Stephanie Hurt – Romance Author
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Well, the first episode of my podcast is up and running. I didn’t realize how nervous I would be. You’d think since my face isn’t showing that I wouldn’t be nervous, but I was. And wow, my voice is country!
So, as always, good writing and May God Bless You…
This post is for all of you, me included, that lose yourself in a romance novel often or as often as you can. Have you ever wondered why it’s one of the largest genres? Well here is my take on this.
A romance novel can take the reader to another place. Maybe it’s another country, some exotic destination or just to another time in history. You may be saying, well so can science fiction, non fiction or any of the other genres out there. For some reason a romance novel just inspires you to want more.
Maybe the reader just needs to lose themselves in someone else’s world for a while. It’s a way to escape and what better way than to lose yourself in a romance novel. Most romance novels end with a happy ending and you’re pretty sure to have a better outlook when you finish.
Most romance novels just leave you wanting to read another one. Maybe you like the sexy characters that are described in the stories that unfold. Maybe it’s the feelings that a good romance brings about in you.
For me a good romance inspires me. I’ve been reading romance novels since I was a young teenager. There’s something about following someone else’s relationship and not having to worry whether you’ve said the right thing or done the right thing. You just leave it up to the character.
If it’s a good descriptive romance, you may even feel like you’re part of the story. Sometimes I’m reading and I get so immersed in the story that I forget everything around me. That’s what I try to achieve in the romance that I write. I want my readers to get lost in the story. I want it to make them feel better about themselves or at least feel better than they did when they started.
As I always say, this is just my thoughts on the subject. What are yours?
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
As some of you know if you follow my blog, I’m a country girl. I love living in the country. As a child I played in the woods, corn fields, cow pasture, and mud puddles to my little heart’s delight. I’m raising my son to enjoy and respect the same countryside that I love. Now he fishes and hunts, not to mention plays in the mud and catches frogs. It’s just a wonderful life.
Take for instance this morning. We woke to a gorgeous sunny morning here in Georgia, which here lately is a wondrous sight. After a cup of coffee and toast we headed out to cut limbs out of our trees to allow the sun and breeze to blow easily through. But not before we watched Luke Bryan in all his gorgeousness hunting on a program my husband watches.
Then it was time to weed the garden and pick the tomatoes. I gathered the ones in the bowl on the counter with the new ones. Yep, you guessed it. I canned them. Maybe you’re saying but wouldn’t it be easier to buy them already canned in the store. Well, yeah, but nothings better than in the dead of winter pulling out your frozen goods from the summer garden. It’s using God’s bounty that he generously provides us.
I did take time to clean the house some. Now I’m propped on pillows in the bed with the sun streaming through the windows. We are actually getting what I call a true summer rain shower. It’s still sun shining as the rain gently falls. I have my laptop and now it’s time to get to work.
The birds are singing outside the window and playing in the rose bushes. It would be a moment of quiet solitude if my son wasn’t two bedrooms up playing his drums and my husband is in the den watching the last Harry Potter. But it’s still peaceful in my country home.
As for the rest of the day, it will be committed to hours of working on my current manuscript. I’m excited. I worked last night until almost midnight. I would have worked longer, but my eyes were telling me it’s time to shut it down. Although my brain was still working as I tried to go to sleep.
Hope your Saturday is a pleasant one. Take a little time to listen to the birds sing and watch a couple of clouds silently pass through the blue skies.
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
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You may think I’m joking but as I type this post I feel surrounded by blinking lights. I love lightning bugs. They remind me of being a small child and running around catching them in a mason jar and sleeping with them beside the bed. I remember catching one at a time. But this year they seem to have multiplied. Everywhere you look they’re are hundreds blinking.
It’s a nice, sultry night in Georgia. The rain has subsided and made way for clear skies. I’m enjoying sitting on my patio working on my current book as my hubby listens to guitar riffs on youtube via his phone.
It always inspires me to write when I sit outside in the twilight and watch the sun sink into the horizon. I feel like the sinking sun sometimes. As I work on the finishing touches of my latest work I wonder how I got this far. Well, for one I took a huge leap and jumped.
My mind is sort of like the lightning bugs. I keep coming up with new ideas for books and they just keep blinking in my head. I guess that’s a good problem for a writer.
Let yourself just drift into a story and watch what happens. I even came up with an idea about a children’s book just watching the lightning bugs. Funny how the ideas just pop into your head.
Hope everyone had a great Father’s Day. It would have been nicer if my Dad would have been here, but I know he’s up in Heaven smiling down on me tonight. Don’t forget to thank your Father above for all you are and have.
As always, good writing and May God Bless You…
One of my be issues when writing a book is location. Where does the story take place? Will it be a mythical place, a well known town, a town out of my head (That’s scary :)) or will it be a mega city? I try to incorporate Georgia in most of my work. I’m a Georgia girl so I’m proud of my state. My newest novel, The Winner is Love” is based in Atlanta, but the characters go to Colorado and discuss Beverly Hills and Montana.
How do you decide? Sometimes I just never name the town, but describe it in words, not names. Sometimes I even say for example the town is south of a big city. Some books I’ve read have designated towns that are well known. In reading their books I get to know the town and want to visit it. It’s funny how if a book or movie highlights a certain town how the visitors flock in to see where it was filmed or written about.
It is important to designate an area. Some may say why is that? Well you can’t write about heavy snow if the characters are based in the south. Also, beaches don’t exist in the middle of a landlocked state. If you want a snowy region, then stick with the plan. It makes it more realistic. I read a book once that I was so confused when I finished because the author had at the beginning mentioned the cold regional weather, then ended the book in a warm region. The characters stayed in the same town. Really!
So as you write you manuscript, think about the location. Make sure you stay true to the region in regards to weather, dialect and details. It can make all the difference in the way it works out.
As always good writing and May God Bless You!
By the way, if you haven’t looked at the calendar it’s Friday and the last day of November! Tomorrow we’re officially in the month of December and the holiday season. Yikes! Only 24 shopping days left. I’d better get busy shopping online.
Ok, so those of you that follow my blogs or know me personally have a handle on my views on romance. You just can’t get enough of it. Well, when you want to get romance in the raw, go to a wedding. In the last two weeks I have had the privilege of going to two outdoor weddings. It has been bittersweet.
The first one was between two good friends that were meant for one another. The wedding was beside the grooms lake that is right beside his house. It was a country wedding complete with the girls wearing cowboy boots. My husband had to sing two songs, one for the unity ceremony and one for their first dance. The unity ceremony was so unique. They used two different colored sand and pour them into one vase to make them one. It was so sweet and romantic. And yes I cried as usual, that is until the grooms rooster started crowing during the vows. It was priceless.
The second one was my cousin’s wedding. They were married in the brides parents back yard. It was very pretty decked out in lanterns and fall colors. The back drop to the ceremony was hall bails with mums and pumpkins. So cute. They have a five month old daughter. She was brought into the ceremony in a wagon pulled by the ring bearer and flower girl. Yep, I cried again.
The only drawback to two weddings in two weeks was all the good food and cake. Definitely eating light this week. But the plus to the weddings was all the romance in the air. It really spurred my writing, since romance is my main genre. I was sitting at both weddings thinking how romance was still alive and well. Sometimes you have to wonder.
So, as always, keep the romance going and good writing. May God bless and keep you!
Stephanie Hurt - Romance Author 