by Jennifer Coates
You’ve just finished a very passionate
tale about a spicy heroine and an admirable hero.
You allow yourself a smile, stretch, and get up to do all of those chores
around the house that you haven’t done since you bought the book three days
ago. Now, if you are like me, you
simply took that story that gave you so much pleasure and stored it in the most
convenient spot possible. You
reflect a few moments on the nice story and think about how nice it would be if
it were all true. You may even
sigh. What you may not do, however,
is pick that book up again to read or reference at a later date. No, if you’re like me, you put the book on the shelf, and
quickly begin another book that will share a similar fate to the last.
Well, I’ve got to tell you, I’ve read too much good stuff to let
books go to waste. So I’ve done a
little research and been given some wonderful ideas on how to use those read
romance novels. If you need some
ideas, read on. Here are my top
five uses for the already-read romance.
5)
Copy
your favorite hero-to-heroine/ heroine-to-hero compliment and tape it to your
bathroom mirror. Read it every time
you look in the mirror and imagine those words being directed to you.
Sigh…(if you start to feel self-pitying, look in the mirror again and
say to yourself: Yes, Yes lord,
[insert the hero/heroine name here] he is right.
I am fine. )
4)
If you are in the need of a quick apology or
romantic poem for your significant other, copy down the scene where the
hero/heroine declares their love or better yet, proposes.
Put it in the form of a poem, and, well, I’d tell you where to place it
or how to give it to them, but my guess is as good as yours.
I figure though that we’ve both read plenty of romance novels, so we
should be able to figure it out. I’m
thinking on the pillow next to them. I’ll
have to get back to you on this one…
3)
This actually doesn’t have anything to do with the
novel being finished, but concerns you actually reading the book.
If
you have a job where people actually expect you to work, and not read your
latest novel, you may want to try one of these tricks that were shared with me:
a.
Get to work before everyone else. Go to the
photocopy machine and make copies of the next two chapters of your book.
Put the chapters in a manila folder, and place them on top of your desk.
Page through them one at a time, being careful to turn over the last
page. You’ll be engrossed in your
story, so won’t notice people passing by.
Don’t worry about them; every time someone passes your desk they’ll
think you reading something associated with work. There is a catch: If you read with the smile of a cat that just ate the canary,
you may want to learn how to turn your back to your office door.
b.
Find the book online and read it on your computer
screen. I warn you that this could
be troublesome, particularly if you can’t get it off the screen quickly
enough. But, well, I am sure you
will agree, sometimes a good romance is just worth the risk.
2)
READ IT AGAIN!
Well, maybe not right away. I
suggest re-reading a good story at least once a year. Sound a little cumbersome, boring, or repetitive?
Admittedly, it certainly could be, but then again you may be surprised.
Most people change significantly over the course of a year.
You may find that what attracted you to the book the first time around
takes a back seat to your newly uncovered themes that all of a sudden make
sense. WARNING: Do
not try this with books that you liked as a child, I warn you that the effect is
often not the same.
DRUM
ROLL PLEASE…
1)
Finally, the best use that I have ever heard of for
a romance novel that has been read, re-read, or is in the process of being read,
is sharing it with your honey. I
don’t just mean talking about the story, I mean reading it together.
I’ve heard of couples using the romantic tales as bedtime stories or as
a way to maintain continuity in a long-distance relationship.
If you’re man/woman scoffs at the idea of buying a romance, pick out
one of your favorites, and try that. If
this fails, and they continue to scoff, refer them to #4 on this list.
Well, that’s my list. I hope that they work for you. If you have others, and I know you do, I’d love to hear about them. Please send me your favorite uses at the website address. I’ll place all of the ones that I receive on a list and post it. In the meantime, I’ll be at the mirror repeating, that wonderful line at the end of Bette Ford’s novel FOREVER AFTER, “I have faith in you.”
Jennifer Coates (email)