In this work, Kay Mussell and Johanna Tu n collect essays by contemporary North American romance authors who have come to prominence, directly or indirectly, as a result of the huge change in the field of romance writing which started in the early 1980s. New publishing houses began to compete with Harlequin, and the North American romance novel came into its own as a genre. In their essays on their own work, each of the writers in this volume describes her own "take" on the romance novel today and how she has adapted the form to accommodate her own voice and concerns. Collectively, these writers have used the romance genre to address a broad range of social issues and problems. Presenting these essays together provides a window into the creativity and originality of some of the best writers in the field.