The Art of Writing Humor by Kristin Wallace

Since our focus is on humor, I thought it would be fun to focus on romance authors who excel at writing humor. I always include humor in my books as I find it impossible to have 300 pages of nothing but angst. For me, writing humor comes naturally, but it can be hard. It can also be underappreciated, just like comedic movies (or actors) don't get the kind of respect that dramatic movies enjoy. Robin Williams was a genius at his craft, but it wasn't until he did a few dramatic roles that he got the respect he deserved, including an Academy Award. 

Here are some of my favorite romance authors, who also happen to write humor.

Susan Elizabeth Phillips (the Queen in this category) - Her funniest books include Breathing Room, Ain't She Sweet, Natural Born Charmer, and Call Me Irresistible. 

Kristan Higgins - She manages to make you laugh and cry, sometimes on the same page. Her funniest books include: The Best Man, To Good to Be True, and Just One of the Guys.

Lucy Score - This is a newer author to me and she is hilarious. Her funniest books include: Rock Bottom Girl, The Worst Best Man, and The Dead Guy Next Door.

Julia Quinn - Historial authors can be funny, too. I was a fan of Julia's long before the Bridgerton series arrived on Netflix. Her funniest books include: Ten Things I Love About You and Just Like Heaven.

Jennifer Crusie - She hasn't written much lately, but her earlier books are hilarious: Funniest books include: Bet Me, Faking It, and Welcome to Temptation. 

Christina Lauren - Another new author (though it's actually two authors writing together). Funniest books include: The Unhoneymooners, The Honey Don't List, and In a Holidaze. 

Do you have favorite comedic authors? They don't have to be romance authors!

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today Bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with Love, Laughter, and a Leap of Faith. She has three best-selling series: Covington Falls Chronicles, Shellwater Key Tales, and Palm Cove Tales. Look for CHRISTMAS CHARADE, a brand-new Covington Falls Chronicles book as part of the Holiday Fake-Out box set. 

Christmas Charade - Covington Falls Chronicles

The story revolves around Magnolia (Maggie) Lewis. She left Covington Falls over a family rift and the desire to follow her dream as an artist and sculptor. Now, she has to return for her cousin's Christmas wedding. She can't go back alone, however, because everyone thinks she has a boyfriend. (It was just a tiny lie.) A non-boyfriend who has no idea he's about to get dragged into her family drama. 

Convincing Liam Sullivan to be her fake date to the wedding is only the first challenge. She needs to make sure she doesn't fall in love with him for real.

   

 

AMAZON  /  ITUNES  /  BARNES & NOBLE   /  KOBO 

(Google Play coming soon!)

A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to a Funny Book by Kristin Wallace

As a reader (and an author) I gravitate toward humor in my books. I just can’t do 300+ pages of angst. I mean, my latest series (Palm Cove Tales) features a pampered heiress pig named Matilda, and my March 26^th release (Second Chance Hero) stars a naked cat. Okay, King Tut is a Sphynx so technically he’s hairless, and not “naked”, but it’s still a cat with no fur. Even when my books have serious themes, I still manage to inject humor somehow. 

It makes sense that my favorite authors are masters at writing humor. Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kristan Higgans, Rachel Gibson, Julie Anne Long, Julia Quinn are all “must reads” for me.

I’ve done this once before, but here are some more recommendations for great romantic comedy novels:

Breathing Room by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

I could read this book a thousand times and always laugh. A therapist and marriage counselor has her life fall spectacularly apart when her own marriage goes bust. She meets an actor known for playing psycho killers who wants to bust out of mold. It’s set in a little Italian village and also involves a mystery surrounding a fertility statue. Very funny. Also check out Natural Born Charmer. 

Best Man by Kristan Higgins

Faith Holland returns to her hometown after being dumped at the altar. Levi Cooper is the best friend of her former fiancé. He helped ruin her wedding. She should hate him but…maybe she was always meant to be with him? One of the best from a great author. Also check out If Only You Knew.

Hot in Hellcat Canyon by Julie Anne Long

Julie Anne Long may be more-well known for her historicals, but this book is the first book in a contemporary series. It’s just perfection. An actor who became famous in a TV over show a decade ago fears he may become washed up. A waitress in a small town who is more than his match. Also check out First Time at Firelight Fallsfrom the same series.

Wild Child by Molly O’Keefe

Molly O’Keefe is another author who really knows how to do humor well. This one features a “bad girl” who’s been trying to outrun her notorious past. Also check out Can’t Buy Me Love. 

Just Like Heaven by Julia Quinn

This is the first in a spinoff series from Julia’s popular Bridgerton family series. 

The Smythe-Smith quartet is awful. Even the women who are forced to participate in the family ensemble know it, but they can’t escape. You’ll love this one. 

 And…ending with my latest release SECOND CHANCE HERO, part of my Palm Cove Tales series. 

Second Chance Hero is the follow-up to The Heiress Games trilogy, featuring Serena Douglas, who not only lost the Armington fortune, but also managed to escape the competition without falling in love. 

Or so she thought…It all starts with a new challenge…and bald cat named King Tut. Serena has a chance to win a $10 million fortune. All she needs is a job. Too bad the only one willing to “hire” her is the one man she’s been trying to forget since she was a teenager. 

HURRY! Second Chance Hero is on sale right now for just .99 cents! Snap it up quick before the price goes back up!

AMAZON    /      APPLE BOOKS     /     B&N       /    KOBO

Kristin Wallace is a USA Today bestselling author of inspirational and sweet contemporary romance filled with “love, laughter and a leap of faith”. 

My Favorite Books of 2018 by Kristin Wallace

Our theme this month is our favorite books on 2018. Not an easy subject, actually. I read a lot of good books and discovered several new authors. However my favorite books happened to be by some of my all-time favorite authors. Here are a few you might want to check out (if you haven’t already).

Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews

This is not a new book as it was published in 2015, but I must have missed it. I always enjoy Mary Kay Andrews’ humor. The book follows a location scout who is looking for the perfect beach town for a movie, and she finds it in tiny Cypress Key, Florida. Not everyone is thrilled to have a movie come to town, including the mayor (who has to be the love interest of course). This book is lots of fun.

The Glass Kitchen by Linda Francis Lee

This book is also not new (2014) but I found it last year too. This story has a romance and a bit of magic as the heroine uses food to see what’s coming and sense peoples’ emotions. After a childhood tragedy she suppresses her “gift”, then buries it even further to please her demanding, society husband. After a divorce and a move to her grandmother’s old house, her gift begins to return, aided by a gorgeous landlord. If you’re a foodie you will really love this book.

First Star I See Tonight by Susan Elizabeth Phillip

SEP never fails to deliver, and in this book she returns to the world of the Chicago Stars. The story centers on a struggling female detective who is trying to play bodyguard to a stubborn ex-football player who doesn’t think he needs protecting. 

Good Luck With That by Kristan Higgins

Kristan has moved more toward women’s fiction than straight romance in the last two years, but this book has both. The subject matter is also a bit darker as it deals with two women who struggle with being overweight and the emotional weight that comes with that. In the end it’s a moving story about what happens when women learn to embrace their bodies and be happy.

First Time at Firelight Falls by Julie Anne Long

Julie Anne Long may be more well-known for her historical romances, particularly her Pennyroyal Green series. She also has a fantastic contemporary series called Hellcat Canyon and if you haven’t read them…do so now! The latest book uncovers some secrets and there is a smokin’ hot ex-Navy SEAL turned elementary school principal hero. Yummy and lots of fun.

So those are my favorite books...tell me a few of yours!

Kristin Wallace is the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. Look for her upcoming release, an all new Palm Cove Tale, SECOND CHANCE HERO coming soon.

Romance Authors Helped Me Through Tough Times

Judith Ashley is the author of The Sacred Women’s Circle series, romantic fiction that honors spiritual practices that nourish the soul and celebrates the journey from relationship to romance.

I’d never really read romance novels until the summer of 1997. Oh, it isn’t that I’d never seen one, one of my aunts was an avid reader of Danielle Steele.

However the summer of 1997 my dad had exploratory surgery. Sitting in the hospital waiting for the surgeon to advise us as to the outcome, I needed something to distract me other than a Tom Clancy or psych-thriller-type book.

The hospital gift shop had Nora Roberts’ books and, while I don’t remember the title, I never looked back. You see, even though the surgeon said the operation was a success and the cancer had been removed, that wasn’t true.

When my dad’s balance went and his eye-sight was affected and the headaches relentlessly pounded, my mom relented and let me make an appointment to see an oncologist.

By this time it was too late. Over the next months, I spent hours with my dad at doctor appointments and while he had radiation treatments. Where was my mom? Her grief over losing her soul mate, her life partner for almost 60 years took a massive toll on her health. So much so, we weren’t sure she’d survive.

Trade paperbacks by Nora, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Jo Beverley and a myriad others easily tucked into my purse. One was always on hand to distract me while waiting.

And that’s how my path to writing romance started. I read, immersed myself in the stories knowing that a happily-ever-after waited for me on the last page, while knowing a happily-ever-after was not waiting for me in my real life.

My dad died March 8, 1998. I was invited to join Wild Women Writers in December 1999. Originally I was going to take a personal growth program I’d developed in the early 1980’s and turn it into a book. I dithered around with that project for a year and then the magic happened.

I started remembering dreams, having day dreams, hearing voices of women who wanted me to tell their stories. They each wanted a happily-ever-after and were positive I was the only one who could write about them. All those hours of escaping into the pages of romance novels rushed back. I put the personal growth book away and started writing down the visions and voices that would not leave me alone.

Would I be a romance author now if not for all those books I read in hospital rooms and doctor’s offices? Read at night or when I couldn’t sleep in an effort to push away the darkness of grief at losing my dad?

Would I have taken the plunge if I hadn’t had these books in my hands?

I don’t think so.

While I’m no Nora or Susan or Jo, if one reader benefits from my books like I did from theirs, then I’m happy.

After working in social services for fifty or so years, one thing I know is this truth: We never know the impact we have on others. We never know if something we’ve said or written or done will change someone’s life.

What I also know is true is that when we move forward in our lives with love in our hearts and our deeds, we do no harm. And what better caveat than that – we send love into the world and did no harm.

Learn more about Judith's The Sacred Women’s Circle series at JudithAshleyRomance.com

Follow Judith on Twitter: JudithAshley19

Check out Judith’s Windtree Press author page.

You can also find Judith on FB! 

© 2018 Judith Ashley

What turns me on in a book by Kristin Wallace

As I write this, I should be in the throes of getting ready for my trip to Alaska so this post might be short. The theme on RTG this month is “What turns your on or off in a book?” For me it’s humor or the lack of humor. I like a book that makes me laugh. Not that all the drama and emotion should be left out, but a book full of nothing but angst and darkness is something I can’t handle. 

That’s why my favorite authors write humor. They can make me cry, too, but there must be laughs. Actually, if they can pull off BOTH that is a really good book. It’s not easy to write humor, of course. Most people have different ideas about what is funny or not. 

I’m not sure it’s something you can teach, either. I have always just naturally gravitated toward humorous situations in my stories. Like a “true-love-doesn’t-exist” woman who gets roped into taking over a wedding planning business (MARRY ME). Or three women trying to win custody of a pig…and a fortune (The Heiress Games series). Even in my darkest book (Imagine That) where the hero’s mother is dying I managed to inject humor. In fact, I deliberately added more humor because I couldn’t take so much sadness. 

I’ll finish with some of my personal recommendations if you want a romance with humor.

Ain’t She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Honestly, you can’t go wrong with any SEP book if you’re looking for humor. She’s pretty much the master and the kind of writer I aspire to be. Another great one of hers is Breathing Room. 

Too Good To Be True by Kristan Higgins

Anther author where you really can’t go wrong if you want your stories with some LOLs. In this one, the heroine makes up a fake boyfriend with hilarious results. 

Rescue Me by Rachel Gibson

Really, try any of her books. She’s always funny. 

Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

This book is not exactly new, but do yourself a favor and search for it. Jennifer Crusie is amazingly talented. Faking It is also great, as well as Agnes and the Hitman, which she co-authored with Bob Mayer.

Bridget Jones’ Diary by Helen Fielding

Have you ever read the book on which the movie starring Renee Zellwegger & Colin Firth is based? If not, you really should. 

Here’s a historical romance offering:

10 Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

This book made me absolutely fall in love…with Julia Quinn. 

Do you have any funny book recommendations? Please share them!

Kristin Wallaceis the USA Today Best Selling Author of inspirational and contemporary romance, and women’s fiction filled with “Love, Laughter and a Leap of Faith”. She has three series, Shellwater Key Tales(sweet contemporary romance) and Covington Falls Chronicles (inspirational romance). Check out her newest series, The Heiress Games, a sweet contemporary that sees three very different women competing for custody of a pampered pig…and a $120 million fortune. Find out more about her books at Kristin Wallace Author.

Summer Time and the reading is easy?

By: Marcia King-Gamble

 http://on.fb.me/1GF28CG

With summer right around the corner,  I’m embarrassed to say that while I have a long list of   ‘Must Reads,’ it’s more like ‘Must Get To.”

Don’t get me wrong, the desire to read is there and it’s very strong. I want to read each and every one of those books on my nightstand. In fact I’m dying to. My challenge is time, and the formidable stack competes with my writing energy.

So what to do? Miss those deadlines or get through those books.

Top of the list is Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ Heroes are my Weakness. Yes, I know, considering this book was released last summer, I am coming to the party late.  But never would be out of the question. I love this talented author’s writing, and a more gracious lady you will never meet. Just about anything she pens becomes a favorite, and a good read to take to the pool with me.

Since I live in Florida, reading takes place beach or poolside, especially in the summer when temperatures soar.

Okay, so you didn’t ask, but I will tell you. What keeps me so busy this summer?  Writing of course. I’ve committed to a box set with seven other authors.

 For those of you who don’t know what a box set is, it’s a themed storyline that the authors all contribute to. Eight of us will write individual novellas but the stories are all packaged as one.   You get eight different voices and eight different stories and all at an affordable price. They are quick, easy reads. 

Women supposedly like Bad Boys (can you tell me why?)  So my colleagues and I bring you ‘Bad Boys on Holiday.’ These are hot guys on vacation stories. Can the heroines reel them in? Here is a wonderful Hawaiian sunrise to put you in the mood.

The cover’s not done yet, or I would share it with you. Be assured the moment it’s ready, you’ll get a sneak peek. My novella, titled Islands Apart and set on Oahu (Hawaii) – a place where I lived way back when - has a delicious bad boy, hero, Caden - A disgraced football player who thinks he’s about to be dropped from the team.  He’s having one last good time with his boys before the  real world intrudes.

My heroine, Livvy is a full figured software developer in search of her missing brother. She is pretending to be the quintessential party girl while looking around.   Their paths cross when Caden rescues Livvy from an overzealous 'player,' - not the athletic kind.

Our challenge is to keep these fast paced stories flowing and not make the romance seem forced. 

Second on my list of projects, is a novel that’s done but needs a bit of sprucing up. I’ve reworked this book so many times, to suit so many publishers, that I can probably recite each page line for line.  It’s a story that needs to be told and I’m bound and determined to do so.

The heroine, Juliette Sanders, is a divorced single parent, raising a twelve year old daughter, Halle - the result of in vitro fertilization.  Currently in remission for cancer, Halle’s only hope is a stem cell transplant. Juliette is obsessed with finding the anonymous donor.

My hero, Alexander Neal is in recovery after losing his wife and unborn twins in a tragic accident. The last thing he expects to hear is that a stranger has his child.  As a struggling grad school student, he sold his sperm. Now he is faced with the tough decision of  whether to get involved. This is one of my bigger books and one I am especially proud of.

So most of my reading will take place this fall.  Top of my list is a Janet Evanovich Stephanie Plum escapade. Having lived in New Jersey, her books keep me spellbound and laughing till my sides ache.  I’m finishing up Beverley Gail Eikli’s Reluctant Bride right now. It’s a historical and I am loving it.

The unread pile ranges from Sophie Kinsella to Emily Giffin, and a personal favorite (one of the reasons I started writing) talented author, Rochelle Alers.

Do you have a “Must Read” this summer - Share! Share! Share!

Marcia King-Gamble is a National Bestseller of 30 novels and 5 novellas. She hails from a sunny Caribbean island where the sky and ocean are the same mesmerizing shade of blue. Marcia currently lives in the USA.

She is a former travel industry executive and a self proclaimed globetrotter.Visit her website at www.lovemarcia.com

Why Unrequited Love? by Sarah Raplee

THIS HEART OF MINE

Hi! I'm Sarah Raplee, and I write scary, funny paranormal and steampunk romances. I write because I can't help it, and it's more fun than most of the alternatives. I have short stories in two anthologies, LOVE & MAGICK and GIFTS FROM THE HEART  from Windtree Press. My PN Romantic Suspense novel, BLINDSIGHT, will be released next month.

I’ve always been interested in stories of unrequited love. One of my favorite opening lines in a romance novel is from the great Susan Elizabeth Phillips’ This Heart of Mine.

The day Kevin Tucker nearly killed her, Molly Somerville swore off unrequited love forever.

Of course, just when Molly is ready to finally move on, Fate has other plans for this unlikely couple. Which begs the question, why does a person love someone for years when the object of their affections not only doesn’t love them back, but is unlikely to or even incapable of ever returning their love? Doesn't even know of their love?

Loving someone you know is out of reach may be a way to protect your heart. If you never have their love, you can never feel the pain of losing it.

Never telling someone you love them means never risking rejection.

Loving someone from afar may mean never having to deal with the reality of their flaws. You can create an idealized version of this perfect person who doesn’t really exist. Maybe you are too young or immature, or have too many unresolved ‘issues’ for a real love relationship between two normal, flawed people. For some, maybe it’s a practice step on the road to true love.

Sometimes, keeping your feelings to yourself may be a matter of honor. Your beloved is your friend’s husband or wife. Or a criminal. Or your people’s enemy.

What are your thoughts about unrequited love?