First Romance?

I read a post on a romance forum recently titled "What is the first Romance you remember reading?" It got me to thinking back to my carefree teenage years. Okay, maybe not "carefree". I was after all a teenager with the usual teenage problems. But the first "romance" I remember reading is the Sweet Valley High series. The twins and their antics fascinated me. I grew up in a small town where everyone knew everyone else and where nothing exciting ever happened. So, to me, the adventures Elizabeth and Jessica had were, well, exciting.

There were so many differences between myself and the twins. They were beautiful, I was definitely not. They were popular. I had one best friend and few others I "hung out with". They had boyfriends. I had none. But I always seemed to put myself in the story. I fancied myself as Elizabeth. I imagined her stories and adventures as mine. When she fell in love, I fell in love. When she was disappointed in a boyfriend, I felt the pain. I cried over those books and I learned a lot of lessons right along with them.

Today, I read "adult" romance. I love to travel back in time and visit other worlds. And I still put myself in the story. I still cry at the happy endings and feel pain when the heroine is betrayed. Looking back on the experiences I had reading Sweet Valley and now with the "adult romance" I read, is it any wonder that I want to write my own romance novel?