The Book That Started It All by Anna J Stewart

I can't remember a time I didn't devour romances. Okay, actually, yeah, I can. I didn't discover the romance section of my local used bookstore until I was thirteen. Before then I was reading Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and various crime novels (hey, it was the 80's and there wasn't much of a YA section then). You'd be hard-pressed to find a picture of me without a book in my hand.

What I can remember is the day I read my first romance. Freshman year of high school and we were taking those ridiculous future defining standardized tests (the ones where I'd fill the scantron form out in pretty patterns like Christmas trees and stars--because the questions bored me). We were told to bring reading material in case we got finished early. Surprise (because how long does it take to fill in a Christmas Tree), I anticipated being done pretty quick. For whatever reason, I didn't have a book to read. Looking back, I see that as a sign because the stars aligned and a friend had an extra romance in her locker. She gave it to me to borrow. And...well, a romance lover was born.

That first book? I went out as soon as I finished reading and found my own copy (and this is it. That actual book from 198...er, you get the idea.)

That's right, more than 30 years later and I still have that original copy. It's been covered with clear contact paper so it survives forever (or at least my forever). I can't explain my joy when I found it at that aforementioned bookstore located only a few blocks from my house in the Sunset District of San Francisco. Forget the Holy Grail. I had my book!

That store became my obsession. They had an entire WALL filled with romances; mostly Harlequins. Romance became my refuge, my chosen world. It might have taken a bit longer to realize I wanted to actually write them, but because of this book, on the right day at the right time, I'm where I am today.

I wish I could fully explain why the romance genre means so much to me. Why it's the main genre I continue to read; why I still look for the "new in romance" tags on websites and blogs. It's like being a gift every single day that I can use to escape.  And that, I think, is the crux of romance for me. It's escapism. It's a world I can fall into and know, no matter how difficult things get for the hero and heroine, that there will be a happily ever after by the time I turn the last page. It is, as author Damon Suede often states, the genre of hope.

If you're like me, you're finding hope and optimism to be in rather short supply these days. I'm an avid TV junkie who has found herself turning off the television far more often these days. My head--not to mention my heart--just can't take it. And so I choose to lose myself in the wonderful romances others have written or, as is the case most days, into my own. Where I can control just about everything I need to. Unless my characters get extra picky in which case, I simply surrender. They know what needs to happen. I trust them.

This week I'm actually not putting new words to the page, but am editing my fourth Butterfly Harbor story, ALWAYS THE HERO, due out in March, 2018. Of all the books I've written in the past few years, this is probably my most personal. It's the heroine I identify most with, so there's more than a bit of my soul on these pages. Writing romances is my way of getting through life and I will end my life being grateful that one day, decades ago, a friend had an extra book in her locker.

That when she handed it to me, I found my dream.

How about you? What was the first romance you ever read? What's your favorite type of happily ever after? Share in the comments! I'd love to hear. And if you want to share your story of how you discovered the genre, please do.


P.S. That copy of Partners, by the way? I took it with me to my first ever Romance Writers of America conference and had it signed by the author. Yes, I burst into tears and couldn't speak to her, because how do you tell someone that because of a book they wrote, you discovered your life's purpose. Books, stories, love...they all have incredible power and I count myself fortunate to wield all three.

Happy reading.
~Anna J

USA Today and national bestselling author Anna J. Stewart writes sweet to sexy romance for Harlequin's Heartwarming and Romantic Suspense lines. Early obsessions with Star Wars, Star Trek, and Wonder Woman set her on the path to creating fun, funny, and family-centric romances with happily ever afters for her independent heroines. Anna lives in Northern California where she deals with a serious Supernatural & Sherlock addiction, surrounds herself with friends and family and tolerates an overly affectionate cat named Snickers (or perhaps it's Snickers who tolerates her). When she's not writing, you can find her at fan conventions or at her local movie theater, or building her client list for her content editing services. You can read more about Anna and her books at www.authorannastewart.com.

Her latest Heartwarming release is A DAD FOR CHARLIE, the third in her Butterfly Harbor series.