I am also a romance writer. Under my pen name, Steffanie Holmes, I've independently published over 50 romance novels
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in the centuries since the first love story was penned, one thing about the romance novel hasn't changed: the happily-ever after. In industry shorthand, we call the happily-ever-after the HEA. And the HEA means specific things to romance readers, no matter the gender, race, sexual identity or background of their preferred pairing. A grand gesture to show the characters have grown and changed. A wedding ring. A perfectly planned proposal. A scintillating kiss. And then, one or two or five years later, in the epilogue, the couple get down to making babies.
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As a childfree woman and an avid reader and author, this both fascinates and infuriates me. Why is a happily-ever-after not complete without babies? Why are we not satisfied until the heroine conforms to the traditional gender roles of wife and mother? What does this say about the way we view romance, love, sex and family?
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