5 Scary Things About Writing A Romance w/ MJ Greenway

5 Scary Things About Writing A Romance

By MJ Greenway

With Halloween around the corner, I’ve been thinking about things that scare me. Sure there’s the candy corn, skeleton decorations and spooky ghouls in the costume shops. But none of that is as scary as writing a romance novel. And by the way, if you don’t think candy corn is scary, you probably haven’t tasted it since you were five.

Here are the top 5 reasons I found writing a romance to be truly terrifying:

Making Them Blush

From the moment I glanced at the cursor on the first page I was flashing forward to the looks on faces of friends and family members who would later read the book. When my mother-in-law recently expressed interest in reading it, I felt obligated to remind her that there were some, um, R-rate scenes. Although, they are brief, it’s no Fifty Shades of Grey, I explained. I’m happy to report that this disclaimer did not deter her.

Writing a Kissing Scene

There are only a certain number of ways to write about a kiss. “He leaned in…” His hot breath on her neck…” Anyway, Dating Maggie is my first romance so perhaps in my next book I will think about even more ways to describe two lips coming together.

Convincing Everyone it’s Fiction

My book is not a memoir. Although of course there are seeds of the author in every book regardless of genre. That said, I did live in LA in my twenties and wanted to write a love story where Tinsel Town was like one of the characters.

Finding a Publisher

I have been writing in other areas for years. However, this was my first foray into writing a fictional novel. I decided swallow my fear and submit to small presses to see what would happen. I endured rejections, an r & r, a major re-write, and three Twitter contests. And then one summer day I was offered a contract from Limitless. Euphoria and disbelief set in.

Marketing the Book

This process has just begun for me and it’s somewhat scary. However, there are things about it I enjoy. I’m connecting with other writers, which has been fun. I’m learning to toot my own horn and trying not to be obnoxious about it. And I’m anxiously hoping when readers buy Dating Maggie they will really enjoy it.

In Dating Maggie, an encounter with a hot rancher turns an actress/dating vlogger’s five year plan upside down. MJ Greenway’s debut romance and will be released through Limitless Publishing and will be available on Amazon Oct. 27, 2015

Learn more by connecting with MJ via social media:

Website: https://mjgreenway.blogspot.com
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AuthorJGreenway
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authormjgreenway