Another one of those “brilliant ideas” in August 2018 that draws a blank as to what we (at least I) had in mind when Sarah Raplee and I came up with it. What I vaguely remember is that there are books I’ve read and reread because of the way an author writes. It isn’t just about the story, but about the way in which the story is written.
For example: I’ve just
read/reread several of Claire Delacroix’s Medieval Romance. How does she take me
back to that time (1100 – 1500)? Part of it is in the language. Twould be nice if it twas so easy in other
times. Another is the description of clothing – actually not a description
but the word used when referencing an article of clothing like kirtle and chemise. Beyond seeing the date at the beginning of Chapter One and
knowing Ms. Delacroix’s book are set in Medieval times, I know by the time I’ve
read a couple of paragraphs in what time period this book is set.Another favorite author of mine is Jo Beverley. As a lover of history, I’ve some awareness of fashions, who the monarch was in England at various times, etc. but Ms. Beverley does much the same as Ms. Delacroix. Her use of language and dress orients the reader to the stories setting in either Georgian or Regency England.
I write Contemporary Romance
set in the early 2000’s. Hard to believe the changes that have occurred in less
than twenty years. To assist readers, I do note the date at the beginning of each
book and also for important events such as the Sabbats. As my stories are set
in Oregon, Ireland and Italy, I also make that clear at chapter beginnings and
scene breaks.
What would you do if you
were caught without your cell phone or couldn’t reach it and you were in
danger?
My The Sacred Women’s Circle series begins in 2002 and sequences
through 2006. Lily: The Dragon and The
Great Horned Owl is set in 2002 – 2003 but the trauma that resulted in her
PTSD was in the early 1980’s. Answering machines were available but not voice
mail.
Email? Nope.
Stalking laws? Non-existent.
What about sexual harassment
laws? None.
And domestic violence? In
some enlightened jurisdictions police would respond and protect the victim but
not in all. In earlier still considered “contemporary” times victims did not
have the resources available today. There was a stigma of being an abuse victim
evident in the culture. What did she do
to invite the beating, rape, etc. was common thinking.
If you were born in the late
1980’s or later, you might not know that in the “good old days” I was
considered my husband’s property. In the 1960’s I was even told I “belonged” to
him. That mind set is, in some cases, alive and well to this day—even in the
United States.
What I show in my books is
that, “contemporary” times have dramatically changed in the past fifteen or so
years. For readers from teens to maybe early thirties, the reality of how their
own lives have changed and that what they take for granted now wasn’t readily
available ten to fifteen years ago is one of my goals.
My characters, as do all of
us, have choices. Like us, some choices they embrace and some they fight. Some
are based on their beliefs and some on their experiences. What I show is that we
all have choices in what we believe and our actions. And our beliefs and actions
today create our tomorrows.
It takes courage to trust in
the future a choice may bring us
rather than to stay in a challenging situation because we know what to expect. At the heart of each story, the heroine and at
times the hero must take the leap and trust in the future a different choice
can create for them.
And because I write romance you
know that even in the darkest times there will always a “happily-ever-after.”
You can find all of
my books at your favorite e-book vendor. Be sure to ask your local library if
you’d prefer to read my books through that resource.
© 2019 Judith Ashley
