Guest Blog: Laurie Ryan & Lavada Dee: Chores Can Be Romantic...Can't They?

Things have sure been hopping here at Romance Books R Us and I’d like to thank Marianne and the rest of the group for having me here.

One of my beta-readers made a comment that has me thinking about romantic gestures. She’d picked out a particular scene in my new story, Healing Love, that she called an “ahhhhh” moment. It made me go back and read that scene again. My heroine is upset---VERY upset. She runs out into the bitter cold with nothing but hospital scrubs on. Ducking into a library to warm up, she ends up spending hours there. As she prepares to return, the guy at the main desk hands her the hero’s coat. He’d tracked her down, deduced her need to be alone, but left his coat for her to use when she was ready.

That really is a romantic gesture, isn’t it? I didn’t originally think of it in that light. It’s different from when a couple first meets. At that point, when first getting to know each other, the acts that warm our hearts are phone calls, or a man opening a woman’s car door, or flowers.

The part we don’t generally get to address in romance novels is how these gestures morph over time. As a relationship progresses, the things we consider romantic aren’t as easy to decipher. My husband and I have been married for 22 years. Since a solid chunk of my time is now devoted to the business of writing, I’ve noticed he’s been picking up more and more of what have typically been “my” chores. He empties the dishwasher, takes care of the cat box, and a lot of other little things that free me up to write. That’s the most amazing kind of support and I think it’s a gesture of his love for me. I call these things romantic gestures and I appreciate him every single day for making them.

Do you think chores can be considered a romantic gesture? What kind of gestures do you like to write about…or see in your daily life? What’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever seen, either in a movie, a book, or real life? I’d love to hear your stories.

BIO:
Healing Love, due out December 1st, is part of a two-story holiday anthology Laurie us doing with author Lavada Dee. Both multi-published authors, Laurie Ryan and Lavada Dee lead parallel lives in the Pacific Northwest. They decided they must have been sisters in a prior life because there are too many similarities between them, from children named the same, to calling or emailing each other at the same time. Even these stories, written separately, ended up with the same primary theme—family.

Magic, The Gift of Love

A two-story anthology, including:

Priceless Love by Lavada Dee
“For Richer, For Poorer.”

Taylor Hamilton, dissatisfied with a life designed by her parents, attends a friend’s fall wedding and finds small town life agrees with her. The problem is, her wealth doesn’t agree with the man she falls for. Is their love strong enough to find a bridge of trust where money isn’t an issue?

Healing Love by Laurie Ryan
“In Sickness and in Health.”

Nicole Milbourne’s single-minded focus on a medical research career is thrown for a loop when charismatic Dr. Damien Reed shows her there’s more to life than studying diseases. Will an unexpected Christmas fill Nicole’s lonely heart and show her the healing power of love?

For more information and buy links:
http://lavadadee.com
http://www.laurieryanauthor.com/index.html