My wife has been an avid reader of romance novels since I’ve known her. 

However, I’ve recently noticed the romance has changed from mystery and historical to something else. Now, granted, each time I gaze upon its pages (it’s actually a Kindle) she quickly hides it. However, I was given a glimpse of a cover that featured a … dragon?

Yes, “romantasy” — romantic fantasy — has taken the literary world by storm.

In a recent article in Colorado University’s newspaper, CU Boulder Today, assistant professor of journalism Christine Larson offered a perspective on the genre.

“Women, especially, are often feeling powerless, and the heroines in these books have power,” she said. “They gain power, and they find love interests who are their equals.”

According to local author Mariah L. Rosewood, my wife is far from alone in her love of romantasy.

“It’s probably the biggest genre right now for women readers,” Rosewood said. “I mean, romantic contemporary is probably second, then maybe mysteries are after that. But, honestly, it’s really big.”

It’s so big and engrossing that Rosewood found herself engulfed by it.

“I have a group of three sisters-in-law that also were all reading romantasy stuff, and they kept saying, ‘You need to read these books. You need to read these books,’ ” Rosewood said. “And I kept pushing it off. Then when I finally got into it, I was like, ‘Oh, no. I now understand what the hype is.’ ”

She was hooked. So much so, that she has decided to write her own trilogy, The Withering Saga, with the first book, “Feather and Famine,” just released March 25. It is available through Barnes & Noble and Amazon, but you can also pick up a physical copy during a release party on Wednesday, April 2, at Draft Taproom & Coffee.

‘I could do this’

Though “Feather and Famine” is her first published book, Rosewood acknowledges that it’s not her first foray into being an author.

“I got my start in, like, sixth grade writing Harry Potter fan fiction” she said. “That was my first completed work, a Marauder’s fan fiction in the sixth grade.”

After college, her reading prowess died down, but was soon rekindled.

“I kinda fell off of it for a bit,” she said. “Then I got back into reading romantsy books, which is just short term for romantic fantasy. They are fantasy books that have strong romantic themes, different from fantasy romance, which is romance novels with fantasy themes. 

“I was reading some books, and I was like, ‘You know what? I think I could do this.’ I’ve got things that I wish would have happened in certain books. And I’m like, ‘You know, why don’t I just write my own?’ ”

Financial ‘Backers’

Writing her own is what she’s done, and she’s done it all on her own — well, with some help from friends and fans that aided in the front-end costs of a self-published book. 

Turning to the crowdfunding platform Kickstarter, she set out with a goal to raise $500. She far exceeded that as 110 “backers” contributed $5,757.

“I chose to do indie publishing, which is different than traditional publishing,” she said. “Traditional publishing, you find an agent and you have to query a lot, submitting your manuscript to a bunch of different publishing houses, and they may or may not pick it up. It can take years. I was kind of writing for fun at first, and I was like, ‘You know what? I’m gonna take this into my own hands, and I’m gonna learn how to publish independently myself’ … which also means that I have to be the person in charge of everything.

“I’m responsible for all the upfront costs of developmental editing, copy editing, cover art, marketing, character art commissions, all that stuff comes out of my pocket. 

“The rest of it is just me just trying to recoup that and hopefully go into the black. So, the Kickstarter was a way for me to do that.” 

Slow burn

And folks must enjoy what she’s written since “Feather and Famine” has a 4.2 rating on goodreads.com with 132 reviews. Those reviews have come from Kickstarter contributors, who have received early copies.

A blurb for the book describes it as: 

“In the famine-stricken kingdom of Ittora, Ayse discovers a magical birch that might hold the power to save everyone. If only Aiden, the tree’s grumpy, annoyingly hot guardian would get over himself and let her investigate it.

“Despite dark secrets and growing desire, Ayse is determined to see if the tree can reverse the Withering.

“Meanwhile, Prince Seok is pushing for war against the Fey in a last ditch attempt to quell the famine, while also uncovering something amiss with the rations keeping everyone alive.

“With the Withering closing in and time running out, they must hurry to save Ittora — before hunger consumes them all.”

As a way to illustrate how “spicy” a romance novel is, readers use a “chili” scale, gauging it from 1-5. As a slow-burn series, Rosewood explained her trilogy epitomizes the term.

“So, this one is like a 0.5-1 chili in my own opinion,” she said of “Feather and Famine.” “Everybody has their own different spicy rating system, because some people will have some crazy stuff, and they’re like, ‘Oh, that was only a 3.’ And then somebody else is like, ‘Oh my gosh. That was like a 20 on the chart.’ ”

However, as the trilogy moves along, you can expect the heat to intensify.

“Technically, I’ve already written the second one,” she said. “So, the second book’s already in editing stages right now.

“I’ve got the whole third book outlined and everything like that.”

To get your first taste of that spice, for now you’ll have to get it digitally or by swinging by Draft Taproom. She will also have copies when she will be a vendor at The Bell Mansion during the Calanmai: A Night of Fire and Fantasy on Saturday, May 3. 

“I haven’t had time to have deep conversations with the local bookstores in town,” she said. “I do have my sights set on a couple. I’m hoping people will be able to go get them physically, but right now, the only way to get them in person is if people come to the signing on April 2 at Draft Taproom.”