Suspense Writer Virginia Smith
I never aspired to be a romance writer. In fact, I still don’t claim the title of "romance writer," even though this book (and several more coming soon) contains a major romantic component. Maybe that’s because romance novels are not my first choice as a reader. It’s not that I don’t like them; I do! I enjoy novels in a variety of genres. But given the choice between a science fiction novel and a romance novel, I’ll head for outer space every time. (Okay, yeah, I’m a geek.)
So when my agent called and said, “Guess what? Steeple Hill is interested in Murder by Mushroom, but you’ll need to add a romantic element,” my first reaction was, “But I can’t write romance. I don’t know how.” My agent is a wonderfully encouraging person. She said, “You can do it! Your heroine is already working with a young police officer, so just develop a romance between them.”
When I thought about it, I realized it might work. In fact, I hadn’t told anybody, but my quirky heroine, Jackie Hoffner, was already sort of attracted to the guy. I was only a few chapters into the story, but as the plot unfolded I’d been holding her back, telling her, “No, you can’t fall for that guy. He’s a cop and you’re a murder suspect.” (You probably think it’s crazy to have conversations with fictional characters, but that’s only because you haven’t met Jackie yet. She is a very determined young lady.)
I agreed to give it a shot. I returned to my computer, and I turned Jackie loose. Imagine my surprise when she started teaching me how to write romance into my mystery. I discovered that the little sneak had been planning that romantic theme all along, and she had already worked out the details. That poor police officer didn’t stand a chance. At the end of the book, when he… well, you’ll have to read that part for yourself.
Since finishing Murder by Mushroom, I’ve thought about the most memorable books I have enjoyed over the years. A good number of them, though not classified as “romance,” do have a romantic element. I think that’s because love is a basic human need. A person who does not love is a sad and lonely person. And who wants to read books about sad, lonely people?
So I’ve embraced romance in my books. I still don’t call myself a romance writer, but I don’t mind being known as a writer who loves romance. And mushrooms.
If you’d like to win a copy of Murder by Mushroom, leave a comment. We’ll draw a winner on Saturday. To read about Virginia’s other books, and to learn how you can win a 30GB video iPod, visit her website at www.VirginiaSmith.org.