How I Stopped Living (and Writing) in the Past
I’ve always loved history. As a kid, I was fascinated by books set in the past, from the Little House books to the Caddie Woodlawn series to Summer of My German Soldier and Farewell to Manzanar. I devoured an entire set of biographies in my elementary school library about famous women like Clara Barton, Florence Nightingale, Harriet Tubman, and Julia Ward Howe. I was a history nut.
When I got into my teens and first discovered romance novels, it didn’t take me long to discover historicals. I read early Kathleen Woodiwiss, Rosemary Rogers, Judith McNaught, Johanna Lindsey, and Bertrice Small. My mother scoffed a bit at my fascination with what she alternately termed “bodice-rippers” or “soft-core porn,” but I begged to differ. I knew more about both American and European (especially English) history from reading those books than most kids my age knew about what happened last week. I figured it was not just fun, it was downright educational!
In any event, it seems only natural that when I started writing my own books, I gravitated toward historical romance. In point of fact, I remember telling my critique partners quite early on in our relationship that I would never write a contemporary romance because I couldn’t possibly invent a solid plot and conflict for one. All of my story ideas were set in the past, and I was sure I’d never be struck with the inspiration for anything “modern.”
Well, I’ve learned I should never say never. My first idea for a contemporary is actually still a work in progress, but the
inspiration for that story (a presentation I saw at an RWA chapter meeting last year) seemed to unlock something in my head, and to my surprise, I found myself bombarded with plots and conflicts set in the here and now.
The first of these to see publication is The Gospel of Love: According to Luke, which comes out today from Cobblestone Press. It’s the first in a planned four novella series (though I have no idea when I’ll find the time to write the final three installments) starring four brothers, predictably named Luke, Matthew, Mark, and John.
Luke’s story came to me seemingly out of nowhere. I had gotten about two-thirds of the way through the Regency-set historical I was working on at the time (Wickedly Ever After) and hit a road block. I was casting around for something to fill in the time while I waited for the rest of Wickedly to “come,” and for some reason, the words “Gospel of Love” popped into my head. From there, the “according to” part seemed only natural, and suddenly I had a title and a protagonist and an angle (first person male narration). I sat down and started writing, and two weeks later, I had a 22,000 word novella that I loved. Lucky for me, Cobblestone loved it, too, and offered to publish it.
Because this book is such a departure from my two historical novellas at Cobblestone, I’m interested to see how readers react to it. I wonder if those who don’t normally read contemporaries will read this story because they’ve read one or both of my historicals. Similarly, I wonder if some folks who don’t typically take to historical will read Luke and like it enough to give my historicals a try. And then I wonder if they’ll think I suffer from multiple personality disorder! Especially since, in the wake of writing Luke, I’ve come up with a sci-fi futuristic series and a high concept for a paranormal series. I’m starting to wonder if there is any subgenre of romance I’ll leave untouched…
But enough about me. Let’s talk about my book! (Okay, technically, I guess that’s still about me, but humor me.
Blurb
Luke Finley, the eldest of four brothers, is a committed serial monogamist. He’s all for one woman at a time, but not one woman forever. He knows a lifetime of fidelity just isn’t in his genes. But when his latest girlfriend kicks him out–of his condo–the woman he’s always thought of as “one of the guys” turns out to be the one woman who can make him believe in forever.
EXCERPT BELOW THE CUT:
Read the rest of this entry »