Wednesday, July 3, 2013

The Color of Love

Tagline: Libby's decision to have her house painted had some unexpected, but very romantic results!

In a Nutshell: Libby hires Paul the Painter to paint the exterior of her house, but gets Dan the Son of the Painter instead. He gives her some very good advice about color choices and they hit it off.

Observations: This is a plot we see often in the pages of Woman's World magazine--the woman needs some service and in the course of the man providing it, they flirt a little and end up on the path to romance.

We also see two nice relatable characters.

Dan: He's a teacher. Admirable profession. He cares for his father and is willing to run his business for him when he's recuperating from surgery. He offers her that advice, based on the experience and knowledge she doubted he had.

Libby: She immediately shows sympathy for the dad, even though this news made her wary about the quality of the service about to be provided. When she realizes Dan was right, she doesn't hesitate to admit it and tell him so. She offers to pay him for the time it took to come out and paint the swatch on the front of the house.

The only part I didn't like was her touching his cheek at the end. I read that and winced, thinking invasion of personal space. I didn't feel their relationship had developed to a point where she was free to touch his face. I would have preferred she gesture toward his cheek, but not actually touch it. And his taking her hand was too much for me, too. Other than that, it was a solid story.

Photo by Mini OzzY

14 comments:

Deb Noone said...

I was surprised by the ending, too - relationship moving fast. But figured WW is expanding its boundaries or "stepping out of the box" more and more.
Deb

Chris said...

I enjoyed this story but I'm with you on the personal contact so early on. Nicely done otherwise, though.

Tamara said...

Reminds me of a certain Valentine story in which the ending contained too much familiarity too soon -- NOT the author's invention.

Rebecca said...

I agree - had the same physical reaction (wincing) to the touching; in fact, I said 'Whoa!' out loud as I read it - LOL

Kate Willoughby said...

So, if this was an editorial insertion, I wonder if we can extrapolate that Johnene is a touchy-feely person... LOL

Mary Jo said...

Now that's kinda creepy, Kate. I don't know how old Johnene is, but she has been on the job for a long time. I have the impression that she is more than a little out of touch. How is that for a pun?

Actually, I liked this story a lot. I thought it was well written and it seemed very real. Well, when I had my house painted, I had about half a dozen large swatches painted on one outside wall before I finally decided on Dolphin Fin with a Swan's Wing trim. Let me point out that we don't know how old Libby is. She goes to a job, but she may very well be in her 60's and getting ready to retire in a smaller home. Maybe she will meet Paul the Painter (as she had expected) soon and fall in love--then it will really be a romance. A little connection by touching the paint smear that happened to be on the son Dan's face. Heh heh.

By the way, could C.S. possibly be a man taking a fling at the romance genre? Do you know?

Chris said...

Hi ladies, I just spotted a competition that might appeal to any of you romance writers who've also had a go at a novel. It's free to enter and the work has to be at least 50,000 words. Anyone interested?

QUIRK LOVE STORY CONTEST
http://quirkbooks.com/lovestories
---
NO ENTRY FEE
First prize is $10,000 AND publication by Quirk Books. We’re looking for love stories that are fresh, fun, and strikingly unconventional.
Boy Meets Girl. Girl Meets Girl. Girl Meets Shark. Shark Meets Pirate. Anything goes! Except vampires. Sorry. Win us over, knock us out, and show us what we're missing! The contest deadline is October 1, 2013.
At least 50,000 words.

Betsi said...

I love how the votes are all over the place on this one! But it always amazes me to see a "didn't like it" vote on ANY WW story.

Kate Willoughby said...

Isn't it weird, Betsi? Just goes to show you how subjective fiction is.

Pat said...

I agree that it's weird. When someone votes, "didn't like it" I wonder why they even bother to read the magazine or if they are just being vicious. I don't think I've ever voted less than "like." The romance is my first read, the mystery the second, then I read the rest of my Woman's World cover to cover.

Unknown said...

Hi everyone! I'm just coming on board. I've been reading WW many , many years. :-) Love your blog, Kate.

I write short stories and have decided to try WW. Thanks for your help! :-)

Betsi said...

Hi, Mary! I recommend that in addition to following Kate's wonderful blog, you join the Yahoo group WWWriters. Searching the archives will answer a lot of question, and all the ladies (and men) are supportive and helpful.
Good luck selling to WW!

Chris said...

Welcome, Mary. This is a great site and you'll get loads of advice from all the WW writers who've had stuff accepted. So far I'm not one of them as my stories have always been returned as too British, but with everyone's help I feel I'm getting closer. Good luck with your submissions.

Kate Willoughby said...

Mary Jo, I have no idea if CS is a man or a woman.

Pat, I've voted "didn't like" before. It's rare, but it happens.

Welcome, Mary!