When I tell people I write contemporary romance and fantasy, people usually ask why those two genres, as they don't seem to go together. The answer is simplistically complicated. Yes, I know how that sounds.

I love reading both romance and fantasy; so it only make sense that I also want to write in those two genres.

Now, some people might simply decide to combine them into romantasy—which is a popular genre at the moment—but I enjoy writing them for two very different reasons.

Why Romance?

Romance is the genre where I get to focus on the characters and all the emotions that come with meeting new people, falling in love, and finding their happily-ever-after. But for me, romance is also very emotionally draining because I put so much of myself into each and every book I write. Not only that, but I have to be in a certain mindset in order to write romance. I tend to stick to contemporary or small town because it's just where those stories tend to live for me.

I grew up in a small town and so I know the nuances of those kinds of places that those who have never lived there will never really understand. The town I grew up in was less than two thousand people and I was related to a good portion of those people, which comes with its own challenges and benefits. I use that knowledge to make my contemporary books, series, and characters as realistic as possible.

There is something deeply satisfying about creating a small town, filled with unique characters that you get to visit time and time again as a series grows.

So then, you might ask, Why Fantasy?

Well… for me, writing romance is harder when things aren't going well. When I struggle to find that happy place where I can write about happily-ever-afters, it's much easier for me to write about epic journeys to strange lands with nonhuman characters. There are still emotionally driven characters who form relationships with others, and maybe even romance in my fantasy stories, but it's not the main focus and so it's easier for me to write when the "real" world isn't great.

Instead of focusing on emotionally heartbreaking scenes that make you reach for the tissues, I can instead put characters through grueling physical trials, epic battles, fun quests, and throw in dragons—because one can never have too many dragons.

The Honest Truth?

While there are still stakes involved, they are far less emotionally draining for me as the writer than those in my romance books tend to be.

Now that's not to say that I don't make myself cry while writing fantasy stories, because I do and I will likely continue to do so, because that's just the way I write.