Where Your Heart Is...

If you can tell a lot about a person by the way they speak, can you tell a lot about someone by what they read? Or for a writer, by what they write?

One of the most wonderful things about reading and writing online is getting to know the authors who put their blood, sweat, and FEARS out in the open for everyone to see. It never ceases to amaze me how sweet the authors of sweet romance are, as I come to find out more about them through blogs and interviews. And those sensual writers, WOW! are they passionate about living. Like pulling a favorite sweater out of the closet, readers and authors seem to be drawn to books that reflect who they are, what they wish to conquer, or who they some day hope to be.

This idea often leads me to self-introspection about myself. For example, when I stumble into my own chaotic clothes closet with three feet of dirty laundry on the floor (Hey, it helps me reach the top shelves!), I usually go for the chocolate-colored brown knit that zips up the front. If I’m feeling dressy, I have the black embroidered cardigan with the mother-of-pearl buttons. Simple, but laid-back. I want to be comfortable. I don’t rock boats.

In contrast, send me to my e-reader library and what do I pull up? Soft romances with feminine plots and settings. (That must be my dressy black sweater). And those adventures with the heroine who must face her fears and tame the brusque, sarcastic hero…that’s my brown zippy sweater all the way!

I can only hope as readers dive into my books, they finish them with a sign of pleasure--satisfied, and warm and cozy. A story crosses an unseen bridge between reader and writer. Somewhere, somehow, the heart makes this connection, and for a moment, both are in the same place, with the same hopes and fears.

You can’t share your favorite sweater with everyone you meet, but as long as you can find a good book to write, read, or recommend, I believe people somehow get where your heart is.