Brisbane’s own award-winning author says there’s no ‘formula for romance’

Brisbane’s internationally successful historical romance author Anna Campbell says there is no ‘formula for romance’ ahead of tomorrow’s Valentine’s Day.

Anna, a University of Queensland Arts graduate, says there’s a popular myth that anyone can write a romance novel using a set industry formula – a myth perhaps borne from giant publishers of this genre that provide extensive guidelines for storylines.

“This myth is based on the mistaken idea that you write away to Mills & Boon (leading romance and fiction books publisher) and they send you back a pro forma document or a computer program and basically all you do is fill in the names of your hero and heroine,” Anna says.

“A slightly (but only slightly) less pernicious version of this myth is that you're told the couple needs to kiss on page 23 and have their first fight on page 87 and there needs to be a love scene in chapter seven.

“In 2012, in the United States, romance sales were $1.4 billion and the genre held an impressive 17 per cent of the book market.

“Are people really suggesting that the fans, usually women, who read romance in such volumes are too stupid to notice that the stories are always exactly the same? Surely not.”

Her ninth novel, What a Duke Dares published by Harper Collins Australia and Grand Central Forever North America, will be released in August.

When it comes to Valentine’s Day, Anna is also no cynic.

“When writing romance, every day is Valentine’s Day, but as a true romantic, I think it’s wonderful every year to see a day devoted to the joys of love,” she said.

Step into Anna’s world of romance writing in this Q&A

Anna is available for media interviews.

Media: Historical romance novelist Anna Campbell, 07 5492 3459, anna@annacampbell.info.