One of the best things about writing romances is that I get to delve into my favorite tropes (back when I first started writing romance, in the olden days, we called them hooks) and wallow in their awesomeness. I can explore those fun fantasies I love to read and put them into my own stories. One of my favorite tropes is Friends-to-Lovers. When emotions start to change between longtime friends it can throw them for a loop, especially when they’re not sure if the other one’s feelings have changed as well. Then there’s the worry that if they do take the relationship to the next level, will it ruin everything they had? Is a romance between friends worth the risk? In THE STANDBY GUY, Carter and Katie are not just best friends, they live next door to one another. Yeah, the Boy Next Door/Girl Next Door trope. I can’t help it, I love that one too. So there’s the added pressure of what would happen if things didn’t go well. Not only could they lose their friendship, but they’re going to run into this person all the time. Talk about awkward. Again, is it worth the risk? Another favorite trope…

Falling in love is not limited to twenty-somethings. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy reading about young love. I was there once. It can be passionate, heart-wrenching, and exhilarating. But emotions don’t dry up when a character reaches the age of thirty or thirty-five. People over that age are still vibrant and passionate—in real life, and on the page. Mature characters in romances might have lost a partner through death or divorce, or they may have never found the right person or the right time for a relationship. Usually, they are comfortable with themselves and the lives they’ve built so they may not be all that eager to throw another person into the mix, no matter how wildly attracted they are to them. I enjoy writing what some call seasoned romance, romances with characters no longer in their twenties. But traditionally, the romance industry has favored young romances, and the word going around was that readers didn’t want to read love stories with characters who weren’t in the bloom of youth. Things are changing slowly, but I’ve discovered that there is a growing readership who are looking for romances with older characters. Older characters have more life experiences to bring…