A Romance reader origin story: They discovered their grandmother’s stash of mass market bodice rippers at twelve years old, dove headfirst into the genre, stayed up late reading them under bed sheets with a flashlight. I’ve heard these anecdotes before, and admit that I’m jealous — I didn’t read my first romance until I was thirty-five. My early reading life was far from Romance-friendly. Maybe it was because I was raised in a conservative Southern Baptist family, and because when I did finally get into reading, it wasn’t until middle school when I read Jane Eyre at summer camp. 

At thirty-five I was a new mom and new entrepreneur, and a bit burnt out after my first year in business. I wasn’t reading much, so when I randomly picked up a highlander romance at a small beach town bookshop,  I wasn’t expecting much. That shop’s romance section was all of six titles big, the bookseller at the register embarrassed when she saw the cover at check out. 

That book was graduate-level romance reading: jam packed with tropes I didn’t yet know, and with a style and shorthand I've grown to love but at the time struck me as distracting. But I read it and knew I liked something about it - the focus on the heroine’s journey? The neat and happy ending? That one scene by the campfire? Whatever the reason, it was the first book I had finished in months. I don’t credit that highlander romance for being my gateway to the genre, but was a turning point for me as a reader. 

My real entry to romance came later that beach trip, when I texted two of my bookstore friends Kristen and Danielle and begged for their help: “ I just read a medieval Highlander romance, my first ever, it totally went over my head. Where should I really begin?”

Oh honey, they wrote back, let us take your hand and show you the way…

The way into romance? It often starts with Sarah Maclean. I learned that in my own romance journey, but also in the dozens of introductions I’ve made to new readers of the genre here at my bookstore. We always press Sarah’s books into the hands of the romance-curious.

Our romance book club has made converts of many in the “strictly-lit-fic” crowd. So what if you didn’t have that benevolent, well-read grandmother with the smokin hot book collection? Well, at least now you have your friends at the local indie bookstore, and writers like Sarah, who writes characters everyone falls in love with. 

No, instead of feeling jealous about all my missed years of reading romance, I feel incredibly lucky for having made my way into the genre via Kristen and Danielle and the wonderful romance book club they built, the cheekily titled Bad Romance Book Club. Cheeky because no, of course romance is not “bad” bad, it is good bad. When you've fallen hard, when you have it bad.

Just like we at Old Town Books have it bad for romance now. We're so far gone, our romance section grows by the shelf foot every season. Our bestsellers? Romance. (Book Lovers, anyone?) Our most active club? Romance. The section with the highest turn? (Sales per shelf foot) Romance. The genre is a small but mighty engine of joy for this little bookstore. A sure hit of serotonin, a go-to section for our staff, for our customers. 

It feels “full circle” to be here years later now, about to sell books at the Fated Mates Live event. I met Sarah not long after that beach trip. It was the early days of the pandemic. In the opening discussion of the podcast she mentioned wishing there was a way authors could help indie bookstores who were struggling to adapt to Covid. My bookstore, like all other non-essential retailers in Virginia, was mandated to close. I was also pregnant, totally freaked out, and reading a shit ton of romance to cope. I emailed Sarah: there is a way you could help! 

One virtual romance writing workshop later, the proceeds of which Sarah donated to the store, the bookstore was up and running again. We used the funds to buy a second label printer and float payroll. We ended up getting a few other local grants, and then, thankfully, a PPP loan. That and a Go Fund Me campaign meant that the store stayed closed, but in operation, all through the pandemic. We were able to pivot into being a fully online bookshop with curbside pick up. Our whole team stayed employed, and we even hired a new part-timer to help fill online orders. It was a miracle. A miracle due in no small part to romance readers, and to listeners of Fated Mates who took that writing workshop with Sarah. 

I’m so grateful for the opportunity to meet up this month with Fated Mates listeners and fans of Sarah’s books. It feels extra special due to the history we have with the podcast, with Sarah and Jen. This community of readers and writers is what keeps small businesses like Old Town Books going! Thank you. Thank you romance readers. Romance writers. Thank you Sarah and Jen for letting us be part of the Fated Mates magic. We can’t wait to see you all on July 30th.