With Spring now upon us, I paused to consider what the season was about (and also in part because I needed a theme for this post). I concluded--what would be better than talking about my tried-and-true habit of giving my characters a new lease on life?
I hadn’t really taken a deep look into theme until I sat in on a seminar by Claudia Dain. (She is a fabulous speaker and a top-notch business woman. If she offers a talk anywhere, listen!) She said that no matter what smaller plot/motivation/conflict we had using as part of our vehicle to achieve the bigger goal, there was always an over arching theme that all of our books fell into. For writers, it is our core story which we tell over and over in different ways.
When it came time to hastily build my website, I needed something catchy as a tagline. Hence I narrowed my core theme to “Second Chance Romance”. All of my books contain romance, but I realized that all of them were about heroines who were starting over. In essence, transforming their tired, old, down-trodden selves into the women they deserved and wanted to be. In some cases, their heroes in their lives were the trigger to their renewed interest in love.
Zara has always been tied to her duty to Sartin, first as a security officer like her Father and then as a Voyager for her Mother. When her planned course is botched, she finds the man her Father described as her true love. With Awyn she gets a new lease on life with a partner who understands her commitments, but opens her eyes to life outside the TIES OF VALOR.
ALL I EVER WANTED stars Shanna, a woman who is drowning in self-loathing because she’s responsible for her husband’s death. On her own (and with her friends’ help) she couldn’t get outside the hermit bubble she’d sequestered herself in. When Ravin, “the man who can fix anything”, dropped into her foyer and refused to leave her alone, she started a life-altering relationship lush with magical inspiration to breathe life into her art and heart.
What’s a girl to do when she’s become a pick pocket of the dead? In JUST ONE LIFE, Gwynan discovers all things magical, including sexy wizards, aren’t Evil. And by the time Evil came knocking, she’d learned sacrificing her life for love was a far greater deed than she’d done before, especially since Kendron’s the world’s one chance to survive. And it always pays to have friends in high places.
Ever broken up with a boyfriend, but longed for a second chance? Enter Dara from PERFECTION NOT REQUIRED, who opened her big mouth and got “Bonding at the Beach”, an intimate couples seminar series, for her girl’s getaway. When desperation to escape her mom sets in, she stumbles across hunky lifeguard Ken Sexton. Except he’s hiding his true intention of nabbing a guinea pig for a tell-all expose. After many lessons and laments (including a karaoke song) both students of love begin a new chapter in life as co-conspirators to keep her ex at arm’s length!
Underdog: (Adj.) See Afra from LOVEMAKER. She’s been choice fodder for the gossipmongers in Swansea, GA all her life, and now she has to wow a hotel full of New Yorkers while taming her hillbilly accent to achieve her life’s goal. (This apple didn’t fall far from the tree.) That iconic event wasn’t smacking into Eric, her stiff competition for the Golden Arrow. Thanks to his side bet, she has to work doubly hard, though she also ends up snagging his bruised heart. When love is the name of the game, these matchmakers have a perfect score no matter who’s doing the tabulating! And together, they can play defense suited up with plenty of know-how to divide and conquer their naysayers’.
So whether you’re springing into a new relationship or a new book, remember that there’s always a bigger picture. Find out what you do best and keep hopping forward! To see the light at the end of the tunnel you may have to sacrifice a little, but when you reach “THE END” it’ll be fabulous!
When it came time to hastily build my website, I needed something catchy as a tagline. Hence I narrowed my core theme to “Second Chance Romance”. All of my books contain romance, but I realized that all of them were about heroines who were starting over. In essence, transforming their tired, old, down-trodden selves into the women they deserved and wanted to be. In some cases, their heroes in their lives were the trigger to their renewed interest in love.
Zara has always been tied to her duty to Sartin, first as a security officer like her Father and then as a Voyager for her Mother. When her planned course is botched, she finds the man her Father described as her true love. With Awyn she gets a new lease on life with a partner who understands her commitments, but opens her eyes to life outside the TIES OF VALOR.
ALL I EVER WANTED stars Shanna, a woman who is drowning in self-loathing because she’s responsible for her husband’s death. On her own (and with her friends’ help) she couldn’t get outside the hermit bubble she’d sequestered herself in. When Ravin, “the man who can fix anything”, dropped into her foyer and refused to leave her alone, she started a life-altering relationship lush with magical inspiration to breathe life into her art and heart.
What’s a girl to do when she’s become a pick pocket of the dead? In JUST ONE LIFE, Gwynan discovers all things magical, including sexy wizards, aren’t Evil. And by the time Evil came knocking, she’d learned sacrificing her life for love was a far greater deed than she’d done before, especially since Kendron’s the world’s one chance to survive. And it always pays to have friends in high places.
Ever broken up with a boyfriend, but longed for a second chance? Enter Dara from PERFECTION NOT REQUIRED, who opened her big mouth and got “Bonding at the Beach”, an intimate couples seminar series, for her girl’s getaway. When desperation to escape her mom sets in, she stumbles across hunky lifeguard Ken Sexton. Except he’s hiding his true intention of nabbing a guinea pig for a tell-all expose. After many lessons and laments (including a karaoke song) both students of love begin a new chapter in life as co-conspirators to keep her ex at arm’s length!
Underdog: (Adj.) See Afra from LOVEMAKER. She’s been choice fodder for the gossipmongers in Swansea, GA all her life, and now she has to wow a hotel full of New Yorkers while taming her hillbilly accent to achieve her life’s goal. (This apple didn’t fall far from the tree.) That iconic event wasn’t smacking into Eric, her stiff competition for the Golden Arrow. Thanks to his side bet, she has to work doubly hard, though she also ends up snagging his bruised heart. When love is the name of the game, these matchmakers have a perfect score no matter who’s doing the tabulating! And together, they can play defense suited up with plenty of know-how to divide and conquer their naysayers’.
So whether you’re springing into a new relationship or a new book, remember that there’s always a bigger picture. Find out what you do best and keep hopping forward! To see the light at the end of the tunnel you may have to sacrifice a little, but when you reach “THE END” it’ll be fabulous!
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