A.J. Maguire

February 2025 Round Robin – All Things Romance

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There is romance in all of my books, even the ones that don’t have the label attached to them, but they would not be considered Romance Novels. They are Fantasy Romances, not Romantasy or Romantic Fantasy.

The general distinction here is that the Fantasy comes before the Romance, at least in my novels. The romance is not the driving force of the plot, the characters can take or leave one another in the end and still win the day, and I don’ t really write spicey scenes.

I’ve tried, I’m just no good at it.

And I know – have met, have heard, have politely just nodded along – to those who cringe at the idea of a book having romance in it. As though any sort of romance will ruin the plot. As though having a romantic interest waters things down and makes the work somehow LESS than it could have been without it.

It has taken me a long time to decide that these naysayers simply have no bearing over me anymore. They can cringe all they like. They are allowed their opinions and if that means my books aren’t for them then that’s alright.

There are millions and millions of books out there. There’s room for romance to exist without their approval. (Also, and with the utmost sincerity, if you are shaming anyone for what they like to read, then kindly scroll your digital devices past me. Their personal life choices have nothing to do with you. Go read the stuff you like to read and for the love of all that is good and right in this world, leave everyone else alone.)

There. I’ll step off that particular soap box now. Where were we?

Why do I love writing romance into my books?

Honestly, because I feel like the more we showcase healthy romantic relationships on the page, the more we can hope to see it in real life. Let’s normalize the man who protects AND respects his woman. Let’s normalize communication between partners. Let’s normalize a fulfilling, respectful relationship both in and out of the bedroom.

The stories that really grab me by the boo-boo and hold onto me from start to finish are the ones that showcase how complicated relationships really are, and also how WORTHWHILE it is to work through those complications. That’s what I love about romance. I can take or leave the spice, but give me a couple who are fighting to stay together amidst world-shattering events and you’ll hook me start to finish.

Better yet, give me a couple who stride hand-in-hand toward doom together, because neither will let the other face it alone.

See what my fellow authors have to say in this month’s Round Robin!

Bob Rich   https://wp.me/p3Xihq-3pV

A.J. Maguire https://ajmaguire.wordpress.com/ (YOU ARE HERE)

Victoria Chatham http://www.victoriachatham.com

Belinda Edwards https://booksbybelinda.com/blog/

Helena Fairfax http://www.helenafairfax.com/blog

Connie Vines http://mizging.blogspot.com/

Diane Bator https://escapewithawriter.wordpress.com/

Sally Odgers https://behindsallysbooks.blogspot.com/2025/02/romance.html

Skye Taylor http://www.skye-writer.com/blogging_by_the_sea

Anne Stenhouse https://annestenhousenovelist.wordpress.com/

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Comments

11 responses to “February 2025 Round Robin – All Things Romance”

  1. annestenhouse Avatar
    annestenhouse

    Yep, it’s strange that a lot of people cannot allow others to enjoy their romance/thriller/dystopian/teenage/comic/whatever… Good post, AJ. anne

    Reply
    1. ajmaguire Avatar
      ajmaguire

      Thank you, Anne!
      And yeah, I do not understand the constant need to judge and control other people’s lives.

      Reply
  2. lynndaworsnop Avatar
    lynndaworsnop

    I think it is sad how critical people can be about “romance books” as if they were all identical. Yes they have a strong set of key points and always a happy ending, but other than that they can be and are so diverse.

    I read mostly for pleasure these days. Hope everyone feels they can read what the want and not feel judged by others.

    Reply
    1. ajmaguire Avatar
      ajmaguire

      I honestly read a lot of Romantasy these days, because the genre fits what I love. I just can’t seem to write that way. But the truly fun part here is that I’ve gotten my husband to take a peek, and while he will forever be a Sanderson/Butcher/Warhammer fan, our marriage has taken a little boost from it because it’s one more thing we share and talk about.

      Reply
  3. sallybyname Avatar
    sallybyname

    Interesting, as always, to find another writer identifying the way her (or his) thought processes work when writing. There are so many different faces of romance or, as some others have pointed out, love stories.

    Reply
    1. ajmaguire Avatar
      ajmaguire

      We writers are a strange breed, lol.
      But yes, the romance is individual to the unique characters on the page. While you can recognize beat points and tropes within the genre, a truly excellent storyteller knows how to highlight those characters so much that you don’t realize you’re reading those tropes until after the fact.

      Reply
  4. Skye-writer Avatar
    Skye-writer

    So true – it’s all the work the characters put into making a relationship become a romance. Or, as I like to distinquish, a love story. Spice is okay in small doses, though. But when the entire book is about spice I either find myself skimming through it or tossing it unfinished.

    Good point that a romance is all about the romance and the fewer distractions, the closer to the genre, but there can be romance where other things are the main focus whether it’s fantasy, espionage, adventure or even just bird watching.

    Reply
    1. ajmaguire Avatar
      ajmaguire

      I will skim if the book is too heavy on the spice, too. This may be a ‘hot take’ that’ll get me in trouble somewhere, but I honestly feel like that first intimate scene is the most important as it shows you how these characters interact with this moment, and at least ONE of them needs to have a hiccup somewhere that makes the encounter highlight a vulnerability they need to overcome.

      There’s an intimate scene in Faking It by Jennifer Crusie that showcases a ‘hiccup’ during the first intimate scene where the MC has some serious trust issues and can’t quite trust the romantic interest. In that case, she had my full attention in the proceeding spice scenes because I wanted to see how the MC slowly comes to a place of trust in the bedroom.

      But if they both come together and have a good time and there’s no intimacy issues THERE, then the extra spice is really just… extra spice and no character growth is being made.

      Reply
      1. Skye-writer Avatar
        Skye-writer

        I totally agree that the first intimate encounter is the most important part of the climax in a romance which is why I’m not a fan of cozy’s or Hallmark. I detest a book that’s all spice and no real growth, trust, love etc. But I also hate to watch a couple work through all the hiccoughs and issued, and they never see the moment when things go right.

  5. Victoria Chatham Avatar
    Victoria Chatham

    I hear you on writing spicy scenes. I only did so in my first two books because I thought I should. Now, I create more sensual or suggestive scenes and leave the rest to the reader’s imagination. It’s so much less work!

    Reply
    1. ajmaguire Avatar
      ajmaguire

      I tend to ‘fade to black’ and move on to the next scene. Maybe one day I’ll brave the open door, but it isn’t today.

      Reply

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