By Mary Bisciaio
There are all kinds of love. We love our God, a spiritual being, our parents, our spouse, and our children. We love our friends, our home and community, and the holidays. We love a good meal, an interesting book, and a faithful four-legged companion, but we are mesmerized by a deep, unsettling, romantic love.
The statistics are staggering.
We spend in this country almost 20 billion dollars on one day of the year, Valentine’s Day. Why?
Why do we support the floral industry with 2 billion dollars’ worth of roses and heartfelt bouquets?
Why do we support the jewelry industry with another 4 billion dollars of heart-shaped jewelry, pieces of gold and silver, and lifetime pieces in diamonds?
We spend serious money on romantic dinners and evenings, eye-catching new clothes and lingerie, cards, and chocolates to show someone how much they are loved. It’s estimated roughly six million men will pop the question, and not only state their love but claim a woman’s future.
We allow our children to send cute little cards to their classmates and friends.
The fascination with this one dismal February day surpasses birthdays even anniversaries because there is nothing certain about it. It is totally dependent on the whim of the significant other; a single rose, dinner with wine and chocolates, or a diamond engagement ring with the promise of more. The size of the gift inconsequential, because even a couple on a budget can find a way to celebrate that satisfies that deep need.
Pizza places, for example, that make heart shaped pizzas for its customers on that one day of the year.
We are all romantics at heart and have a need to belong to someone, to feel love. That heart-stopping, heat generating, tingling, hot cheeked, flushed, can’t wait to see you, love. Physical? Absolutely, but the quest is for far more, beyond the physical reactions to an emotional attachment, an unbreakable bond.
Classic love like that of your grandparents that survived unbelievable hardships. A withered hand that knowingly clasps another withered hand when the rest of the world can only look on. Movies that celebrate love that lasts even beyond death; couples that remain together in nursing homes and die within minutes or hours of each other. A bond that can’t be broken.
And that’s why I write romance novels because the human spirit longs for real love. Check out Amazon if you don’t believe me. The romance category among novels has skyrocketed. Contemporary, historical, suspense, mystery, comedic, even paranormal and vampire romances for the reader to explore and devour.
Simple premise. Boy meets girl. A problem, a conflict, a hurdle to straddle, a mountain to climb, to resolve. Then, a HEA (happily ever after). Yes, simple, but a challenge to find the right mix, the right connection, and the right set of circumstances to capture the reader’s attention and meet the credibility test. Kind of the strategy of life.
Enjoy Valentine’s Day with the love of your life or anyone who touches your heart and makes you smile. ♥
