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34. Validating and exploring romance w/ Maria Secoy
  • Erin Canning
  • February 14, 2023
  • 8:01 am
  • 0 comments

Are you curious about writing romance stories, but you’re not sure what qualifies as romance?

In this episode, you’ll get a deeper look into what constitutes the romance genre. You’ll learn what makes a romance novel literary and what distinguishes the 50+ subgenres from each other.

Joining this conversation is Maria Secoy, a literary romance author and writing coach. Today, Maria shares three story development tips that help you know whether you’re writing a romance story, a love story, or a tragedy.

Topics discussed in this episode
  • What makes a romance book literary
  • What the Library of Congress has to say about romance
  • How many subgenres exist under the romance category
  • What distinguishes erotica from romance
  • Where to find the LGBTQ+ romance subgenre
  • M/M romance and the inadequate classification of LGBTQ+ romance
  • What’s happening with the newer subgenre sapphic romance
  • The need for more LGBTQ+ categories
  • An overview of 35 other romance subcategories
  • Further breaking down historical romance
  • Cross listing books in subgenres
  • Fantasy vs paranormal romance
  • Three tips for romance writers
  • What character development means for romance
  • The only two ways to develop love
  • What romance requires
  • How to show happily ever after
  • Clarifying happily for now endings
  • Does happy for now imply a sequel
  • What’s a dealbreaker in the romance genre
About Maria

Maria Secoy has a BA in English and an MEd in Secondary English. She spent more than a decade in the classroom helping students grow as authentic writers.

She wrote and published her first romance novel, Alongside Lucy, in February 2022, which has since reached #4 on the Amazon Best Sellers List. And she released Gloria’s Gumption January 2023.

After hearing stories of editors gone wrong, flopped cover designs, marketing struggles, and anxiety over the entire self-publication process, she launched All Write Well, which has grown to include a team of supportive experts who meet all the self-publishing needs of writers.

Get her books
Connect with Maria
Connect online

Let’s connect via my Facebook group, Parents Who Write, at https://www.facebook.com/groups/parentswhowrite.

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