The Dance

Romance

Since the age of 12, I've been a huge fan of romances. Written, filmed, sung, it makes no difference. I must have read thousands over the years. Back in the day, we romance junkies would go to used bookstores and trade out boxes full of books. Kindle made my house a lot less cluttered. 😉

They were entertainment, but also escape. As I got older and my life got busier and filled with other obligations (job, marriage, children, winding my way through the Special Education maze), the number of romances I read dwindled, but I never completely stopped reading. I was too busy to spend much time escaping, though there was plenty to try to escape, if only for a little while.

April 21 is my youngest daughter's birthday. In 2016, she was turning 21. We had a wonderful evening planned, and I almost ruined it because I was in so much shock, like most of us were, over what transpired that day. I did turn off the radio and put the focus back on her, because she's my baby. I figured I'd get over it and move on, like I did when Lennon was shot.

But I didn't. It was gratifying to see the rest of the world figure out what I knew from the moment I saw that American Bandstand performance, and watched Dick Clark try to hold together an interview with an intellect greater than his, who refused to accept condescension based on racism. 'This isn't music that usually comes from Minnesota.' As Prince said in Funky Design, 'Honey, Please!' I was a Prince girl from that moment on, even though we are 3 months apart in age. Marriage, babies, career, all of it was soundtracked by Prince.

I didn't know what to do with my grief. My family sure didn't get it; most of my friends are mainly about classical music, one of my jobs being performing classical music.

Then, one day in May 2016, it came to me. Write a romance. Say goodbye on your terms. My husband had always encouraged me to write instead of just read. Here was a chance to try it out. The story poured out of me, with a happy ending. You know the formula: meet cute, fall in love, overcome obstacles, get married.

I wrote all summer. My daughters thought I'd lost my damn mind when they found out the subject. Then one of them, a writer herself, mentioned Wattpad. 'But Mom, you'll hate it. They're all 12 year olds over there.' I thought I'd lurk awhile anyway and see if what I had written would fit. I could see things were much more visual, with added pictures and gifs, and people posted chapters, not entire books. I'd need to edit my work to this format.

My daughter was so wrong about this particular community. Smart, funny, talented writers were clearly in evidence. I was encouraged to write, and I mentioned I had a story written. So I began publishing my story in chapters, and continued reading what others had published.

I changed the trajectory and ending of my story from my original happy ending to an awful one, and then to an awful one that was beautiful in my eyes. That's the one I published.

A few disclaimers:

My main character is a widow. In 2009, two of my dearest friends, both my age, lost their husbands within a month of each other. One suddenly, like Emma at the beginning of the book, and one slowly, like the end of the book. Watching them cope was my inspiration.

The two daughters? Two of mine. The physical descriptions are pretty close, and the words coming out of their mouths? What I hear every day, and I love every minute of it. My third daughter was born with a genetic anomaly that affects her speech. Replicating her use of language in print would be too difficult for me. If this were a video, she'd take it over, though. She's quite the celebrity in her own right.

The rest? My imagination, and the romance formula. Plus a lot of research of our beloved Prince's performances from 2013-2016. That is the reality portion of this story. The research was so bittersweet. He was creative until the end, giving us so much while pursuing his passion.

I hope you enjoy The Dance.