#modern romance novel

[starpillowww]

Back to the world of fan fiction... next chapter in my Jamie Benn story.

[sanguinesky-if]

Sanguine Sky

DEMO [Public] [Updated 11/05/2024] genres: romance, modern-fantasy, supernatural, mystery, dark-fantasy.

Sanguine Sky is a work-in-progress modern dark-fantasy interactive novel. The story is heavily focused on romance, characters, and relationships.

The story rated 18+, contains mature and distressing content that may be triggering to certain individuals. It is recommend to check the full list of warnings before you proceed to the story. Please exercise caution and take care of yourself.

Word count [Public]: 96k [excl. code] | 116k words [incl. code]

You are a detective, tasked with investigating mysterious murders that have taken place in your normally quiet and peaceful hometown, Fallenmor. 

With two victims confirmed already, the initial one being your former mentor, Detective Bergmann, the situation couldn't seem more dire. Or so you thought until you received the news of another body, a possible third victim, discovered at the police station. In your very own office. 

An accident, a mere coincidence, a straightforward warning, a looming threat, or something entirely else… Whatever is happening, you feel it affecting you, awakening something both significantly familiar and distinctly foreign inside of you.

If only you knew that this was just the beginning… Things could have been different. 

But back then, in your ignorance, your singular concern lay with a pressing question: if you failed to find the murderer, who would become the next victim?

➤ Play as male, female, non-binary or trans; straight, gay, or bisexual.

➤ Customize your appearance and shape your personality.

➤ Take on the role of a detective, immerse yourself in the work of the police station.

➤ Embrace the mystery of your existence, or reject that inner sight of you.

➤ Seven romance options to choose from. Select their gender, be shy or bold, or focus on your goal without pursuing anyone.

All ROs are player-sexual and gender-selectable [M/F].

Kyle / Keira Moreno

Your colleague, a police inspector, and one of the rudest people you have ever met. Sharp and stern, K is surprisingly perceptive, and they use it to really see you. The good, the bad. Everything. Appearance: icy blue eyes, dark red hair, very pale skin.

Alexis 'Lex / Lexie' Conlan

Your best friend, and also your former partner from times when you were just a patrol officer. With a heart of gold and an approachable attitude, L always chooses you over the others. Appearance: forest green eyes, copper hair, beige freckled skin.

Morgan Schoivell

Your other colleague, a highly-skilled lab technician. M is rather reserved when it comes to emotions, and after almost a year of working together, M is still a walking mystery for you. Appearance: dark brown eyes, ash blonde hair, light skin.

Roderick / Rebecca Reyes

The commanding agent of the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) team sent to catch the killer. Overbearing and ruthless, R has their own way of getting things done. Appearance: gray eyes, blonde hair, pale skin.

Theodore 'Theo' / Theresa 'Tess' Vazquez

Another member of the CID team. With a cocky smile, T is full of flirts and sneering comments, regardless of the occasion. T has no doubts about what they want and isn't afraid to vocalize it. Appearance: dark green eyes, black curly hair, rich brown skin.

Isaac / Iris Brailsford

I looks the most mature and approachable of CID's fellow agents. Looks can be deceiving, though. Working behind the scene and watching from afar, I carries all the scars within. Appearance: hazel eyes, dark brown hair, olive skin.

Sebastian / Selena Goldstein

Someone new and temporary, S has a velvety voice and a perfect smile that doesn't reach their eyes. You're not sure if your paths will cross in the future, but something tells you S can't be trusted. Appearance: black eyes, long black wavy hair, bronze skin.

Other notable characters:

Your twin-sister: Your sweet, kind, caring, and gentle twin sister. She always tries to be there for you, and show how much she appreciates you, no matter what. Chief of Police, Kendrick Nash: Your boss, who is not handling his job so well after the recent death of his husband, Klemens Bergmann. Detective Klemens Bergmann: Police chief's husband, who happened to be a senior detective and your mentor. He was the first victim, murdered under mysterious circumstances.

A full list of warnings is available in the demo before beginning of the story. I recommend to check it before you proceed to reading. Please take care of yourself.

Links: DEMO | CoG forum | Q&A | RO's info | Tags | Patreon | Ko-Fi |

Thank you for your interest ♥

[lazodiac]

Hello I'm LaZodiac, or Aya McHugh, author of the modern fantasy action/romance (with a bit of horror~) novel Initial Sparks, the first in its series!

I also haven't had a job in a year, have only recently covered to functionality post surgeries, and need the good word to be spread around about my work!

So if you like reading stories about girls who punch their problems, swallow their emotional baggage, occasionally burst into flame, and want to kiss girls, give it a shot. Spread it around! Let people know that this exists and it is something they'd want to read!

[sillylanzhou]

and that's like less than the first 200 out of 800+ chapters 😭

(speaking of- who will take one for the team and actually make a hjyj iceberg)

[emmanuellececchi]

Poll - for my writing

You are a parent and you just ask the boyfriend of your daughter what's his job. What is your reaction when he says "I'm a prostitute/I sell my body." Answers can be serious or fun. This scene might one to break the tension.

I dindn't put the "impossible no one would say the truth" because my heroine specifically refuse to lie to her parents. Her parents had to deal with another complicated situation in the family and were A-Champions so she trusts them (well... she keeps her fingers crossed).

[comradekatara]

i never thought of modern au katara being a writer, but that's so fitting and i love it. do you see any parallels between her journey learning waterbending in canon with her gaining confidence as a writer in your au? ex being dismissed bc of all the disrespect the art of writing gets irl, meeting haru and being mutually inspired/ working with jet and having a fallout? i know there's a fine line between narrative parallels in aus and like, contrived shit like katara being the last mcr fan or smth

not the last mcr fan 😭 but yeah!! it feels like the very natural connection between her being the show's narrator and the way storytelling and narrative is such a crucial aspect of her identity, culture, the way she sees the world, and survives. i think her being an investigative journalist who travels and reports on various crises and exposes corruption and inequality, but also writes more personal essays on her own experiences, or even just writing about media and art and fashion and sports and the stuff she enjoys. historical monographs, journalistic exposes, personal essays, poetry, fiction, maybe even like. a children's fantasy series. truly, she can do it all!

however, unlike waterbending, i don't think it's the kind of thing she would aspire to excel at since childhood. i actually think that she wouldn't really try hard in any academic pursuits for most of her childhood/adolescence bc she doesn't feel like she'll ever be good enough anyway, so what's the point. she's like "i only learned how to read when i was five and i don't understand number theory i must be some kind of ignoramus." the prospect of actually being very smart in many ways (including academically) just totally eludes her. because in a mundane world like ours, where bending does not exist and there is no such thing as a chosen one, it is sokka, not katara, who is the shiny, special wunderkind, and katara is the one who compensates by excelling in areas that sokka does not (namely, athletics, activism, and art). so mapping those arcs into this world actually inverts a lot of their dynamics in the sense of what and who is valued.

obviously katara does nonetheless struggle with being valued as a waterbender (by the nwt, by sokka himself, by the fire nation) and has to work incredibly hard to prove herself, so the idea that she's never underestimated or undervalued in the show isn't entirely accurate, but there's definitely a sense, at least within her family and tribe, that she is the world's specialest princess, and although i still think she'd be kanna's favorite and cherished as the baby of the family and beloved by aang in modern au, she isn't deemed inherently worthy and special. because she isn't a waterbender, she's just a normal girl.

sidenote: i do actually think a lot about how katara and sokka both undermine each other out of jealousy, like it's just not sokka calling katara a freak for playing with magic water, katara is constantly dismissing and undermining sokka in a way that's like. hang on. does she think she's....punching up?? like i do think katara probably carries resentments about not being as smart and special as sokka and compensates via her bending in the same way sokka compensates for his lack of bending via his other skills. they are constantly caught in a cycle of trying to be worthy of being the other's sibling, with the ultimate result just being that they are both incredibly gifted and accomplished in their respective areas (azula and zuko also sort of have this going on, but it's less mutual, because azula's skills are valued and zuko's are not, whereas both katara and sokka possess valuable skills that make them special to their community).

anyway. as for katara's journey to becoming a writer, i think she would write for fun as a kid but never show it to anyone, not even aang. and then occasionally she'll hand in an essay for school that she actually put effort into, which is very rare, because she only puts effort in when she's genuinely interested in the subject, but sometimes she'll put in a lot of time and research and effort just to prove the teacher wrong, which is when she truly shines. and some of her teachers can actually see that she has a lot of potential when she actually allows herself to be vulnerable and her passion seeps through the page, but she never really pays attention when they try to tell her that she's talented, because she just assumes that they're only being nice to her because they know that she's sokka's sister and feel an obligation to praise her by association. so it's only when she gets to college, and enters a world where sokka simply does not exist, that she realizes that she has merit of her own as a writer, thinker, and student.

she begins writing essays for various school publications, and after a while starts publishing them online, and then eventually in legitimate journals. it takes her a long time to actually establish herself as a career journalist, because she doesn't have the luxury of just writing full time, but eventually she's established enough that she actually publishes a book of essays, and goes on a book tour, and is invited to speak at various universities and events. and then one day, during a talk at a college, she says, "you know, there's hope for everyone. i only learned how to read at the age of five. but i went at my own pace, and eventually found my calling." and the moderator is just like "uhhh.... that's actually above average??? you're basically just saying you've always been smart." and katara. shuts down for a second while she attempts to process this information before she just goes, "WHAT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

[hyperactiveparanoid]

Ever seen a pole dancing centaur? Percy's here to show you how it's done haha

More illustrations from the book I really enjoy, these were originally done in 2020

read the book over here to see why Ryder is so shocked at Karin hehe

[uwmspeccoll]

Steamy Saturday

It's almost the new year, and it has been a snowless December, which is very unusual for our area. Some of us are pretty passionate about the snow, so on this last Saturday in 2023, we thought we'd combine the two and bring you some romantic steam from the great white north in Arctic Nurse by Rose Dana, "A Unibook Romance" published in New York by Modern Promotions, A Unisystems Company, in 1966.

Aside from its gratuitously benevolent racism (e.g., "Grace had come to understand and love the amiable, broad-faced people in their colorful woolen and fur jackets." "Konala was living proof that the natives could adapt themselves to the twentieth century." "She’s really typical of her own race in every other way. And I find the Eskimos a wonderful people."), its occasional flashes of self-awareness (“Civilization always brings drawbacks with its benefits.”), and its formulaic storyline (Nurse Grace has a choice between kindly Doctor Mark and curmudgeonly Reporter Richard; who do you think she chooses?), there's a fair bit of authenticity in the descriptions of life in the eternal cold and snow.

This comes from an author who has lived knowledge of deep winter: Rose Dana is one of the many pseudonyms of the extraordinarily prolific Canadian writer W. E. D. Ross (1912-1995), who, with over 300 novels, may be the most prolific Canadian writer of all time. He wrote in a number of genres and is the author of the Barnabas Collins series of novels based on the American vampire TV series Dark Shadows (1966–71). The nurse romance, however, was a mainstay for him.

So, until we get some snow, we'll just chill with this sappy little arctic romance.

View other nurse romance novels.

View other pulp fiction posts.

[starpillowww]

New chapter in my Jamie Benn story

[sanguinesky-if]

Sanguine Sky: Chapter 2 Pt. 2 is OUT! [Public Update]

Hello! I'm happy to announce that Chapter 2, Pt. 2 is out! The update contains 43k words (excl. code).

Here's the link: [DEMO].

Important note: please make sure you delete all your old saves before you start a new game or proceed to new content.

What awaits you in the update:

Two activities with the CID team to choose from:  ▹Question the janitor who found the body with R.  ▹Head to the morgue to find out more information about the victim with T and I.

An opportunity to spend more time with the CID team members, depending on the activity chosen.

Three activities after the end of the work to choose from:  ▹Confront Morgan about the whole situation.  ▹Talk to K and try to learn more about the CID and the investigator. ▹Stay in the office to sort through boxes of stuff after moving to your mentor's new office, and dive into a Klemens-related flashback that will shed light on what happened to your aunt.  ▹Or just go home after a very long work day.

A conversation with your sister about what was bothering her in the morning (optional).

A phone call with L at the end of the day: different scenes for romance/friendship path (optional).

Jealousy choices and parts of the narrative for both the MC and the ROs.

Optional RO's POV scenes for K and L.

A special extra scene for those who plan to romance R or I.

Total word count: 96k words (excl. code) | 116k words (incl. code).

Right now, I'm in the process of translating my drafts for Chapter 3 and finishing K's Side Story that will be released on May 25.

Thank you for all your interest and support! ♥

[aconstantstateofbladerunner]

Okay legit question: what is up with all the romance books that are just retellings of fairytales or classic myths?  Why is this specific trend so prominent?  It’s not inherently bad or anything I just don’t see enough of the appeal for it to be as popular as it is.

[eruden-writes]

Being in romance lover groups and writer groups on Facebook, and doing research (ie: reading romance novels,) I find it interesting that Tumblr seems unique in having a preference for 2nd person.

I'm not sure if Wattpad prefers 2nd POV, but I know I see a lot on there, too. So I'd wager they do.

I vaguely wonder if it has to do with the boom in popularity that D&D has encountered, since the 2nd POV method is ingrained with that. Maybe even the growing popularity of otome games, too. Since many are in 2nd POV, as well.

Regardless, in many of the traditionally published romance books I've encountered, it's either 1st POV or 3rd POV.

What are your thoughts on this?

[sns-tropes]

Hey guys, big news for me!! finally have my first officially published work out! I know this is not related to the blog but just thought I would throw it out there if anyone has read my stuff before and is interested. It was originally a fanfiction that was re-worked into a novel with original characters. Just some brief info: This an Urban fantasy/romance M/M novel, set in a world where society is aware of werewolves existence as common knowledge. Explores themes of prejudice, trauma, empathy, and eventually healing. Here is a link if you'd like to check it out!

-Jeni 🖤

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CRPWYHZ5

[emmanuellececchi]

28 k words of...

fluff, trauma, self harm, fluff, drama, broken heart, fluff and more broken heart, self-hatred and some smut (?), fluff and so on.

This story is a mess. it's a trope-y, cliché story.

I dig it.

[wbtym-pod]

Any authors feeling seen by this? If so, you can thank @ginnyvos from the WBTYM! Discord

[mermaidsirennikita]

I'm actually really into that (in books not in real life 😭) so yeah I know what I'm reading first!

Lol yaaaaay it's a classic for a reason!

I also love somnophilia in romance novels, and I wish there was more of it in actual books versus erotica shorts, but when I bring that up suddenly I'm the weird on in the reading group lmao.

(Never mind that Devil in Winter has light somnophilia, everyone has fun when Evie wakes up to Sebastian St. Vincent going to town on her and talking about how she's hard to wake up, but God forbid--)