Again from John G last night:
I got involved in a romance novel called Pride, Prejudice and Other Flavors, a Bollywood gender-swap take on Austen that's actually a lot of fun. Who cares if it's not original. She's a gorgeous neurosurgeon specializing in impossible to remove brain tumors. He's a chef with a perfect butt and a way with caramel. I wonder how it's all going to end up.
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Some years ago I took a screenwriting class with two romance novelists. We were chatting about the publishing business and one told me of a publisher she uses. The publisher's guidelines were a hoot--everyone, of course, is extremely good-looking, rich, intelligent, etc. Sorry, I can't write that stuff. I'm not that hungry. My classmate summed it up nicely when she said, "The men we write about don't exist." Perhaps the women don't, either.