Why I Write Romance ~ by Author Penny Hampson

I’ve always been an avid reader. From when I first learned to read, I was usually to be found with a book in my hand. This didn’t change as I got older. Living near to not one, but two libraries, each located equal but opposite distances from my home, I joined both and visited every Saturday morning. With six books from each, I got through a lot of books.

Things didn’t change when I grew older, only now I was able to buy the books that took my fancy. Commuting three hours everyday to work and back meant I had plenty of time for reading. Whisked away to another time and place, a clever plot, and engaging characters, made the journey time shrink.  

My taste is fairly eclectic, I enjoy nearly any subject matter, providing it is well written and engaging. I read the classics, Jane Austen (of course) and Dickens, as well as modern writers like Kate Atkinson, Ian Rankin, P.D. James. It goes without saying that, as a historian, I also read lots of non-fiction history books. But if I was feeling low, reading something light and escapist was the answer. Georgette Heyer was an author I remembered from my teen years for her lively Regency romances. Beautifully written and well-researched, I enjoyed reading them all over again. To my delight I discovered lots more authors writing in the same genre — these became my go-to reads when I needed a boost.   

Well, that’s what I like to read… now, what started me writing?

A few years ago I was forced to face up to the fact that I couldn’t continue with my full-time job and provide the necessary care for a family member with health problems. I’d been doing just that for ten years and it was becoming a progressively more difficult balancing act. So, I decided to take early retirement. That freed up some time… time that I wanted to be just for me, and time that I wanted to be productive.
The answer seemed obvious… I decided to write.

Writing romance was a logical choice. Romance books had offered me the chance to escape from my problems, on days when everything seemed to be conspiring against me. I knew I felt better after reading an uplifting and compelling story, with characters I cared about overcoming their problems and finding their happy ever after. What better place was there to start than with the genre I enjoy the best?

My aim is to create swoon-worthy heroes, intelligent heroines, and set them in an historical era that I know well. My characters will have lots of adventures, challenges galore… they might not like each other to begin with, but they will fall in love, and there will always be a happy ending.

It is my small way of giving something back, in recognition of the help and comfort romance fiction gave to me.


Having worked in various sectors before becoming a full time mum, Penny Hampson decided to follow her passion for history by studying with the Open University. She graduated with honours and went on to complete a post-graduate degree. 

Penny then landed her dream role, working in an environment where she was surrounded by rare books and historical manuscripts. Flash forward nineteen years, and the opportunity came along to indulge her other main passion – writing historical fiction. Encouraged by friends and family, three years later Penny published her debut novel A Gentleman’s Promise. 

Her second novel, An Officer’s Vow, was released in February 2019.

Penny is working hard on her third novel in The Gentlemen Series, which will be published in 2020.


Penny lives with her family in Oxfordshire, England, and when she is not writing, she enjoys reading, walking, swimming, and the odd gin and tonic (not all at the same time).

You can connect with Penny at the following links:
WEBSITE
TWITTER
PENNY'S BOOKS