Showing posts with label Second Chance at Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Second Chance at Love. Show all posts

Saturday, November 4, 2023

Christmas to the Max by Bonnie Edwards

 

I am grateful to Marcia King-Gamble for this invitation to guest here on Romancing the Genres. I’m honored.

I’m Bonnie Edwards and I’ve been writing romance for a lot of years and if there’s one thing I understand about romance it’s this: Everyone in my fictional world deserves a happy ending.

This is the story of a lonely man.

Max Whyte walked into my mind as a convenient ex-husband to a lush 30-something divorcee. The story that introduced him to the world was the start of a trilogy of Christmas stories set between Canada and the US. In Not-so-Blue Christmas, Max didn’t get much more than a mention.

In Invitation to Christmas we learned a little more about him and the reason for the divorce. He and his wife had simply grown apart. They were excellent parents who put their children first.

When it was his ex-wife’s turn to fall in love in One Crazy Christmas, we saw more of Max and how he still supported his ex as a friend and confidant. He was warm and caring and exactly the right person for the heroine to talk to about her disastrous love and broken heart. (which eventually got sorted on Christmas Day.) And so my trilogy, Love at Christmas, ended.

This writer moved onto other series, and a couple of years later I was in need of a new couple to move to my fictional small town in Washington State. The series is titled Return to Welcome and focuses on people who come home and need to regroup.

I had my heroine but where to find a great hero for her? And then it hit me.

Max Whyte’s ex had moved to Washington State and taken his daughters to live with her new husband. What’s a caring, loving father to do but move to be close to them?

Christmas to the Max fell into place quickly. Every once in a while an author has the perfect blend of characters, plot, and setting and the writing goes smoothly and quickly. This is what I call a “gimme” book. No tears are shed, or hairs pulled during the writing of a gimme.

Since Christmas to the Max is a lynchpin book, it links two series and gives my readers of the first series an introduction to the second series. And readers who start on the second series get some background on characters from the first series. Everyone wins!

But no one needs to read either series to enjoy Max Whyte’s happy ending. This is a stand alone book and so are all the others.

Right now, Christmas to the Max is on sale for only 99c and is available to read in Kindle Unlimited.

BLURB:
Just in time for Christmas, building contractor Kaylin Simpson returns to Welcome, WA to give her twins a better life in the small town she loved as a child.

In a town where no one remembers her, it’s tough for a woman to launch a business, especially one dominated by men. Kaylin’s resourceful, determined, and desperate.

Single dad Max Whyte has bought a rundown Victorian house that needs a total renovation. When he saves a young boy from a near-miss with a car, he takes a chance and hires the boy’s attractive mother.

The lovely, talented, and skilled Kaylin soon proves her worth as they work together to rebuild his home—and their lives in Welcome.

The single parents soon share more than tools as they navigate their way through the work together. Sharing all the traditional small-town Christmas events brings them even closer.

Drawn to Kaylin and her adorable twin boys despite his reservations, Max finds that Kaylin's wit and feisty spirit pull at his heartstrings.

Kaylin is afraid to fall for her client, but good sense can be overwhelmed when two hearts fall into synch.

As Christmas draws near, she and Max struggle to find a way to move beyond past hurts to let love blossom.

If you love stories with warmth and the love of family don't miss Christmas to the Max.

Amazon

BIO: 

Bonnie Edwards has been writing all her life, starting with a poem about Santa suffering with gout. She was seven, Santa was a thousand years old. Delighted with writing, she went on to write family sagas, humorous contemporary romance, romantic suspense, erotic paranormal ghost romances and more.

She may jump around within romance, but all her stories come with a tear, a laugh, and a happy ending. Published by Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) Bonnie’s stories stretch from short stories to novellas and novels. Now, she's happy to be publishing her work herself. Her website. Sign up for up-to-date news and deal on Bonnie’s Newsy Bits.

Tuesday, January 13, 2015

2015 Predictions for Authors and Readers

by Madelle Morgan

One age group in particular has the biggest impact on book trends and sales. No, it's not young adults. Baby Boomers - the generation of post-World War II babies - are now in their fifties and sixties. The enormous spike in the U.S. population between 1946 and 1964 is shown in red in this graph (scroll down the linked page).


As they grew, those millions of extra people had, and continue to have, major economic and cultural impacts. As children they drove construction of new schools and suburbs to accommodate them. In their twenties and thirties they adopted computer technology quickly, thus transforming the workplace. 

They generated a huge demand for consumer goods and entertainment (music, movies, television, books) targeted to their demographic, through their teens, young adulthood, and child-rearing years. The buying power of Boomers in their early senior years is stronger than ever.

Now the youngest Boomer is in her early fifties, with more free time. Her children - the Baby Boom Echo generation, aka Millennials - have hopefully flown the nest. Millions of Boomers are retired but active. They're computer literate and know their way around the internet. They're better educated than any generation before them, and like to learn. They read on their phones, on tablets, on e-readers, and in print. Soon their eye glasses will have built-in screens!

1. The Rise of Boomer Lit

What type of romance does a typical woman in her fifties and sixties like to read? I predict that Boomer women will apply their massive buying power to novels that engage emotions and brain, and are relevant to their stage of life.

I don't need a crystal ball to note that Boomers are driving the popularity of historical romances set in the twentieth century. We're already seeing the emergence of movies (The Great Gatsby), television (Downton Abbey) and novels set in the early 1900s to WWII. USA Today bestselling author Sharon Page's latest novel is an example of this trend.



2. The Decline of Erotica Sales

There's a one word explanation for lower sales: menopause. When estrogen drops, so does hormone-fueled lust. I'm not saying that all Boomer women will stop reading erotic romance. However, I predict the number of Boomer readers of erotic romance will decrease in tandem with the amount of estrogen flowing through their collective veins.

3. Second Chance at Love

Unfortunately many women in their fifties and sixties have lost partners to death and divorce. Who of a certain age doesn't fantasize about a second chance with a high school or college sweetheart, or the one that got away? Jove's series in the 1980s was possibly thirty years too early!



4. Search for the Meaning of Life

Wisdom arises from living more than half a century. I expect authors will fictionalize their personal growth and life lessons, helping readers put their own experiences into perspective.

5. Multimedia Trends

Surge in audiobook sales and subscriptions. 
Boomers will like to listen while gardening, exercising, walking the dog or doing crafts.

E-books will incorporate more media links, enriching the reader experience. 
Boomers are familiar with YouTube, Pinterest, music streaming services, research links, etc. Yes, Boomers will save their retirement dollars by increasingly tapping into subscription services rather than buying e-books outright.

Virtual reality systems will take off as the technology becomes affordable.
Game graphics are already incredibly realistic. The next evolution is virtual interactive and immersive experiences via headsets. Boomer gamers will snap up games that include romantic relationships, exotic settings, and great storylines. Others will love the opportunity to virtually "travel" without leaving the comfort of their armchairs or emptying their wallets.

Readers, do you think these predictions are way off base? What are your predictions?

About Madelle

Madelle's romantic suspense, Diamond Hunter, will be available in January on Amazon KDP Select. To receive notification of free days and deals, "Like" her Facebook page. Please ensure you take the second step of using the "Like" pull down menu to "Get Notifications".