The Washington Post names AFTER HOURS ON MILAGRO STREET top 10 romance of 2022

I lived in DC for twenty years. My first summer there, I attended my first Romance Writers of America conference. Soon after, I joined the Washington Romance Writers, and attended weekend meetings and annual retreats where I got to learn how to be a romance writer.

Over the next twenty years, my non-writing friends cheered on my writerly aspirations and bought me drinks when I met my writerly goals. My first book, Lush Money, was published when I still lived in D.C. Just this month, I celebrated the three-year anniversary of my debut launch party at One More Page Books.

So for my book to appear today in The Washington Post in Adriana Herrera’s list of the Top 10 Best Romance Books of 2022 is truly meaningful. I hope it’s proof to all of those friends that their cheerleading and support was worth it.

Adriana, the amazing Latinx romance author of The Caribbean Heiress in Paris (one of my favorite books of the year), says about After Hours on Milagro Street:

Lust, animosity and forced proximity make for a potent cocktail in this emotional enemies-to-lovers romance… Lopez excels at penning strong women who know exactly what they want, but what makes this romance shine is the way she reveals the vulnerabilities and pain hiding behind Alex’s tough exterior….

Other books included in this top 10 list include ones from authors Tracey Livesay, Natalie Caña, Kennedy Ryan, Sarah MacLean, Christina Lauren and more!

Old-school romance recommendations

Recently, I made an ass of myself – in the most consensual, I-was-totally-on-board way – by being romance author Andie J. Christopher’s inaugural guest for her new Instagram Live program Drunk (Romance) History. Essentially, I drank sangria and got increasingly goofier and foul-mouthed as I told her about one of my favorite old-school romance books, Teresa Medeiros’ Fairest of Them All.

It was awesome. Not just because of the mid-Saturday drinking and being able to hang out virtually with Andie. But because it also allowed me to wax rhapsodic about my babies: My two-layer deep keeper shelf of old-school romance novels.

I’ve been reading romance since I was 12-ish. I’ve been buying it and relying it as a form of self-caring escapism since I was 14. Once e-books became a thing, I switched much of my purchasing to that platform. But my old-school keeper shelf is evidence of my early dedication to this incredible, female-centric art form.

In her podcast Fated Mates, historical romance author Sarah MacLean said: “I think romance does so much important work in the world…. Romance taught me that women had agency, that heroines were proactive, that you can expect parity in a relationship, that you could expect love and devotion and intellectual stimulation from a partner, that you could expect sexual agency and sexual pleasure from a partner and that kind of lesson is so important.”

That quote was so meaningful to me, that I cried. 😅

This stack of books, read at a crucial period of growth as a maturing girl then young woman, taught me so much about what to expect as a woman, what to expect from the men I was with. I also read fantasy and horror and mystery and scif-fi and literature. Just as I was able to close those books and walk away with important lessons without thinking I needed to fly to the moon or turn into a giant bug to put those lessons to work, I was able to differentiate in a romance novel what was heart-poundingly entertaining and what was valuable insight into the human condition.

“ Just as I was able to close those books and walk away with important lessons without thinking I needed to fly to the moon or turn into a giant bug to put those lessons to work, I was able to differentiate in a romance novel what was heart-poundingly entertaining and what was valuable insight into the human condition.”

These old school books lack diversity. You’ll notice I have few books by authors of color. Sherry Thomas’ “My Beautiful Enemy” was published in 2014 and Beverly Jenkins’ “Forbidden” was published in 2016 – by then I was purchasing most of my books on my e-device. I was so accustomed to seeing myself absent from all the media that I consumed that I never even recognized that I and women with dark skin were missing from the books I read.

Issues of consent are real, too. I began to re-read the first book I ever bought for myself, a much-loved book in which I know whole passages by heart, but I had to put it aside. It was just too much for now. But I can appreciate what that author did for me then, writing with our “then” understanding, trying to appease a middle-American audience who fervently believed good girls said “no” but wanted heroines to be getting it, yes. I appreciate that the author, ultimately, showed me a journey where a heroine determined her course and a hero valued her pleasure.

These are some of my most-read favorites:

Teresa Medeiros, Fairest of Them All

I sold Andie on it by telling her, “This has butt stuff.” It was shocking at the time because NO books had butt stuff back then. It’s the gentlest, sweetest, most illusionary butt stuff you can imagine. But it’s HAWT!!!! Medeiros had this fantastic knack of writing intensely emotive books – truly funny, truly weepy – that were just so damn fun. And hot!!!! This book is about a beauty who shields her beauty to avoid an unwanted marriage, and then falls in love with the man who believes he’s married an ugly duckling who will break his family’s curse. You can get the drunken Cliff Notes here.

Nora Roberts, Tears of the Moon

Nora’s so good at writing big, sweeping books, but this is a little, tiny, hugely heartwarming tale of two people who’ve grown up together in a picturesque Irish village. She’s a handywoman and he’s the cook at his brother’s pub and they discover, out of the blue, that they have the burning-hots for each other. The sex of convenience becomes SO MUCH MORE. I want to bone the hero of this book, a dreamy Irish wanna-be musician, so hard. Apropos of nothing, Nora signed this book in 2005.

Bettina Krahn, The Husband Test

Bettina, like Teresa, could write in any genre and make it awesome. She wrote pirates like nobody’s business. This one’s set in medieval times and it’s a little Sound of Music-esque: The heroine loves being a nun, even though she’s bad at it, and hopes to prove herself by being the best husband judge the convent’s ever seen. When she’s sent to the hero’s broken-down estate to judge him, they both are drawn to each other, even though they both intensely resist it. Because of course. This is one of those books where the heroine pitches in to the community and ultimately makes the world a better place – I love those books.

Julia Quinn, When He Was Wicked

This book was part of the Washington Romance Writer’s retreat swag bag when Julia Quinn and Eloisa James came to our retreat – when I tell that story, I feel like I’m talking about the time I saw Mumford and Sons in a little club with 15 other people. Anyway, this best-friend’s-widow book grabbed me and wouldn’t let go – I stayed in my room to read it and missed the first half of the retreat! Bad boy Michael (gloriously hot Michael) is the new earl after his best friend and cousin died prematurely, leaving behind a widow that Michael has loved since he met her on her wedding day. He can’t have her – and she’s shocked when she discovers he wants her – and sometimes-prim Julia, who isn’t always my cup of tea, writes yearning SOOOOOOO GOOOOOOD in this book.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Dream A Little Dream

I’ve met SEP five times and I’ve cried every single time. Her writing… If the job of a horror writer is to make you scream and the job of a mystery writer is to make you puzzle, then a job of a romance writer is to make you feel. Viscerally feel the sensation of falling in love. No one does that better then SEP. She creates complicated characters and gives them joy and anguish and humor and irritating habits and makes them fully fleshed creatures we can deeply empathize with. In Dream A Little Dream, the heroine and her young son are as destitute as they can be – her scraping the thinnest layer of peanut butter out of a jar is a detail I can never forget – when their car breaks down in front of what looks like an abandoned drive in. The drive-in’s surly, damaged and HOT owner, whose half-heartedly trying to fix the drive-in up, wants nothing to do with them. Of course. This is a fantastic gut-wrenching book of two broken people finding peace together.

Laura Kinsale, The Shadow and the Star

I’m pretty sure I picked this book up for its Fabio cover. But the incredible insides…Kinsale was a literary romance writer, always pushing herself and the genre to its limits. One of her books was written in Middle English. Another was about a man’s debilitating brain hemorrhage – he loses his speech, ability to reason, control of his movements — and the woman who nurses him back. The Shadow and the Star is about a man who was sexually violated as a child before he was rescued by an aristocratic family. Now, he seeks peace and knows how to commit stealthy violence. He meets a Jane-Eyre-type woman – although she’s beautiful – who finds her strength and peace in propriety. It’s an incredible and unlikely pairing and a beautifully written book. Kinsale writes sentence that you want to lick.

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I’m taking a social media break for the month of October, but I’ll still be blogging.

Inspiring Words for Writers

The day-to-day grind of completing a book can sometimes leave me little time or energy for seeking inspiration. That sounds counterintuitive, but that's just the sad way my process works. But now, in the lovely lull between books, finding and absorbing inspiration is an imperative -- especially as my brain turns from "creating" to "marketing", which can be such an oppressive process.

Here are some of the recent books and articles I've discovered to me keep focused on how lucky I am to be a writer -- and away from such words as "grind," "sad," and "oppressive."

"Reaching the Next Rung," Romance Writers Report, Jan. 2018

Several authors are quoted in this article from the January 2018 issue of the Romance Writers of America magazine, but my favorite advice came from bestselling author Joan Johnston. Joan offers great actionable advice for a long-term career:

• Schedule your time so writing is a priority.

• Make personal contacts with agents and editors who attend conferences.

• Form a review crew to post digital reviews of your novel. (I'd never heard of his before. Contact me if you're interested.)

• Do a newsletter at least once a month to stay in touch with readers.

She also says:

"You must give yourself the opportunity to fill the well so you have something to write about."

This is so obvious, but with demands of writing, marketing, working, and taking care of the family and the house, so easily forgotten. It reminded me to embrace the fun in my life as necessary. #Fillthewell is my new favorite social media hashtag.

Be the Gateway, A Practical Guide to Sharing Your Creative Work and Engaging an Audience by Dan Blank

I'm a longtime fan of author coach Dan Blank, who's great at offering advice that's tough yet caring for the creative spirit. This book about marketing for creative professionals blew my mind.

"Be the gateway. ... Instead of selling a product in a marketplace, you become the gateway for how your work can shape the world the world for others and inspire them."

The thesis of this book is that rather than focusing on the sell of your creative work, focus on sharing the messages that are important to you. Dan points out that, through our creative efforts, we've created this amazing conduit for sharing the beliefs that shape us. Don't waste that conduit on screaming about the 99-cent sale. Instead, share what you're passionate about. By framing the world for others in ways they can identify with or find value in, we create advocates. People don't want "deals;" they want to believe in something.

Dan puts it simply:

"Tell me about the conversations you would love to be having with others."

Mind blown. I could suddenly see my social media, marketing, newsletters, etc., as an opportunity instead of a burden. I made a list of the themes that are important to me: strong women and the confident men who love them that way, discovering your integral self, enthusiasm and compassion for a diverse world, the grandeur and value of healthy romantic partnerships, the value of filling the well... The list goes on

With Dan's practical tips on how to implement his mind-blowing ideas, I look forward to indoctrinating all of you.

Pep Talks for Writers, 52 Insight and Actions to Boost Your Creative Mojo by Grant Faulkner

Grant Faulkner, the Executive Director of National Novel Writing Month, helps support the dreams and energies of almost 400,000 writers who participate in November's writing sprint. So he knows a lot about pep talks.

He's a dedicated writer himself; we worked at the same newspaper in our 20s and when my husband and I invited him out for a weekend brunch, he said no because he had to stay home and write. In Pep Talk's 52 short and inspiring chapters with titles like "Make Your Creativity into a Routine," "Fail Often...Fail Better," and "Persisting Through Rejection," he's able to pair his passion and skill for writing with practical, soul-enriching advice.

"Approaching the world with a creative mindset is wildly transforming--because suddenly you're not accepting the world as it's delivered to you, but living through your vision of life."

He's an advocate for the creator and speaks to the person who needs to keep their feet on the ground (or their ass in the seat) when their head is in the clouds. I love this paragraph about finding your own inspiration:

"...You are the all-powerful God that sends those words--those story-igniting lightning bolts--into a world that's coming to life before your own eyes. You are your own muse."

The Wise Heart, A Guide to the Universal Teaching of Buddhist Psychology by Jack Kornfield

After a tough second semester in college, my son came home early last spring. I desperately needed to get out of my head, out of my anxiety and worry, and a dear friend handed me this book.

The Wise Heart is a wonderful way to reset. Instead of thinking that we can control everything and that all of our beliefs are true, psychologist Jack Kornfield helps guide you through Buddhist teachings that help you think bigger, more holistically, and a little softer.

We think so many things horrible things about ourselves, and for authors, that can be especially true: We're not writing enough, we're not marketing enough, we're not getting any better, everything we do sucks. This book helps you to be kinder and more compassionate to yourself and the people around you. A phrase he asks you to recite, that I think can be especially effective for the author:

May I be held in compassion. May my pain and sorrow be eased. My I be at peace.

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I'm always looking for inspiration.

Please tell me about a recent book, song, movie, painting, comic, or squiggle on the sidewalk that inspired you.