That romance isn't just about relationships, sex, and emotions. There are so many other facets to the romance genre. I've learned about and researched everything from the practice of baby farming in the 1800s to drug and human trafficking to really nuanced laws while writing. I've learned about so much more while reading in the genre. There are really stellar books in the genre that aren't taken as seriously as they should be. It's disappointing as a reader and as an author!
Absolutely. I use my educational background and real-world experiences a lot in my writing. I write a lot of crime-oriented romance and I work in the law enforcement field as a 911 Dispatch Supervisor, so I get to use a lot of what I do on a daily basis, as well as what I learned in my undergrad and grad school years in my writing.
