Joni Page

What does the term ‘romance’ mean to you?

Does it mean dreamy days of love, feelings that all is well with the world, a focus on being special and being with someone special? Does it mean fun, a chase, or does it mean heartbreak and redemption?

It’s no secret that the genre of romance books is the best-selling category of all genres. We love them because we can leave the harsh realities of the world behind and vibe on the happy and sometimes gloriously hapless plot-lines. We read along with excitement, hanging on to see the lovers deny their doubts and progress to proclaiming their desire to remain together. Permanently.

But sometimes I feel dissatisfied with stories that end at the moment of commitment. What happens after that initial blush of attraction? And what of our own lives, our own pursuit of love, our living with love? Whether we search purposefully for or stumble accidentally across a love interest, the success or otherwise of a love relationship is impacted by many things beyond physical attraction: context, emotions, values, interests. For some of our lived love stories, the challenge comes from sustaining the connection. That part of the story of love often starts after the novel finishes, out of sight of the reader.

For this reason, my books contain romance, but so much more. There are many dimensions to life: finding a life partner is just one, albeit a very important one. And so my stories are as much about our relationship with ourselves and the world as they are about establishing a relationship with a romantic partner. Our ambitions for life, and how we relate to our significant others are just as important as our search for love. It’s the interplay of how that relationship with our partner unfolds in the context of our personal community that piques my interest. It’s the reason my stories aren’t just the emotional heart-racing chase for romance, why they also look at the wider context and the surrounding relationships. In other words, I write more bang for your buck in my stories!  

To my mind, this is the difference between planning a wedding and planning a marriage. A wedding lasts for one magical night. A marriage, if you play it well, can last you a magical lifetime.