One author writes contemporary romance with a comedic bend. The other pens historical romance set in medieval times. One's first novel appeared as a Silhouette Romance while the other chose a non-traditional route to publication by using PublishAmerica, a print-on-demand company.

But while differences abound, both Shirley Jump (The Virgin's Proposal) and Mary

 Ann Carman (Never To Love) share a deep passion for the romance genre. Not to mention a strong work ethic, dogged determination and an unshakeable belief in themselves.

According to Romance Writers of America (RWA), romance novels make up one-third of total popular fiction sales. In the year 2001 alone, 2,143 romance titles found their way to the shelves for a sales total of 1.52 billion dollars. What's not to love?

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