Lindsay Wagensveld, a passionate romance novelist, has turned her lifelong love for storytelling into a career that empowers and inspires readers. From sneaking glimpses of her grandmother’s romance novels to penning her own stories, Lindsay’s journey is one of resilience, creativity, and self-discovery. In this interview, she shares how her personal experiences have shaped her writing, how she hopes to influence others through her work, and the importance of embracing one’s creative passions despite life’s challenges. Lindsay’s story is a testament to the power of following your dreams and creating space for what truly lights you up.
- Can you share the personal journey that led you to start writing romance novels?
I’ve been a reader for as long as I can remember. I used to read under my covers with a flashlight in the morning and pretend to be asleep so I didn’t have to get up. A passion for writing seemed to go hand in hand with that, and from a young age, I started writing poems and stories. I always say my love for romance books came from my grandma.
Whenever she came to visit, she watched her “shows,” the afternoon soap operas that had been on for longer than I was alive, and she always had at least a couple of Harlequin romance novels with her. I remember sneaking looks at them whenever I got the chance. When I was in my late teens I read Outlander by Diana Gabaldon for the first time, and that was really the moment when I remember thinking, I want to do this. I want to evoke these emotions in people, make them fall in love, transport them somewhere beautiful, break their hearts and mend them. From that point on, it was all trial and error; I would go years without writing, then I’d write a ton. I had a child young, then twins a couple of years later, so it took me a long time to finish a book. I finally self-published my first book about seven years ago. That book itself has gone on a journey, but I’ve learned a ton, and I believe I’m improving all the time.
- How do you think the rise of romance as a genre reflects changes in society, particularly regarding women’s empowerment?
For all the evils of social media, there are good ones as well, and I think the impact that Booktok and Bookstagram have had on young readers and female readers is immense. We are seeing such an uptick in fantasy, romance, and now romantasy because people are embracing what they love. They’re getting on a platform and saying, I love this book, I am unashamed of the content, because, why should I be? I see a lot of posts comparing women reading romance to men watching porn, and yeah, why not? They haven’t been made to feel ashamed, so why should we hide our book covers and pretend to be reading something we’re not? It’s yet another way society attempts to dictate and deny women their sexuality, and we’ve had enough of that. These books give women the courage to ask for what they want in bed and out of it, and anything that has women standing up and taking back their power is a wonderful thing. I think so much of the stigma around romance has shifted, even in the last couple of years. They’re no longer considered “fluff” books but stories that connect us to ourselves and discover things about our bodies and what we desire. And…if they are “fluff” books, that is okay too. People should read whatever speaks to them, whatever gives them that spark in their souls.
- What inspired you to create stories that offer readers an escape and a sense of comfort?
This question is funny because when people ask why I write romance, my usual answer is, “I want to give my readers an escape.” That is often what it comes down to. We have so much “heavy” in our lives on the daily that sometimes you need to slip between the pages and live someone else’s life for awhile. One of the biggest comforts in a romance novel, the HEA (the Happily Ever After), is literally a requirement of the genre. So, you may not know how that job interview you sweated your way through is going to turn out or if you’re going to get into a fender-bender the next time you get behind the wheel, but you DO know that these people on the page of the book you’re reading, are going to get together and you’re going to get that rush of happy hormones. Are romance novels a drug? Maybe…
- How do you maintain your mental health and well-being while writing about emotionally charged themes?
Writing can be really cleansing and cathartic in the fact that you can get it all out. You can put these hardships, or your suffering, grief, or unrequited love, onto the page, and you can give it the conclusion you didn’t get. Or, you can guide characters into healing that may spur your own. Just as journaling is a wonderful tool for mental health, I think writing fiction, or whatever “genre” you are called to write, can have a similar healing effect. My latest novel deals with a few different mental health topics, as well as loss, and I hope that if readers see themselves reflected in those characters, they can also take comfort in how their situations turned out.
5. How do you think your writing contributes to the empowerment of women, both in terms of sexual expression and emotional resilience?
I had a reader comment multiple times about how my characters always confirm consent and discuss safe sex before they proceed with the act. She said she wished she had seen more content like that growing up because she would have felt much more empowered about her own sexual health and less afraid to stand up for what she needed as a young woman. So, if that comes across for other women who need to see that portrayed to give them courage, I’d be incredibly glad.
6. What advice would you give to other women who are looking to express themselves creatively but feel uncertain or blocked?
Do the thing. Find time to feed your soul with the art, whatever form that is for you. It is often so hard to find the time and mental capacity with kids, jobs, and all the other things vying for your attention. But I believe we are meant to create, and if something lights you up, you should pursue it. It doesn’t have to become a career unless that is what you wish. You never have to show anyone if you don’t want to, but allow yourself that space to go for it. There is a quote I heard from Canadian author Gail Bowen that I always use when asked this type of question. When speaking of writing while raising her children, she said, “You have to write in the cracks of your life,” and that has always stuck with me. I’ve been found jotting notes or scenes on my phone, editing in the car while the baby naps, and sitting in cold arenas with binders of papers. Women are the most resilient creatures out there; you can do it.
7. How do you hope your work influences or impacts your readers in their own lives?
I would really hope they would take something from each book that would stick with them and help them in their own lives. There is always validation in seeing something of yourself reflected in a book, I think. Maybe it helps ease loneliness or confirm that whatever struggle you’re dealing with, you’re not alone. Aside from that, I hope they see me chasing dreams, writing and publishing, even with all of my life’s craziness (I have four kids, four pets, and a wonderfully supportive husband, who unfortunately works away, and all the madness that comes with a family and home) and decide if I can do it, they can too.
IG: @l.e.wagensveld
