Love stories usually end badly. But not always. At least not in romance books. A literary genre which has always existed, which has always worked well, but which seems to have found its letters of nobility. “It was often the same pattern in the books that we found before, explains Marion Dubreuil. Now there are more different things. What has changed above all is that people who read romances take on much more responsibility than before. »
The manager of the Read and Write bookstore organized this Sunday, October 20, 2024, the first edition of the Salon de la romance, at the Pierre-Tournois à Mer room.
A variety of profiles among the authors
In addition to the rose-tinted stories of the Harlequin collection – which has even undergone a transformation to reflect more modern aspirations – a multitude of novels have seen the light of day, and the number of authors has multiplied. Also. Six authors were present to dedicate their works to Mer, mostly from Loir-et-Cher, all with different profiles.
Magali Santos, who lives in Suèvres, first took up writing online. “I started with “fan fiction”, which were fictional stories inspired by our idols, and I published on a blog, explains the author, aged 33. Thus, I was able to interact with a huge community. And in January 2020, I wrote my first book, self-published, it exploded immediately, with the help of confinement. »
Magali Santos began her writing career by writing fanfiction on a blog.
© (Photo NR, Sébastien Gaudard)
Since then, nine works have been published, and the author maintains contact with her community via social networks. However, this does not allow him to live on that alone. “I also work in my husband’s business, who is a plumber. I’m fine with having both, even if writing takes up a lot of my time. »
“It allows you to escape”
Amanda Bayle, resident of Boisseau (near Oucques), has been writing for ten years, starting with historical romance. “Since then, I have varied, with fantasy, contemporary, sports and Christmas romance”indicates the one who also carries out the activity of proofreader. Around fifteen books were born, with even a series (The Immortals) and its prequel (The Pack), which feature mythical characters in a postapocalyptic world.
Amanda Bayle already has around fifteen books to her credit.
© (Photo NR, Sébastien Gaudard)
But what are audiences looking for in romance? “It allows you to escape, to dream, to see people who live differently”explains Chloé, 18 years old. Elisabeth (72 years old) visited all the stands, but for “Christmas presents. Personally, I’m more of a fan of thrillers, even if they’re always a little dark. The ideal is when I manage to find a book that combines thriller and romance”she smiled.
This first edition of the Show was a success and Marion Dubreuil is already thinking about a future meeting.
