The Magic of Romance by Talia

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We could all use a little magic in our lives.  That’s why I write fantasy.  But the reason I write romantic YA fantasy is because I know exactly how it feels to fall head over heels in love with the wrong boy at the wrong time.  

The first time it happened I was sixteen.  He was funny and cute, but he was also nineteen and way out of my league.  We sat around a table at a party, bouncing quarters into empty glasses at the home of a mutual friend whose parents were out of town.  I’d just fumbled a shot, missing the glass and sending the quarter flying to the floor.  I reached down to retrieve the coin, and when I looked back up, my entire world tilted.  He smiled at me from across the table, teasing me about my smooth backhand.   I laughed, and for once had the perfect response right when I needed it.  His answering laugh would have been enough, but it was the way he looked at me, with a spark in his eyes, that marked my heart forever.

The timing was all off.  He had already met (and kissed) my best friend the weekend before, rendering him absolutely and completely off limits.  We ended up in the same circle of friends for the next five years, and he dated my friend for two more after that.  I convinced myself that having him as a friend was enough. 

I married someone else. 

I was sad when my friend broke up with him, because I knew I would miss having him as a friend in my life.  But I moved on.  What choice did I have?

Then, after seven years of not seeing him at all, it happened again.  It was another party.  I was still in the hallway, but I saw him immediately, sitting on a couch in the back of the living room.  His eyes caught mine and the rest of the room fell away. 

I was sixteen all over again. 

It was magic. 

And it was real.

And that’s why I write YA fantasy romance.