The romance in my soul . . .

by Nicole Petrino-Salter

Hard-wired for it, I can't remember that thing called romance never being with me. Not in the gushy, girly-girl, over-the-top kind of way. Not that I can fault that. It is what it is. But rather so deep in my soul that it covers everything else. It rises to a three note tune and overwhelms me. The melancholy or the sensuality or the desire to immerse myself in its beauty. It's integral to who I am even when I don't know who that is.

This romance in my soul emerges from the sad, sacred sounds of Chris Botti's trumpet. It hovers inside me bringing all the insecurity of that first date. First kiss. Lips touching.

I sense the holiness intended -but corrupted.

The intensity of sensation that God intended for good. The genesis of romance from God's heart to the human will. Tainted but salvaged in potential obedience.

I can't take the sensuality away from it. Hand in hand they travel. Merging. Right or wrong.

I capture the essence of romance in my novels. Because I must. If I do nothing else well, I write romance - total immersion. Not demanding it conform to me or anyone else but that it treasure the gift of God to humanity.

Romance is not about the fluff, it's about the soul deep stirrings of approaching love - the fear of not attaining it - that it will skitter away without being realized. The tingle and excitement produced by the glance from a certain individual will disappear unrequited. But it's also about the anxious hesitation and apprehension of the possibility that love will grab you and never let go. Romance is all of that and everything in between. It slips into our pubescent worlds and graduates with intensity in innumerable forms with unlimited imagination. Not always pretty and performed to a preconceived notion or script, romance writes its own tale and concludes with unique short-lived episodes or profound uncompromised commitments.

Real romance is worth a story. If you dare to write it, write it real.

Nicole Petrino-Salter writes love stories with a passion. Devoted to the Lord Jesus Christ, her family, friends, and pets, you can find her most days at hopeofglory.typepad.com. Raw Romantic Redemptive