirational Buy A Copy Amazon.com Kindle BN.com Powell’s Books Indiebound The Road To Testament by Eva Marie Everson Ashlynne Rothschild never wanted to be a people person. She learned a long time ago that the more she protected herself from the details of people’s personal lives, the better off her life would be. So it comes as a surprise when she finds herself liking—if not loving—the good, God-fearing people of Testament, North Carolina, where she is sent to earn her chops as a reporter. And it is with some anxiety that she unearths a story that could turn these people against her. Beneath the picturesque setting of the Blue Ridge Mountains, secrets are buried—one secret in particular. Keeping it hidden would go against Ashlynne’s journalistic integrity, but publishing the story would hurt those she’s learned to love—even her gruff, unapproachable boss, William Decker, who harbors mysteries of his own. Ashlynne has two options: run away or expose…