White: absolute truth and fidelity
Red: love
Romance stories are always about love. And, many times, truth or fidelity play a part in the theme or conflict. Both are so important in making a relationship grow and turn into love.
If you can't trust your partner to tell the truth, how can you continue to love him or her? If your partner can't be faithful or loyal, there's no trust.
In my story OPERATION MAN HUNT, not knowing the truth...those little white lies that get in the way, or omissions left uncorrected...create a final showdown between the hero and heroine. Sometimes, things said are not fully interpreted the way the speaker meant them to be understood. All create confusion and sometimes lead to hurt feelings...and mistrust.
Operation Man Hunt is part of the ENTICE ME - Luscious Love Stories Anthology now available: BUY LINK
In my book STRIP POKER FOR TWO by April Ash, the heroine omits telling the hero of the competition she's in with another woman...that involves getting men. She's after a vacation prize, but soon decides she doesn't want to use the hero. However, she doesn't tell him. And, the black moment evolves when he hears about the competition and assumes she was only using him. Hurt feelings. Trust gone. Of course, since it's a romance story, they work out their problem...gotta have that HEA! BUY LINK
Some romance books create a lack of those white Chrysanthemums before the red ones can happen. Or, the hero/heroine fall in love, suffer through the pain of hurt feelings because they discover the truth behind lies told/or what they're given the impression about by their partner, and love teeters of the brink of evaporation.
Marianne Stephens:
Photos:Flickr:rahelgreenbelt, Diane Phillips, and bhaarat dudeja's photostreams
