affiliate link
Valentine’s Day is my favorite holiday. Those who know me are shocked at this as I am pragmatic, business-like and not the gushy girl. So why would I love this holiday that celebrates romance? I LOVE that in our busy, ultra-divisive world that there is one day, a whole day, where people celebrate Valentines, Galentines and Palentines with hearts (I collect hearts, by the way) and flowers. If this one day gets folks to buy cards celebrating those they love, it is a very good day. (Post not sponsored by Hallmark.)
Note: Feel free to send me fabulous Valentine’s cards. I prefer the funny sassy ones.
Each year, I invite one author to share thoughts on Valentine’s Day. This year, author Lisa Barr joins us with Romance Returns- The Sequel…
Here’s Lisa Barr…
Romance Returns- The Sequel…
Allow me to get to the punchline first: Romance isn’t dead. In fact, it is smokin’ hot these days. What we are seeing in the Book World is a sensual revival of love and lust in literature – a surge of must-read passionate novels. Yes, of course, there’s still the Meet-Cutes, the Girl Meets Boy/Loses Boy/Finds Him Again, but the new twist in Lit is the emergence of super-hot sex scenes. This Steamy Trend kicked off with several fabulous and savvy 2018 releases—Here’s lookin’ at you, Helen Hoang. The question isn’t why—but Why Now?
Because we need it.
Because we are tired of unreliable narrators. Because the “Gone Girls & Company” have had their precious time and space in the sun, and though, we loved them for it, we are ready for something less Woman on the Verge, more Woman on Top. Because we are so damn tired of the playground politics, the hate, the dissing, the name-calling, and we are grasping onto a “Can’t We Just All Get Along” mantra. Since we haven’t been able to do that in the boardrooms with finesse, well, then why not in the bedrooms?
Some of my faves, and I know many of yours …. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, One Day in December by Josie Silver, and Josh and Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren, among so many other goodies … I was able to lose myself in love, passion, and all-around great feel-good stories. As someone with insomnia, I was able to fall asleep many a-night with a smile on my face, rather than clutching my covers, wide-eyed, and hoping for the best.
Make way, my friends, for the Return of the ROM-COM in literature, film, and the plethora of TV binges. And I, for one, am all IN. Full disclosure: I decided to write one myself.
My background has been as a serious journalist, a reporter/editor based in Jerusalem, and as a managing editor of three publications, etc. My first novel was hardcore historical suspense, but when choosing my next subject, I realized I needed a break from all the heavy, both personally and professionally. So I left behind the dive-in-deep reporting, and actually did my “research” for THE UNBREAKABLES – a kind of Under the Tuscan Sun meets How Stella Got Her Groove Back– in the south of France (rough job but someone had to do it). Out there among the lavender, the perfumeries, the water, and the wineries, I fell in love with love. On a side note, wearing my Mom Hat, I had to give a warning to my three daughters: Umm, Girls, this new book gets a little sexy …
Here’s the thing: Trends in literature come and go in waves. It ebbs and flows with Pop Culture, politics, and one’s personal experience. But this year is a throwback to love in all its myriad forms. So bring out the box of Kleenex and a good bottle of red, because Romance in Reading is being served up on a silver platter … and as the woman at the next table to Sally, my all-time fave character in When Harry Met Sally, says: I’ll have what she’s having …
Happy Valentine’s Day to all. May your day be filled with love, light, and passionate literature. xoxo
About Lisa Barr
Lisa Barr is the author of The Unbreakables (HarperCollins, June 4) and the award-winning novel Fugitive Colors, a suspenseful tale of stolen art, love, lust, deception, and revenge on the eve of World War II. The novel won the Independent Publishers Book Award (IPPY) gold medal for Best Literary Fiction 2014 and first prize at the Hollywood Film Festival (Opus Magnum Discovery Award). She is also the creator and editor of the popular Mom blog, GIRLilla Warfare.
In addition, Lisa has served as an editor for The Jerusalem Post, managing editor of Today’s Chicago Woman, managing editor of Moment magazine, and an editor/reporter for the Chicago Sun-Times. Among the highlights of her career, Lisa covered the famous handshake between the late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, the late PLO leader Yasser Arafat, and President Bill Clinton at the White House. Lisa is also the creator and editor of the popular parenting blog, GIRLilla Warfare (www.girlillawarfare. com). She has been featured on Good Morning America, Today, Fox & Friends, and the Australia morning news show Sunrise for her work as an author, journalist, and blogger. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband and three daughters (aka Drama Central).
Pre-order The Unbreakables here.
Giveaway of The Unbreakables by Lisa Barr
Enter here to win one of 5 advance copies of The Unbreakables from Harper Collins... ( US Shipping Only. Giveaway terms here.)
Great Thoughts’ Great Readers
We chat all books all the time in the Great Thoughts’ Great Readers book salon on Facebook. We have over 4,600 readers and authors. Join us there!
Thriller Thursday
Like thrillers? Join us in the Thriller Thursday book salon on Facebook. Join us there!
affiliate links
Happy Valentine’s Day! Great Article
Great article, Lisa! ❤️🧡💛💚💙💜💝💘🌺🌻🌼🌸💐🌷🌹