For The Love of Angst

 Raise your hand if you watch or used to watch soap operas. I have both hands up, however being that I was a full time junior high and high school student at the time, I was limited to the ONE soap opera that came on AFTER SCHOOL from three to four p.m. Any guesses?

General Hospital. Lol. Allen and Monica. Robert and Anna. Frisco and Felicia. Sonny. If you know you know.

Pair my GH obsession with afternoons of Donahue, Maury Povich, and Dr. Phil where people slung both real and scripted mud at each other for hours on end, and you can practically see my angsty little self developing.

Add a few episodes of Dallas, Magnum PI, and the Love Boat and I have now turned into a full-fledged drama queen.

If you’re on Instagram much in the bookish community, you know that RomComs are all the rage right now. With their cartoon covers and lighthearted plots aimed at making readers laugh and swoon, RomComs offer a happy reprieve from a world that can all too often be swamped with bad news. RomComs occupy an important niche in romancelandia.

That being recognized, I am here to tell you that I don’t think I could ever write one. Why? Because I’m in love with angst. I’ve heard it said that books allow us to wrestle with our questions. The way I heard that quote was in the context of readers wrestling with questions, but I think just as much, stories allow authors to wrestle with questions, and I’ve been pondering lately why I write the things I do.

Each of the books I’ve written so far has angst, albeit in varying levels. From the cowboy who hides his real name, so his teenage crush won’t be creeped out that he’s thought about her for twenty years, to the celebrity singer who is assaulted by her powerful boss, my books touch on trouble and stir up issues that some readers, fairly acknowledged, don’t care for.

As authors, we are encouraged to “write to market” which means finding what readers want and providing them with it. This is the way to ensure that your books will sell, and money will be made. It is exactly this good advice that got me wondering why I don’t just write a RomCom.

After much pondering, I’ve come up with a few thoughts.

First, I like the intellectual stimulation posed by extremely angsty plots. Yes, my emotions go on a roller coaster which can be exhausting, but my brain goes along for the ride. Do I agree with how the characters are acting? Can I think of any better solutions for the troubles they’ve gotten themselves into? Do I still like them after they’ve misbehaved? How would I handle things if I were in their shoes? The examination of deep questions is something I actually enjoy.

 

Second, my personality veers toward the serious. I love a good laugh as much as the next guy, but I’ve also spent seasons of my employment life assisting people through difficulties and tough situations. It almost feels like the insights I’ve gained and the compassion I’ve cultivated are looking for an outlet. Crafting my own stories and writing my own outcomes for my characters is a way for me to launch my values out into the world and maybe encourage or inspire someone.

 

And finally—probably most importantly, I am a sucker for a good transformation story. My heart gets all warm and squishy watching people change from troubled to triumphant and problematic to powerful. Of course, in order to achieve this, a character has to start somewhere pretty far back on the arc of change, and again, some readers are not interested in this type of book journey.

The three angstiest (Is this a word?) books I’ve written are The Perfect Storm, Fake Engagement at the Rusted K, and All That Glitters.

 

The Perfect Storm, book 3 in the Sweet With Faith Blue Sky Series is a fierce love triangle. The FMC is caught between a new love interest and a man from her past who hurt her and now wants a second chance. Two of the characters are Native American and wound into the plot is the story of one of the men searching for pieces of his identity—details which have been lost to him his entire life.

 

Fake Engagement at the Rusted K, book 2 in The Sweet With Sizzle Fake Series follows a single mom who applies to be a secret nanny for Country Music’s celebrity bad boy. Their attraction is instantaneous, but the baggage the two of them are dragging around – everything from alcoholism to domestic violence, to legal issues and vulnerable kids has at least one of them doubting the wisdom of a romance.

 

All That Glitters, a Sweet With Grit celebrity standalone is the story of a famous but fading star who seduces a rising Nashville newcomer. Their troubled introduction is just the tip of the iceberg in a sea of failures and secrets. Fade to black, infidelity in a dating relationship, violence (SA) against women in the entertainment industry and a near drowning have the characters longing to atone for their mistakes and wondering if they even deserve to fall in love.

 

So back to the question, why do I write these angsty stories? Because people can relate to them. Not every story is for every reader, of course, but if each of my books resonates for only one person with a dash of inspiration, encouragement, entertainment, or hope then I’m satisfied.

 Readers who love romcoms are probably not going to enjoy my books. But people who don’t mind strapping into their seat belt for an emotional ride and a heartfelt journey—those people might just love them.

What kind of reader or writer are you? Drop me a comment and tell me what kind of story makes your heart swell.