Please welcome guest blogger Jessica Hart!
I'm so thrilled to welcome Jessica Hart to my blog, as I'm a huge fan of her books. About 13 years ago her romance 'The Right Kind of Man' got me hooked on Mills & Boon romances, and I think I've read nearly all of her fifty books--well, number fifty, Last-Minute Proposal, is on my TBR pile! Congratulations, Jessica, on such a fantastic achivement!!
So, without further ado, here's Jessica...
Kate and I were first in touch a few years ago now when Kate was living in England, so I was delighted when she invited me to make a guest appearance here to mark the release of my 50th book, Last-Minute Proposal, this October. I have to confess that I feel a bit of a fish out of water in the Presents world, though! It's always difficult to explain quite where the difference between Presents and Romance lies. They're both about the emotional tension between the hero and the heroine, and Romance heroes can be just as rich and powerful as their Presents counterparts, but the lines are very different in feel. I myself think the books speak to different kinds of fantasies. Of course, I'd love it if a gorgeous man swept me off somewhere glamorous (Lake Como? I wish!!) but a big part of that fantasy would be the fact that I had somehow been forced into that situation and didn't have any choice in the matter. Women spend so much time feeling and being responsible that the thought of not taking responsibility for once and yet still ending up with a fabulous man and a life of luxury can't fail to appeal!
Harlequin Romances are more about the emotional fantasy of meeting someone who recognizes you for who you really are and who loves you anyway. Like a Presents, a Romance offers the fantasy that you can resolve all your problems and start again with a clean slate where every misunderstanding and difficulty has been sorted out, but the Romance heroine has to work it out herself. Or at least, my heroines do. This might just be my theory! Certainly Tilly, the heroine of Last-Minute Proposal, doesn't get to be swept away anywhere, although like me she would probably love it! Tilly is one of my favourite heroines, perhaps because I could identify so much with her. That's another thing about a Romance heroine. She's not someone you want to be, like a beautiful, slim Presents heroine (or is it just me that longs to be like this?) She ought to be like someone you are, or at the very least, like someone you know--but she gets her gorgeous guy in the end anyway!
If you'd like to find out how Tilly gets her guy, I've got a copy of Last-Minute Proposal and a tote bag to give away. Just read the extract here and then email me to let me know what Tilly is doing in the first scene. I think Kate is busy with babies at the moment, so contact me directly (jessica@jessicahart.co.uk) with your postal address, and I'll pick a winner at the end of the month.
--Jessica
posted by Kate Hewitt at
10:07 AM
Welcome Jessica! So glad to have you here. Harlequin Romance and Presents are my two favorite lines, and pretty much the only ones I regularly read... and they meet different 'fantasy needs'! Sometimes I want to be understood and accepted, sometimes I want to be whisked away :) When you first starting writing for M&B, were the lines separate? Can you tell us a little bit about how you got to where you are?
-Kate
Hi, Kate ... it's nice to be here, so thank you for inviting me!
As for when I started writing ... oh, dear, it seems a long time ago now, so long, in fact, that I can't really remember! Certainly things were very different then - there was no distinction between the Presents and Romance, for a start, and there was a big difference between North America and the UK as well. I've just checked one of my earlier books, and there were only 6 titles out every month in North America, compared to 16 here in the UK - those were the days when we all got a much bigger slice of the cake!
The lines were split in the mid nineties, and I remember it felt like a big upheaval. I wanted to be in Presents because it felt as if that was where all the glamour and action was, but I was told very firmly that I had a Romance voice, and I can see that they were right about that. Somehow, I just can't do glamour and excitement (why would that be, I wonder???!) so Romance seems to be my natural home. After my initial grumbling, I'm very happy with that, because I like writing about the kind of relationships that ordinary women like me and my friends can relate to, and it seems to me that there's more scope for realistic characters in a Romance. But you might not agree about that!
I do agree with you, Jessica, that Romance characters are more realistic than Presents'--not that I've met many billionaire tycoons to know for sure!! But certainly Presents specialises in larger than life scenarios and characters, which is part of its appeal. I read one of your very early books awhile back--I think it was called Daughter of Poseidon? It was set in Greece and seemed to me to have more of a Presents feel to it. Before the lines divided, do you think there was more flexibility in the tone of your story? And how do you think your writing has changed over the years?
Poseidon's Daughter?? Blimey, that IS an old book! That was number 5, and I wrote it on an electric typewriter when I was still living in London. It feels like a lifetime ago!
You may be right about there being more flexibility in tone before the lines divided. Everything was much more casual then - I just wrote a book and sent it off, and there was no discussion about hooks or tone or emotional conflict. I didn't know what any of those were, so in that sense it was much less prescriptive. On the other hand, I assumed then that I HAD to include a sex scene, for instance, although no editor ever said that to me and now I have very little in the way of direction from editors. In fact, I'd often like a little more - I quite enjoy being told what to write.
As for my writing changing, I thought that it probably had, but I picked up a copy of my very first book the other day to scan it for my blog, and I found myself reading the first few pages. I was surprised to see how recognisable a voice I had even then. I don't think that has changed very much, although I think my writing is probably sharper (but less fresh) now than it was when I started.
It seems to me that new writers now are much more professional and aware of what they're doing than I was when I started. Can you recognize your own style yet or does it still feel as if you're finding your way?
I must admit, having just written two books where the plot hook was given to me, I like being told what to write too! At least up to a point...
I think I'm still finding my way--perhaps I'll always be finding my way because the way changes. My life tends to inform my writing a bit--I suppose its inevitable. The heroines I'm writing now compared to just two years ago are stronger and more independent because I realised I was buying into the weak, willing female stereotype a bit without knowing it! As I grow older, too, I find I like my heroines a bit older (though in Presents, it seems over 30 is old!)
What about you, Jessica? Do you find your writing evolves along with your life?
What an excellent idea to have a guest blog... another view on writing and characters. Interesting to read just how many different M & B lines there are these days. Something for everyone [and I'll bet some blokes read them too, though probably wouldn't ever admit it!]
Off to read that extract from Jessica's book now...
I think something for everyone is the idea,Penny. You might feel like reading a Romance one day, a Present the next, or a Medical or an Historical or suspense or a paranormal. I've got to admit I boggle at the idea of vampire hero, but I know paranormal romances are incredibly popular at the moment.
I'm not sure you're right about men reading romance, though. All the men I know would rather stick pins in their eyes than read, think or - God forbid! - talk about emotions! Mind you, if they want to know what women want, they couldn't do better than read a few romances ...
Kate, I'm just on my out for the evening, but I'll be back tomorrow morning to answer your question then!
Er ... it's not exactly the morning, but what's twelve hours here or there between friends??? I'm afraid it turned into one of those days that runs out of control early on and never gets back on track!
Anyway, back to life and writing ... Yes, I'd say my heroines and the issues they face have definitely changed as I and my friends have. So my heroines now might well be dealing with the fallout from divorce or relationship breakdown, or perhaps with caring for an elderly parent, because those are the kind of issues we're facing - and the lovely thing about romance is that you can make everything all right in the end ... if only we could do the same in real life!