She has an addiction to planners and to do lists. However, as the character of Gracie grew on the page in all of her hot mess glory, she took on some of my own traits. Mental health wasn’t something that was particularly on my radar when I started writing The Stand-In, which is about a reluctant celebrity doppelganger who falls in love with a movie star. I like my characters to be dealing with situations that are as realistic as possible, albeit while dating a celebrity or while being fake engaged to royalty. In fact, many of my favorite rom-coms and authors address societal issues including racism, sexism, inequality, grief, and health, and I love them all the more for it. Let me asterisk that line to hell and back: I am not the only rom-com writer who does this, not by a long shot. Mine also happen to feature characters with mental health challenges. Beach reads, or books good for a cottage hammock, or to read by a cozy fire. These are books with brightly illustrated covers. Neither of these themes should be a surprise to readers as it’s right there in the name: romantic comedy. Rom-coms are first and foremost about love.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |