Author: Tracey Richardson

Tracey Richardson has had several novels published by Bella Books, two of which were Lambda Literary Awards finalists. Semi-retired now from a long-time journalism career, Tracey spends as much time writing and reading as her two demanding chocolate Labrador retrievers will allow. She also enjoys playing hockey, golf, and occasionally teaches fiction writing. History, politics and time travel are among her more exotic reading material. www.traceyrichardson.net; Twitter @trich7117.

Hail to the Badass Romance Writer

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I don’t typically write about politics in this space because this space is reserved for reflecting on writing and books (and I will talk about writing and books, in a moment, honestly). But in light of the attempted insurrection at the U.S. Capitol last week, well, how can we not talk politics?

More specifically, I want to talk about the badass romance writer who may well have saved America.

Have I got you scratching your head, wondering what the hell a romance writer has to do with the current worrisome state of affairs in America? Well, scratch no more, because I’m talking about Georgia’s Stacey Abrams.

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How Are You Going to Write About 2020?

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I don’t have to tell you that 2020 has been a poop sandwich.

The world wide pandemic, a political and social disintegration for our neighbours to the south thanks to Trumpism, a record year for hurricanes and devastating wildfires. It’s a long and unforgettable list in a long and unforgettable year.

If you’re a fiction writer, it’s a dream year in terms of material. I mean, EVERYTHING is happening. Peoples’ lives have changed dramatically. Our daily life is perhaps forever altered in some very meaningful ways. Read more

Books in the Time of Covid

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The Covid-19 pandemic has stripped away the veneer of convenience, has altered what is important to many of us. One of those things that has become even MORE important to people like me during Covid is the reading of books.

Reading is the perfect escape from the stress of the pandemic, but the irony is that bookstores and libraries were closed for months, and online ordering was (is) as slow as the Pony Express.

This is where my Little Free Library comes in.

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Writing In The Time of Covid

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I’m not sure if I’ve spoken much about my “writing break” in this space, but like we hear with Covid-19 jargon, I think I flattened the curve of writers block-itis and am on the downside of the peak.

When I finished writing my last novel in the summer of 2019 (“Thursday Afternoons” by Bella Books), I hung up my keyboard for an indeterminate amount of time. The old “TBA” as to when I would start writing fiction again. I just…lost it. The drive, the inspiration, the energy. I felt like I still knew how to write; it was more a matter of feeling I had nothing to say. Read more

Romance novels — peoples’ favourite punching bag

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Do you roll your eyes when someone says they read or write romance novels? Do you find yourself thinking or saying that romance novels are second rate? That they’re nothing but fantasy, that they have nothing to do with the “real world”, that writers who write them are second rate and readers who read them have boring, unimaginative lives?

Unfortunately, those thoughts/judgments are all too common. And they’re rife with ignorance.

As a writer of lesbian romance novels, it bugs me when people don’t take my genre seriously. Insults me, to be specific. Because you know what? I’m not a second rate writer. I can and do write fiction other than lesbian romance. Nor do I have a boring, unimaginative life. And hey, why would a romance novel be any more unrealistic or predictable than a mystery or suspense novel, never mind fantasy or sci-fi? Read more

Writing what you don’t know? No problem!

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I’m a fan of reading medical romances, but for a long time, as a writer of romance novels, I was too scared to attempt to write one. Too intimidated, more like.

There are medical professionals with more than enough street cred out there writing successful medical romances. So why should I attempt writing them when I’m not a doctor, nurse, paramedic or even an employee at a hospital? I mean, isn’t it a bit “fraudulent” to write these kinds of novels when you’re not “one of them”?

Well, my answer is an emphatic no to that last question, since I’ve now written four medical romance novels (including two that were finalists for the Lambda Literary awards…the most prestigious award for LGBTQ books in the world). Read more

Biographies and their important lessons

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For a fiction writer, I’ve been spending an awful lot of time lately reading biographies.

First it was Sally Field’s autobiography In Pieces. Now I’m almost finished reading Julie Andrews’ second book in her autobiographical trilogy, called Home Work. Next in my reading pile is a brand new biography of Janis Joplin, called simply, Janis.

I’m not sure why I’m on this little non-fic reading kick. I like to read a biography or two a year, but three in a row? Not typically. Nevertheless, as a writer who enjoys focusing on character development, reading biographies and memoirs provides a tremendous resource for learning about other people’s lives straight from the horse’s mouth. They’re also invaluable for researching a character you might write in the future.

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