Romance Novelist Jasmine Guillory Explains Why She Loves Love: It 'Brings People Joy'

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While chatting with New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory about her latest novel, the recent big-screen romantic comedy “The Lost City” comes up. In the film, Sandra Bullock's character is a successful novelist but harbors some resentment towards the genre in which she has built her career. She diminishes her devoted readers with stereotypes, only to be reminded by her cover model, played by Channing Tatum, "Don't belittle the people who love your work by calling it schluck; it's not fair to them. . . I thought you of all people would know not to judge a book by its cover." When we chatted, I had recently watched the movie (although Guillory has yet to stream it), and the moment struck me, as a romance fan and someone who has long hated when contemporary literature is likened to an enlightened chick. I asked Guillory how she, as an author, tackles these stigmas.

"It's frustrating for me, because I feel like it's so based on misogyny," Guillory told POPSUGAR. "You think there's something wrong with romance writing, because they're books that women love? It's like that. Right?" Guillory rejects the idea that a happy ending is "unrealistic". She said, "I know a lot of people who are happily married. It's not like they're together and nothing ever goes wrong in life. That's not what a happy ending means. But they are. together and happy together...I think it's great and fun to explore relationships like that.There's so much about romance that's about people going through tough things, but treat them together. And I think that's one of the things I really love about writing romance."

"There's so much about romance that's about people going through tough things, but dealing with them together. And I think that's one of the things I really love about romance. romance writing."

Ultimately, the author of "The Proposal" says, "I don't understand all the people who despise her. Why despise something that brings people joy?"

And joy is exactly what Guillory's latest novel, "Drunk on Love," brings. The modern novel...