Okay, you women readers who are not happily-married, or who are not currently involved with the man of your dreams, might be asking, "What about me?"  I think that for YOU, romance novels are a way for you to imagine yourself in the kind of situation you'd like to be in.  Like the title of this book says, you are "Never Too Old For The Game Of Love". 
After all, good sci-fi imagines what our future might be like, based on what it's like today.  All things created, were once only in someone's imagination.  Did you know that Leonardo da Vinci drew working plans for helicopters, submarines and tanks, back in the 1500s?  But he wrote the instructions backwards, so you needed a mirror to read them...and he often left out crucial parts, so that if you tried to build his machines, they would not work.  Sneaky?  Oh yes.  But effective.
So reading romance novels lets you imagine yourself as the heroine in a love story...to imagine what kind of man would be the hero you want to have come into your life.  This can only be a good thing.  While it is true that no man is perfect, many can be "perfect for you".  The male characters I write are "real men"...they have their own ambitions, their own dreams.  They are not just cardboard cut-outs, who exist only to satisfy the woman's every desire.  Men like that would be boring.  Just as women like that are boring.  We are all interesting human beings, who need to discover who we are, to know who would make us happy.  Don't look for a man to "complete" you.  Complete yourself.  Then look for a man to raise your temperature and make your heart (and other parts!) sing!  Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Okay, now look at this guy.  He's a biker, big, burly, no doubt strong, with multiple tattoos.  He looks like a real bad-ass.  Most women would be afraid of him, even though they might find him attractive in a "forbidden fruit" kind of way.  The cover says he's a gypsy.  Should a man be jealous of this huge, hairy biker dude? 
   I can only answer for myself...I'm not privy to the thoughts of ALL women...just my own.  I would say, there's nothing to be worried about. And not just because J.T. exists only in my mind, and between the pages of my book. 
In my experience, women read romance novels to experience a different kind of romance.  This does NOT mean they are not happy with what they have.  I've been happily-married for 25 years, together with my man for 28.  We have raised 4 kids to young adulthood.  We schedule weekends away as often as we can afford to, in order to spend time just being with each other.  He's very romantic, and still to me, the sexiest man I ever met.
But not only do I READ romance novels, I WRITE them!
Why?  Because even though I would never cheat on my husband, whom I adore, I still have fantasies in my head.  I still imagine what it would be like to be with other men...I see someone walk by, I see a face/body on TV, or more commonly for me, I wake up with a whole storyline in mind, that involves me being some other woman, and meeting some other man, who turns out to be the one I've been looking for.
Why do men look at pictures of naked or scantily-clad women?  Same reason.  And just as looking at sexy women might "put them in the mood", so too do women "get in the mood" reading stories about another woman's love story.  Don't worry about HOW your woman got in the mood, guys.  Just enjoy the fact that she is, and that she's turning to YOU to scratch her itch!  Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Look closely at the picture of the man here.  What do you know about him?  He looks tanned, fit, and handsome.  He's blind...that much you learn from the blurb on the cover.  What's he like in bed?  Is he a wild man, or does he let the woman take the lead, so he knows how to please her by doing things her way?  The cover is what many women use to choose which books they want to read.  But why do women read romance novels?  What do they get from them?  And should men feel threatened that their wives/girlfriends voraciously devour stories about other men?  Should they be jealous?

So I got a comment to a blog posting below asking me how long it takes me to write a book...that depends on the story arc that is in my head, and how much time I can devote per day to writing.  Those of you who know me, know that I have 4 young adult children, and a widowed mother who has Alzheimers.  I work part-time, and attempt to try out at least a couple of new recipes each week, either for a dinner or a bread/dessert.  And I do like to spend some time with my husband...and my other friends.  So I can't really say how long...but usually once I get a book started, I spend all waking moments thinking about it, and often I dream of scenes and the way they are going to play-out.
As for who proofreads, that would be moi.  I am an English teacher, and it was drilled into me early on that revising is your friend.  I tell students that no piece of writing is ever DONE...it can always be improved upon.  So I read and reread my stuff, making small changes as I do so, trying to be sure it is perfect before I send it in.  Then I run off a copy on paper, and invariably I will find a few typos/grammatical errors that for some strange reason, I didn't see on my laptop screen.  Once I think the book is as close to perfect as I can manage, I send it to my publisher.  Once it gets accepted, (and I do a little happy dance each time I get a contract, believe me!), then the editor sends me her suggestions for changes and corrections.  Once that is sent back, I get the galleys, which is the on-line printed book, complete with covers and inside info sheets, as it will appear when it is published.  This is my last time to make any corrections.  Once my book is published, I will buy copies of it for myself,to resell to people I know who don't have access to a computer...and one of my kids will read my book and casually mention the typo or error they found on page X...ARGH! 

I hope this excited feeling never goes away!  Each time I see my words in print, and know that others can read what I wrote, I'm thrilled...it's like I am inviting you into my head, so you can hear what I do.  Welcome!
And for those of you who would like to win a free copy of my latest installment of the Reyes Family Romances, head on over to Goodreads.com and search for my name.  You should be able to find a contest that offers 2 copies of this book...deadline to enter is March 15...6 weeks after the book premiered.  Or if you can't wait that long, downloads and paperbacks are available, as always, from my friends at Wingsepress.com.