"Sex is Overrated, But We Love It"

Her name is María del Carmen Rodríguez del Álamo Lázaro (Nuremberg, 1965), but she only responds to Megan. With the surname Maxwell, she reigns in romantic novels. With ten million books sold and cherished by her publishers, she sets and presents 'Our Long Goodbye' (Esencia) on the touristy Greek island of Santorini, a novel about a love that ends, less torrid than previous ones. With more male readers, some are angry. Empowered by her books, some female readers have asked for a divorce, and an angry ex-husband demanded the author pay alimony. Criticism slides off 'The Boss', who is neither in love nor has time to date. A couple of readers greet her in the narrow streets of the village of Pyrgos after crossing the Amoudi Bay by catamaran as the queen of the seas of love.

–If someone calls you Mari Carmen, will you turn your head?

–No. It happened with a schoolmate who called me 'Carmen' and I didn't respond. "Aren't you Carmen?" they asked: Oh! Right. Sorry.

–There are several queens of crime novels, but the romantic throne is yours, and it has brought you to Greece. How does it feel?

–Very well, indeed. It's very comfortable, but it demands responsibilities. It may seem like I'm joking, but I take each book very seriously. With the promotion, my nerves are on edge.

–You've written 61 books in 15 years. More inspiration or perspiration?

–Both. Sometimes I write with more inspiration and sometimes with less, but with the same enthusiasm. When I started publishing, I had thirteen novels written.

–And how much stubbornness did you need to publish after several rejections?

–A lot. But I didn't put my life aside. Some neglect everything to be a writer. I continued with my life: I had my children, worked as a secretary, and wrote when I could. I managed to publish and sell many books when I least expected it.

–Did the success surprise you?

–Very much. No one around me stood out in the publishing world. Who would have thought I would make it?

–This novel differs from the previous ones in something essential.

–Yes. It's a love story... that ends. It's not usual in my books, where love usually endures, but here the message is: live in the present, the past will never return.

–Is that your motto?

–Yes, live for today. We don't know what tomorrow will bring.

–There's less erotica. Is sex overrated?

–Sex is necessary in a relationship and it's cool, but yes, it's overrated. We are all sexual beings, but I wanted the novel to revolve around love, family, affection. There's sex, of course, but less. We all enjoy a good... little moment of sex (laughs). We love it.

–Do you 'ignite' when writing erotic scenes?

–Completely. When I wrote 'Ask Me Anything', I wanted to provoke readers' 'combustion'. I realized what kind of sexuality is most appealing: the one that makes you happy, makes you dream and play. Many couples thank me for reactivating their sex life by reading me.

–Do you imagine your scenes as if they were in a movie?

–Always. I need to see them in my head to describe them. To feel like my protagonists.

–Speaking of sex. Do Ábalos, Koldo, and Cerdán make for one of your novels?

–No. As characters, they don't interest me at all. Zero. I have my opinion. We're in trouble with these guys.

–Have your books caused divorces?

–Some. "Thanks to your rubbish literature, my wife has become empowered and asked for a divorce," a reader wrote to me. He asked me to pay alimony (laughs). I didn't reply, of course.

–How do you handle haters?

–Better now. At first, they affected me a lot. There are harsh comments, macho attitudes, but I know what the game is about. You can't please everyone.

–Your female protagonists are strong.

–Not stronger than men, but they're not sappy. They don't cry if they break a nail. They don't collapse over anything.

–If you weren't a writer, you would have liked to be a soldier like your father.

–I would have liked to command so that men would stand at attention before me. Over the years, you become more bossy, but I'm also very collaborative. But often, I prefer to do things myself rather than give orders.

–You have an army of loyal readers, your 'warriors', but your 'warriors' are growing.

–More and more men proudly tell me they are my 'warriors'. And I love it. Before, they were embarrassed to say they read me. My mother used to cover romantic books so the cover wouldn't show.

–Do you have to be romantic to write love novels?

–Not necessarily, but you have to know what love is. It's very difficult to write about something you haven't lived or felt.

–Do you have time to date?

–No, honestly. When I go out, it's with friends, to have fun. Sometimes they tease me, and I laugh, but I'm not in dating mode. I'm a fun-loving person.

–You say everyone should fall in love at least once in their life. How is Megan Maxwell?

–Out of love. I haven't felt that 'wow' for anyone again. And no one has felt it for me, as far as I know. That's beyond control.

–You never write sad endings. Aren't you tempted?

–No. I refuse. It's the first commandment of the Maxwell Law. As a reader, if I spend 300 pages waiting for a happy ending and it doesn't come, I get angry. Every second of unhappiness is a second wasted. My books will always have a happy... or positive ending.

–Do you regret anything?

–Perhaps taking time away from my children to write. But I think thanks to that, they can study what they want today. In the end, it was all worth it.

–You publish three books a year. Pérez-Reverte or Julia Navarro would envy that. Where do you get the energy?

–I have plenty, but I've already warned my publishers: next year I'll only do two. I don't want to be the richest in the cemetery. I need to rest.

–Your books have a soundtrack.

–Since the first novel, I recorded the songs on a CD and gave it to my mother with the book. Now I make playlists on Spotify.