Hi, everybody! First I want to thank Apryl for doing this event. It’s such hard but awesome work and we all appreciate you!
My name is Heather Young-Nichols, I’m a reader and writer and a baseball fanatic! My debut is a NA Contemporary Romance and my may release is a YA Paranormal Romance, so as you can see, romance plays a pretty big part in all this.
All right, time for my books:
When Flannery Tate left home for a college halfway across the country in Michigan, she'd only planned on getting an education. But when Cain Dorsey walked into her life, she had no choice but to fall for him. However, what’s a girl to do when her scholarship well runs dry? Return home? Get a job?
Flannery gets creative. She decides to sell the most precious and valuable thing she can - her virginity - to the highest bidder. When Cain discovers her plan, their world crumbles. Will they be able to move past her betrayal and find a way back to each other? Or, is this the beginning of the end? UP FOR GRABS is a story of love, heartbreak and truth
Flannery gets creative. She decides to sell the most precious and valuable thing she can - her virginity - to the highest bidder. When Cain discovers her plan, their world crumbles. Will they be able to move past her betrayal and find a way back to each other? Or, is this the beginning of the end? UP FOR GRABS is a story of love, heartbreak and truth
Alyssum Bracken sets out in search of Jensen Burkhardt…
After a longtime feud over copper between the Gremalian and the Gobel races, she hopes he has inherited his father’s legendary abilities as tensions rise to a breaking point. But when she finds him in faraway New York, Alyssum discovers she didn’t reach the handsome gremlin first. Aric, a rival goblin, is already ensconced in Jensen’s life.
However, Aric Bramble isn’t the enemy…
Courageously risking exile to save both races from a bloody war, the unlikely trio decide to work together. A forbidden friendship with Aric, a first love with the noble Jensen, while juggling her father, their leader, the prejudice of her people against the Gobel—and Aric’s people trying to kill them all—might be too much for Alyssum to handle.
Jensen’s strength is the one thing keeping Alyssum grounded, but will their relationship be threatened by her friendship with Aric?
Will any of them even survive the coming conflict? Alyssum isn't sure…but she’s going to try.
Why Romance?
This is the question I hear quite a bit whether it’s about reading or writing. Why romance? Why romance? As if it isn’t a “real” genre. And Romance has been getting a ton of backlash as being a “guilty pleasure” or something you read (or write) when you don’t want to think too hard.
Puh-lese.
So I’m here to answer, for me, why romance?
And seeing as it was a paranormal romance (Twilight, yup, I said it) that got me back into writing, I feel like I have a valid point of view on the topic.
I read a pretty good variety of genres and sub genres from dystopian to paranormal to contemporary romance with a side of fantasy or sci/fi. Young Adult, New Adult to a slightly less extent, Adult. I’ve even been known to throw a little non-fiction in there but for the sake of this subject, I’m going to leave out the non-fiction.
When I read a book, regardless of genre, I really want a good story. Even when it’s fantasy/paranormal, etc. I want to believe it can happen. But in the end, what are they fighting for? If someone is off to save the world, why? If they don’t have someone, such as the love of their life, why are they going off to fight horrible creatures? Because they’re altruistic? That’s where I lose my sense of belief.
And maybe that’s just me and my jaded eyes. But I really feel like there needs to be something that the savior is willing to die for other than just human kind. All of human kind is a big, cold concept that most people get but can’t really quantify. Yes, the hot guy wants to save the world but for me, it’s so much more if part of that world is someone he loves. Or wants to love. Or wants to find out if he can love before he dies. Something.
And yes, sometimes I just want to read about young love, getting swept up in the emotion of it, remembering the first time I was there, all of that. But for me Romance isn’t a throw away genre or concept. It’s important and can add another layer to any story.
And let’s just face it, the one thing that’s going save all of human kind is loving each other instead of tearing each other down.
Heather
About the author:
Heather Young-Nichols was born and raised in Saginaw, Michigan and graduated from nearby Saginaw Valley State University with a degree in sociology. The only thing that rivals her love of reading is her love of baseball. During the season you can find her gushing about both.
Check out the other great authors in the Romance Blogfest!!!
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