Do you remember the 1980s movie Romancing the Stone ? I never knew what that title meant, and am still not real sure, even after a bit of research. I checked the Cambridge Dictionary online and found “to tell stories that are not true, or to describe an event in a way that makes it sound better than it was.” So, I thought, my novels are romancing. That makes sense. The word for “novel” in French is “roman.” I’ve been romancing crime, romancing Illinois, romancing history… But romancing a stone? After reading the synopsis on Wikipedia , I conclude it was the filmmakers who were romancing the stone, an emerald. pixabay.com They told a fantastical tale about the good guys and the bad guys chasing after each other during the search for a great treasure. Do you have a better idea? Pat (Patricia) Stoltey is the author of four novels published by Five Star/Cengage : two amateur sleuth, one thriller that was a finalist for a Colorado Book Award in 2015, and the ...