Thank you to Kristan Higgins and the rest of the Jaunty Quill sisters for allowing me to guest post today!

I came upon this lovely group blog because I adore the novels of Kristan Higgins, and she was gracious enough to invite me to write a guest post to coincide with the release of my debut novel, Free to a Good Home. There is something about a group blog, especially one called a “sisterhood,” that is so inviting to a new author, especially when one of its members is as warm and nurturing as Kristan. (Note from Kristan: I hope everyone’s listening!) What surprised me, though, when I first came for a visit is that The Sisterhood of the Jaunty Quills featured so many romance authors. It got me thinking about what draws us to romance as a genre. Because lately I find it difficult to finish a book if there is not at least the possibility it will reward me with a subplot involving matters of the heart.

In one of my favorite romantic movies, Before Sunrise, the character Celine says (to the adorable Ethan Hawke): “Isn’t everything we do in life a way to be loved a little more?” I think that’s so true. Love is what makes us get up in the morning. It’s what gets us through the day. It’s what keeps us sane as we stare at the photocopier or the computer screen, or as we wait in line at the DMV or take abuse from a customer at the deli. Everything we do, it seems, is for the benefit of someone we love or to make ourselves worthy of being loved.

My debut novel is about a woman named Noelle who is trying to find love, but comes up short because she searches in the wrong places or sabotages her own efforts at happiness. Throughout the course of the novel, she experiences many kinds of love: she loves her ex-husband even though he no longer loves her back; she loves her Great Dane, Zeke, who loves her back unconditionally; she loves her family although they exasperate her to near insanity; she learns to love a woman whom she thought she hated; and she tries to love a new man even though her heart is still broken from the last. Every one of her mistakes and misjudgments, her triumphs and tragedies, emerges from this pursuit of love.

But she won’t be truly happy until she learns to love herself, and this is sometimes the most elusive kind of love to attain. In another of my favorite movies, Shirley Valentine, the main character leaves her oppressive life and lackluster marriage in London for a vacation in the Greek Isles. When her husband accuses her via telephone of having a sordid mid-life affair, she says, “The only holiday romance I’ve had is with myself. And I’ve come to like myself, really. I think I’m all right.” What better revelation can we ask for in life than the moment when we finally learn to accept ourselves after all the years of insecurity, heartache, and self-doubt, the moment when we stop trying so hard and embrace who we are—warts, bad habits, cellulite, and all—because underneath all those flaws, we find a person with strength and resilience, compassion and integrity, someone who is, after all, “alright.” Ironically, this is usually the moment when we become the most lovable.

That’s essentially what Free to a Good Home is about—coming home from that long and lonely journey of self-discovery and realizing that you do have a place where you belong, you do have people who love you, and despite all the struggle and grief, you have ultimately become the hero of your own life.

In your own life, what was the moment when you finally learned to accept yourself? Share your story in a comment below. Also, be sure to check out my website for a chance to win a free copy of Free to a Good Home or a book club package that includes eight signed copies and a Skype call-in to your book club. www.evemariemont.com The deadline to enter is July 18.