I’m a hopeless romantic. I adore gallantry. I swoon over Hallmark commercials. I’m fond of roses, chocolates, sentimental cards, and handwritten notes. When a heart-melting moment catches me off-guard, I’m completely undone. I’ll usually say something like, “Oh, that’s sooo romantic!” And my husband will just grin like he completely doesn’t “get it,” but indeed, he does. Since I’m a writer, …
How Far Should Couples Go in Christian Fiction?
Today I wanted to tackle a subject that’s almost a non-issue in the general fiction market today: intimate relationships outside of marriage. One quick click-through our television channels and we’ve no doubt what grabs the highest ratings. It’s everywhere. From the popular tween series to adult nighttime soap operas, the sanctity of marriage and all that it stands for is sorely tested, and sometimes, …
…But the Greatest of These is Love
Like many couples, when my husband and I were married we chose to include a portion of 1st Corinthians in our wedding vows: “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. …
Finding Your Prince and Kissing the Toads Goodbye
Gee whiz, is it just me or has society’s perception of romance become more than a bit skewed? I don’t know about you, but I’m worn out with television programing these days. Not to sound prudish, but when something is touted as a “romance” on T.V. I expect it to deliver; I don’t want to see unflattering portrayals of what …
Pass the Romance, Hold the Profanity…Writing (Faith-based) Romance in Today's World
For writers of faith-based romance, it seems to be a never-ending battle to keep up with the changing times, yet not fall prey to trends, euphemisms, and depiction of sin without repentance. We want to meet readers where they are and address real-life issues, but not offend. We want to offer the meat and potatoes, but not go overboard on …
Staying Christ-focused While Keeping it Real: Love Scenes in Faith-based Romance
At the 2011 American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) conference, I recently had the opportunity to attend many interesting workshops that pertained to the writing craft. Since I write faith-based romance, naturally I registered for the A Kiss is Not Just a Kiss session taught by Christian authors Julie Lessman and Ruth Axtell Morren. This particular workshop focused on how to write an …