Finding the Right Point of View

Most contemporary romances are written in the third person. Often from the point of view of both the hero and heroine. My recently completed project, Love Me Not, also follows this format. But my debut novel, Making the First Move—which releases today—does not. The story is told in first person from the point of view of the heroine. So why did I break rank? When I wrote the story—many moons ago—I considered it romantic women’s fiction. Getting inside the head of my heroine’s love interest wasn’t even a thought. Fast forward a few years and several revisions. The book was acquired by Carina Press as a contemporary romance because the romance is indeed central to the story. So why wasn’t the point of view switched to reflect a more traditional contemporary romance? Two reasons: My heroine and hero. Melanie Gordon is a career-focused woman in her early thirties. Her dedication to her career—and to achieving her late father’s dream—is her way of avoiding her painful past. The death of her father—to whom she was quite close. The implosion of her relationship with the man she hoped would be her happily ever after. The humiliation she felt because her friends and family had been right about him all along. She raised stakes, moved across the country, and started fresh. It was what she felt she needed to do. What she hadn’t realized is that she’d been slowly been putting emotional distance between herself and her friends and family. Hearing Melanie relate the events—in her voice, in the moment—allows us to clearly see her flaws. Yet, as we get to know her, it also enables us to understand the reasons behind them. For my hero, Raine Mason, it was just the opposite. He’s handsome, sexy, committed to helping others through the non-profit organization he founded. Yet, he has a tragic past and a dark secret that threatens to destroy the relationship they have slowly forged. Getting inside his head felt too risky. Raine needed to have an air of mystery about him. As their relationship develops our knowledge of him deepens. Yet there is still a slight distance we can’t quite put our finger on…which makes the revelation more unsettling. For the heroine, and for the reader. What about you? As a writer, which point of view do you prefer, and why? As a reader, what is your preference—first or third person? Be sure to tell us in the comments below and enter the Making the First Move Blog Tour grand prize.

Bio:

Reese Ryan writes sexy, contemporary fiction filled with colorful characters and sinfully-sweet romance. She secretly enjoys torturing her heroines with family and career drama, reformed bad boys, revealed secrets, and the occasional identity crisis, but always rewards them with a happily ever after. Born and raised in the Midwest, she now resides in Central North Carolina with her husband and young adult son who tolerate her propensity to sing and dance badly. A self-proclaimed Bohemian Southern Belle, she treads the line carefully between being a Northerner and a damned Yankee--despite her insistence on calling soda pop. Reese gauges her progress by the number of “bless your lil’ hearts” she gets each week. She is currently down to two. Visit Reese online at ReeseRyan.com. Follow her on Twitter @ReeseRyanWrites. Connect with her on Facebook.   Making the First Move Blog Tour Grand Prize

• $25 Amazon or Barnes & Noble Gift Card
• Digital copy of Making the First Move by Reese Ryan
• Digital copy of The Winning Season by Alison Packard
• Digital copy of Knowing the Score by Kat Latham
• Digital copy of Personal Assets by Kelsey Browning
• Digital copy of Derby Girl by Tamara Morgan

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