Is Romance for Smart People?

I don't know about you, but I often have to defend my love for romance novels, particularly historicals. I am often told that I seem so smart, it's a surprise that I would like something as "lowbrow" as romance novels. When I mention that I write a blog about it, that sometimes makes people feel better, as if their high opinion of me is safe because I have an excuse to read romances.

Well, if you have to deal with ignorance like that, here are some ways to point out that romances are for everyone, even the geniuses:

Anyone who has read this blog for awhile knows I am a huge fan of Lauren Willig's Carnation series. Ms. Willig is a Yale and Harvard graduate, with a law degree from Harvard. She has done all this while becoming a bestselling author of a fantastic series.

And Julia Quinn is also a Harvard graduate and Yale med school drop out while also being a best-selling author.

Author Eloisa James has tenure at Fordham University and is a Shakespeare scholar.

Eve Silver has two postgraduate degrees and teaches science courses at a local college.

Madeline Hunter has a PhD in art history.

Diana Gabaldon has a PhD in ecology and used to teach college until her writing career took off.

Barbara Michaels (author of the absolutely wonderful SOUL FLAME, and also writes under the name of Elizabeth Peters) has a PhD in Egyptology and published two nonfiction books about Egypt that are still in print.

Catherine Asaro has a PhD in chemical physics.

Marjorie M. Liu attended law school at the University of Wisconsin, was admitted to the bar a couple weeks later, and spent time working at the US Embassy in Beijing. She's a bestselling author, too.

So, the next time someone rags you for your love of romance, tell them about these genius women and their success. Romance is not a genre of dumb women making stupid decisions, but is about complicated women living real lives and are written by women with brains to spare.

Nicole