9/25/25 – Shoulder pads, big hair and excess… that’s what I remember most about the ‘80’s!

Hey there happy reader,

As you know, I’ve recently returned from a trip to Greece. Surrounded by antiquity and immersed in history, I couldn’t help but notice something else… a constant reminder of a not-so-distant past. Everywhere I went – from beach bars to hotel lobbies to fine dining restaurants – the soundtrack was always the same. It was a barrage of hits from the 1980’s!

You remember the ’80s, don’t you? 

The fashion was excessive – from bright colors to crazy quilted jackets, and the hair… there was not enough hairspray in a can to get me through the work week! But what I recall with the greatest affection was my early days working in book publishing in Manhattan.

I had my dream job – I was an editor for Harlequin Books, and I worked for a woman who would eventually create the Romance Writers of America.

Her name is Vivian Stephens, and she was a true pioneer of the genre. Vivian fought to keep “the bedroom door open” at a time when romance novels ended with a chaste kiss. She had her eye on the future and knew that women were looking for a more realistic approach to relationships in the books they read, not just a happily ever after.

She was supportive and nurturing, and I couldn’t have been more fortunate to have landed a job working alongside her and having a part in the creation of two new series, both groundbreaking for their time.

And true to the ‘80’s, everything we did surrounding these books was BIG! 

The lavish launch parties, the first-class travel, large expense accounts, and riding “The Love Train” from Chicago to New York City to attend a romance writer’s convention. It was absolutely wild…

Listening to all the old music on my trip had those memories flooding back. 

I’m not truly one for nostalgia, but when I think about how young I was — the heroines of our books were twenty-six years old. I was twenty-three!! — I can’t help but be grateful for how fortunate I was to be in a place where I could learn so much in such a short time. That experience has most definitely shaped who I am today. Without the big hair anymore, lol!