I am not a romantic. I’m not kidding. Ask my wife, she’ll tell you and have a major eye roll to go along with it. I brought her flowers once, and when I tried to give them to her, she asked me if I was feeling well. I’m exaggerating a little, but I do recall getting a look. Pretty sure she thought I was a pod person.
I am practical, blunt, funny, intelligent, and, yes, at times arrogant. That didn’t keep the woman of my dreams from falling in love with me and vice versa. Now, don’t get me wrong. I have been known to be thoughtful and considerate too.
See. Dreams really do come true.
Not So Sweet But Still Lovable
So what does that tell you? It tells me that not everything has to be sweet. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, nothing at all. And it stands to reason that the same goes for the romance genre in lesbian fiction.
Yep, an asshole can fall in love and still keep her edge—even more so because someone accepted her for who she is. Let me offer you an example, but first I need to put out there that I do not get to read much so I’ll use my own fiction as an example.
Kelli McCabe. She’s the slightly angry, fierce, f-bomb dropping, no-nonsense, take-no-shit character from my first two books. Her relationship with Nora Whitmore was amusing, angsty, and extremely significant. They accepted each other’s faults and understood that perfection can actually come in many forms depending on the individual.
Even though their story has been told, they were real enough for me that I know somewhere in the universe Kelli is still the same foul-mouthed ass—but now she has Nora who makes her an even better foul-mouthed ass.
Staying In Character, Warts and All
With all that being said, let me add this. Love is not a weakness. When a person falls in it, love doesn’t suck your strength and personality away in the way some think, in my opinion. It’s not kryptonite, as some men would have us believe.
Love magnifies you. So those characters who are proficient and creative in swearing, in sarcasm, in cynicism, and in assholery don’t just become Clark Kent when they fall in love. What would be the point? Someone loves them warts and all. It would counterproductive to change them just because they’ve found their person.
In my opinion, it’s like taking Neapolitan ice cream and carefully separating the flavors so they don’t blend. Well, where the hell is the fun in that?
I’m one of those people who thinks chocolate and strawberry mixed together is a scrumptious combination. So, don’t you dare start with something delicious and then leave me with something bland. I’m not one for sticking just to vanilla.
I say drop those f-bombs, curse a blue streak, steal that diamond, call it like it’s seen, wear that strap on, and so on. If none of that is your cup of tea, guess what? That’s fine. Life goes on. No harm no foul, and more power to you. I am not mad at you, so don’t be mad at me.
Options Beyond Vanilla in Romance
Romance doesn’t have to be sanitized to be good. Just as a sanitized romance can be great as well. Within the community as a whole, we are all different. Read what you like, even if you find yourself mesmerized by the wild child, the criminal, the asshole, the princess, the ice queen, or the goody goody.
Let me say it again. I am not a romantic, but I write romance because even those characters that skirt the line of being unlikable deserve their due…and a whole lot of love.
Copyright picture above: Pexels/Matheus Bertelli
KD Williamson is the author of Blurred Lines, Crossing Lines and Between the Lines (Cops and Docs Series). She just published Pink with Ylva. KD is also a veteran in the mental health field working with children and their families for over ten ears.
Ylva has declared February 2018 our month of firsts in romances – in celebration of the fact we never forget our first time! Get in on our sweet, sizzling romances sale by clicking here: www.ylva-publishing.com/current-deals
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