Jillian Neal on writing a heroine who is also a romance author

Jillian Neal, author of Gypsy Love, her latest Gypsy Beach Novel, went deep into her own psyche when she created the heroine of her latest release.

Jillian: John Rowan was a supporting character in the first novel of my Gypsy Beach series and I knew I wanted to tell John's story in Gypsy Love. Based on his career as a divorce attorney, he did not believe in love or in forever. He'd seen too much evidence to the contrary. Arley Copeland, the heroine, is a romance author, and no one believes in love, happy endings, and in forever more than romance writers. We've made a career out of telling stories where love wins in the end. Arley was the perfect counterpart to John.

Arley is simultaneously the easiest character I've ever written and the most difficult. Crafting her character required no more work than turning my perceptive author's life-lens in on myself. The way her soul rejoices when she's writing, the way she immediately thinks of a story for any couple she encounters, the pleasure she draws from observing the world around her, and even her coffee addiction, all come from my own experiences being an author. However, bringing Arley to life required that I dig deeply into wells of not only my own joys and victories but also to delve into wells of pain, rejection and disappointment. There are several scenarios in the book where Arley is scorned for her chosen genre. I have most certainly lived those moments. Writing them was both healing and hurtful all over again.

I have, on more than one occasion, had someone comment that the romance genre as a whole was "trash." I've received more than one scowl or gasp of shock or disdain over the things that take place in my work. I regularly receive recommendations to write other, more acceptable, genres. I firmly believe that I was put on this earth to write, to offer a mere verse to the world and its ever-evolving story. My particular verses are of love and passion. I don't think many of us would enjoy our journeys around the sun without those emotions involved. Every snide comment or genuine suggestion that my work is not worthy due to the fact that it involves human emotions, love and sexuality wounds my soul. Those lashes are difficult to recover from.

For some reason, sexuality is still not something we're comfortable discussing. Romance dominates the literary market. People enjoy reading it, yet it receives an endless amount of ridicule. It is high time that women and men alike stop being ashamed of what we want to read. Wave your Kindles proudly. Stories are the fabric of society as a whole. Let's show them respect, one and all.

I always hope that the stories I tell will bring people joy, entertainment and pleasure. I hope they ease the ails of reality for my readers, but more than anything else, I hope they make you think. As Arley Copeland loudly proclaims with word and deed in Gypsy Love, "The potency of fiction is awe-inspiring."

About Gypsy Love:

Arley Copeland vows never to trust anyone, much less a man, ever again. After her fledging career as a romance writer grinds to a halt and her ex blabs to the press about her preferences in bed, she heads to Gypsy Beach desperate to regain some anonymity and maybe figure out what to do next.

Divorce attorney John Rowan has been in on the explosive end of more marriages than he can count. Love never lasts. Of that he's certain. Sick of barely existing inside the concrete jungle of Atlanta with the endless traffic and endless noise he heads towards a two-week reprieve in Gypsy Beach, North Carolina.

From the moment he lays eyes on Arley Copeland, John is determined to prove that not every guy on the planet is out to hurt her, and maybe teach her a thing or two about herself in his bed and out. With every sinfully sweet caress, they're falling more and more in love. Their pasts may be fading away, but will John ever be prepared to risk it all on a lifetime love when he doesn't believe such a thing could ever exist?

Find out more about Jillian and her books at jillianneal.com.