Romance authors Helen Brenna and Lois Greiman came to Romancing Winnipeg, a romance-writing workshop organized by the Manitoba Writers' Guild, to tell aspiring romance writers all they could about the business of romance-novel writing and publishing.

"The female character started as a villain, but I fell in love with her and it turned into a romance," he said. "But I write like a welder."

"It's wonderful, but not a traditional romance," said Brenna. But she and Greiman agreed the excerpt had charm and promise.