Hello and thank you for having me here today! I know a lot of readers, especially romance readers, (myself included) list “escape” as their primary reason for reading. My first love in romance are historicals and I’ve written over ten of them. For me, they provide the perfect escape—imagining a different time and place. Contemporary romance provides an escape too, but perhaps in a different way, with billionaires and Navy SEALS, and larger-than-life characters and scenarios. What brings all of these stories together, however, and what makes them all click is how they bring in the real world.

With my Ribbon Ridge series, there are several sort of “fantastical” elements: a very wealthy family of sextuplets who starred in a reality show during their tween years. This is tempered by some very real events—the suicide of a beloved family member and the subsequent grief and turmoil that follows. In addition, some characters deal with issues such as autism, sensory processing disorder, and addiction. To me, this balance of fantasy and reality is what makes a romance great.

When I envisioned this series, I saw a family of typical people amidst a very extraordinary set of circumstances. It’s those circumstances that delve into emotions and allow us as readers to connect. Sometimes I worry that some of the issues in my books are too “real,” that people maybe don’t want to read about the guy with an addiction or the sister who can’t seem to recover from her brother’s death. But to me these are the things in life that define us, for better or for worse, and bring out our emotions, which are so intrinsic in a romance. It is my hope that realism serves the story and contributes to a world into which you want to escape!

Think of your favorite books and stories. The world is one that you want to visit again and again.

But why? Is it the world the author crafted? The characters? The story? Whatever it is, I think you’ll find that it connects with you in a way that speaks to something within you—something you crave and that by indulging in gives you the escape you’re seeking.

What are some of your favorite stories and why do you think you’re drawn to them? Is there such a thing as too much realism in a story or are you able to escape into a story no matter what?

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When Love Happens Ribbon Ridge # 3 by Darcy Burke
Release date: May 26th, 2015
Published by: Avon Impulse

Synopsis

In a town as small as Ribbon Ridge and with a family as large as the Archers, even the best kept secrets don’t stay buried for long…

Tori Archer is married…well, on paper anyway. She hasn’t actually seen her husband since the disastrous morning after their impulsive Vegas wedding. The memories of their intense passion may still make her weak in the knees, but Tori knows their marriage was a mistake.

After six months filming abroad, television producer Sean Hennessy wants nothing more than to track down his sexy, captivating wife and get her into bed… fast. So when his boss sends him to Oregon to persuade the famous Archer sextuplets-the former stars of a reality TV show-to do a reunion special, Sean sees the perfect chance to win Tori back.

Only, Tori wants nothing to do with him and is determined to push him away. But their attraction is as hot as ever and Sean will do anything to prove their relationship was more than just a fling…because he knows that when real love happens, it changes everything.

Add When Love Happens to your Goodreads shelf.

Purchase When Love Happens on Amazon | B&N | iTunes | Kobo | Publisher

About the Author

Darcy Burke is the USA Today bestselling author of hot, action-packed historical and sexy, emotional contemporary romance. Darcy wrote her first book at age 11, a happily-ever-after about a swan addicted to magic and the female swan who loved him, with exceedingly poor illustrations.

A native Oregonian, Darcy lives on the edge of wine country with her guitar-strumming husband, their two hilarious kids-who each seem to have inherited the writing gene in some form-and two Bengal cats. In her “spare” time Darcy is a serial volunteer enrolled in a 12-step program where one learns to say “no,” but she keeps having to start over. Her happy places are Disneyland and Labor Day weekend at the Gorge.

Connect with Darcy: Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Giveaway:

Enter to win Custom Pint Glasses (US ONLY) or Two Sets of Digital Downloads Including First Two Books in the Ribbon Ridge Series.

 

 

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