Meant to Meet Again

by Mary Ann Joyce from the May 4, 2026 issue

Tagline

Sofia isn't looking for love--despite her grandmother's constsant matchmaking--until a familiar face appears at the Cinco de Mayo fiesta.

Off the Cuff Observations

As you may or may not know, I'm a Starbucks barista, and I often have customers whose name is Sofia/Sophia. I always ask with an F or  PH? They seem to appreciate that. I do the same for Sara/Sarahs.

"I asked him if he was single when I sent you to look for the chili powder." -- LOL

"He does wrap the cheese very nicely, so we'll keep him on the maybe list." -- LOL again! Can't you just picture this abuelita (grandmother)?

So, judging from her suggestion that Sofia wear a certain dress, obviously Abuelita has something planned. My mother had a Mexican embroidered dress that she absolutely loved and wore for many years.

...Sofia and her grandmother joined the fiesta in the town square. -- I'm just slightly taken out of the story wondering where they live. The mention of a town square makes me think small town, but there is not real description of the setting.

Aha, a blast from the past. So the butcher was a red herring! 

I'm noticing how smoothly Mary Ann inserts descriptions of Ben's appearance. No paragraph of it--although there's nothing wrong with putting the physical description in one paragraph--just smatterings of it here and there.

I knew abuelita would utilize the wording of the promise..."no fixups with your friends' grandsons." 

Nice story. And now I really want Mexican food. LOL

Photo by ricardo [sic] via Flickr CC License

A Bouquet of Promise

by Jennifer Anne F. Messing from the April 27, 2026 issue

Tagline

Maybelle takes her daughter down to the local park expecting a simple, sunny day--but to her surprise, a sweet second chance awaits!

Off the Cuff Observations

Seems like this might be a "marriage in trouble" story.

"Yay! I'd like that," Brooklyn said happily. -- This does not seem like something a 7 year old would say. Feels a little stilted. If you're not around kids much and you're writing about a kid, find someone who has a kid around the age you need info for. Ask them to vet your dialogue and/or actions. It will add to the realism.

As I read the summary of all the things Jeremy still does, even after their separation, I know for sure this is a "marriage in trouble" story. Then, of course, he shows up as expected. :)

All right, second story in a row I see where I would have suggested an edit. And for the second time in a row, it has to do with the ending. As published, this story has what I call a soft ending. 

Then, Maybelle's gaze fell on the beautiful bouquet he'd just given her, bright and full of promise.

There is no concrete ending, but the suggestion that things will be all right in the future. This, obviously, is fine with the Woman's World editors. I see these types of endings all the time. However, I very clearly see a place where we can beef up that emotional payoff (and still keep that last paragraph.)

"Yes!" Jeremy said. "I'm now the manager at Fairlane Transport. But I've decided I won't take overtime anymore."

I would have suggested that the author end this statement right after he says he got the promotion. Let Maybelle give him the quick hug of congratulations. Then, I would have had him tell her about not taking the overtime anymore because this is big for their relationship. This is how Jeremy is demonstrating he is willing to change for the sake of their marriage. 

After that, I would want to let Maybelle process this information and tell the reader how she's feeling about it--the quiet hope she's feeling, maybe reassurance, joy, what have you. Let the reader bask in the All The Feelz Moment, or ATFM as I think I'll call it from now on. Like I said in my last post, this is the reward for reading the story, the reason we read romance. Love will prevail. 

Photo by Julie via Flickr CC License

A Cure for Writer's Block

by Barbara Barata from the April 20, 2026 issue

When Kelly settles into her usual cafe booth to write, she never expects her fictional romance to turn into real-life inspiration!

Off the Cuff Observations

Love the name of the cafe--The Postage Stamp Cafe. Sounds like a cozy spot.

...a physique a friend described as "hot teddy bear." -- LOL! Love.

He had a broken freezer. That brings back some fond memories of a novella I wrote in which a chef who had the same thing happen to her.

Ah...Tom converted an old post office into the cafe. I wondered if we'd find out why it was named that.

Their friendship had developed after January 1, when she became a regular customer. -- Odd that date was mentioned specifically... Was it because ...she had resolved that this was the year to pursue her dream? 

I'm almost halfway throught the story and have gotten to the part where we're in a flashback to her conversation with her sister and I'm really enjoying the pacing of these longer stories. The extra words are allowing us to more seamlessly add bits of backstory like this. It is so nice!!!

OMG. I love the lead-up to the kiss. The second the readers see that she's having trouble with the logisitics of the kiss, they know what's going to happen, even if Kelly doesn't--which is the whole point. The author knows this readers-know-but-the-character doesn't dynamic heightens the anticipation. In our minds, we're like, "Kelly! Just go with it. It's going to be fine!"

And do you see the small black moment? Let me know in the comments if you do. In my basics class on how to write and sell romance to Woman's World, I talk about including a black moment in your stories--that moment when you think it's not going to work out after all. It can be big and obvious or small and subtle (as it is in this story.) Either way, it's not mandatory, but in my opinion, better to include than not.

All right. Cute story, but if I had been called in as editor on this, I would have suggested that Ms. Barata beef up the emotion in this critical spot:

Kelly laughed too, her doubts flying away. "Yes."

This is the big payoff moment. Everything changes in Kelly's mind and heart because she knows that Tom is truly interested in her. I would like to have seen just a couple of sentences here showing what Kelly's going through. Let the reader in on all the feelz. Draw this out. Make the most out of it because this is why people read romance--vicariously living the feeling of falling in love. Don't skimp.

By the way, click here to find out more about my editing services.

Photo by Stephen Kelly via Flickr CC License