I have a confession to make. I’m a laughaholic. I love to laugh, and do so whenever and wherever possible. It’s not always pretty – head thrown back, mouth wide open – but it does seem to be contagious. Especially if you get me to laugh hard enough I snort. My BFF can make me laugh that hard, and does any and every time we’re together. She can get me laughing so hard it literally becomes difficult to breathe. God, I love that woman! My family makes me laugh. On any given Saturday night you will find me, my husband and our two sons (17 and 18) sitting in a local restaurant having dinner. This may not be too strange – although I know a lot of families whose teenaged sons don’t spend much time around the parents anymore – but that’s not even the strange part. Okay, strange may not be the right word, but…whenever you find us out like that, you’ll know us because we are the table that can’t stop laughing. It’s true, mom, dad, 17yo son and 18yo son are always laughing. Always. Laughter is a huge part of my life, and my husband and sons make me laugh.
This is the one thing I am most thankful for in life. I can’t imagine a life without laughter. I can’t relate to people who don’t laugh long or often. I can find laughter in some of the dumbest things. When something is so messed up it’s either laugh or cry, I choose laughter. Every time. And when I’m blue, I turn to laughter to lift my spirits.
So it’s not surprising that some of my favorite contemporary authors incorporate humor in their writing: MaryJanice Davidson, Susan Anderson, Rachel Gibson, Amie Louellen. Getting lost in a fabulous romance, falling for the hero – a hero who’s funny – it’s like falling for my husband all over again. It doesn’t get much better than that. I think this is one of the hardest things for an author to do – reach readers by touching both their hearts and their funny bones. It’s also one of those skills I don’t have. No matter how hard I try, I can’t write funny.
So instead, I’ll keep scouring the local bookstores for more humorous romances. And if I keep that little dream alive – the one where one day I can write a book that touches the readers heart, tickles their funny bone AND keeps them on the edge of their seat – well, there’s no harm in dreaming, right?
