As a long-time visitor to the Fresh Fiction site, I’m thrilled to be guest blogging in celebration of my new romantic suspense novel, The Salt Maiden. I thought I’d take some time to talk about why I think writing romantic suspense is the best job ever.
1. Real life can be tough. The news reminds us daily that terrible things can and do happen to good people, and the perpetrators all too often get away with their misdeeds. Not in my books. As tense and harrowing as they can get, by the end of each book, the deserving protagonists will find the happiness they deserve, my version of justice will be served, and the villain will pay. 
2. I can indulge my passions and introduce the reader to them. From dogs to the prairies, deserts, and small towns of Texas to a host of fascinating pursuits (lately, I’ve flown in gliders and traveling to research an upcoming book), I can enrich my life – and I hope the lives of others – with the new things I learn while writing each and every tale.
3. I get to wreak havoc (car wrecks, fires, assaults, and an occasional murder-most-foul) in a controlled setting (my office). If someone’s been a jerk to me, I can give a baddie a few of this person’s characteristics (taking care to disguise him/her sufficiently) and exact my fictional revenge. This is great fun – and what a stress-buster.
4. Successfully interweaving mystery/suspense and romance is such a fascinating, challenging endeavor, I never get bored with my work. There’s always something new to learn, some way to make it better.
5. In the course of a day, I might make myself laugh, cry, or catch my breath – when I’m not falling in love with my book’s heroes. As much as I adore my husband, I’m usually ready to run off with each story’s hero by the time I finish writing.
All of this isn’t to say that writing romantic suspense (or anything else) doesn’t have its frustrations, as any other job does. But the perks remind me almost daily that the grass is pretty green on this side of the fence. As long as I’m having fun, I think (or hope!) that my enthusiasm communicates itself to readers and they’ll share a measure of my enjoyment through the pages.
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