All
fans of romance novels know that readers of the genre are smart. According to
The Romance Readers’ Advisory, women in full-time, executive-level jobs
reported reading an average fourteen romances a month and, according to a study
conducted by BBC Research and Consulting Inc., more than 3.5-million men are
reading romance. Why? Because we know romances are pure escapism and good for
our blood pressure, they’re often well-written, have solid plotlines and intriguing
dilemmas and they introduce us to wonderful characters, particularly women who
struggle but manage to win happy endings for themselves.
Romances
are also where we get a lot of our ideas about love, sex and relationships.
The
three romances I’ve written so far in the Untamed Safari Series have given me
the opportunity to delve into some of the relationship dilemmas we all face at
one time or another.
Pride and poor
communication
Caro
and Ben in The Alpha Match go on the
defensive when feelings are hurt and instead of communicating, they pull up the
proverbial drawbridge and it costs them dearly. Anyone who’s paged through a
magazine knows that relationships are all about communication but such a simple
concept turns into a difficulty when we feel hurt or betrayed and wonder if our
trust in the person we love is misplaced. Caro and Ben’s story spotlighted
again the need for good, honest communication and that straight, open channels mean
allowing oneself to be vulnerable, choosing to trust and stubbornly believing
the best of your partner (unless, of course, there is good reason not to).
Long-distance love
Sophie
and Reuben in Moonflower (available
for pre-launch order - Moonflower)
must struggle to find common ground between two very different ways of life. Can
an African game farm bridge the gap between wildest Africa and corporate
London? Today there is a very real possibility that two people from opposite
sides of the world can meet and fall in love. What a dilemma this poses if one
person isn’t able to pull up roots and move across the world to be with the
person they love. Life, career, responsibility versus love and that feeling of
being truly alive. What is a job or a way of life compared to what could be a
lifetime spent with the person you love? It’s a question only the individual
can answer. I, being a romantic, would tend to pull out all the stops to be
with the love of my life.
Uncommon values
In
Wetlands, Adrian and Dani travel a near-impossible
road when her property development company threaten the survival of a sensitive
wetlands. While writing this book I’ve had a lot of time to reflect about the
sharing of common values in a relationship. It would be boring to agree about
everything, but I think it’s important to have a similar outlook when it comes
to the big ones like loyalty, prejudice and whether coffee can be instant or
should always be filter.
I wonder if you’ve also learned from the romances that
you’ve read. Or perhaps you think the last place we should be taking advice
about love and relationships is romance novels. If you’ve
had any ah-hah moments lately, I’d love to hear about them.
EXCERPT
Pride and hurt feelings, Caro realised,
were a dangerous combination. But it had been more than that. There was her
loyalty to her family and respect for the sacrifices they had made to put her
through an expensive university degree.
Ben didn’t understand
that. There had always been more than enough money and opportunity in his life.
It was he who should have been far more understanding than he had been back
then; the person ready to compromise for the first time in his life. But he had
expected all the compromise to come from her side.
Caro thought about that
word—side. That’s what had changed in their relationship. They had become two
sides. Both competing for the same sought-after position; their first mistake.
Ben, South African; Caro’s life and family on the other side of the world.
Until it had become all about Caro’s perspective versus his side of the story.
Caro became aware of
Ben calling her name. She turned towards him.
‘You okay?’
She hesitated, then
nodded. ‘Just brought back some memories,’ she said, holding up the photograph.
‘Well, don’t look so
sad. That was a happy holiday.’ Ben gave a wry smile. ‘We did have some good
times together, didn’t we?’
Was he trying to
reassure himself or her? You still have
to work with him. All the hurt feelings and pride bubbled to the surface
again. Just play it cool. Don’t let
yourself feel anything. Block it out. You know how to do that. ‘Yes, we
did.’
‘And, there are more good things to come… like ice-cream, for
instance.’ He held up a tub of chocolate and vanilla and Caro made a monumental
effort to smile at him.
‘Ah-hah, you see, I can
still bring a smile to your face. I remembered chocolate and vanilla’s your
favourite. Let’s take it outside.’ He handed her the bowls and spoons.
She slipped the
photograph into her bag.
BLURB AND BUY LINKS
English conservationist, Caro
Hannah, and South African, Ben Duval, must work together to introduce
endangered African wild dogs to a game reserve four years after their love
affair ended. The challenges of their profession pale into insignificance beside
the personal obstacles they must overcome to either bring closure to the events
of four years before, or reignite a passion hot enough to burn up the African
bush.
AUTHOR BIO AND LINKS
Leigh
writes romance novels set in her native South Africa. She has always had a love
affair with Africa’s wild open spaces, the intensity of its people and sunsets.
Her love of storytelling began as a child when she spent every spare moment
playing barefoot in golden grass, watching wild creatures, learning to track
spoor and dreaming up heroes and heroines dynamic enough to stand out in all
the beauty and drama of the African landscape.
Always in
search of adventure, Leigh’s journey as a writer has taken her from journalism
through communications, to working as a novelist.
GIVEAWAY!
Make sure to follow the whole tour—the more posts you visit throughout,
the more chances you’ll get to enter the giveaway. The tour dates are here: http://www.writermarketing.co.uk/prpromotion/blog-tours/currently-on-tour/leigh-archer/
Thanks for having me on your blog - I enjoyed writing about what my characters have taught me about life and love...
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