Ramblings From This Chick: Guest Post with Author Lilly Avalon and Giveaway

Friday, February 27, 2015

Guest Post with Author Lilly Avalon and Giveaway

Meet Lilly Avalon, author of Resist.

Lilly Avalon is the author of the RESIST series as well as other erotic romances. She's somewhere in the midst of her twenties and lives mostly in the stories in her head. When she's not enveloped in the worlds she creates, she's out in the real world making stories happen. That or reading other romances. It's a toss-up.

Romances and the Happily Ever After

I asked my street team to pose some questions/topics they'd like me to answer/discuss in a guest post. One asked me if all romances have to have a happy ending. In other words: When I write, do I write for the reader or for myself? It's an interesting topic. It seems the majority of romances out there have a "happily ever after" and I think the reason why is because that's what a lot of people want. They want to see two people fall in love and stay in love.

But how about me? Do I write for the reader or for myself? I'd say a little of both. I want the reader to be satisfied with the story. On the other hand, I don't want to sugarcoat it just to make people happy. Not all love stories have happy endings, unfortunately. Some love stories fall apart after a few weeks, months, or years. Does that mean they're no longer romances? No, because there was love there once, however briefly.

I started thinking back on my own failed romances over the years. At one point, that man was the center of my life--I was in love and sometimes even thought I could marry him. Did I? No. Was it a mistake for us to break up? Oh, god no. It was the smartest thing I ever did. But it doesn't mean that our "love story" didn't have merits, because I'd like to think that certain aspects of it amounted to some sort of love and romance, even if it didn't end well. I'm sure you can think of several instances on TV, movies, and even in your own lives where two people were truly happy, but something got in the way and things changed.

How about books? Should all the romance novels have happy endings? Not necessarily. It's nice when they do, but it's not a requirement. For myself, I hate reading stories that don't end the way I'd like them to, and I think that's why I love writing romances that have happy endings. When it comes to telling my stories, I grow to love my characters like they're actually real people. Since I'm in control of their destiny, it almost feels cruel to give them a romance that falls apart and breaks them. I don't want to talk about their failed romances; I want to talk about the romance that sweeps them off their feet. I want to talk about the person they share their last first kiss with.

Does that mean all my stories always have an HEA or end with the two characters falling madly in love? There's always that possibility where the love story won't end as perfectly as readers would expect it to. Telling a story has less to do with happily ever after and more to do with staying true to the story. For me, I'm going to tell the story exactly how it needs to be no matter what.

Allegra Maxwell is sick of the monotony of life. It's all work and no play, and right now she wants to play. She shows up to an annual company meeting with one goal in mind: have a one-night stand with a stranger. What she doesn't count on is Devlin Pierce walking through the door.

When Allegra first met Devlin, she knew he would be nothing but trouble. After he proved her theory to be true last year, she made a vow to never have anything to do with him again. He's the last person she wants to see, and he knows it. He refuses to leave her alone though. As much as she tries to fight it, the pull he has on her is undeniable. Her ability to resist him proves impossible when Devlin makes her an offer she can't refuse.

One night. That's all he asks and all she wants. Or is it?

Purchase: | Amazon | B&N | Kobo |