My Kinda Hero: A Purrfect Romance Week

I have always loved curling up on the couch with a good book. But I'll admit, curling up on the couch with my DVD collection and choosing an oldie-but-goodie love story is a purrfect pastime too.
For Hero week on The Writer's Alley, let's chat about the men in my DVD collection! In the comments, would love for you to share yours...and any CBA/Clean read heroes you can think of that might fall under each of the following categories:

(And don't forget to check out the info below for a fun opportunity to celebrate Heroes later this week and an ADDITIONAL giveaway to the Purrfect Romance Alleycat bundle)!

BOY NEXT DOOR TURNED MAN: They are the guys who’ve always been there. They see their heroine through awkward stages, not-so-great stages, and the woman they’ve become. These men have grown up, just like their heroine, but their soft side for the heroine offers hope in all she’s lost and has come home to find again. From my collection:

• Matty from Thirteen going on Thirty 
• Jake from Sweet Home Alabama
• Justin from Hope Floats 

ENEMIES...OR NOT: It’s always fun to see the trope of a hate-love relationship where the love wins in the end. Whether there is a secret being covered up, or a conflict of interest, the hero finds redemption when his vulnerable side comes out—his family life woos the heroine—or the heroine brings out his own soft side beyond their conflict. It’s always fun to see how the writers will bank on the moments that crack the tough exterior. From my collection:

•  Andrew from The Proposal 
•  Ben from How To Lose A Guy in Ten Days 
•  Joe from You’ve Got Mail 

SECOND CHANCE AT LOVE: They’ve loved before. And they aren’t quite sure they can love again. As an audience member, it’s easy to fall in love with a hero who gave his heart away only to return with a wound. We want to help them in their pain, we want to drag them along and stand them right in front of the heroine and say, "hey, look at him"! These heroes have backstories wrapped up in a different woman, but all they’ve gone through brings them to a new heroine and the love story of a lifetime. From my collection:

• Bob from Return To Me 
• Sam from Sleepless In Seattle
• Graham and Miles from The Holiday

MORE HERO TALK! You can nominate your favorite heroes in CBA or Clean Reads by checking out the pinned post at the Heroes on The Red Carpet Event . Be sure to join in the fun on Thursday night! 

YOUR TURN: Comment for a chance to win the Purrfect Romance giveaway. Any good romantic heroes to add to the list? How about your favorite in CBA or clean reads? 

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Angie Dicken credits her love of story to reading British literature during life as a military kid in England. Now living in the U.S. heartland, she's a member of ACFW, sharing about author life with her fellow Alley Cats on The Writer's Alley blog and Facebook page. Besides writing, she is a busy mom of four and works in Adult Ministry. Angie writes historical romance and historical fiction. She enjoys eclectic new restaurants, authentic conversation with friends, and date nights with her Texas Aggie husband. 



Find her on:

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The Author's Most Important Job

What is an author's most important job? To sit down every day and put words on the page? To pen beautiful prose that makes the heart sing? Or how about to edit and rewrite until your story bursts with life?

Those are all great jobs of a writer, true, but there is one job that surpasses in its importance.

I attended the Dallas/Fort Worth chapter of ACFW this past weekend and we were asked a couple of questions that really made me think.

Who is your reader? - and - Do you love your reader?

This gave me pause. Do I even know who my reader is? I write historical romance so I assume my reader is middle age to older women. Okay, so then what?

How do you love your reader? If my readers are mid-to-older women, then many of them will be married or have been married. Many will have children or grand-children. They probably value you family. Since they are older, they may long for romance or and the spark of first love that they have experienced in the past.

Do I love these women? Does my heart ache to give them stories that can bring hope and joy in the midst of daily life? Do I want to share the truths of God's kingdom with these women who might need to be encouraged in their faith? Does my heart yearn to give them a story that was co-written by God?

This is something I haven't thought about before...loving the reader.

I've read The Story of With by Allen Arnold and it is a book that encourages the reader to come to a place where you co-write with God. This is a place where you have become so intimate with Him that He speaks into your creativity and emboldens you to write the story He has for you to write. It's the journey with Him that matters, not the final outcome  -  though if you are co-writing with Him, then it is sure to be a great story!

I understand this idea of partnering with God, but loving the reader and pouring your heart out for them? It's a new concept for me and one that is rather hard for me to grasp. But what a beautiful thing it would be to love God enough to co-write a story with Him, and then love the reader enough to write what they need.

Love God and love others...the greatest job of a writer.

You can see how tapestry woven by threads of love - for God and for your readers - would create a masterpiece of beauty, goodness, and love.

What about you? Have you ever thought about loving the reader being something of importance to your writing? 

*Photo credit: StockSnap at Pixabay

Beyond the Sparks in Romance - ~~PLUS BOOK GIVEAWAY!~

When I sat down to write a book all about "love" (because the title was, A Side of Love...) I struggled a little bit.

I mean, I write ROMANCE y'all.

ALL my books are about love, right?

But love is about more than romance.

It's about more than the first flutters of attraction, that heat that swirls in your belly when his hand grazes yours for the first time. The thud of your heart beat when he slips his hand behind your neck and pulls your lips to his.

I've had more than one reader tell me lately that one of the things that discourages them about romance is that it is full of the superficial. Full of the things that make us attracted in the first place but fade when those initial sparks of heat have faded.

Now, I fully believe that those sparks of heat need to be fanned regularly, even in married couples. I say this as a woman who will celebrate her 17th anniversary this year, well past the normal time when the spark dies out. That spark can definitely be reignited with some work on both ends, and can be kept burning. It's not easy, but oh-so-worth it.

But those readers are right.

There is more to love, and really more to romance, than just spark.

I encourage your romance writers out there -- definitely have the spark. But also go deeper. Find out what they are attracted to beside just the passion between them.

In A Side of Love, Garrett gives up his dream job to take care of his elderly mother, moving from the bustling city of Chicago to the small town of Sandwich, IL. That sacrificial love is oh-so-attractive to Beth. It points to his character being one of quality.

So let's chat.

What "deeper than sparks" attraction does your hero/heroine have for each other? Even if you don't have romance, your characters still need a deep character "win" that attracts them to the READER? (and yes, they still need flaws. But flaws without a "win" is, well, probably more like the villain!)

And if you're a reader, what book have you read recently that did a GOOD job of going beyond just the sparks in romance?

AND GUESS WHAT!!!!????

   

I'm doing a doing a GIVEAWAY today! Everyone who comments gets their choice of a copy of my novel, Sandwich, with a Side of Romance, OR  a copy of my newest novella, A Side of Love.  

These are paperback copies and will come with a special little extra gift with it! 

(Giveaway ends Sunday night 3/20/16, then I'll post winner in the comments and update here!)

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Krista is a follower of Jesus, a wife, a mother, and writes romantic comedy. Her latest book A Side of Love, released February 29, 2016.  She blogs about finding JOY in the journey of LIFE at http://www.kristaphillips.com. She is represented by Sarah Freese of Wordserve Literary.

BONDED: Why Romance isn’t Dead….

 

Valentine’s Day is almost here. Big whoop! Sorry to burst your love bubble. I’ll be the first to admit that this is not my favorite holiday. Gasp! Blasphemy!!! The romance writer is Anti-Valentine’s Day? Not exactly. From where I sit I see a lot of expectation that doesn’t usually live up to the hype. A lot of broken hearts. A lot of unrealistic romantic ideals that crash and burn. And I’m not just saying that for me personally. I am loved by a wonderful, kind, God-fearing, gorgeous, more-delicious-than-chocolate man and have been for about a decade… and yet I still have a rather tempestuous relationship with Valentine’s Day.

This year is particularly disturbing because… well… when we’re hoping to see flowers and sweet things for your sweet thang, heartfelt words and shiny gifts, affection and fidelity, we are seeing something much darker. The polar opposite. In fact, the dark shadow that is polluting everywhere from local schools to your pharmacy, your nail salon to your movie theatre is a certain blockbuster sized shadow of abuse and manipulation masquerading as a love story. And this is anything but harmless entertainment.

Now, this is not a post about 50 Shades, though Lord knows there are a heck of a lot more than 50 things I have to say on the subject. Don’t get me started.  

It’d be easy to say, with the disillusioning of our society and the rise of things like BDSM and “Rape Culture” that romance in its traditional definition is a thing of the past. But let me tell you why real romance never goes out of style. It’s because innately we are all looking for connection and quite simply…

Romance bonds us.

Poor choice of words? Oops! My bad. I’m not talking bound and gagged and beaten. Yeah, doesn’t sound very romantic, huh? I digress.

Where was I? Oh yes, the bonds of Love. ;)

When we read romance we remember or we dream of that bond that might start as fascination, friendship, yearning, and then becomes something more. We are brought back to those beautiful, blissful, terrifying moments of falling. We identify with the characters. We sympathize with their journey. Their plight. We step outside ourselves and form a kinship with another. We bond. (THIS RIGHT HERE IS WHY WE NEED TO BE CAREFUL WHAT WE READ!)

And fiction aside, real-life romance bonds us to our other half. It’s what separates friends from lovers. I don’t long to be bonded to myself. I long to spend the years of my marriage finding ways to be bonded more intricately with my husband. YES, we’re already married, so he’s basically already won me over. He put a ring on it. Done deal. But folks, romance doesn’t end there. And if it has YOU AND YOUR HONEY need to work on learning each other all over again. It’s not too late. Start now. Start with romance.

Romance isn’t just for women, people. It’s like glue with muscles that keep strengthening the bonds, drawing them ever closer, holding them tight when storms threaten to tear them apart. Romance nurtures all these interconnected threads in a relationship. Romantic words, actions, and intimacies expose the inner workings of our hearts. They bolster and show value. And when we’ve stripped away all pretense, showing our barest need, when we’ve become our most vulnerable selves, it’s that shared romantic connection that helps establish and re-establish trust. Simply put, romance keeps us in tune with each other.

THIS is what I LOVE about writing romance. It reminds me that I don’t just want to be on the receiving end, but that it is my duty and my privilege as a wife to GIVE romance to my husband. I get to be the closest friend AND the lover. I get to give support and be supported. I can be schmaltzy and encouraging, and even wild and kinky if I wanted to. (A bunch of you just slammed on the brakes right there---Deep breaths. This post is rated PG-13.)

ROMANCE ISN’T DEAD because it’s not between you and everyone else in that theater. Not between you and your friends. Or even your family. It’s not between you and anyone or anything else but your spouse. ROMANCE IS PERSONAL. God designed it to bond TWO people in the most intimate of ways. Physically, spiritually, emotionally. And because we will always desire real connection even more than trendy books or trendy sex, I think it’s safe to say romance will survive this blip.

So… since the greatest, most timeless love story ever written is about the ONE who loves you so much he gave his life, the ONE who chases after your heart and romances you unceasingly, on this bleakest of Valentine’s Days—one that would probably make Saint Valentine roll over in his grave—I, Amy Leigh Simpson, declare ROMANCE LIVES!

Go forth, write, live. Get your romance on! Valentine’s Day and every day. <3

Let's tell some stories... Do you remember your most romantic Valentine's Day? What made it so special?

 

Amy Leigh Simpson is the completely exhausted stay-at-home mama to the two wild-child, tow-headed toddler boys, one pretty little princess baby, and the incredibly blessed wife of her hunky hubby.

She writes Romantic Suspense chalked full of grace that is equally inspiring, nail-biting, and hilarious. And a little saucy! Okay fine, a lot saucy. :) She is an active member of American Christian Fiction Writers, and now uses her Sports Medicine degree to patch up daily boo-boos. Her greatest ambitions are to create stories that inspire hope, raise up her children to be mighty warriors for Christ, invent an all-dessert diet that works, and make up for years of sleep deprivation. 

She is represented by Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary, Inc.

 

Bad Romance

“Oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh! Caught in a bad romance…”

  

Okay, so you can’t actually hear me belting out Lady Gaga but we’ve all been there. Maybe not singing that particular pop song but you know, “caught in a bad romance.” Yep, pretty brutal. Whether we are trapped in the agony between the bindings of a book or with your very own terminally wrong frog, you almost don’t know how bad a bad romance is until you’ve experienced a good one!

It’s true, sometimes you have to kiss a few frogs before you find your prince. And sometimes you don’t realize how right Mr. Right is until you’ve been enlightened by Mr. Wrong.

Some of the best teaching tools come very simply from expirence. Did you read a great book? Did it inspire your creativity or your craft for the better? Maybe you read something just plain wretched… and perhaps learning what NOT to do was just as useful.

Consequently, the hallmarks that make a great romance novel are the very same things that make up the best love affairs. So since we are all learning… in life, in love, and in our exploration of stories, let’s talk about what makes a bad romance so we can avoid them like a cold, clammy first kiss.

Here’s my “Bad Romance” list …. The things that make me want to slap the author for getting my hopes up and wasting my precious time. Care to add?

-Barbie and Ken cardboard cutouts

Yeah, so lets be honest… Barbie and Ken are hot. They look good together. They’re poised and flawless. But they’re also all awkward angles and phony plastered smiles. There is nothing worse than reading two people on a page that are so stiff and generic they are basically plastic playthings that find each other attractive. Means diddly in the grand scheme of compatibility. Flaws can be beautiful. They can even make one person perfect for someone else. Embrace them. If your characters are perfect they are boring. No thank you.

-You bore me to tears but I love you

Do you remember falling in love? Now, I hate to burst too many bubbles but wasn’t it, dare I even say it… FUN? The flirting, dating, laughing, kissing, ahem… sometimes other fun things. (Wait until you’re married) But come on! Fun! No, more than fun. Falling in love is a stinkin’ blast! So if you are along for the ride on the page, you (and those two fools sinking in the love boat) better be enjoying something. I can’t tell you how many romance novels I’ve read where the characters are constantly miserable. The premise might be tough, there might be a lot to overcome, or A LOT of friction, distrust, hurt. But lighten up! Add some laughs. Love is not a drag.

 

-Your body is the only temple I worship

Since we’re keepin’ it real, let’s get this out of the way. We, all of us, come in packages. I truly believe that our uniquenesses (is that a word?) are the things that make us most lovely and appealing to that special someone. Of course personality is key! KEY! But attraction is also a key ingredient to romance and that includes the outside as well as the inside. I’m not the least bit offended when romance novels touch on physical attributes like weight or build. Paints a picture. Shows an appreciation for a thing of beauty God created. Curvy, slender, muscled, soft, busty, petite, skinny, bulky… there is no one single definition of beautiful. 

  

Shoot, am I going to pretend I didn’t notice my husband had a smokin’ hot bod when we were dating? Was I above temptation? Was I blind??? Heck no! Likewise, I’d probably have been a bit disconcerted if my future husband hadn’t had a clue what I looked like from the neck down. (Clothed, people, let’s keep it clean here.) ;) But sexual attraction is just one piece of the love equation. It can most definitely exist without having a single darn thing to do with that elusive L-word. If you’re gonna write a love story, or live in one, include the appreciation, sure… the pull, the desire, the things that get the engine burning hot, BUT make it about more than confusing lust for love. (Note: Not much of an issue in Christian fiction but mainstream romance is all about the lusty love confusion.)

-Banter with me, Baby!

If your dialogue is a bland exchange of information you are missing the boat. BIG time! Banter is where the romance blooms! If your characters (or you and your super hot date) aren’t talking, laughing, teasing, ENJOYING the whole getting to know you dance, what is the point??? Never underestimate the power of the banter.

-Kiss me you fool!

Last one… the kiss. The thing that distinguishes friends from lovers. Don’t scrimp on the smooches. Not on paper and DEFINITELY not in real life. Because, well… why would you want to.

What do you think? Ever gotten caught in a bad romance? What made it oh-so-bad… and not in a good way? ;)

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Amy Leigh Simpson writes Romantic Suspense that is heavy on the romance, unapologetically honest, laced with sass and humor, and full of the unfathomable Grace of God. She is the completely sleep deprived mama to two little tow-headed mischief makers, one pretty little princess, and wife to her very own swoon-worthy hero. Represented by the oh-so-wise and dashing Chip MacGregor of MacGregor Literary Inc.

Relentless Love

Many of you have read the unforgettable novel, Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers. It is the retelling of Hosea and Gomer from the Bible. It is the story of a sacrificial love...a relentless love.

In the story of Hosea and Gomer, God tells Hosea to marry a prostitute and Gomer is the lucky one. They marry, have children, and Gomer is unfaithful. She runs off and carries on with other men. She leaves the security and love of Hosea and returns to her old life of sin. But God tells Hosea to go after her; to taker her back and love her. This love is the love God has for us.

Even though Gomer married Hosea and had his children, she wasn't really "present" in the marriage. She did not commit to Hosea. She did not work on the relationship. She just went through the motions. Sometimes we are guilty of the same thing. We go to church and sing the songs and say the prayers, but really our heart is far away. We just go through the motions, week after week, doing our duty without investing ourselves, heart soul, mind, and body. What we need is the kind of love God shows us through Hosea.

We need a sacrificial love. Real love is not always easy. Sometimes it hurts. Sometimes we are disappointed. But real sacrificial love is the kind of love we are called to. This kind of love is worth the effort, because the fruit it brings is abundant and there is great power in it.

We need a relentless love. God loves His creation and draws it to Himself. He is not after condemnation. He is all about restoration and renewal. No one has run too far from the Lord to be restored to Him. This is the kind of love God wants us to have for Him. He wants us to hunger and thirst for Him. To long for Him. To desire Him above all else. He wants our love...a relentless love.

It's this kind of love that truly makes the world go around. We may write romance and happy endings, but we must always remember the wooing of God's great love. He is the lover of our souls and the One who writes the best love story of all.

So tell me, what do you do to remember His relentless love? How do you work on your love for Him? Or, who in your life shows you God's love best?


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This post is brought to you by

 Sherrinda Ketchersid

Sherrinda is a minister's wife and mother to three giant sons and one gorgeous daughter. A born and bred Texan, she writes historical romance filled with fun, faith, and forever love.