Self-Actualization

     So I've been reading The Princess Diaries books, and I'll freely admit they're awesome. No really. They're some of the most hilarious books I've ever read and I'd recommend them to anyone. Except maybe males who don't want to delve into the psyche of a fourteen-year-old girl. I can totally relate to them though having been a 14-year-old at one time, even though I never found out I was a princess, lived in NYC, or dated my best friends brother.
     Oh wait, I did do that last one.
     Moving on...
     One thing that Princess Mia strives for through all the books is 'self-actualization', which means realizing ones full potential. So in my own quest for self-actualization, I feel I need to admit something to world.
     I have written a novel, and it is a teen romance.
     Ok, maybe that doesn't seem like such a big deal to admit, but I have been reticent until now to label my novel in such a way. Honestly- I was embarrassed by the word 'romance'. When I think of romance novels, I picture those books that all have the same covers of a man showing his well-musceled chest bending over a woman with long flowing hair and a gown that is in danger of falling off. Now, I have never read a romance novel- Never. So how, one might ask, do I know what their covers look like? Well it's simple: I spend an alarming amount of time either in a library or a book store- so it's impossible not to pass the romance section. To prove this point, last week alone I was at my local Crossfield library four times and the nearest Indigo once. Not to mention that every time I go to Walmart or Superstore, I browse their book selection.
     Anyway... what I'm trying to say is, yes, I have written a romance. And not one with heaving bosoms or throbbing manhoods (sorry mom). Trust me- that stuff is not in my book. In fact, even the kissing scenes in my book made me giggle and blush like a 14-yr-old so I don't think it would be even possible for me to move on to anything racier.
     But my novel is a romance for the simple fact that my main character meets an incredibly hot and awesome man, and spends the book falling in love with him. That is the main theme, interspersed with sword-fighting, snobby ladies-in-waiting, a skanky boss, a creepy dude, and an even creepier Duke.
     So the point of all this is- I have written a teen romance. And I think it's awesome. And I hope one day people will read it, no matter what label it's given. But I will no longer hide what it is, or be embarrassed by it.
     Self-actualization- here I come!