Romantic Relationships are Changing

 

Hello Friends,

According to a new report, living arrangements are one way that romantic relationships are changing in Australia. With the world-wide spread of the sick bug, it’s easy to imagine that people’s living arrangements could be affected due to self-quarantine, lockdowns etc. However, this information pre-dates the onset of the sick bug.

The HILDA report collects data on Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia. Based on the findings of the Hilda Report 2021, there’s a trend among young people of not living with their relationship partners. It’s a sign that romantic relationships are drifting away from traditional pathways and forging a new direction. You can read more about it here on womensagenda, How Australians are redefining what romantic relationships and families look like

Perhaps it’s time for romance novels with fresh (HEA) Happy Ever Afters and (HFN) Happy for Now, where couples end their love stories with changes to the norms. Is change coming to story worlds?

Take care,
stay well,

♥ Ashlyn

 

Photo Credits: John Moeses Bauan on unsplash.com

Where did the word, ‘Romance’ come from?

 

Hello Friends,

Recently, I started typing the word, Romance into an internet search engine, and before I was finished, it was filling out the letters with the word, Roman. I stopped typing and thought about it. Yes, that’s right, Romance is made up of the word Roman with ‘ce’ added onto the end. Intrigued, I wondered if Romance had a connection to the ancient Romans in some way, and started researching.

Yes, the history of Romance starts in the Latin speaking provinces of Rome. Then a jump in evolution to the 1300’s and an old French version of the word means—in the Roman style. In the 1600’s, Romance became associated with love stories but not in the way we know them today. Romance conveyed a lively, adventurous quality in a story or piece of writing. Finally, in the 1800’s, Romance became associated with love affairs.

Interestingly, three of the most famous romance novels were written in the 1800’s, and they were;

Today, Romance books belong to a best-selling genre with over $1 billion dollars in sales per year. The 1600’s lively, adventurous quality of the writing can still be found in Romance books. A promise is also made to the reader of modern Romance stories. Love will triumph, and the couple’s troubles, obstacles, excitement and fun will lead to a happy ending.

Having a stash of romance novels waiting to be read, is one of the pleasures in life to be enjoyed!

Watch the blog post in video format.

Take care,
stay well,

♥ Ashlyn

 

Photo Credits: J J Jordan, Rachel Cheng, Roksolana Zasiad, Tengyart and Les Anderson on unsplash.com

2022 – Happy New Year

Hello Friends,

A new year brings hope and the opportunity to reset ideas, intentions, goals and to dream a new dream.

Although the world is an unsettled place, things will change, and yet we don’t know how or why or when, but the old year of 2021 has left. We can begin again with a fresh start.

What would you like the new year to bring? Believe in yourself and cheers to making it happen.

I wish you good health and wellness, friendship and prosperity. Keep your loved ones close in your heart. 

“You may encounter many defeats, but you must not be defeated. In fact, it may be necessary to encounter the defeats, so you can know who you are, what you can rise from, how you can still come out of it.”

― Maya Angelou from goodreads.com

Watch blog post in video format.

Happy New Year! 

Take care 

Stay well

♥ Ashlyn

 Photo Credits: Marisa Howenstine & Mikel Parera on unsplash.com