Note from Barb: Thanks so much to Wendy Lou Jones for guest hosting the blog today! But first… a postcard for Wendy:

Dear Wendy:

So far on my own holiday, I fell for a tall, dark, and long-nosed fellow.  But our love was doomed when he left me for a taller, darker, and much worse-smelling stranger.

I had a brief but intense fling with another even taller, longer-nosed and not quite so smelly guy  but our holiday passion burned out by the time we reached the entrance to Amber Fort in Jaipur.

Maybe I should consider going to Wales with Wendy next holiday?

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Why Writers Love Holidays

–Guest post by Wendy Lou Jones

 

When Barb told me she was going on holiday and needed to find ‘cover’ she got me thinking. Now my own holidays are nothing extraordinary to write about; family fun in Devon or Cornwall, something like that, but in stories … now that’s a different matter.

In stories, holidays can play a crucial role. Think about it. Why would anyone go on holiday in a story, particularly romantic stories? It’s usually for one of two reasons.

If the escape is to some exotic island, a mysterious and handsome man could show up. You get all the wonder of the new setting to explore without any job or real life getting in the way, and then there’s the heat and the exposed flesh (not found in a wet week in North Wales, I can assure you!) and all the wonderful holiday adventure that evolves. I have a series I’ve enjoyed immensely I’m thinking of here: the Desert Kings books by Diana Fraser – wonderfully exotic sheikh romance. After that, you could think the drama was over, but what about the parting and return to home at the end? Major drama! Or maybe not the end. That exotic chap might give up all the wonderful things he has over there just to be with your heroine in her damp flat in Sheffield – Romance plus plus plus!

But there are the other stories where the holiday is the pause, or the fly in the ointment that either ruins what we think was the plan, or prevents the reunion we were hoping for and draws out the drama, making us yell at the page, ‘He’s not there. No, don’t go; he will be back. No, don’t get off with his best mate; he does love you; he’s just had to go away for a while.’ I can’t give an example of this as it would spoil the surprise, but you know who you are!

Oh, I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

So, holidays can be VERY important to romantic stories and I’m sure they play their part in other genres too. I Hope Barb is having a more relaxing time. Thanks for having me on, Barb and send us a postcard!

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Don’t miss Wendy’s books. They make great vacation reads

‘One Stop’ Buy links:

• The Songbird and the Soldier – http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/the-songbird-and-the-soldier
• By My Side – http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/by-my-side
• The Summer We Loved – http://www.harperimpulseromance.com/books/the-summer-we-loved

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