How to Romance an Author’s Heart

Welcome to this week’s Marketing for Romance Writer’s 52-week Blog Challenge with the topic of “My Most Romantic Memory.” I’ve talked about ways to win my heart before, because to me it’s not always chocolate and flowers. Granted, you can’t go wrong there, but to me romance and being romantic are two different things. You can set the scene for romance with atmosphere, but being romantic is more difficult, and especially the longer you’re in a relationship.

I define being romantic as the little personal, specific things you do because you know they mean so much to the other person. My long-term relationship is filled with little romantic things that warm my heart, but recently the hubs really exceeded my expectations with the most romantic gesture he could do for an author.

How Can You Compete with Fiction?

If you’re not an author, you might find it difficult to really grasp our odd relationship with imaginary characters,

our excitement about a new cover or a release date. My hubby has never tried to pretend that he can understand my writer characteristics, and he admits that he has never read any of my books.

So, his special gift on our twenty-third anniversary came as a complete shock. It took my breath away—for real, I’m not saying that as an expression.

When Romance is More than Skin Deep

My hubby has always loved music and was in a band for much of his life. He has several tattoos and plans on gradually adding more until he has a “sleeve”.

He set up an appointment in March and then talked to me about the pictures of heavy metal album covers he was deciding between for his new tattoo. When he left to get the tattoo the Friday before our anniversary, he told me he would leave it up to the tattoo artist to decide which one to complete first.

There was a hockey game on that night and I decided to go with our friends to a local hangout and the hubby would meet me there later if he finished in time.

Hubby arrived with his arm wrapped in the plastic to cover his fresh ink. I asked him which tattoo he decided to get. Instead of replying, he unwrapped the ink and held it out. For a moment I was confused, because it didn’t look quite like any of the three covers he’d shown me and then hubby said, “It’s your book. Happy Anniversary.”

I sucked in a breath. The shock—and the clutch to my heart—left me speechless. I could see then that it was indeed, the cover of my first novel, DESTINY CALLING, permanently inked into his forearm.

He might never read the books, or know what the picture on his arm depicted from the book, but he knew how to hold my heart with this romantic memory that still makes me catch my breath.

What Do You Think is Romantic?

Romance is on the Blog Hop

Romance writers are always in the mood for a good love story or romantic memory.

Hop around and see what the other authors are sharing to show that romance can still be fresh and new—even after the roller coaster of twenty-three years of marriage and twins.