And Jayden and Alexis lived happily ever after: the romance author's job is to deliver dreams--or else.

"Taking romance readers to a higher level...Port City style" is the theme of Romance Slam Jam 2006. The conference will be held March 9-12 at the Clarion Hotel, 419 East 70th Street in Shreveport, Louisiana. To register or for more information about Romance Slam Jam 2006, visit the Web site: www.romanceslamjam.com or e-mail [e-mail].

At Romance Slam Jam 2005 in Dallas, the keynote speaker was Jacquelin Thomas, a veteran author of romance and inspirational fiction who has published more than 20 books and won numerous honors. Her latest title is Shades of Gray (Steeple Hill, January 2006). The author agreed to allow us to share her speech with our readers.

As I look around the room this afternoon, I am truly humbled by what I see--a room filled with romance readers, writers, editors and other industry professionals, bound together by our love of the written word and the romance genre.

A romance novel distinguishes itself from other forms of fiction because the romantic relationship is the focus of everything that happens--it's the driving force behind the story, the one strand of hair that makes the entire braid come apart if it's missing.

Nora Roberts once said, "The romance novel at its core celebrates that rush of emotions you have when you are falling in love, and it's a lovely thing to relive those feelings through a book."

This definition represents, in my view-reader expectations. When someone buys a book by romance authors, they expect a certain type of story. They are looking for books that provide hope, strength, and the assurance that happy endings are possible.

The words: heart, mind, body and soul appear in almost every romance novel. For me, as a writer, these words suggest the four layers of connection every reader of romance fiction wants to share with the heroine of the book. There must be a linking of two hearts, unity of two minds, the melding of two souls and the fulfillment of two bodies.

Seducing the Reader

Janis Reader, a buxom woman of average height steps out of a gleaming car and rushes into the bookstore. She gives a slight nod of greeting to everyone she passes, while hoping to avoid seeing anyone she knows because she's on a mission. The new romance releases are in and she doesn't want to miss out on a single one.

Her full lips turn upward as she nears the aisle containing books by all her favorite authors until she sees THE ONE. Janis Reader slows down, then takes a step back. The man gracing the cover is tall, dark and handsome. The woman-well, she's okay but that man ... Y'all know how you do....

As in all relationships, the initial reaction is a physical one. Janis Reader is attracted to the cover. After a moment of eying the man she's now calling sexy chocolate, she picks up the book and flips it over. She reads the brief synopsis, then thumbs through the novel, reading a few pages. Her curiosity piqued, Janis Reader adds it to her growing pile of romance novels.

As authors, our whole reason for being is to seduce the reader. You may ask: How can a writer seduce a reader? The answer is simple: You do it the same way you seduce the hero and heroine of your novel. You appeal to her heart, mind, body and soul.

A Pact With the Buyer

You first win the reader's heart by creating appealing characters with whom the reader can identify and empathize.

As writers, we cannot afford to underestimate the reader's mind. The very second a reader decides to purchase our books; we have a duty to fulfill what I call the author/reader contract.

We make the promise that the hero and heroine will fall in love, will encounter several obstacles, which almost spell disaster to that love, and finally they make a commitment to each other.

It should be our goal to give our readers hope that there are still wonderful men in the world and that they don't have to settle for the first one who comes along. It should be our goal to give our readers the most incredible love story of all time with each new book.

We vow never to forget that readers deserve a fresh plot, logical conclusions and something to stimulate her imagination. To write anything else is to break this promise and risk losing your reader.

Romance readers are smart and they know exactly what they want. As a romance writer, you have to have a passion for romance, otherwise your indifference will convey itself to the reader, and they will quickly turn to another novel.

Janis Reader is looking to lose herself in the author's fictional world. She is looking to identify and fall in love with the characters in the book. She wants to feel what they are feeling.

Janis Reader wants a book that will make her want to finish reading the novel at all costs-even if it's four in the morning and she has to be at work at eight.

Once Janis Reader gets home, she settles down to read. She opens The One. Totally engrossed in the novel, her body responds. She experiences goose bumps, shivers up her spine, warm feelings deep inside, laughter and maybe a tear or two.

Her husband walks out of their bedroom to find Janis Reader clutching a damp hanky in her hand.

"Honey, what's wrong?" he asks out of concern.

"Jayden just told Alexis that he loves her. I'm sooo happy for her ..."

Janis Reader's husband leaves the room wondering: Who in the world are Jayden and Alexis?

This is the physical evidence of the effect a story can have on the reader and is essential to the seduction. If when you are writing your story and you find yourself wiping away a few tears, or working on a love scene and you find yourself a bit overstimulated and flushed-it's safe to assume that the reader's body will respond in a similar manner.

Going Back for More

As most of you know, four years ago, I decided to answer the call on my heart to write Christian fiction. Christian beliefs can add a special dimension of spirituality to a book. Without preaching, a romance novelist can appeal to that innermost part of the reader, where love is the light and sustenance of her being. This is one way to touch a reader's soul.

After reading a great romance, the reader should be satisfied, fulfilled, and ready to search bookstore shelves for more offerings from the same writer. She will have been seduced into a blissful state of Reader Loyalty.

But let's go back to Janis Reader. After reading the first three chapters of another romance novel, she mutters, "Okay, I know where this story is going and I know exactly what is going to happen."

If Janis Reader finds that the story is predictable or boring or worse, not really a romance, then her relationship with this author is on rocky ground.

We cannot forget that before we became writers, we were readers. And we will always be better readers than we are writers. As readers, we know what it feels like to read a line that pulls us out of a story. The trance is broken and the reader is jolted into an unwelcome reality.

Janis Reader is very disappointed that the writer didn't carry through on the promise to captivate her-to hold her mind captive-page after page after page. However, she loves this particular author and will forgive this one indiscretion. But if it continues, the relationship between this author and Janis Reader is in trouble.

Most readers are very forgiving. One thing I'd really like for you all to remember is this: meeting reader expectations is a fact of the romance writer's life. If you are writing for publication, you have to face the reaction of the reader-and if you've made a promise but didn't keep it-for example, if you're writing a series and the heroine of a previous book dies. It is your job to make your readers understand your choice to abandon that promise.

Good writing, thorough research and keeping promises are the answers to all romance reader/writer relationship woes. The more you write, the better you should get. Each book that comes out should be your best work to date.

A romance novel that combines elements of love, humor, sensuality, a little mystery and the promise of happily ever after will seduce the reader from the first chapter to the last, leaving her satisfied, but wanting more.

For more information about the author, log on to www.jacquelinthomas.com.