"You write as if it's a soap opera" And do!

The other day, I was doing some math in my head and realized, June marks the 20th anniversary of my first romance novel being published. Revelations was released by a now defunct publisher and I began my life as a romance author. 

I love to tell stories that are rooted in realism, but have twists and turns that keep my readers turning the page and wanting more. And you know who I have to thank for that? My grandma. 

If you're giving the post the side eye right now, let me explain. Growing up, we didn't have e-learning days so if I got sick, my grandma kept me while my mom and dad were at work. There were basically two rules to being grandma's favorite (which I was), don't talk when grown ups are talking and don't interrupt me when Victor Newman is on the TV.

So, in between ginger ale and chicken noodle soup and following the Price is Right, I'd sit by my grandma as the iconic piano chords of the Young and The Restless theme song began. Every day, my grandma tuned in to the antics of the Newman and Abbot family. Then there was The Bold and The Beautiful, As The World Turns and Guiding Light. I was hooked. And clearly millions of people were too. After the shows went off, my grandma would call up her friends and they would recap the shows, talking about the characters as if they were real people in our town. The word heifer was used a lot. 

These characters were flawed, they were sexy and many of them were ruthless and I loved it. 

When I went off to college, I was that stereotype, I made sure my classes ended at 12 on Monday, Wednesday and Friday because to me, those were the best days to catch the "stories," especially Friday. And whatever I missed on Tuesday and Thursday, there was someone happy to catch me up on what I didn't see. 

Fast forward to 2000. I wasn't as soap centered as I had been. I was technically an adult. I mean, I had a real job, I was a reporter and my hours were crazy. I covered police and courts, my mornings started at the county jail to pick up arrest reports, then I headed to the sheriff's office and the police department to get incident reports about what happened the night before, it was depressing. In the newsroom, I listened to the police scanner. I saw more dead bodies and fatal accidents than I needed to. 

But one night, I had a dream. It was a strange dream because I wasn't in it. And it started with a car crash, then a funeral. It was so vivid, so detailed. 

I did what any writer would do, I hopped out of bed, grabbed my laptop and started writing what I remembered. This was 2 a.m. in the morning. And clearly I remembered a lot because the next time I looked at the clock, the sun was up and it was 7 a.m. I had to be to work in an hour and I still needed to shower and press my pants. 

As I got deeper into the story, I realized (much later and with some editing notes) how much the pacing of soap operas kind of played into my writing. I tried to end each chapter with a cliffhanger. Yes, dear reader, please turn the page because what happens next is going to blow your mind. 

Some 30 plus books and novellas later, I'm often thrilled when I read a reviewer say,  "Romance author     Cheris Hodges should consider moonlighting as a television writer. Her new African-American contemporary romance, Owner of a Broken Heart, which launches the Richardson Sisters series, reads like a primetime soap opera."

My grandma would be so proud!