I love reading romance novels as much as I enjoy writing them. The ones I grew up reading were written from the Western Perspective, both modern and historical. When I began writing, therefore, it was also through a Western lens. The problem was, I wanted to write my own stories, with South Asian, Middle-Eastern, or Asian characters. But I had few models to follow. One cannot merely take Western tropes, add Eastern characters and carve out a traditional romance novel. It would seem contrived. The parents of the characters would object. The priests would have a say. You would be asked to consider castes, culture, family background, education (What college? What degree), otherwise, how would it work out? And love outside the bounds of marriage? What nonsense. Beyond stupid. Romance? Insane. What are we writing here, a tragedy?
Please read my future blogs for a break down.