Tuesday, October 3, 2017

A Farewell to Love by Belle Calhoune



As I'm writing this post, our nation is reeling from a devastating attack in Las Vegas, one that took 59 precious souls from our world and left hundreds injured.  Personally, I am still in shock over this act of evil.  The idea of someone crafting such chaos and pain in our world is incomprehensible.  My first reaction was to kneel.  Pray.  And above all else, embrace love.  As much as evil lurked in Las Vegas, so did love.  The acts of courage, bravery, and kindness were awe-inspiring.  Seeing the long lines of people wanting to donate blood shows who were are as a nation and as humans.  We need to love one another.  Love with all of our hearts, even when it's not easy to do so. 






Love is the theme of my post.  A few years ago I came up with the concept of a series for Love Inspired set in a fictional town in Alaska.  A town named Love.  The premise for this series was a remote town in Alaska that had a shortage of females.  Add in a curmudgeonly town mayor named Jasper who creates a program named "Operation Love" to bring single women to the lovelorn town, plucky heroines and handsome heroes...and a series was born! 




Now, having written the last book in the series, I'm saying goodbye to this town I've loved so much.  Saying goodbye for me is never easy.  I'm not a person who loves change.  I never truly expected to feel such sadness at leaving my characters behind.  I'd gotten so used to the quirky characters, the quaint town and the vibe of the setting that it feels like I'm closing a door on beloved friends.  What I'm learning is that I'm way more sentimental than I ever realized.  I have cried each and every time I edited a book in this series because the characters feel so real to me.  Thankfully, my readers have expressed this same sentiment.  I am blessed.





When my first book came out in the series a reviewer left me a snarky review where she criticized the name of my Alaskan town.  Love.  The reviewer said it was corny.  Huh?  That baffled me.  How in the world can love ever be corny?  Love is a healing thing.  Love endures hardship, betrayal, loss, pain, human frailty.  Corny?  I beg to differ.  Love is the most powerful force in the world.  I feel sorry for anyone who can't fathom that.  As a romance writer, it's incomprehensible to me. 





And so, I've decided to focus on continuing to do what I love to do.  Create heartwarming, inspiring romances that encourage love and faith and forever.  I would love to live in a world where evil and hatred don't exist, but I know that may never happen.  Until then, I'm going to continue to shine a light on inspirational romance and happily ever afters. I'm going to follow God's command to love one another. 

Over on my Author Belle Calhoune Facebook page, I'm trying to bring a little sunshine in the darkness.  I'm offering a complete set of my Alaskan Grooms series to one lucky person who comments.  Winner will be picked at random.  Please stop by and leave your name.  It has been an honor to write this series and spread love to all of my readers. 

Blessings to all!












14 comments:

  1. Oh, Belle, I'm brokenhearted with your for the people in Las Vegas. What a sweet and powerful reminder this post is that love and faith can get us through everything we face in life.

    I will also miss Love, Alaska. I'll have to go to whatever new town you create and sit in a cafe where I can take in the nuances of another homey community filled with fun characters.

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    1. Hi, Angel. You are so right. Love and faith can carry us through the worst of times. We just have to hold fast to those things. Thanks for all of your encouragement for this Alaskan Grooms series. Blessings!

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  2. I have loved this series. So sad to say goodbye to them also. The world can always need more love and hope. Your books provide both of those. Thank you.

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    1. Thanks, Jolene. I hate goodbyes. It always makes me a little teary. When bad things happen I think we just need to love harder and hold fast to our faith. Thanks for your kind words about my books. Blessings!

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  3. It's been a wonderful series, and I hate to leave all the characters that I love! Love reading your books! I am looking forward to your next series. I'm so glad that I found you!!!

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    1. Hi, Becky. Thanks for stopping by. I'm so glad that you found me too. You're such a wonderful, devoted reader. I'm so glad I can write books that you enjoy. Blessings!

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  4. Wonderful post, Belle. I share your sadness at the horrific event in Las Vegas. We know that Jesus has defeated evil. It cannot win in the long run. Sadly, it can still break our hearts. As for your series coming to an end, that's always tough. We look forward to seeing what you'll come up with next, though!

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    1. Hi, Arlene. Yes, evil can break our hearts. But, as you said, Jesus has defeated evil before and will do it again. Thanks for your kind words about my series. I hope I can come up with something intriguing for readers...and the LI editors. Blessings!

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  5. My heart aches for our country and the tragedies that continue to happen. We need to keep our eyes focused on God and be who He has called us to be--the lights in the darkness.

    Your series is far from corny--it embodies love and hope that is healing. I think you have some of the most beautiful book covers. I look forward to seeing what's in store for you!

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    1. Hi, Lisa. Thanks so much for your powerful words. And I love being a light in the darkness. I agree about the book covers. The Love Inspired art department is fantastic. Blessings!

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  6. Belle I have enjoyed your posts on Facebook where you share something for each of these books. I love your enthusiasm for writing and how you connect so deeply with your characters even as an author! That means I would too as a reader. Characters so real that you can relate to them is the best :-) I've shed a few tears over books myself. I've always said, make me fall in love with your characters and you have a stalker...er...reader for life :-)

    Saying goodbye is never easy! I pray you have another fantastic set of stories God has placed in your heart to share with the world. Thanks for the giveaway opportunity!

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    1. Hi, Trixi. Thanks for stopping by and for your kind words. I love your enthusiasm for reading. What in the world would we authors do without readers like yourself who love and support us? I shudder to think about it. Blessings.

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  7. Great post Belle. I love th,e covers of your books. It is hard and sad to leave a series behind but you will find a new series to bring to your readers.
    Love is not Corny. Ever.

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    1. Hi, Terri. That would make a great bumper sticker. "Love is not corny. Ever." Thanks for your kind words. I'm working really hard to create a new series. The journey continues!

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