Author Guest Post: Susan Mallery on the Librarian Appeal in Romance
Today I am thrilled to welcome the wonderful Susan Mallery to the blog for a guest post. Susan needs no introduction to romance readers, but if somehow you have missed her, she is the bestselling author behind some of the most beloved small-town romance series of the past two decades. Today she is sharing her thoughts on why librarians keep finding their way into her novels and what makes them such satisfying romance leads. Take it away, Susan!
Why I Keep Writing Librarians
When my editor pointed out that I had written quite a few librarian characters across various books and series, I had to laugh. I had not noticed the pattern, but once she said it, I could not stop seeing it. I have written librarian heroines, librarian best friends, librarian heroes, retired librarian aunts. Apparently I have a thing for librarians, and now I want to talk about why.
They Are Curious People
The first thing that draws me to a librarian character is curiosity. Librarians are professional curious people. They have read widely, they have answered ten thousand reference questions, they have helped a kid find a book on dinosaurs and an adult find a book on grief, all in the same shift. That kind of breadth shapes a person. A librarian heroine walks into a small-town romance with a head full of context, and that gives her interior life a richness that is delightful to write.
They See People
The other thing librarians do, hour after hour, is see people. They notice who is alone. They notice who is struggling. They notice who is too proud to ask for help and they figure out how to help anyway. That kind of attentiveness is romantic in the deepest sense. A character who sees other people clearly is a character who can fall in love in a meaningful way, because she actually sees the person she is falling for.
They Are Not Quiet
Here is one of the romance-genre myths I love subverting: the “quiet librarian” stereotype. Librarians are not quiet. They are some of the loudest, funniest, most opinionated people I know. They have to be, because they advocate for libraries, for readers, for kids’ literacy programs, and for budgets that are always under threat. The “shy librarian who lets her hair down” trope is fun, but the librarian heroines I write tend to start out with their hair already down. They are ready.
They Believe in Stories
Librarians believe in the power of stories to change a life, because they see it happen. They put the right book in the right hand at the right time. That belief is something I share, and I think it is something romance readers share too. Romance is a genre that takes seriously the idea that a story can offer you hope, a model, a moment of recognition. A librarian heroine in a romance is, in a way, a stand-in for the genre itself.
They Make Great Heroes Too
I have written librarian heroes too, and I want to make a quick case for them. A man who reads, who helps, who pays attention, who is comfortable being a quiet kind of strong, is an extremely appealing hero. The “competent gentle man” is one of my favorite hero archetypes, and librarians fit beautifully.
A Thank You to Real Librarians
I want to close with a real thank you to the librarians I have known. The school librarian who handed me my first romance novel as a teenager and changed the trajectory of my reading life. The reference librarians who have helped with research for various books. The library staff who have hosted my events, championed my titles, and welcomed me into their communities. Romance authors are nothing without librarians, and I do not think I am exaggerating.
Thank you to the blog for having me, and to the readers who have followed my librarian heroines through all their small-town adventures. Drop your favorite romance librarian in the comments. I want to add to my list.
— Susan
Huge thanks to Susan Mallery for that lovely guest post. Drop your favorite Susan Mallery title (librarian heroine or otherwise) in the comments, and tell us about your favorite real-life librarian while you are at it.