That final full stop.
Reaching the end of a book is definitely a moment of mixed feelings! Like most romance writers I suspect, I am both glad and sad when I get to the end of a story. Living for several months with two characters as they journey through the minefield of getting to know, trust, and finally love each other until they reach that happy ever after is as emotional for me as it is for them. As a writer, you have to feel every pang of jealousy, every ripple of joy, every stab of pain and every surge of passion, just as they do, otherwise your characters won't come alive for you and they certainly won't touch, much less convince, the reader. Time and again, I hear comments from people about how easy it must be to write romance, and especially a Mills and Boon romance, but nothing could be further from the truth. It's not an ordeal of blood, sweat and tears, exactly, but it's far from easy. Rather it's a 100% commitment of time, energy, determination and, ...