Rather than sharing a new book or two with you, this week I thought maybe we could talk about some of the reasons we all love romance novels so much. Right now, in the gloom of winter, some of us enjoy being somewhere else--somewhere warmer, or at least out of the doldrums of our winter routine. But what about the rest of the year? What makes you keep coming back?

For some people, it´s the characters. They get to live another life for a little while, some to escape a truly awful reality and some just to step out of their own ruts. For some others I´ve heard from, romance novels sometimes help them to solve problems in their lives--e.g, the character has the same dilemna the reader has, and it offers a solution or ideas to the reader.

For others still, it´s the hero alone. Who wouldn´t want some of those heroes for their own? Sexy and strong, but still sensitive and caring. Then again, they don´t all start out that way, but sometimes half the fun is watching them grow from macho man who needs no one to a man realizing he won´t lose himself if he shares his heart with the heroine.

For many of us, though, it´s the pure joy of the romance. The way the characters overcome the obstacles keeping them from each other--and some of them seem pretty insurmountable, don´t they? Makes you feel better about your own life some days. It also lets you relive the joys of falling in love, the wonderful highs and the uncertainties, but you always know they´re going to get their happy ending. It is a romance after all, right? And no matter what they have to endure to get there, we know that hero and heroine are going to get their happy ending.

Whether it´s a favorite author or someone new, I hope you´ll go out and find some new romances this week to enjoy and bring you out of your winter doldrums. And then, when you´re done, contact the author, either via email (many of them do have websites these days) or snail mail. They love knowing they´ve been able to touch a reader and they hear it all too infrequently. Let your favorite author know how thankful you are for their books. And right now, on behalf of myself, I want to thank some of my favorite authors for doing what they do. They bring a lot of joy to us as readers, and I appreciate it very much. What about you?

Don´t forget to check out the forum (link is at the bottom of my main page), and to join us for our weekly chat, Wednesday afternoons at 1:00 p.m. ET.

Until next week, happy reading!