My first story was a science fiction set amongst aliens yet no aliens appeared in the story. My main characters spent half the story hardy able to speak to each other, yet romance is (to quote Josh Lanyon) a series of dialogues between your main characters. My main character was a double amputee with a drinking problem, post traumatic stress disorder and facial scarring. One early beta reader begged me to make him more attractive.
Then my next full length novel is written in dual first person with a lot of backtracking time wise.
I don't just have a predeliction for challenge in my novels. My first short story was about a cyborg. Again hardly a character who would exhibit the depth of emotion needed in romance.
Why do I do this to myself? Because I fucking love a challenge and because I love a fucking challenge.
Biggest fucking challenge of all is getting into a man's head. Why men?
I love writing about men. They can do all the things I would love to do, but can't very often simply because I'm a female.
Men can walk into a bar in any town and not feel their presence raises all sorts of issues. Why is she here? What does she want? Is she single? Is she taken? Will she trap me into marriage if I fuck her? Would she be a good mother for my children?
Plus, let's face it if writing about one man is good, writing about two has to be double good, right?
Welcome to my world.