Why Romance?

Hey, y'all! Mindy Obenhaus here and I'm a sucker for a good happily ever after. Whether it's books or movies, for me a story must have some element of romance or I'm done. I just think that there is nothing more satisfying than two people defying the odds to find happiness together.

And here at the Craftie Ladies of Romance, I can bet I'm not alone.

So I asked a couple of my fellow Love Inspired authors a simple question.

Why do you write romance?

Lisa Jordan, author of Lakeside Reunion, Lakeside Family and Lakeside Sweethearts (out this June) said, "I write romance because I believe in promises of hope and happily ever after. From the time I was a little girl, I wanted the guy and girl to get together in the end. I wanted to create that same heart sigh with my readers that I experienced while reading romance novels. As a Christian, I want to write romances that glorify God and honor the love He models for us." 

Missy Tippens, author of Georgia Sweethearts and A House Full of Hope said, "I write romance because it has always been what I love to read. I love a romantic story with a happy ending."

So now it's your turn. Whether you're a reader, a writer or both, why do you read/write romance?

Mindy Obenhaus always dreamed of being a wife and mother. Yet as her youngest of five children started kindergarten, a new dream emerged—to write stories of true love that would glorify God. Her debut novel, The Doctor’s Family Reunion, released from Love Inspired Books in September and her second book, Rescuing the Texan's Heart, will be available September 2014. Learn more about Mindy at www.mindyobenhaus.com

Novel Settings--Familar vs. Exotic--Which Do You Prefer?

Happy Wednesday, everyone,

Naomi Rawlings here, and I’m wishing you all a warm and lovely spring day from Michigan’s rather cold and windy Upper Peninsula. (And yes, I saw a few snowflakes touch the ground while writing this post.)

The month of April is especially exciting for me this year, as my first-ever published novel, Sanctuary for a Lady, releases. And did you know I’m not the only one with a debut novel this month? Author Jessica Nelson, had her first novel, Love on the Range, release as well. (Congratulations, Jessica!)

So as any eager new author would do, I raced to Walmart last week and found my book on the shelf (right beside Jessica’s). As I stood back admiring my novel in an actual store, available for anyone to buy, I noticed that my setting was a little different from the books beside it. All three other books releasing from Love Inspired Historical this month are set in the 1800s, and all three other books are attached to the United States in some way. Two of the stories are set in the American West, and the third involves a sea journey from Ireland to America. Then there’s my book, lonely little Sanctuary for a Lady, set in France during the late 1700s and without a single mention of America throughout the entire novel.

Did you know my publisher considers this setting a bit of a risk? That Love Inspired Historical has never before published a novel set during the French Revolution? So my publisher is rather curious to see if Sanctuary for a Lady will sell as well as Love on the Range and Brides of the West and The Wedding Journey.


Novels set in the United States generally tend to sell better than novels set other countries. Please understand there are exceptions to this rule, and a book set in a foreign country can sell just as many copies as a book set in the United States. Novels set in England are rather popular as well, but in general, foreign set books sell fewer copies.

I’m not the only Love Inspired Historical author dipping into the pool of European fiction, however. Last month Eva Maria Hamilton had her debut novel, Highland Hearts, release. Highland Hearts is set in the 1700s like my novel, and it takes place completely in Scotland. Our publisher has asked both Eva and I to consider writing sequels to our novels. Eva’s will be set in Scotland again, and I’ve just started working on a second novel set during the French Revolution. And while Eva and I and others are writing, our publisher is watching to see whether these novels sell a good number of books, or whether Love Inspired Historical will want to publish novels set primarily in the United States and England in the future.

So I’m curious about you. What type of historical novels do you prefer? Do you like stories set in foreign or exotic places and unfamiliar times? Or do you like stories set that take place on American soil and within the past century and a half? If you had to pick between a book set in Europe or a book set in the United States, which would you chose, and why?

The Appeal of the Reunion Story...by Lisa Mondello

Saturday night I attended my high school reunion. No, I will not tell you exactly which one it was. Let's just say I graduated high school a long time ago and leave it at that! Many of the "kids" I went to high school with I haven't seen since graduation day. So it was a real treat to see old friends, catch up on how life has been for everyone and share some laughs.

It got me thinking about reunion romance stories, which I happen to LOVE. What is it about reunion stories that has such appeal for readers? I'm a writer, but I'm a reader first and, like you, I have my favorite plotlines that draw me in. Reunion stories always do.

When the hero and heroine already know each other and have a history, there is instant tension. They're not meeting and learning about each other for the first time (along with the reader.) They are rehashing old wounds that pulled them apart as they (many times reluctantly) try to fix them.

I think, too, that reunion stories are so popular because we genuinely want to root for the couple. We don't want relationships to fail and when you know from the start that "something" pulled these two people who love each other apart, you want them to fix it. You want them to rekindle what they lost. And it's fun to watch it happen.

What are your reasons for liking reunion stories?

Lisa Mondello

http://www.lisamondello.blogspot.com