To Thine Own Self Be True with Roe Valentine

To thine own self be true. I love this quote, and for many reasons. The first is because it can save you so much heartache if you stay true to yourself and what you want and know you deserve. The second is it puts you in charge of your happiness when you are staying true to who you are at the core of your being. Last, it teaches other people what your boundaries are. Staying true to one’s self is a recurring theme in romance novels—at least it is in mine. When a hero/heroine is not living in accordance with their values, they suffer. Going in and out of bad relationships. Struggling to have healthy relationships with their family members. All of this keeps them from the happiness they deserve. This very theme plays out with my heroine Carla Harris in Left to Forever.

If we’re honest with ourselves, a lot of times we do things based on what we think is expected of us. We go into a certain occupation, we marry certain people, and we run with a certain kind of crowd. The truth is, sometimes we are basing those choices on things we think other people think we should do. In Left to Forever, Carla does many things she believes she’s supposed to do, and it leaves her feeling completely unfulfilled. Good intentions and bad boundaries are key ingredients to a frustrating life—and usually hurt the very people you’re trying to protect.

Many of us can relate to that feeling. How can we decide once and for all that our own happiness matters? How can we take that leap of faith and trust that what we feel matters and not worry about what others will think? Sometimes it takes something very painful to get there. Life gave Carla a variety of clues along the way, and then finally one big push that forced her to see what was true. And it does that for all of us. Hopefully, we can learn from Carla’s journey and avoid the painful stumbles along the way to our HEA.

LEFT TO FOREVER 

Realist Dr. Carla Harris believes that people create their own fate through hard work and careful planning. She believes in playing things safe. But, while preparing for her upcoming nuptials, she’s forced to confront the most reckless thing she’s ever done…her estranged husband, Jacob.

Idealist Jacob Moreau believes in soul mates as much as he believes in saving endangered companies. When his long lost wife reenters his life seeking a divorce, he is convinced more than ever they are meant to be together. And he will do—and lose—anything to have her again.

She thought she had her life planned to perfection. He thought they made perfect sense together.

Would marrying Jacob be the craziest thing she’s ever done, or divorcing him?

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Roe Valentine was born into the right family. Not only does the name Valentine suit her, but her grandmother, unknowingly, introduced the young Ms. Valentine

to her first romance novel. She hasn’t read anything else since. She calls herself a romantic at heart and believes that love conquerors all.

The San Antonio native, who now lives in Houston, attempted to write her first contemporary romance novel when she was nineteen years old. That attempt didn’t take, but her story has a happy ending. She kept pursuing the dream until she landed her first publishing contract in 2013.

When not busy writing or reading love stories, Roe can often be found in a yoga class or chatting with friends at her favorite coffee shop. Enjoying margaritas with some girl-talk isn’t unusual for her either. For a night in, she watches reruns of her favorite TV shows and, of course, romantic comedies on her Roku, usually with a glass of wine.