A Hopeful Thanksgiving

by Delsora Lowe from the December 2, 2024 issue

Tagline: For Tina, volunteering at the community Thanksgiving dinner served up more than just good food...it gave her a chance at a new love.

Observations: Seems odd to have a Thanksgiving story in a December issue, but I guess that just goes to show you that you have multiple chances to sell a holiday story to Woman's World!!

I wanted to point out in this story how Ms. Lowe so gracefully inserted that backstory into the middle of the story. 

At first, all we know is that she has a crush on this guy. Later, we find out Tina and Stephen knew each other as kids and this delayed information gives the story more warmth. If we'd known Tina's carried this torch for 40ish years right from the get-go, we might form a less than favorable opinion of her. But Lowe introduced us to her first, painting her as an eager community volunteer, so we admire her first and find out about her long-time crush afterward.

Photo by Deb Nystrom via Flickr CC License

A Sweet Side of Mix-up

by Mina Beckett from the November 18, 2024 issue

Tagline: After walking into the wrong house on Thanksgiving, Ryan was welcomed at the Collins table...and Claire quickly opened her heart to him.

Observations: What a classic misunderstanding story! I want you all to notice that while Claire has no idea that the guy who shows up isn't her cousin's boyfriend, the reader almost assuredly does.

The guy blinked, looking slightly confused for a second, but he recovered quickly.

It's nice to know that you don't have to craft this as a complete surprise to the reader. In fact, sometimes you want the reader to be in on the joke, as it were, so there's that extra little bit of amusement.

Honestly the only thing that surprised me was that Claire, a single woman, was hosting this sizeable Thanksgiving for her family. I did wonder if there weren't other family members better able to host the event. Is it old-fashioned of me to expect that a married couple would have volunteered to host?

Photo by Kevin Dooley via Flickr CC License

True Love at First Down

by Veda Boyd Jones from the November 11, 2024 issue

Tagline: New to town and looking to treat her nephew to a fun birthday outing, Katie attends a local college football game and finds kind eyes in the stands.

Observations: There is so much to talk about with this wonderful story from veteran writer Ms. Jones. She did a phenomenal job of setting the scene at a college football game and keeping us there in the moment. 

At the very beginning, she shows Katie and her nephew struggling to get to their seats. Anyone who has attended any type of stadium/arena game knows how tightly the seats are packed. We also see the kid put the soda on the ground, which I'm sure many of us have done at places that don't have cup holders. 

Bill almost acts like an announcer for Katie, telling her about how the team comes out and informing her about the jets.

Jones also does an excellent job of interspersing the game action with dialogue, which incidentally, really does its job of connecting the two main characters and revealing information about them.

All through the story you feel like you're there.

I wanted to also point out how she slipped in some extremely concise physical information about Bill... 

The man next to Cody leaned in a forward position and she looked into dark blue eyes surrounded by laugh lines.

The only other info we get about him, physically, is that he's around her age, 30-something. I point this out because, in my class on how to write and sell romances to Woman's World, I talk about ways to keep your word count low. Skimping on physical description is one of them. While it's nice to dedicate an entire paragraph to really paint a picture of a character, it's not necessary, as you can see in this story.

Jones also does a good job of showing Katie and Bill connecting, but not completely ignoring Cody. If the story had only shown them talking to each other, the characters would have appeared selfish, especially since this is supposed to be a birthday present to Cody. 

I also loved the playful banter at the end. Notice how Jones withheld the dialogue tags to keep that conversation snappy. And that mention of the ballet? Excellent.

I also spotted two typos. Did you see them?

Photo by Breezy Baldwin via Flickr CC License

A Spook-tacular Matchmaking

by Lisa Weaver from the November 4, 2024 issue

Tagline: As a Halloween enthusiast down on her luck when it came to love, Cassie wasn't expecting to fall head over heels for her handsome client

Observations: I'm constantly surprised at how well the authors can deliver a story that's the same, but different. Maybe my senior brain is malfunctioning, but I can't remember seeing a pumpkin-carving/pet costume contest story before. So, well done, Ms. Weaver.

I also noticed many fall and Halloween turns-of-phrase in her story. Did you catch them all?

"...she was batty about Halloween."

"...the shiver that zizagged down Cassie's spine...had nothing to do with things that went bump in the night..."

"...his gaze as hot as a raging bonfire."

That sort of thing can really help set the scene/mood.

I always enjoy Ms. Weaver's stories.

Photo by William Warby via Flickr CC License

The Monster Match Dance

by Carol J. Douglas from the October 28, 2024 issue

Tagline: Halloween-obsessed Mandy had given up hope of finding her spooky soulmate until a chance run-in at a local store changes her haunting fate.

Observations: This story was adorable! First of all, the author does a great job of getting us in the halloween mood and giving us some real insight into the heroine and her love of Halloween. I don't know about you, but I really felt for Mandy and hoped she would find someone who shared her love for that holiday. It's hard enough finding someone compatible, let alone zeroing in on one particular passion.

I liked that the hero had a sense of humor...

He was dressed as a vampire and was just as swoon-worthy as one. His name tag said: JOSH.

"Thanks," Mandy said. "Great costume[,] Josh!"

"Oh, it's not a costume."

Seeing their surprised faces, he said conspiratorially, "It really is, but if I had my way, I'd wear a costume every day!"

The black moment was poignant to me. I felt the disappointment along with Mandy (even though I knew he'd be there at the end.) And I really liked the ending, forecasting the next Halloween which, if all went well, would include a wedding!

Photo by Shanna S. via Flickr CC License

Roadside Reunion

by Beth Pugh from the October 7, 2024 issue

Tagline: As she's about to lose hope for making the night perfect for her niece, Amanda finds help from an old "friend."

Observations: The thing that stood out in this story to me was the heroine. We all know the readership for the magazine skews toward older women, but let's not make the mistake of assuming this demographic expects or wants protagonists to behave as if they were from the 50s. 

Yet, it wouldn't be wise to swing the other way and make your heroine the type of woman who doesn't need a man for anything. 

So there's a balance you need to achieve. You want your heroine to be strong and capable and confident. But you still want to keep the hero, well, heroic. This story hit the nail on the head.

Amanda is understandably daunted when faced with changing the tire on her own, but she's also resourceful and turns to the internet for help. (However, if it had been my story, I might not have had Amanda pretending everything was fine for her niece. Better to set the example on how to problem solve.) So there's your strong, capable woman at work. And then Jake arrives. He is not pushy and there's no man-splaining, just an honest offer of help. 

On a side note, are there still drive-in theatres where you live?

Photo by Mike Mozart via Flickr CC License

After the Rain

by Rosemary Hayes from the September 30, 2024 issue.

Tagline: En route to make her final Home Meals delivery of the day, Rachel finds herself caught in the rain. It seems not only raindrops fall on her that afternoon, but also a chance at love when kind-eyed Callum offers her an umbrella and a hand. 

Observations: Rosemary Hayes is a veteran Woman's World romance writer and this story is an example of why. I mean, the hero is the embodiment of chivalry! Who doesn't like the idea of being swept up in a strong man's arms? (It really should happen to us more than just on our wedding day. Maybe we can propose having a National Sweep Your Wife Up in your Arms Day or something.)

I noticed two reliable tropes in this story. First, we have the matchmaking grandfather. Second, there's the problem of the hero and heroine living too far apart. Tropes are sometimes thought of as cliche, but in Woman's World stories, they're what the readers want. They want that familiarity. Tropes are like comfort food, but in story form, so don't be afraid to use them.

Did you see any tropes in here that I missed?

Photo by Colin Brown via Flickr CC License

Love Among the Pages

by Donna J. Collin from the September 23, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Jessica offered to help her dad at his antiques store, she wasn't looking for romance--until a customer and and old book changed that.

Observations: This story is oozing the kind of nostalgia for days gone by that Woman's World seems to love. Mostly, I think this is because of the reader demographics that skew older women. This man finds a mysterious old poetry book in his grandmother's house and wants to find out more about it for insurance purposes.  It doesn't get any more sentimental than that!

I also really liked Jessica, the heroine. The heroine should be someone likeable, someone you'd like to have as a friend and I'd like to have Jessica as a friend. She helps her dad out when he needs it. She's cautious...

He seemed a decent sort. But what kind of guy, she thought as a queasy feeling took hold, tries to sell his grandmother's book of love poems?

He touches her on the arm. This is physical contact that I approve of. LOL If you're a regular reader of my blog, you know I am not a fan of premature touching which is touching someone in a way that seems to intimate, considering the amount of time they've known each other or the circumstances.

Finally, I'd like to point out the subtle black moment. Woman's World stories don't always have black moments, but this one did and I thought it was clever. He leaves her a voicemail that gets her hopes up and then it just ends. But don't worry. There was another message, one that asked her if she wanted to go to dinner with him. 

The ending was perfect. The last paragraph gives us a moment to absorb the happy news, along with Jessica, and then she takes action and the story ends on that moment of optimistic happiness that all is going to go well. Chef's kiss!

Photo by Kate Ter Haar via Flickr CC License

Time for True Love To Shine

by Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk from the September 9, 2024 issue

Tagline: Linda was rusty at flirting, but a chance meeting with a handsome car-show member gave her the confidence to get behind the wheel again.

Observations: This story is a good example of showing character arc. As I talk about in my book, Story Sparking, How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World 5-Minute Romances, one jumping off point is to choose a fear and show the character getting over it. 

Let's look at the progression in this story where Linda's fear is getting back into the dating world. By the end of the story, though, she literally says, "I'm ready." 

1. She starts out so closed to the idea dating that she doesn't even hear Larry call her pretty. 

2. Her friend points this out and suggests she take the man up on his offer. 

3. Linda reflects on what happened and admits/realizes her friend was right.

4. Linda gives one last feeble attempt to avoid taking action but her friend nixes that in the bud.

5. Linda does some more introspection and gives us readers a chance to connect with her. No one likes to feel lost and invisible. We want her to succeed with Larry.

6. She accepts Larry's invitation to go for a ride in his truck.

7. Her confidence blooms when she insists he let her drive. 

So, you can easily see how she starts out closed off but ends up self-assured. We all like to see hard work rewarded and showing character growth makes you feel like the heroine earned the happily ever after. 

If you'd like some more ways to generate story ideas, again, check out my Story Sparking book.

Photo by Rebecca Siegel via Flickr CC License

A Ruse that Leads to Love

by Veda Boyd Jones from the September 2, 2024 issue

Tagline: Paige was just looking for a quick getaway from a chatty picnic-goer when she approached Landon for assistance...but ended up finding much more.

Observations: OMG, I ADORED the hilarious plot twist! I can usually spot them easily, but this one really took me by surprise. 

Let me point out a few things you might (or might not!) have missed--hints that he is the mayor and hints that he's just some guy.

He's the mayor clues:

We get an idea that he knows the residents of his town because he thinks of Mrs. Reece as being able to "talk an ear off a stalk of corn." He also knows Polly Hamilton well enough to know her daily routine.

He has a "best carrying voice," which would come in handy when addressing crowds.

He has a "thousand-watt smile"--a handy thing for a politician.

He's just your regular, everyday guy:

He has work-roughened hands.

He runs the hardware store and helps out on his grandfather's ranch.

The ending is the best one I've read in a long time. It's so funny and we get a one-two punch of the reveal that he's the mayor and the joke about his speech. I want you to pay close attention to the comedic beat there that makes the joke even funnier. Here's the end without the beat. 

"Welcome to the annual Labor Day Celebration," he said as he glanced Paige's way. "I'm Mayor Landon Wentworth. I'll try to keep it short."

Now read it with the beat.

"Welcome to the annual Labor Day Celebration," he said as he glanced Paige's way. "I'm Mayor Landon Wentworth." He flashed her a teasing grin. "I'll try to keep it short."

Notice how that pause is crucial. Jones needed to let the reveal land before she hit you with the joke. It's funny, no doubt, without that teasing grin, but that beat in between makes it more funny. Comedy is all about the timing!

Photo by Sylvar via Flickr CC License

A Perfect Beach Escape

by Audrey Wick from the August 26, 2024 issue

Tagline: As Becca settles into her tropical vacation, she meets a surprise companion who makes her getaway all the sweeter.

Off the Cuff Observations: I'm behind on blogging again, so to try to catch up, I sometimes just record my thoughts as I read the story. So, here goes. :)

It's a vacation story. Those are always tricky because you have to get the reader to believe in the coincidence that two people who hit it off on vacation happen to live in the same town. But that may not be the case here.

She's caring for aging parents. Boy, do I feel that. My mom has dementia and it's hard to watch the slow but inevitable decline. Harder, though, for my sister and her husband, who moved in with her.

Of course she's reading romance! I think it's practically a given that a heroine in a Woman's World story is a romance reader. LOL

I like this sentence:

He winked, a playful gleam from his dreamy blue eyes energizing the space between them.

It's "electricity" without a too-intimate touch. Perfect.

Okay, I've already sped to the end of the story. Interesting. I really liked the descriptions of the setting. Wick really painted the tropical scene well. But it's curious that the ending is, well, so open-ended. Like I mentioned at the beginning, where do the two vacationers go from there? Maybe he lives on one coast and she lives on the other... I guess we just have to trust that they will go on the sunset cruise and just see what happens. This is a definite departure from the norm for Woman's World stories. I'll be keeping an eye out for more stories with ambiguous HEAs. 

Photo by James via Flickr CC License

Sprinkled with Kisses

by Cher L. Tom from the August 19, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Jessica's husband, Ryan, was spending all his time at work, she felt the love draining from their marriage--until he surprised her.

Observations: I find it very hard to write a marriage-in-trouble story, but Ms. Tom did it. The story focuses on the heroine's wistfulness at how it used to be when her husband was around. We see the romance as it was in the past. 

I thought it very clever of her to have Jessica leave a voicemail for Ryan so that he would know that they were camping. And tying the popcorn in at the end was good too. 

Photo by Calamity Sal via Flickr CC license

What's For Dessert?

by Kathryn England from the August 12, 2024 issue 

Tagline: Falling more in love with him each day, Beth devised a plan to surprise Walter with a sweet proposal at their favorite restaurant.

Observations: This story flipped a trope, which is a great way to give Woman's World what they want, but with a twist.

Trope: A man asks a woman to marry him.

The Twist: He already did ask her and she put him off for a year. Now she's asking him.

That's all it takes. One small tweak to the trope and boom, you have fresh story. 

I loved the "black moment," where we think that the proposal is ruined because Walter decided to mix it up by changing his dessert order. We're worried because Beth went to a lot of trouble to set this up. She even got a "men's engagement ring." (I had no idea these existed, but I suppose when a gay man proposes to his partner, he needs a ring! The ones I found looked like wedding bands.) We hope that Mama Giovanni can fix things and she does.

I had trouble picturing what she'd done because I had never heard of either of these desserts before. The Bonet alla piemontese is like a chocolate flan. Zuccotto is like what they pictured in the magazine. So, picture a chocolate flan with a piece having been replaced by a large piece of bundt cake looking dessert. 

Both of them sound delicious and I want to try making them. I'll post pictures if I ever get around to it.

Photo by arsheffield via Flickr CC license

A Purr-fect Love Match

by Jessica Eissfeldt from the August 5, 2024 issue

Tagline: Event planner Melissa didn't plan on her van breaking down on the way to a party...but when it did, it just so happened to lead her to a new love.

Observations: This story had a couple of things I thought I'd point out that you usually need.

1. Physical attraction - The editors have stated that they like to see this on the page. Eissfeldt did this many times in her story.

Her heart flipped.

Her pulse fluttered.

She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear even as her cheeks warmed.

As she took [the cat carrier], their fingers brushed, and warmth zipped through her.

"I'd love to," she replied, and her heart fluttered.

2. You should also establish the love interest's availability because in real life you can't just assume the man who called a tow truck for you is single. LOL

She noted he didn't wear a ring.

3. A black moment when you think "all is lost." This isn't actually mandatory. I've seen stories with no black moment. But usually, if you look really hard, there is one. This story's black moment was obvious.

He held her gaze as he smiled at her. But then he turned to open his driver's door.

Melissa wasn't sure what to think. Had she misread his kindness as something more?

Photo by Alan Cleaver via Flickr CC license

A Garden of Love in Bloom

by Stacey Weeks from the July 29, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Maria Lopez found solitude in her local community garden, she never expected it might also be the place she would stumble upon love.

Observations: This was a truly heartwarming story that spanned quite a lot of time. You'll notice it starts with the day they meet. Then an unknown amount of time goes by and we get another little snippet of their growing friendship. Another unknown amount of time goes by and we get the third act of the story in which David finally makes a move. This was my kind of story. There was no "rushed intimacy" or accidental touches while handing someone an object. In fact, David touches the brim of her hat first, in act two. Then he finally takes her hand in his, but it seems like a natural progression because they've spent so much time together. I truly got goosebumps when I read the end.

Photo by Aaron Baugher via Flickr CC license

The Handiest Man of All

 

by Bill Holton from the July 22, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Lauren hired a handyman to help fix her lawn mower, a classic name mix-up ended up leading her to another handsome helper.

Observations: This was a classic mistaken identity story, so well done. You can see how the mistake continues to be made very naturally. It's explained that there's a one hour minimum, which makes perfect sense, so that's why Lauren continues to find stuff for him to do. And when you read it the second time, it's really funny! Especially the reveal.

"I...I thought you were the handyman," she stammered. "You waved."

"I wave at a lot of people," Bill said. "Not many wave back. So I stopped to introduce myself, and when you told me your lawn mower wasn't working..."

Hilarious!

Then, that epilogue...

..."Not only [did she pay me anyway], but the guy gave me a double tip. I told them, "But I didn't do anything,' and you wouldn've thought I made the funniest joke, the way they laughed..."

10/10!

Photo by Ivan Radic via Flickr CC license

Love's Riddle

by Shelley Cooper from the July 8, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Ian was taking care of his nephew, Jonah, while his parents were away, he ahd to find a way to keep him from becoming homesick. But little did Ian know, his tactic to make Jonah smile would lead to an instant connection with his beautiful neighbor, Claire...and turn into true love. 

Observations: I loved the idea of the kid's joke stand! It's the lemonade stand turned on its head. What a great way to subvert that trope. Ms. Cooper is a master and this description of the hero is so good.

A rumbling chuckle drew Claire's attention to the man standing watch a few feet behind Jonah. He had eyes the color of ripe blueberries, tousled brown hair and an off-kilter smile that did funny things to her sense of balance.

I love "rumbling chuckle," that his eyes were the color of "ripe blueberries," and that he had an "off-kilter smile." 

I loved that Ian asked her out by cracking a joke. So clever.

This story was a 10 for me!

Photo by Neil Conway via Flickr CC License

A Whale of a Time

by Veda Boyd Jones from the July 15, 2024 issue

Tagline: On a summer cruise to Alaska with his dad, Marshall met Abby, who was traveling with her aunt. Soon, sparks fly.

Observations: It's a strange coincidence that I am doing some serious research on an Alaskan cruise for my extended family-- my mom (87 years old and still kicking), my siblings and their families and me and my family! So I immediately identified with the people in this story. I am a bit jealous though because on my whale watching excursion, we saw whales, but only with binoculars.

By the way, if you've never cruised to Alaska, put it on your bucket list. There is no cruise that is like it in the world. The views are majestic and you feel so close to nature.

Back to the story...most of it happens during dinner, but what a dinner! Marshall and Abby really make a connection. We see that they both care deeply about the elder members of their respective families. We see that conversation between the two of them comes easily. Then, on the whale watching trip, Marshal realizes Abby is very special and the ending is perfect.

We even see a second romance budding between the dad and aunt. A twofer!

The only thing that gave me pause was when Marshall declared of Abby's ex, "He was fool!" That came across a little stilted to me. I'd have preferred something more like "What an idiot." Or, "What a lamebrain." Or, "He obviously didn't deserve you."

Photo by Mark Gunn via Flickr CC license

A Star-Spangled July Reunion

by Mina Beckett from the July 1, 2024 issue

Tagline: After a year had gone by, Sophia was stunned to see Jake at the town's Fourth of July event...but the duo picked up right where they left off.

Off the Cuff Literally As I Read Observations: This story is excelling at describing the setting. From the sights, sounds, smells the author depicted, I feel like I'm right there experiencing it all.

Ah, Jake Parker...the one who got away. He's obviously strong, judging from the effortless way he's carrying the crates of refreshments. 

I am wondering how old Sophia is.

She's been thinking about him for a year? I can't help but wonder why she hasn't at least gone into his restaurant with a girlfriend to test the waters.

More super amazing description...

As she weaved through the throngs of youngsters, their sticky fingers reachign for sugary treats and running with boundless energy.

That was only one sentence, but it does so much to create atmosphere.

"Jake...do you remember last year after the fireworks? We were cleaning up and we...well, we talked about everything and anything. It was really nice."

Yeah, Sophia! Way to be assertive! 

Okay, he cups her jaw. Yeah, this makes me uncomfortable. I would have had him place a hand on her shoulder or just meet her gaze squarely, but it seems that my boundaries for physical touch and intimacy between fictional couples are way more sensitive than many writers' and the editors'. (If you're interested, there's a hierarchy of physical intimacy and here's an article about it.) This isn't the first time a character touches another one in a story and I think it's too much too fast. This might be purposeful. A man cupping a woman's jaw is undoubtedly romantic and intimate, so perhaps this is the intention of Beckett and the editors--to add romance. 

As far as writing your own stories, write what you believe your characters would do. Use your own judgment. If you're like me, not so touchy-feely right away, there are plenty of ways to increase romance and dial up the intimacy that don't involve rushing up that hierarchy. You can describe the tone and volume of the voice, have him touch her hand or, as I said before, meet her gaze. 

Okay, so it's much later and this happens:

She leaned into him, her head finding a natural resting place on his shoulder as they watched the show.

And his brushes his lips against her hair and they hold hands too. I was fine with all of this because of the time that had passed. They'd spent the entire day together. For me, that's enough time for their relationship to progress to step 8 on the hierarchy.

All in all, this was a fantastic story full of fantastic setting descriptions and a heroine who finds the courage to make the first move.

Photo by Nigel Howe via Flickr CC license.

Silhouette in Full View

by Wendell J. Potter from the June 17, 2024 issue

Tagline: While on their outing to celebrate Father's Day, Anna and her father have two sweet encounters that soon lead to true love.

Observations: I loved seeing Anna and her dad's relationship. Truth in fact, I'm a little jealous. My dearly departed dad and I weren't close. 

I think it was awesome to get a twofer, too! Two romances in one story. I've read all of Mr. Potter's stories and I can say with confidence, they are much improved, which just goes to show you practice makes perfect.

Note the omniscient point of view. I'm not the best at writing this POV. I like to be in one character's head or the other's. But it's nice to see that Woman's World is flexible with points of view.

Photo by Rolands Lakis via Flickr CC license

Strawberry Festival Love

by Jennifer Anne F. Messing from the June 3, 2024 issue

Tagline: While at her vendor booth at the annual fair, Isabelle finally opens her heart to the possibility of romance--and before she knows it, love walks by.

Observations: "Strawberry Festival Love" gave me another idea for thinking up story plots. This story is set at a strawberry festival--a quintessential summer event. When you want to write a seasonal story, look at your town's event calendar, or even some other town's event calendar, for settings. 

For instance, in Los Angeles, I found:

• Summer Sports Brewfest
• Beachside Summer Brunch
• Summer Cocktail Mixology Class
• Summer Wine Fest
• Summer Love Speed Dating Event
• Summer Culinary Creations
• Summertime Dessert and Tea Pairing Experience
• The Culinary Dude's Summer Cooking Camp: Harry Potter Inspired Recipes - Um, I want to go to this, but it's for kids! 
• Summer of love Charcuterie Class
• Vegan BBQ Party

Getting any ideas from this list of events? I am! So, what are you waiting for? Get writing!

Photo by kahvikisu via Flickr CC License

Flags of Love

by Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk from the May 27, 2024 issue

Tagline: After losing her beloved husband in combat, Memorial Day was tough for Annie each year. But just when she thought she would never love again, a chance encounter shows her that love can have a second life.

Observations: I apologize for not blogging in so very long. I swear, if I don't write things down in my calendar (and even sometimes when I do), it doesn't get done. Then, I went on vacation and swore I could get some blog posts out of the way. Did I? Nope. But I don't feel too guilty about that. I was on vacation.

This story is the perfect example of how to end a Woman's World first meet story a little differently. We have two people meeting and making a tentative connection. Normally, you would see them arrange a date or go out on one immediately. Here, there is no mention of a date, which is perfectly fine. If the author does a good enough job, you don't need that because you know in your heart that these two will eventually go out together.

Photo by Joey Zanotti via Flickr CC license

The Two Perfect Gifts

by Barbara Catlin Craven from the May 20, 2024 issue

Tagline: Upon listening to her horoscope for the day, Janna made a bold move that was quite out of character, but it led to unexpected love.

Observations: This story brought back great memories for me because the first story I sold to Woman's World was based on a horoscope! 

I think the best part of this story was the ending. We got a lovely two-part epilogue that was so perfect for the story.

However, I think they meant locket, not cameo. Cameos typically don't open up...

"And two-and-a-half years later, Brent gave Janna the traditional second anniversary gifts of cotton: two pink cotton baby blankets as well as a beautiful pink cameo that held pictures of their precious twin girls..."

It all makes sense now because when I read cameo, I was like, I'm 62. Not even my mom would choose a cameo for someone of childbearing age. A locket is still pretty old-fashioned, but might be okay. This is something I would caution writers of a certain age to watch out for. Make sure everything about your story is age appropriate to your characters, not to you.

Anyway, as I said, the first story I sold to Woman's World was based on a horoscope. After two rejections, I decided to look more closely at the contents of the magazine for story ideas and it worked like a charm! 

If you'd like other ways to come up with story ideas, check out the book I wrote on the subject: Story Sparking: How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World 5-Minute Romances. The first chapter goes into greater detail about how to look at the magazine for ideas.

The Gift of Gabby

by Mary Ann Joyce from the May 13, 2024 issue

Tagline: As a surprise Mother's Day gift, Gabby set her mom, Tess, up with the handsome owner of a fix-it shop...and their fix-up soon turns into true love.

Observations: I loved this story. It has all the hallmarks of a classic, well-done Woman's World romance. I'd expect nothing less from Mary Ann Joyce.

Note the three act structure. In the first act, we meet Tess and her daughter, Gabby, the librarian. We get a little background on Jim. We find out Tess is having dishwasher trouble. It's almost Mother's Day. 

In the second act, we meet Jim and see what he looks like. We see them being easy with each other, despite Jim being nervous about his presentation. There's a brief "telling not showing" paragraph about their conversation and how they both like to keep busy. We also find out he's a widower. 

Act three, the class goes off without a hitch. It's discovered that, unbeknownst to the two of them, daughter Gabby set them up, promising Tess would help him with the class if he came and fixed her dishwasher. There's a very brief black moment when Tess tells him he's obviously not obligated to follow through, but never fear--Jim is smitten. 

I also loved the humor about the cat...

"She bought me the Alexa device so it wouldn't be so quiet all the time. It's wonderful and it fills my house with music!"

"My son got me a cat named Oscar," Jim said. "He fills my house with hair."

Cute punny title too. 

Photo by Dylan Foley via Flickr CCL

Carnitas and Love

by Maria Gorman from the May 6, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Ava's neighbor convinces her ot host a Cinco de Mayo party, she never expects it to include tacos, margaritas, and romance.

Observations: I am not sure, but this might be the first Woman's World story I've read to have a person of color in it. Please comment below if you remember this happening before. Either way, it's welcome and might I say long overdue. The time when mixed race couples are frowned upon is far behind us. It's wonderful to see a Woman's World story reflect the current times.

I really appreciated this sentence, which showed a physical reaction that did not include electricity of any kind.

"...he smiled, sending her pulse racing like an Indy car."

I liked seeing carnitas, an authentic Mexican dish, as his specialty. I love carnitas tacos. I live in Southern California and fantastic Mexican food is readily available. (It would have been perfect if they included a carnitas recipe elsewhere in the magazine.)

I also heard Luis's voice in my head with a Mexican accent, which was fun!

A tiny bit of criticism...I wish they'd been consistent with the italics for the Spanish words. They only italicized especialidad but should probably have included "hola," "amiga," and "perfecto."

Photo by Mike McCune via Flickr CCL.

Coming Home to Love

by Shelley Cooper from the April 22, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Mackenzie fostered a pup whose owner was deployed, she never imagined the handsome dog-dad would soon take her breath away.

Off the Cuff Observations: I usually do Off the Cuff Observations when I'm way behind on the blogging, which--as you can tell from the April date--is currently the case.

So, right off the bat, I know I'm going to like this story. I LOVE watching videos with deployed soldiers being reunited with their dogs. I get all the feelz from those and they never get old. 

Can you bring non-service dogs to the airport? Not sure about that, but I'm letting it slide because the promise of the reunion payoff is enough for me.

...she wasn't prepared for the shock to her central nervous system when she saw him. -- No electricity. Yay.

Oh, she took pictures of the dog the whole time and sent them to him? Love it. So they have a relationship. 

"Can I give you a ride?" -- Seems like they would have figured this out beforehand. 

Okay, at this point, I read quickly to the end, engrossed in the story. I noted he checked for her consent before kissing her, something that, in this day and age, seems like a good idea. I liked the banter at the end and that last line had just the right timing. Nice story! Not that I'd expect anything less from Shelley Cooper.

Photo by evan p. cordes via Flickr CCL.

A Promising Partnership

by Chris Maday Schmidt from the April 15, 2024 issue

Tagline: Businesswoman Lila Parker has a meeting about the future of her start-up. But when she makes a professional faux pas, it just might lead to love.

Observations: I was utterly surprised by the twist in this story! Brava, Ms. Schmidt! This plot twist was so well done that after I read the story, I re-read the story to experience everything but with the knowledge that he was her client. What a delight.

Photo by Moresheth via Flickr CCL

Pup Paves the Way to Love

by Kay Layton Sisk from the April 8, 2024 issue

Tagline: Allie never would have guessed the lost puppy that her dog, Biscuit, found in the flower bed would be what led her straight to a budding new romance.

Observations: Great story. I immediately saw a writing tip to share with you.

When you're trying to communicate information and your main character is alone, here are two things Ms. Sisk did that you can do too.

1. Get the info across via her thoughts or the narrative.

Last spring's frog crop had cost a trip to the vet, and Allie didn't want a repeat performance.

2. Have the character talk aloud to a pet/animal (as in this story), to herself, or even to something like a photo of a loved one.

"You're a mess, girl, but let me get a photo and I'll put it on the neighborhood watch site. If it wasn't the weekend, we could go to the vet and see if you're chipped. Either way, we'll find your family pronto!"

Photo by Tyler Allen via Flickr CCL

Love Around the Corner

by Cher L. Tom from the March 25, 2024 issue

Tagline: After a series of bad dates, Marcie opens up to her friend Max--who might end up being the one she was looking for all along.

Observations: I'm not a huge fan of friends to lovers stories, mostly because I am usually frustrated that the two people are too dense to see they belong together. 

I'm an impatient reader, apparently. LOL

However, I really liked Max. He was the best part of this story. His humor...

"Is my hair singed?" he deadpanned.

Hilarious.

He bakes/burns cookies! I mean, come on.

He plays pranks. Love it.

So, in summary, create a really lovable character, one that the reader/editor can't resist either. Make him or her someone you'd like to date. 

Photo by Whatleydude via Flicker CCL

Lucky Find

by Shannon Fay from the March 18, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Melanie went to the park to pick clovers for an upcoming art project, she never expected that her excursion could lead to finding a stroke of good luck on her own--and the possibility of a chance at happily ever after.

Observations: I thought this was a fun, well-written story that follows the structure and story elements we expect from a Woman's World romance. Let's go through them, one by one, shall we? LOL

The heroine is presented along with her goal--finding four leaf clovers for her bookmarks.

She meets a man, whose goal is finding his lost keys. He also has a cute dog whose plot purpose is revealed later.

Someone has to make a move, and in this story it's Melanie. She suggests they look for the keys and the clovers together. (If the hero makes the move, it's fine, it's traditional, but if the heroine makes it, it demonstrates her confidence or her willingness to take chances or action to achieve happiness.)

They engage in conversation. This conversation accomplishes a few things. The dog is used as a vehicle to reveal that Wyatt is single. It establishes that Wyatt is a good listener and they make a solid connection. You must establish a connection between the characters, physically and mentally. You do this by showing and sometimes by telling. In this story, Fay shows them connecting over her making paper, then follows up with a "telling" paragraph that describes that they spent a lot of time together and the heroine "didn't want it to end."

We come to what is developing into a Woman's World cliche--the hand holding. <sigh>  I am not against holding hands in a story, per se. It's a fantastic way to show a relationship in its early stages developing. However, I don't relish it happening too fast in the relationship, i.e. within an hour of meeting someone, not without good reason, like helping someone to their feet after they've fallen or onto a rocking boat. Here, Wyatt has a good reason to offer his hand--he's helping her up from a crouch. Thumbs up. But forcing physical contact for the plot isn't being true to your characters. Imagine yourself in the woman's place. In the exact same circumstances, would you like the man to hold your hand or be creeped out about it? 

Wyatt takes the next step and asks her out to dinner. I like this because earlier, it was Melanie who suggested they search the grass together, so this makes things even and suggests a give and take that would serve them well should things develop between them. 

Lastly, we've ended the story with a callback to the beginning. I like to call this coming full circle. Melanie remembers the clover she found and wonders if it brought her some good luck.

Photo by Cygnus921 via Flickr CC License

A Birthday Surprise

by Barbara Catlin Craven from the March 4, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Jerri's handsome plumber invited her to an impromptu birthday celebration, she would be gived a new chance at love!

Observations: At first, this matchmaker story plays out as expected. There's a set-up--the single mom needs a plumber. Her friend, the matchmaker, recommends someone who is a single dad. They connect as he fixes her problem.

I liked this part. It contributes to the characterization.

While he worked, we talked...and our easy, polite conversation along with his occasional glances out the window to keep an eye on the boys gave further confirmation that Mason was a good man.

Mason invites her to a birthday party. She and her son go to the party. The cake has nine candles. All clues point to the fact that it's a party for the kid, except there aren't any other children at the party. You think to yourself, maybe it's just a family party. But then, Mason the dad, blows out the candles. Plot twist! He's a leap year baby. 

As you know, I'm touchy about holding hands too soon and this story was guilty of that but the plot twist was so good, I didn't care that much.

Photo by Droid Gingerbread via Flickr CC License

Love Finds a Name

by Vicki Cox from the February 26, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Joy's friend Megan secretly plays matchmaker behind her back, she ends up finding true love--and a new furry friend.

Off the Cuff Observations: I'm a little confused, two paragraphs in. Joy seems surprised to be at the animal rescue even though Megan has wanted her to "come for months." And it seems odd that they're running errands together before going to lunch. I usually meet my friends for lunch...

The building is concrete, which is what I'd expect from a city or county shelter, not from a place called "Lily's Rescue and Adoptions." But I'm going to go with it.

Aww, he knows of Megan's Rainbow Bridge dog. 

Max offered his hand to help her back up. -- See, this is an instance of taking a hand that doesn't make me uncomfortable because it's too intimate a gesture for having just met someone. There's a real reason to do it. 

Yeah, great matchmaker story. My confusion about running errands was solved when I realized it was a matchmaker story. Of course, it was fishy.

Cupid Always Knows Best

by Dorothy Wills-Raftery from the February 19, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Sophie decided to spend Valentine's Day solo trying something new, she never imagined Cupid would swoop in with a shot at true love.

I'm so far behind on blogging, it's not funny. Practically a month! Shameful. Anyway, I'm here and, as I often do when I'm lagging, I will be recording my thoughts as I read the story instead of doing a deeper analysis.

Off the Cuff Observations: Here in Southern California where I live, we don't get snow, so the idea of Valentine's Day being snowy is so crazy to me!

What is a snow tube?

...her breath curling up in the cold air. -- I like that phrasing!

He smells like limes? I love limes.

The son, Jackson, is funny with his rapid-fire questions. Leave it to the kid to do what the parent is too shy to do. 

Oh, there's a conveyor belt? This is something completely foreign to me, but I'm imagining something like a ski lift, but maybe just a rope you grab onto.

I think snow tubes are like inner tubes. Okay, I just Googled snow tubes and now I really want to ride one!

"I hope I have something to do with that," Jake whispered before turning in their tubes. -- Seems odd to me that this almost complete stranger is whispering for no apparent reason except intimacy.

Love their jobs--firefighter and pet photographer.

...causing butterflies to burst in her stomach. -- I know what the author meant, but my brain went literal on this one. Maybe a different verb like careened or bat around or even the cliche flutter?

He takes her hand, too? Yeah, sometimes in Woman's World stories, I think things move too fast.

Oh, I do love the epilogue paragrah at the end though!

Photo by MIKI Yoshihito via Flickr CC license

Snow Men

by P.S. Murray from the January 29, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Selina called a number on a flyer tucked under her windshield wiper, she never imagined that it would lead to a winter romance.

Observations: This story had a lot of things I like to see in a Woman's World story, but it really focused hard on the hero. During the course of the story, we see Dane and all his good qualities.

He's shown to be a good uncle, helping his nephew out with his side gig. We see him complimenting the kid. We see his playfulness and humor in the snowball fight. At last, we see his unwillingness to do a good deed when he cuts down the dangerous branch on her tree. He's also a "tall good-looking man."

All of this gives us a chance to develop a crush on him along with the heroine, Selina, because Woman's World stories --indeed all romances--focus on escapism. Readers wnat to live vicariously through the story, experiencing the giddy feeling of falling in love or, in the case of Woman's World first meet stories, finding someone who just could be The One. Never lose sight of that when you're writing.

Photo credit: Via Flickr CC License, Nomadic Lana

As Sweet as a Macaron

by Audrey Wick from the 1/22/24 issue=

Tagline: When Rayna takes a French cooking class, she never expects to whip up romance...until she meets the handsome chef and sparks fly.

Observations: This was a charming story. I love cooking and am a genuine foodie. I love watching cooking shows. The Great British Baking Show is a fave of mine. I imagine Ms. Wick likes macarons and perhaps even makes them. Or, if she's like me, she wants to try her hand at them one day. To be honest, I've even had daydreams of starting a macaron making side gig, selling at farmer's markets and online. Probably never gonna happen, but it's fun to daydream.

The thing is, you can take one of your daydreams, and turn it into a Woman's World story. I talk about this at length in my book, Story Sparking: How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World Magazine 5-Minute Romances. (If you're interested in buying the book, the link is down below.)

For instance, let's say you thought it might be fun to be a blackjack dealer. Maybe your heroine's friend owns a catering company or is a party planner. She needs someone to help her with a casino night and your heroine has played blackjack in the past with her late husband, so she knows the game. Her friend is desperate, so she volunteers to help. One of the guests has never played before so she teaches him some tips and tricks her late husband taught her. One thing leads to another and they make plans to see each other the next weekend.

Now, I have to tell you, I also used another story sparking idea in that story outline, above. Look at your own life. What is going on at this moment? At this moment, I'm at the Red Rock Resort outside of Las Vegas, so when I asked myself, what kind of kooky, out of the norm daydream/interest could I use as an example for this blog post? Blackjack dealer!

Try it yourself. Try either method--current events in your own life or a hobby or interest--and see if you can come up with a story plot. Do this often and it will get easier. The more you brainstorm story ideas, the better you'll get at them. 

To buy Story Sparking: How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World Magazine 5-Minute Romances, click here.

Photo credit: Takeshi Kuboki via Flickr Creative Commons License

Romance Ahoy!

by Wendel J. Potter from the January 15, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Miranda's friend invited her out to the local seafood restaurant, she never imagined she'd end up catching feelings for a new man.

Observations: I liked this story. I like the meta aspect of the heroine being a budding romance author, even if I wondered if Miranda had a day-job, because graduating from college to be a romance novel writer is ambitious and risky. I identified strongly with her writer's block and the fact that she has a writer buddy to help her through the tough times. Also, Shrimp Boat Charlie's sounds like the kind of restaurant I want to go to.

However, other than Naomi saying at the beginning that she might be able to help Miranda figure out what the perfect man looks like, it wasn't crystal clear that this was matchmaker story. Miranda might have wondered if her friend Naomi might be interested in Charlie for herself, but she didn't. This is a very nit-picky point but I would like to have seen some other clue that Naomi meant for Charlie and Miranda to meet. Maybe Naomi could "suddenly remember" she had somewhere else to be. Or maybe Naomi could have been engaged.

Another small point--it's my nature to focus on the tiny details--Charlie would most likely not refer to his son's teacher by her first name.

But otherwise, great story!

Photo by Yoppy via Flickr CC License

Love on Ice

by Rosemary  Hayes from the January 8, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Jacqui had to help cover a shift at the cafe, she never imagined that her heart would be warmed with love on such a chilly day.

Observations: I adored this story! The more I read, the more things I found to love about it.

I loved the heroine's go-to attitude... I wasn't going to let a little snow stop me. Sara couldn't do her shift at the cafe today and Alex would need help.

"...this cafe used to be my uncle's DVD rental store a long time ago." -- Ah, the memories! I remember Blockbuster used to be a regular stop on my errands. That is, until I discovered Netflix would deliver to my mailbox. Gamechanger. I should have invested right then and there.

"Flat white?"

"How did you guess?"

"My hidden talent."

This reminds me of that movie Chocolat, where Viv's special talent is know which chocolate is someone's favorite.

I was quite surprised she was the boss. It's very rare for someone to get a plot twist in without me seeing it in advance. This was so nice!

It was like a scene from a movie. I gazed at him, he gazed at me. Sparks flew. -- Note the short sentences. Great choice. Moves us along their emotional arcs at a snappy pace.

Hayes calls back to the hidden talent comment, which is always nice. It's like an inside joke for the readers to enjoy too.

I also like how he brought photos for her to see. She would definitely love to see what her cafe looked like before she took over, not to mention the fact that it brings them a bit closer together.

I thought the ending was perfect. It even gave me chills. Excellent.

Photo by Bill McChesney via Flickr Creative Commons License

Serving up Romance

by Christine Greifzu from the January 1, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Jessa's sister asked her to help with her catering company on New Year's Eve, she never guessed what might be in store at midnight.

Off the Cuff Observations: So we start off with a paragraph of information to ground us in the time, the date, the situation/problem. Greifzu does a good job of including some of the info in dialogue which can be difficult to make sound natural, not stilted.

Aww, her boyfriend dumped her three weeks before Christmas. Here is where we feel for the heroine and connect with her. On a side note, I hope she hadn't bought him a present!

When he got closer, she gazed into the bluest eyes she could ever recall seeing. -- It's funny...I never notice eye color. Ever. I know, I'm weird.

Cody checked in on Jessa every so often to see if she needed help. -- What a nice guy!

After their first date a few days later, Jessa knew it had been worth the wait. She and Cody had incredible chemistry, and he turned out to be an amazing kisser. The New Year was going to be magnifique. -- I like this epilogue-ish type ending. I liked the call back to the kiss that never happened and the reference to her being a French teacher. It's little details like this that make a story nice and tight and connected.

Black Friday Tussle

by Melinda Cherry from the November 27, 2023 issue

Tagline: A heartbroken Dana found herself injured amid Black Friday chaos, but she was in for a surprise when she later stumbled upon true love.

Observations: I clearly need a better organizational system. I keep finding my Woman's Worlds out of order! My apologies for this Black Friday story analysis coming so late.

I can't recall ever reading a Black Friday Woman's World story before, so that's refreshingly new. I was surprised to see the extent of the heroine's injuries and that she went to the ER. I think in the past, Woman's World shied away from too much drama or danger, but the new editors are more open to expanding the magazine's range a tad.

This story hit a lot of emotional buttons. Obviously, there was a sense of wistfulness about missing her beloved late husband. We were warmed by how her family rallied around her in her time of need. I had some personal experience with that myself right before Christmas. I went into the hospital with a big kidney stone problem along with a bacterial infection that spread to my blood. During my six-day stay, my family were there, bringing me things from home, including yummy things to eat, keeping me company, and in the case of my sister, giving me a full body massage. I'm a very lucky woman, as is Dana, the heroine of the story.

The last emotion this story highlighted was hope. The security guard proves that he would fit right into Dana's family as a caring and thoughtful man.

Well done, Ms. Cherry!

Photo by browniesfordinner via the Flickr Creative Commons License