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NewsAugust 9, 2000

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- There is a formula to writing romance novels, Lori Handeland says, but it has nothing to do with plot and character development. "The only formula there is is it has to be a happy ending," she says. "That's what people come back for."...

PERRYVILLE, Mo. -- There is a formula to writing romance novels, Lori Handeland says, but it has nothing to do with plot and character development.

"The only formula there is is it has to be a happy ending," she says. "That's what people come back for."

Handeland, the author of 10 romance novels, will speak Thursday at the Perryville branch of Riverside Regional Library. Her talk, in which she will discuss the process of taking a novel from an idea to a final book, will begin at 7 p.m. Her appearance is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

Handeland's titles include "Trick or Treat -- When Midnight Comes," "Just After Midnight," "Dreams of an Eagle," "Full Moon Dreams," "D.J's Angel," "By Any Other Name," Charlie and the Angel," "Shadow Lover" and "Second Chance." Her latest novel, "Mother of the Year," was published in June. She specializes in historical romances and books that delve into the paranormal.

The Wisconsin-based writer worked as a waitress, accountant and high school teacher before selling her first book to Dorchester Publishing in 1993. Working at Bob's Big Boy for eight years in college was good research, she said in a phone interview from Perryville. "I think it helped a lot with writing. You meet people constantly."

Writers are an odd combination, she says, arrogant enough to think they can write books and so insecure that they flinch at every criticism.

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"A lot of people write things but they never send it in or they get one rejection and quit," she says.

Her first book was published after an early version won a prize at a writers conference, but that was no guarantee of success. "I got rejected 50 times after I was published," she said.

Romance novels might not get the respect accorded other books, Handeland concedes, but she says, "They are their own literature. There are some incredibly brilliant women writing romance novels."

The author also has been published by Kensington Publishing and most recently Harlequin Superromance.

Handeland lives in southern Wisconsin with her contractor husband and two sons, ages 12 and 9. The boys want her to write a Western. When she points out to them that she has written a Western, they say, "Not the kissing kind."

She likes the idea of writing books that make people feel better. "I know when I get done my people are going to win. That's the way it has to be," she said.

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