The Things That Always Cheer Me Up . . . . . . by Delsora Lowe

I am lucky, I have many things that give me a lift every day.

Reading…

Whether it is reading a good book or watching a romcom movie or a sitcom that will take me away from the reality and horrors of our world, each gives me a sense of peace and happiness. I can bask in the message being portrayed in that media and lock away my worries for the time it takes me to read or watch an uplifting book or program.

Writing…

I also write romance. So, writing positive content definitely gives me a feel-good vibe. Even when getting the couple together at the end may take a turn for the worst, know that in order to proclaim a book’s place in the romance genre, a happily-ever-after or a happily-for-now is a requirement. So, they always have a feel-good component at the end.

Friends…

Another thing that makes me happy is seeing a friend in person. Yes, these days ZOOM makes it easy to keep up with friends. I also keep up with many over the phone or through email or other forms of social media but getting together with friends in person is the best! There’s nothing like cradling a cup of tea, while looking directly into a friend’s face who is sitting across the table from you. Or slurping down an ice cream cone while walking the boardwalk with friends. That in-person contact makes a huge difference.

More Writing…

Going to my local weekly writing group grounds me every week. We each write a piece that takes 5-minutes or less to read out loud. The writing can be in any genre, which is fun for me, since my “job” is writing romance, whether a 5-minute romance I want to submit to Woman’s World magazine or a romance novella or full-length novel that I will eventually publish. Writing outside of my preferred genre gives me a different prospective on life, my town, my relationships with family, or any other topics, such as the environment, recipes I love to cook, etc. It frees up my brain to be creative in a different way.

What Things Give You a Lift and Make You Feel Happy? 

Amazon (also in print)

Books2Read

~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine.

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025.

January: My “go to” Activity When I Want to Relax and Take Time Out of My Real Life ............................. by Delsora Lowe

Hallmark movies and romance stories take me away from the bad world news. They give me a positive, albeit maybe an unrealistic spin on life, versus the craziness, that seems to get crazier every day in our “off-kilter” world. 

The movies are educational…as in from the perspective of an author, they help me with writing romance. They "show" versus "tell" me by providing visual examples of style, topics, relationship types (good and bad,) lifestyle, various scenery, and locations, etc. 

Watching romantic shows and movies, and reading romance in any form, whether a full novel or a 5-minute short story, are positive reinforcement that show our world has the potential to be able to learn to work together, live in harmony, and help us individually and collectively to see the positive side of life. 

They show us how to be polite and thoughtful toward our neighbors, friends, and those who are strangers to us. For example, holding the door for the person entering behind us. Or, letting the mom with the fussy kid go in front of you in the grocery store line. 

Simple acts of kindness. 

These types of stories and movies let me escape from personal, national, and international woes. It is like burying my head in the sand.

Or like the infamous three monkeys—see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil. Of course, this scenario is for the pure romance stories. 

Suspenseful romance does have a dose of evil, but in the end, all is rosy. Love and positivity reign. All turns out well for the heroes of the story. And the reader is left satisfied that all is well in the world—or at least the world of romantic fiction. 

 

Unrealistic, sometimes? Oh Yeah! Escapism? Absolutely! A chance to feel safe and “normal?” Yes, for those hours you are immersed in a fantasy of the way life should be—ALL THE TIME! 

 Letting your imagination run with the good things in life, is like a palette cleanser. On a bad day is watching or reading romance like a reset? On a good day, does fictional romance, confirm positivity and your perspective of what life should be—hopeful and kind and full of love? 

 What more can one ask from a few hours of reading or watching a feel-good movie? 

What’s Your Palette Cleanser on a Bad Day? 

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

all about love!

Moonlighting

(e-reader only) 

Amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Come-Dance-Me-Serenity-Starlight-ebook/dp/B074N95RGK/

Books2Read

books2read.com/u/bMrQva

 

Moonlighting

(also e-reader or in paperback as a collection: Starlight Grille) 

Amazon

Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Moonlighting-Serenity-Harbor-Novella-Starlight-ebook/dp/B075TK7KYS/ 

Books2Read

Books2Read books2read.com/u/mZ5eop 

 ~ cottages to cabins ~ keep the home fires burning ~ 

Delsora Lowe writes small town sweet and spicy romances and contemporary westerns, from the mountains of Colorado to the shores of Maine. 

Author of the Starlight Grille series, Serenity Harbor Maine novellas, and the Cowboys of Mineral Springs series, Lowe has also authored short romances for Woman’s World magazine (most recently, an Easter romance in the April 1, 2024 edition.) The Love Left Behind is a Hartford Estates, R.I. wedding novella with Book 2 on the way. A Christmas novel (The Inn at Gooseneck Lane) and novella (Holiday Hitchhiker – the youngest brother of the Mineral Spring’s ranching family) were the most recent releases. Look for book 3 of the cowboy’s series, as well as book 2 of the Hartford Estates series, to be released in 2025. 

Social Media Links:
Facebook Author page: https://www.facebook.com/delsoraloweauthor/community/
Amazon Author page: https://www.amazon.com/Delsora-Lowe/e/B01M61OM39/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0 

Books2Read Author page: https://www.books2read.com/ap/8GWm98/Delsora-Lowe 

BookBub Author Page: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/delsora-lowe-93c6987f-129d-483d-9f5a-abe603876518 

Goodreads Author Page: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16045986.Delsora_Lowe 

Photo Credits: 

Cash Register: fee clip art - cash register - Search Images / https://www.vecteezy,com 

Ostrich: free clip art - burying head in sand - Search / clipartmax.com

Fiction Vs NonFiction

 

At the end of this month, I will be participating on a panel of authors from Scholastic discussing the value of non-fiction, titled: Three Reasons Kids Need to Read More Non-Fiction. During this discussion, I will talk about my debut historical biography, Unlawful Orders.  Preparing for this has set me thinking about my most recent books, some of their differences and similarities, and why both fiction and non fiction are valuable.  I'm putting down some of the things I have come up with for both genres.   

Fiction helps young readers learn empathy for others. Empathy enables building social connections that can prevent bullying, help children make friends, and ready them to receive help from others. Non-fiction helps nurture a young person’s “insatiable curiosity,” a term that had to be invented to describe the way the very young ask a thousand questions a day. Okay, maybe the number is really closer to a hundred, but you get the picture. They wake up each day with a desire to know more, and good non-fiction can be a fertilizer to keep their blossoming curiosity to from withering as they grow older. In the words of Albert Einstein: 

“I have no special talent – I am only passionately curious.”

I have entered both worlds in my writing career. A few years ago I penned Courage, middle grade fiction written to encourage empathy by immersing them in the lives of kids coping with a variety of issues. Among them are a child dealing with the recent death of a parent from cancer, and one who is just trying to live a normal life despite having sickle cell anemia, a chronic and sometimes debilitating illness. One child is homeless and friendless, another is feels he has to be an overachiever to meet the expectations of his adopted parents. Yet another kid is best friends with the daughter of the Chicago policeman who sent her father to prison. All these young people come together in a story about finding the strength to forgive and grant others second chances. I wrote Courage as a modern day version of the prodigal son story, in hopes it would entertain young people, and at the same time encourage readers to forgive others who have hurt them.

Unlawful Orders, my upcoming nonfiction book (Oct 2022), shares the true story of a family that deserves to be everyone’s role model. I love superhero stories, and tales of wonder-kids who save their dystopian world. But there is something extra in a stories about real human beings in real locations handling real events. And the Williams family saved lives and changed all our futures in more ways than one.

The book centers around one member of the family, James Buchanan WIlliams, “JB” who grew up in a small town attending a one-room schoolhouse - taught by his mother. She was the first African American to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of New Mexico. How the school’s English department building eventually came to be named after her is a story all its own.

From there the story takes readers on a journey through the history of the twentieth century, with bits of engineering, aerodynamics, psychology, and medical science thrown in. After growing up on the family farm, JB went off to fight for his country during World War II. He and a hundred other Tuskegee Airmen staged what came to be known as the Freeman Field mutiny, an act of disobedience against a superior officer’s order that could have cost him his life, but that preserved his dignity.

After the war, JB headed back to college to obtain both an MD degree and a Master of Science in surgery, before moving to Chicago. The book tells how he became the chief of surgery in a major hospital while working to expand healthcare for the poor across the United States. His efforts included a trip to Washington DC and to lobby President John F. Kennedy for an end of discrimination in medical schools and hospitals.
He also lived long enough to accept a special invitation to attend President Obama’s 2009 inauguration. Dr. Williams and his two brothers not only worked to advance the field of medicine, they raised families whose members continue to excel in the fields of healthcare and of education to this day.

If you are interested, the webinar panel discussion will take place on Wednesday, April 27th at 2:00pm EST. I do not have access information yet, but I should have that soon and will update this post. I will also update my website with the information once I have it. 

Head or Heart?

By: Marcia King-Gamble

www.lovemarcia.com

When asked what I do, and people learn that I’m a romance writer, eyebrows shoot sky high. Sometimes there’s even a visible smirk. Translation, this woman’s head is in the clouds; she’s not reality based. The irony of it is, I consider myself  a romantic realist. Gotta love with  both your head and heart.

“There’s no such thing,” many say, shaking the very same head they should be using  to help make sound decisions.

Those who know me would agree that I am very realistic in  matters of  the heart. I believe in loving with both head and heart. Without using both, you’re heading for disaster.  Agreed, I'm no pushover and can be somewhat skeptical when actions don't match words, but that’s not because I don’t believe in love. I do, I do. Love to me is an extension of  friendship. The qualities I look for in  a friend, are the same I look for in  a lover, with one exception;  my heart needs to beat  just a smidgen faster, and I need to feel a tingle somewhere down south. The below picture,  is my friend who was torn with making a decision. Thankfully she used both head and heart. Today they are still married. 

The cautious side of me won't rush into a situation without knowing and examining all the facts. A man who abandoned a wife with a nursing baby, I would think long and hard about thrice. If you’re coming on strong with the platitudes, I’m not falling for that stuff.  I come from the school of show me, don’t tell me, and I don't believe love conquers all. I am also a firm believer when a situation is unhealthy or broken; a wise person takes a step back. You might even make the tough decision to walk away. That is not to say with some effort, and space, the issues can’t be resolved, and the breakage mended. I do strongly believe that accepting, unacceptable behavior is teaching people how to treat you.

Years ago, I was an online moderator for eHarmony; the online advice board,  not the dating site.  Participants could post globally and anonymously. Frequently, it became a battle of the sexes. I learned Men are indeed from Mars and Women from Venus. After many years, the website was shut down for a number of reasons. Through a stroke of fate, I ended up writing for Michael Fiore’s Digital Romance Inc., even penning a column with a male friend, titled, "He Said, She said."  As to be expected, his views and opinions were often the direct opposite of mine.   

 That stint lasted many years, and out of reading and responding to so many lovelorn stories, my current Spicy Sunday column was born. For those readers unfamiliar with this online column, it’s posted on my Facebook page on Sundays. https://www.facebook.com/MarciaKingGamble

Once a week, I post a different romantic challenge and ask my readers how they would handle it. Many of the questions are sent to me anonymously; though some I have experienced personally. At times it does become The Battle of the Sexes, but I have learned and grown from the myriad of opinions and so have my readers.

In any case, switching it up, between fiction and nonfiction has benefited my writing immensely, and made me a better romance writer. When I write male dialogue now, I have to think long and hard. Would my hero say that? Would they really react that way? A woman might, a man never.  My male characters are better developed. He certainly isn’t thinking about his heart beating hard when he meets my heroine the first time. Other parts of his anatomy are throbbing.

  

In my personal life, I’ve learned not to over think male comments. Words I might consider a blow off, I now understand as the male way. This is not to say that I’m confused if the language is demeaning or abusive. I don’t excuse abuse. I run away.

Some of the male/female communication issues may have to do with girl babies developing speech and language faster.  This continues through adulthood. Men, on the other hand, tend to be literal beings. They get to the point with no fluffing. Diplomacy is usually not the male way.  So when my long winded question receives a one word answer, rather than sulk, I shrug and keep it moving.  

What writing about relationships has done for me is made me a better partner.  I am able to meld what I’ve learned from writing advice columns into writing my fiction books. And in my personal life, I look for a person who has all the attributes of a best friend, but still makes my breath hitch. You should too.     

About Marcia King-Gamble

Romance writer, Marcia King-Gamble originally hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. This travel industry executive and current world traveler has spent most of life in the United States. A National Bestselling author, Marcia has penned over 34 books and 8 novellas. Her free time is spent at the gym, traveling to exotic locales, and caring for her animal family.

Visit Marcia at www.lovemarcia.com or “friend” her on Facebook:http://bit.ly/1MlnrIS

Be sure to join her mailing list.

Fiction's Inciting Incident and Point of No Return: Life Changing Events, by Kristin Holt

by Kristin Holt

In fiction, “Life Changing Event” (LCE) is often referred to as the Inciting Incident, the situation/occurrence that kicks the story ball into play. Overlapping with the Inciting Incident is a component of fiction called the Hook—action/situation that snags the reader’s attention and holds it long enough for the reader to care about the hero and what he wants.

We’ve all read one too many books where the supposed Hook and/or Inciting Incident were not inherent to the story and plot. A random, disconnected, flashy beginning or an attention-grabbing action scene that is not an integral part of the story is a rip-off and one of the big reasons why readers abandon books.

All readers know what comes after the initial story set-up (Hook and Inciting Incident). Circumstances get worse, pressures on the hero grow, and before too many pages pass by, he reaches the Point of No Return.

Some might argue that this is actually the LCE. Personally, I don’t think it matters if it’s one or the other or both.

The Point of No Return is the event/catastrophe/circumstance that our hero cannot ignore, plunging him into the quest. The character’s life is irrevocably changed. His world is kicked out from beneath him and nothing will ever be the same again.

The character figures out merely reacting to circumstances is no longer enough.

It’s not a “hey, if you get a chance…”, not a suggestion. It’s not an invitation.

He’s provoked, compelled, 100% in.

He must engage.

Otherwise, the event would not be a LCE (Life Changing Event—emphasis on the changing).

LCE’s demand a character to take action. No more simply floating along living day by day, reacting to the conflict the bad guys (and good guys) toss in his way.

The best of fiction shows us the character—belief system, capacities, flaws, strengths—by putting them through a LCE and allowing readers to see them react and act. The reader hears the character’s thoughts and words spoken.

The writer might have the character do something tremendously risky or illegal, mean-spirited or callous—but that’s perfectly okay because the reader understands the character and exactly why he does what he does.

Make the stakes high enough, crank up the pressure, and readers find themselves rooting for the character, caring about what he cares about, turning pages well after midnight, and vested in the character’s success and eventual triumph.

The reader “falls in”, lives and breathes the story through the point of view character. The reader lives vicariously, experiencing the emotional highs and lows, the risks, danger, falling in love (all the best parts of the selected genre).

It’s all connected. The character’s LCE is the Hook, Inciting Incident, Point of No Return. Plot points and huge setbacks (such as death of a mentor) will inevitably count as more LCE’s. Everything matters, is woven together, and nothing extraneous detracts from the thrill of the roller coaster ride. The reader’s recliner disappears under the power of the written word. Bedtime comes and goes, and despite the fact she must get up in a short six hours, the reader can’t set the book down.

Gifted, highly skilled, experienced authors make it look easy.

I know it's not.

What authors do you enjoy reading because Life Changing Events at the beginning of their books bring characters to life and make for a powerful read?

Kristin Holt, USA Today Bestselling Author writes Sweet Victorian Romance set in the American West. She writes frequent articles about the nineteenth century American west--every subject of possible interest to readers and amateur historians. She contributes monthly to Sweet Americana Sweethearts (first Friday of each month) and Romancing the Genres (third Tuesday of each month). 

Sweet Romance Appropriate for All Audiences

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Let Me Introduce Myself by Kristin Wallace

Hello to all the authors and readers on Romancing the Genres. My name is Kristin Wallace, a USA Today Bestselling Author, and I just joined RTG at the start of the year. Rather than jump in with a theme-topic post, I thought it might be a great idea to tell you a little about me by interviewing… myself.

Kristin: How about we start with some personal stuff?

Kristin the Author: As I said, I’m Kristin Wallace, and I live in Miami, Florida. I have a BA in Theatre from Florida State University, and a Masters in Advertising Copywriting from Miami Ad School. Copywriting has been my “day job” for over 15 years. I’ve worked on accounts like the Miami Marlins, Sir Pizza, Sea World, Discovery Networks, The Peabody Hotel, plus a lot of hospitals and health-related topics. Last May I left the full-time job and I’m currently writing books and doing freelance copywriting through my company, Write Notions, Inc. 

When I’m not working on a book or an advertising project, I sing in my church choir and play the flute in a community orchestra. I am a member of Romance Writers of America and my local chapter, Florida Romance Writers of which I was the president TWICE. 

Kristin: Can you tell us a little about what you write?

Kristin the Author: Yes, I would love to. I write inspirational romance, sweet contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. (That’s my author tagline). I have to include lots of humor in my books so you’ll find great, snarky heroines with lots of sass. I have drama and some tears, too, but I just can’t do 300+ pages of angst. I also love writing stories with positive messages of healing, forgiveness and a forever love. 

Kristin: What have you written so far? How many books do you have published?

Kristin the Author: I have 5 published novels and 1 novella. I have two series going right now. Covington Falls Chronicles is my inspirational series. These are funny, sweet & poignant tales set in a fictional Southern town. The other series is a women’s fiction/romance set in a fictional town in Florida (yes I like fictional towns so I can make everything up) called Shellwater Key Tales.

Kristin: When did you first know you wanted to be a writer?

Kristin the Author: I had the great epiphany that I was supposed to be a writer when I was about 25. I had always been a voracious reader, and had dabbled with writing, but suddenly I knew it was what I had to do. Unfortunately, I had no idea what to do so I got nowhere. I ended up putting the writing aside to go back to school (to study copywriting). I graduated and worked for several years before realizing the writing bug hadn’t gone away. I tried again…and in 2013 I published my first book, MARRY ME.

Kristin: You said you were a voracious reader…what were your favorite books? And who are your favorite authors now?

Kristin the Author: I devoured  books. The Little House series, Encyclopedia Brown, Nancy Drew, Judy Blume, the Chronicles of Narnia. Later, I started reading the Sweet Valley High books. Eventually, I discovered romance novels and it was a true love affair.

As for books I like now…Just like I write with lots of humor, I love to read humor. I adore Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kristan Higgans, Jill Shalvis, and Rachel Gibson. I’m also a big fan of historical romance and I love Julia Quinn, Loretta Chase, Julie Anne Long, and Sarah MacLean.

Kristin: What are you working on right now?

Kristin the Author: I’m working on Book 1.5 of the Shellwater Key Tales series that I hope to publish in March. It’s a tie-in to book one, basically the same story from another character’s POV. I’m also working on a completely new contemporary series. It is also set in Florida. It’s about this heiress (who has never married or had children) who dies and leaves her fortune to her pet pig. She chooses three women who are the descendants of the family and they must compete for custody of the pig (and the money, of course). Right now I’m calling the series, The Heiress Games.

Kristin: How can we find out more about your books? And how can people connect with you?

Kristin the Author: For books info, check out my website: Kristin Wallace Author

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