How NOT to Write a Successful M/M Romance Novel

by Will Freshwater

Most reviewers of Favorite Son usually comment on how the book doesn’t exactly fit neatly into the M/M romance genre. While I won’t bother disagreeing with the growing list of critical assessments, I will shamelessly exploit their comments and poke fun at myself by explaining how NOT to write a successful M/M romance novel:

Be a gay man.  First, and most important, I need to say how much I genuinely respect and admire all authors, regardless of gender. However, it does seem that most successful M/M romances are written by women. While I’m certain that having a penis doesn’t make me any more or less knowledgeable about love, it certainly seemed to limit what I could write about. When I started crafting the novel, my focus was on the ubermasculine topic of politics, but by the end of the first chapter, John Wells, the protagonist, was already making goo-goo eyes at some random guy on the subway. Although it’s a generalization, people usually assume that gay men are more interested in sex than in romance.  That might be true, but I’m just hoping readers will overlook my gender and give Favorite Son a chance.

Make the protagonist a workaholic. Is there anything sexier than a man who spends fourteen hours a day at the office, slaving away over draft legislation and legal memos? Early in the writing process, I realized John was far too engrossed in his work to ever give romance a second thought. Still, I know from experience how easy it is to transform zeal into love and channel ambition into passion. Initially, it seems unlikely that Peter and Danny would ever stop working long enough to fall for each other, but collaborating to restore the chapel becomes the foundation of a truly transformative relationship.

Put a fully clothed silhouette of a man on the cover. This one speaks for itself, no? The cover of Favorite Son may not be salacious, but it definitely tells a story of a man struggling to reconcile his two worlds. Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words.

Make the protagonist’s love interest straight. Opposites attract, but how can there be any hope for love or romance when one character is gay and the other is straight? Midway through the first draft of my novel, I decided it would be more interesting, albeit a bit unconventional, to write about an intense “bromance” between friends. After all, romance is defined as “an ardent emotional attachment or involvement between two people.” And besides, it seemed highly unlikely that John would jump back into a relationship after having been burned so badly by David and Paul.

Don’t include any sex scenes. Sex sells. Anyone who watches TV after dark can attest to that fact. Even though I knew that most successful romance novels contain a fair amount of heat, I made the conscious decision not to include any graphic scenes. When Florence Woodside shows up early at Peter’s cottage unannounced, the two horny, half-naked guys inside end up getting a hearty breakfast — not sex. Rather than focus my attention on describing what happens in the bedroom, I decided to work to develop complex, multidimensional characters and let readers use their imaginations to fill in the rest.

This whole post explaining how NOT to write a successful M/M romance novel really illustrates how silly it would have been to restrict the creative process with rules or expectations. As in love, a good writer should always follow his heart.  I know from experience: it always points you in the right direction.  And besides, there’s more to life than just finding success.  If you don’t believe me, read Favorite Son.

About Favorite Son

Born into a blue-collar family, John Wells beat the odds and came out a winner. As chief of staff to Patrick Donovan, a US senator and aspiring presidential candidate, he enjoys all the power and privilege of a DC insider. But while riding high on a wave of success, he’s blindsided by a series of betrayals from the people he trusts the most. In the space of a single day, John’s perfect life unexpectedly unravels when his career falters and his marriage implodes. Following a final, devastating blow, John assumes a new identity as “Peter” and flees to Provincetown, where a tight-knit community of eclectic characters slowly transforms him.

Peter finds himself drawn to Danny Cavanaugh, an enigmatic carpenter who is struggling to come to terms with his own troubled past. As they work together to renovate a local landmark, the two men forge an unlikely friendship that blossoms into love and becomes the foundation for a new life they hope to build together. But when a reversal of fortune pulls John back to DC, the treacherous world of politics he thought he’d left behind threatens to destroy his chance at true happiness.

Available at: Dreamspinner Press & Amazon

About Will Freshwater

Will Freshwater was born and raised in a small steel town outside Pittsburgh. He graduated, cum laude, from Boston College and was awarded a Juris Doctorate from the

University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Will has lived and worked in Boston,  Philadelphia, Washington, DC, and Tampa. Although he has spent the better part of the

last twenty years working as a successful corporate attorney, Will can happily confirm that his true vocation is writing. He currently resides in Morristown, New Jersey with his

husband, Stephen, and their golden retriever, Rory. Favorite Son is Will’s debut novel, and he is hard at work on his second novel.

Find out more about Will on Facebook, Twitter or email him at willfreshwater@yahoo.com.

Will has graciously offered up an eBook copy of Favorite Son to one lucky winner!! The giveaway starts now and ends January 13, 2015 at 11:59 p.m. To enter, just click the link below!

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Please be aware that the only way to enter the giveaway is to click the Rafflecopter link above. Any comments on this post will not count towards entering the giveaway, except to verify your Rafflecopter entry.

Good luck!