More Reflections on Revising Romance

In my last blog, I talked about going back time to re-write a series of romance novels that I authored years ago. It was a trip down memory lane. It was also a shock to realize how much has changed since those books were written. And it’s not just that cell phones have radically transformed our lifestyles and forced me to re-think plot points.

The romantic suspense trilogy I’ve just finished revising (High Stakes, Dark Waters, and Bright Secrets) is called The Byrnside Inheritance. Three baby girls are abandoned at a foundling home on the same night. One is the long lost granddaughter of dying communications mogul, Owen Byrnside. He commissions a lawyer to find each young woman so he can determine who is to be his heiress. As Byrnside’s lawyer, Jake Caine, tracks down each of these (now all grown up) orphans, there’s a mystery, an adventure and a love story.

The mystery and adventure elements have required tweaking. But the romance, which I didn’t think I’d have to change much, either, gave me pause. The conflict between the hero and heroine, which is basic to the romance novel, is still central. But the rules of that game are being re-written. 

I authored The Byrnside Inheritance long before the “Me too” movement. In those days, not so long ago, young women dealing with amorous employers and aggressively ardent suitors were a staple of the romance novel. Now, not so much. Personally, I like the new reality. It has encouraged me to re-think courtship. The good news is that everybody is re-thinking it.