Welcome to Happily Never After!
I'm glad you're here.
Hi, I’m Loraine, (aka JL Bowman) and I write romance novels. Yes, the kind where the brooding billionaire falls for the quirky barista who spills coffee on his $5,000 suit, and somehow, instead of suing her, he falls madly in love. It’s all very realistic, as you can imagine.
But here’s the thing: while I’ve spent years crafting stories about love conquering all, my own life has been more like, love tripping over its own shoelaces and face-planting into a pile of dirty laundry. And honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Welcome to Happily Never After, a blog where I’ll be chronicling my journey through the messy, unscripted, and often absurd realities of love, life, and everything in between. Think of it as a behind-the-scenes look at what happens when a romance author’s fairy-tale fantasies collide with the dumpster fire of real life.
Why Am I Doing This?
Great question. I’m starting this blog because, well, I’ve had a year—or a few years, really. Between navigating a near-divorce, surviving a 2nd term presidency that feels like a bad reality TV show, and trying to figure out how to adult without Googling “how to fold a fitted sheet” every week, I’ve learned a lot. And by “a lot,” I mean I’ve learned that life doesn’t care about your plans, love is messier than a toddler with a spaghetti dinner, and sometimes, the only thing you can do is laugh.
So, I’m here to share my stories, my misadventures, and the occasional epiphany that comes from staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m. wondering how I ended up here. If you’ve ever felt like your life is one big plot twist, this blog is for you.
What Can You Expect?
Glad you asked. Over the next few weeks, I’ll be diving into topics like:
Love in the Time of Chaos: How do you keep a relationship alive when the world feels like it’s on fire? (Spoiler: wine helps.)
The Near-Divorce Chronicles: The fight that almost ended it all, and how we clawed our way back from the brink.
Romance Novels vs. Reality: Why Mr. Darcy would’ve been a nightmare in real life and other hard truths.
Politics and Pillow Talk: Navigating a relationship when you’re on opposite sides of the political aisle. (Hint: it’s not sexy.)
Personal Growth (or Lack Thereof): How I’m learning to embrace the chaos and find joy in the mess.
A Little Teaser
In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing the story of how my husband and I went from “I do” to “I don’t know if I can do this anymore” and back again. I’ll also be exploring how writing romance novels has both saved and sabotaged my sanity, and why I’ve come to believe that “happily ever after” is a myth—but “happily never after” might just be the real deal.
So, grab a cup of coffee (or a glass of wine, no judgment here), and join me on this journey. Whether you’re here for the laughs, the tears, or just to feel a little less alone in this wild ride called life, I’m glad you’re here.
Because let’s be real: if life were a romance novel, we’d all have perfect hair and a soundtrack playing in the background. But since it’s not, we might as well laugh about it together.
Welcome to Happily Never After. Let’s get messy.
P.S. If you’ve ever cried in a Target parking lot or Googled “how to fix my life” at 3 a.m., you’re in the right place.
What do you think? Ready to dive into the chaos? Let me know in the comments!