Lily Writes

I’m enjoying my morning coffee, scrolling through my phone before I dive into writing, and I love that my social feeds are absolutely saturated with Bad Bunny’s halftime show. I watched it live—breathless—yelling when he leapt off the roof to crowd surf and scolding the producers when he climbed that telephone pole. This man is a treasure. We must protect him at all costs.

The joy. The love. The incredible staging on an actual football field. And can we please take a moment to applaud the people standing quietly in the grass, holding their positions, knowing their role mattered too? That kind of care and coordination doesn’t go unnoticed.

Mixed in with the pop culture love is another headline that made me smile: Detroit’s newest bridge to Canada—the Gordie Howe International Bridge—is close to opening. Apparently, someone irrelevant is attempting to hold it hostage. But honestly… it’s Taco Tuesday. I’m sure that threat is about to change.

As I scroll I read motivational quotes, watch cat videos, answer some texts from family and run across a message from one of my nieces. Why do you write romance?

Sometimes, it’s simply to escape. I know that’s why I read it.

I love a well-crafted romance—the kind that pulls you in and takes you on a full emotional roller coaster. What I don’t love are manipulative plots or illogical conflict introduced solely to toy with the reader. That kind of lazy writing snaps me right out of the story.

Romance may not always be considered “serious” literature, but it’s a far more sophisticated form of storytelling than it’s often given credit for. If you’ve ever fallen hard for a book boyfriend—one who lingers in your imagination long after the final page—you know exactly what I mean. That’s magic.

It’s why I reread. You never quite recapture the rush of discovering a story for the first time, but the rereads—the reheating—are deeply satisfying in their own way.

There’s been a lot of conversation on Threads lately about the readers who perpetually reheat Heated Rivalry, and honestly? They’re onto something. As humans, we’re drawn to stories, art, and experiences that feel familiar and safe. Returning to them again and again gives us a genuine dopamine hit. It feels good because it is good.

And the more the world feels like it’s falling apart, the more I understand how vital these safe places really are.

So what does romance mean to me?

Connection.
Being seen without the masks we wear for everyone else.
Being accepted exactly as you are—and still wanting to grow, to do better, together.

It’s also physical. Lust. Sensuality. Caring. Cuddling. The feeling of home.

I’m drawn to heroes who live in the gray—morally ambiguous in the world, but unwavering when it comes to their commitment to the heroine. Heroes who are willing to do their own emotional work instead of waiting for a “mommy girlfriend” to fix them.

I love stories where someone made a bad choice, screwed up, and still figures out how to go on. How to hold onto hope. How to reach for their dreams anyway. Those are universal stories. Human stories.

Writing Update

This week, I finished Love Bites, book one of the Pink Matchmakers series, and it’s officially off to the proofreaders. In the meantime, I’ve already started the next book, Love Match, and I’m about 10,000 words in.

This one leans into a Rockstar meets Mafia Don trope, with the same light, rom-com energy and a very clear he falls first storyline. Matteo and Marissa are mismatched in all the ways that matter—except when it comes to love.

On that front, Matteo is all in. He’s just waiting for Marissa to realize what’s standing right in front of her.

He’s willing to do just about anything to stay relevant in her life, including signing on as her fake boyfriend. And really, it’s Matteo—he doesn’t linger on the “fake” part for very long. It’s just another step in his courtship.

When Marissa decides to cancel the contract and sign up for PinkMatch instead, Matteo… well. Matteo has a few moments of panic.

But there’s always a happily ever after.

This is romance, after all. 💗