Welcome author Rania Battany! Rania writes emotional stories to captivate and pull you in but always end with a Happily Ever After. Rania joins us today to tell us about three things she learned while writing her novel ‘Fleeting Moments’.
1. Readers are not so forgiving of a flawed heroine.
Maya, my “heroine,” is flawed. She struggles to articulate her feelings, she struggles with getting close to people, and her tendency to self-sabotage is heartbreaking. In hitting rock bottom, she keeps the people who love her at a distance. This reflects how she views herself—as unworthy and unlovable. This is the whole point of the book—this is the journey of how she finds peace and healing, and how that helps her to repair the broken relationships in her life. If she weren’t flawed, I wouldn’t have had a story to write.
But some people have been unforgiving of such a flawed woman.
This became clear to me from reader reviews … and the fact that some readers contacted me personally to tell me how much they didn’t like Maya! I should add—I was also contacted by readers who thoroughly enjoyed the book! Thank goodness for balance.
2. I learnt the difference between romance and women’s fiction.
Initially, I believed Fleeting Moments was a romance. I listed it in the ‘romance’ category on all book-sales platforms and marketed it accordingly. A relationship is, after all, a major part of the plot. It wasn’t until an avid romance reader told me that Maya’s emotional journey was just as significant to the plot as the developing romance that I began to question whether I fully understood the romance genre. On doing some research, I found this caption in the Readers Digest magazine:
“A romance novel focuses entirely and completely on the romantic relationship and guarantees a happy ending for the heroine and hero. Women’s fiction focuses on a woman’s journey, wherever that may take her and whatever that may encompass.”
This was the moment I actually understood the difference between romance and women’s fiction (seems so clear to me now!) and I realised that Fleeting Moments—even though it has a ‘happy ever after’—falls under the women’s fiction category. Understanding this has helped me to write romance so that it meets reader expectation.
3. I often use writing to deal with issues I witness in my everyday life.
Fleeting Moments addresses the topic of finding happiness after a dark period, which is something that is close to my heart. I often use writing as a means to process, explore, and address issues that have affected me or someone I care about in some way. Issues such as workplace bullying, finding love after loss, racial misunderstanding etc, hoping to write stories others can relate to. Naturally, my main intention is to entertain! So I weave these issues into a compelling love story and finish it off with a happily ever after! ♥
About Fleeting Moments
Maya is floundering. She’s stuck in a dead-end job, is isolated from family and friends, and her father—the only person that ever truly understood her—has been gone four years. When her boyfriend leaves her for another woman, the rocky foundations of Maya’s life crumble to dust, and she sinks even further into the pit of grief and despair.
Until she meets him. Sam. The one with the animated smile and gentle eyes, who always sees the positive no matter how bad the negative. Sam reignites Maya’s passion through his enthusiasm and zest, helping to rebuild her life, piece by piece.
But when ghosts from Maya’s past resurface, her decisions almost destroy the few important relationships she has left, and the happiness she’s so recently found is threatened. She must overcome her demons and decide what matters most—the familiarity of the past, or the hope, love and possibilities of the future.
You can purchase Fleeting Moments here: Books2Read
About Rania Battany
I live with my husband and three children in Melbourne, Australia, nestled between the beautiful Yarra Valley and the Dandenong mountain ranges. When I’m not writing, I spend my days getting dirty in the garden, where I have spent years building a large walk-in veggie patch and food forest on our quarter-acre block.
I’m super proud to say that my garden sustains our family of five through the warmer months.
These days, when I’m not writing or frolicking with my chickens and dog in the garden, I’m going on adventurous outings with my family.
You can find Rania online at:
Website: https://raniabattany.com