The Sweetest Christmas Surprise

by Lisa Weaver from the December 29, 2025 issue

A flurry of snow--and a little fate--brings Holly a second chance at first love just in time for the holidays.

Off the Cuff Observations

Dashing out of the frosty falling snow and into her cozy candy store, Holly Nicholas let the tantalizing aroma of homemade chocolates wrap around her like a warm hug. 

Okay, can we talk about this sentence??? First, it really sets the scene and lets us know Holly owns a candy store. It brings in the sense of smell, which is often neglected in descriptions. There are two lovely examples of alliteration. And it is packed with holiday references. 

She uses these holiday-evoking words dashing (dashing through the snow), frosty (the snowman), wrap (wrapping presents). And did you notice her name? Give that a second look please and then give Lisa Weaver a little salute. 

Oh, a gingerbread latte. Those are yummy. Starbucks used to have a gingerbread loaf with this lovely creamy frosting on it, but it's been discontinued. It was so moist and yummy and I miss it.

...quivering like Santa's belly when he laughed... -- Love it.

I don't know if I'm stretching the holiday reference thing too far but Gabe's last name, Kingsman, might be referring to the three kings. And their town is Merrylake. 

Oh, I did not see his visit coming. Talk about story pacing!

The promise of delicious possibilities hung in the air between them. -- This is very subtle, but notice the use of the word delicious and how it ties in with the candy shop. It's minute details like this that are the mark of a pro.

They're going to see A Christmas Carol. I will never forget the time I saw it with Patrick Stewart playing Scrooge. I love him, but I fell asleep, despite all my efforts to stay awake. So disappointed with myself for missing the entirety of his performance.

Another surprise was that they both had the same idea for the date. This is another detail that you may not notice consciously. I think this could indicate that they think in the same way--a sign that they might make a good couple. We readers always want to believe they have a future of happiness ahead of them and the more you can convince us that they are a good match beyond that meet cute, the more satisfying the story will be.

Thank you, Lisa, for writing a story that had so much for me to talk about!

Photo by Rachel Tayse via Flickr CC License

A Halloween Treat

by Lisa Weaver from the October 27, 2025 issue

Tagline: When Sabrina shows up to cater a party at the old Silverpine mansion, she doesn't expect to be greeted by a host with a smile sharp enough to match his costume--or to feel a spark that's anything but scary.

Off the Cuff Observations: Cinnamon-laced pumpkin cupcakes? Yes, please!! 

Prediction--R.J. Blackthorne is the mysterious new owner of the haunted mansion.

Who doesn't love a cape? (Maybe Edna Mode from The Incredibles.)

Ryder Joven. Ha! Same initials.

Okay, he's taking a raspberry-filled cupcake, but she was making pumpkin... Okay. I'm a little slow on the uptake here. She's a baker, not a full-on caterer. 

Intrigued, Sabrina considered his invitation to partner up in the Halloween festivities. -- Wait, I thought he was inviting her as a guest but I guess I was wrong.

This was a fun, spooky story. I did get a little confused but whatever. I do still think you can't wink dialogue though. 

Photo by tawest64 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

Labor of the Heart

by Lisa Weaver from the September 4, 2023 issue

Tagline: After her dashing date abandons her on Labor Day, Cassie is heartbroken...until a familiar figure shows up on the beach.

Observations: I had mixed feelings about this story. It's definitely well-written, as Lisa Weaver's stories tend to be. I liked the sandcastle competition--that's an event that I would love to go to, in person, someday. I wrote one into one of my novels, too. 

However, at the end of the story when he proposes and she accepts, I didn't feel like it had been earned. I didn't quite believe that they'd made that strong of a connection. The reason why he disappeared was a solid one: his brother was in an accident and in his rush to get on a plane, he'd left his phone behind. These days, it's easy to believe that he did not have her phone number memorized so he could call from some other phone. 

However, we only got a couple of paragraphs about how they met and got to know each other, and that wasn't enough for me to believe they were ready to get engaged. I love an engagement as much as the next gal, but this one didn't feel justified.

Photo by Goncalo Cruz Matos via Flickr Creative Commons License

Winning His Irish Heart

by Lisa Weaver from the March 20, 2023 issue

Tagline: Becca has lost several local contests to her town rival, Brody, until the luck of the Irish gifts her an unexpected win: a chance at love.

Observations: You wouldn't necessarily expect an 800-word story to have character development, but it's not that difficult to do, believe it or not. 

This is one of the things I cover in my class, How to Write and Sell Romance to Woman's World Magazine. All you need to do is give the heroine a goal and show them working towards and achieving that goal. Or show the character as having a "negative" characteristic and show them behaving in a different way. 

In this story, Becca is in denial about her attraction to Brody. She's also shy. Then, thanks to her employee's encouragement, she admits to liking him and conquers her shyness enough to flirt with him.

All the 5-minute romances will all be about finding love, but adding character development can give a story more depth. 

Photo by Melissa Hellier via Flickr Creative Commons License

Christmas Wishes

by Lisa Weaver from the December 19, 2022 issue

Tagline: Emma has just one thing on her wish list this Christmas: a chance to be more than friends with handsome Hunter. But does he feel the same?

Observations: I mean, it doesn't get more Christmas-y than this story. Aside from the obvious Christmas story tropes like Santa and an ugly sweater competition, there were references...

...a hearty 'Ho, ho, ho!' that has my heart bounding in a magnificent '10 lords a-leaping' impression.

"Ho-ho-horrible!"

...my smile glowing brighter than a certain famous reindeer's nose...

The only thing I wondered about is that he assumed her wish was the same as his, which was a little presumptuous, but this didn't mess up my enjoyment of the story.

Ingredients for Love

by Lisa Weaver from the October 11, 2021 issue

Tagline: Tasked with uncovering the secret to her handsome neighbor's prize-winning chili, Emma finds herself in a steamy romance.

Stream of Consciousness Observations:

• Aha. It's a matchmaker story. 
• "You want me to do what?" -- Immediately, I'm curious what her grandmother asked her to do and I want to read on to find out.
• "I'm not asking you to steal Anthony's recipe. I just need you to gather...intel." -- LMAO. Grandma is a hoot.
• "Anthony Figoli was a hot pepper away from beating me last year at the Great Chili Cookoff." -- Again, Grandma is slaying me.
• Who doesn't love a firefighter?
• Oh, it's the grandpa's recipe. I sense a secondary romance in the works.
• Ha! I was right. Grandma has a crush on the recipe owner.
• I love being surprised and I wasn't expecting for the grandfather to be wanting Granny's chili secret. Nice!
• "If she's as lovely as you are..." Okay, just how old is this firefighter? I don't see anyone under the age of 60 or 70 using the word lovely to describe a woman.
• Cute ending! He tells her the secret is a pinch of sugar. I actually add pinches of sugar to a few of my recipes. :)

Photo by Jake Przesbo via Flickr Creative Commons License

A Very Sweet Surprise

by Lisa Weaver from the December 2, 2019 issue.

Tagline: When Patrick takes over his aunt's bakery for the Thanksgiving holiday, he never expects a temperamental oven could lead him to new love.

Observations: I was surprised to see this story in the issue after Thanksgiving, but I still really enjoyed the story, mainly because it was a refreshing change to first person present tense from the hero's point of view. I liked that slightly more intimate sharing of his thoughts.

There were quite a few lines that made me smile:

...I'm elbow-deep in piecrust.
...speaking loudly so she'll hear me over her one-woman karaoke fest.
...I'm struck speechless at the thunderclap of attraction that reverberates between us.

I also noticed the black moment was so very close to the end of the story. I feel like it's been a while since we saw it so late.

Photo by TheCulinaryGeek via Flickr cc license

A Labor of Love

by Lisa Weaver from the September 16, 2019 issue

Tagline: When Molly, a small-town bookstore owner, strikes up a romance with a handsome author visiting for the summer, her heart breaks knowing he'll soon be leaving. But he has a beautiful surprise up his sleeve that has Molly believing in happy endings.

Observations: This was a very unusual story in that the couple are together from word one. Sure, it's supposed to only be a summer fling, but it's much different from the usual first-meet stories we see. I loved that she owned a bookstore. I loved the warm, sort of shadowy tone of the story.

Maybe this is a new type of story template to consider: a couple starting at one point and moving to the next level of the relationship. Something to think about.

Photo by Iain Farrell via Flickr CC license

A Love Remembered

by Lisa Weaver from the May 27, 2019 issue

Tagline: When Kate takes on the role of emcee at a Memorial Day bachelor auction, memories of lost love haunt her...until a former beau takes the stage.

Observations: I thought this was a fantastic Memorial Day story. It had:

• a little sadness about her father's passing, which was appropriate
• some humor with the triplets putting gum in the heroine's hair
• a second chance
• a misunderstanding with the winning bidder being in cahoots with the hero
• a great ending that tied in with the hot air balloon date the hero planned

Handy tip: Woman's World is always looking for stories that tie into holidays, and not just the major ones, like Thanksgiving or Christmas. Find some obscure "national" holidays and build a story around them.

Photo by Billy Bob Bain (Flickr cc license)

There Will Be Mistletoe

by Lisa Weaver from the December 14, 2015 issue

Tagline: A kiss under the mistletoe...Noelle couldn't imagine a more delightful holiday tradition than that!

Observations: I had mixed feelings about this story and a lot of circled things I wanted to talk about. I'll just cover them, point by point.

1. I was a little confused at the beginning of the story. At first Noelle seems excited about the costume. It seemed like it was her idea to dress so crazily.

"Are you really going to wear that?" My best friend Kim arches an eyebrow as she nods at the outfit in my hands.

"Why not? 'Tis the season to be jolly," I say, heading for the dressing room.

So, Noelle seems fine with the costume. Then...

When I emerge decked in the green velour vest and matching shorts, Kim can't contain her amusement. "Those red and white striped tights and pointy-toed slippers really complete the ensemble. Now I'm doubly glad you volunteered to take our shop's shift at the mall's gift wrapping booth."

"If I'd known about this costume beforehand, I might not have," I say.

See what I mean? Now it seems as if she was reluctant, after the fact. Also, that is a bit of a clunky expository-heavy statement that sounds distinctly, "as you know, Bob..." For you newer writers, I'm talking about having a character say something that is unnecessary because the character they're talking to already knows this. It would seem much more natural for Kim to have said, "Now I'm doubly glad you volunteered."

2. I think the word "fell" should have had quotes around it. That would have made it clear there was a double meaning.

You could say I fell for him.

3. I found it doubtful that they had a wooden ladder. If it was a grandma's ladder or an old ladder someone found in the basement, then maybe. I think they're all made of metal these days.

4. The first time kissing balls are mentioned, it's in quotation marks. That made sense to me. I've never heard of kissing balls. When I see mistletoe, it's little beribboned sprigs. Is this term/item common enough so that later in the story when Tyler talks about it, he calls it a kissing ball? Has everyone heard of these but me?

5. The fall... Hm. I accepted that he was in the right place at the right time. I accepted that he was strong enough to catch her. What I couldn't accept was that after she fell and was caught, she "was still holding up the kissing ball." This stretched reality a little too far for me.

6. I didn't see Tyler's standing her up coming, so that was a nice little plot twist. It's hard to surprise me.

7. I felt there should have been a tiny bit of inner dialogue here:

And when he invited me to meet him for coffee at the end of my shift, it was like something straight out of a fairytale...until my "prince" didn't show 

Dragging my focus back to Kim's comment, I say, "He stood me up, Kim. Obviously, he had second thoughts."

"There may be a good reason he couldn't make it," she ventured.

I roll my eyes, then I smile. "You're such a romantic."

(The missing period was in the magazine.) I felt we should have gotten maybe one sentence about how Noelle felt about this after that "prince" line, but instead we go right back to the present. Then, I would have expected Noelle to be upset, insulted, irritated...something. Unless she has amazing self-esteem, being stood-up isn't something most of us would take on the chin so cheerfully. I say cheerfully because she smiles at Kim. 

8. Later, when she sees Tyler in line, her heart gives a little leap. Again, I shake my head a little. This is not the reaction I would expect from a woman who was stood up with no explanation or even a phone call. At the very least, I'd expect her to feel mixed up. She can still be attracted to him, but be miffed about being stood up.

9. My brother never gave me jewelry for Christmas. I'm just sayin'...

10. Okay, Tyler had a great excuse, but he could have called the shop. If I ever stood someone up, I'd be obsessed over making sure they knew I didn't do it on purpose. 

11. I thought the black moment (Noelle asks if the gift is for Elle, who signed his cast with a heart, and he nods) was great. (I might have picked a name that wasn't so similar to the heroine's.)

So, yeah. I enjoyed the story and some of this is nit-picky, but this blog is about what I think of the stories. I encourage you to agree or disagree in the comments. :)

Photo credit: Will Folsom via Flickr Creative Commons

Fourth of July Fireworks

by Lisa Weaver from the July 6, 2015 issue

Tagline: When Amy's van broke down on the way to the parade, help arrived in the handsome form of Fireman Dave...

Observations: I'm so short on time. I have a deadline looming and I'm a little scared I won't make it. So I'm going to do a stream of consciousness critique.

The first thing I notice is that this is first person, present tense. Not my favorite, but only because I have to get my brain into that groove.

The first few paragraphs are chock-full of information and action. Every single word is necessary and this is something you're forced to learn how to do in a Woman's World story. Eight hundred words isn't much.

The car breaks down. This is a common enough trope in Woman's World stories.

Ah, one of her charges, Lila, knows Fireman Dave. I wonder why.

Oh, he takes his shirt off? Woot! That usually doesn't happen. I love Amy's reaction of trying not to stare, but failing.

Okay, Lila's kitten must have been up a tree and Dave rescued her.

Fast forward to the parade...the moment you see Amy jump to the conclusion that Dave is married, you know that she's wrong. However, it's always fun to see the explanations and in this story it was a little out of the box. I've never seen a dog be mistaken for the wife. Weaver also explains why he's driving a total soccer mom car.

The ending fell a little bit flat for me.

Full Moon Madness

by Lisa Weaver from the October 24, 2014 issue

Tagline
When Alex met Katie, Halloween went from scary to enchanting!

In a Nutshell
A woman is out on Halloween and a werewolf notices her being followed. When she is ambushed, she takes down one guy herself and the werewolf, an undercover cop, captures the other. They make a date for coffee.

Observations
This was a very unusual story in that it was bursting with surprises! I very much enjoyed the first person hero POV. It was refreshing. The beginning was very "telling," and you really get a narrator feeling from the guy. It might have been dull except for the fact that he's in protector-mode, which is a great trait to have if you're the hero in a romance story.

My first surprise was when the woman took the one guy down with a karate chop. That was awesome and so unexpected. Then, when the werewolf turned out to be a copy, I was like, "Whoa! Double whammy!"

However, there were some fight mechanics that were a bit off. Forgivable in a story like this, but in a more gritty and realistic story, would irritate me. Katie manages to take a guy down with karate and still hold onto the basket. I questioned why he didn't cuff the first guy before taking him back to the scene of the crime. I also thought with all the grabbing and karate chopping, the cupcakes would either have flown out of the basket or been hopelessly messed up.

I also thought it was a little stupid of her to go down that street, especially after his seminar at her school was one on safety. Knowledge of karate doesn't mean you should take unnecessary risks.

But, still, a great story!

Photo credit: By Kristin Ausk (originally posted to Flickr as Cupcake sampler box) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Love in Disguise

by Lisa Weaver from the October 22, 2012 issue

Tagline: When Dan met Laura on Halloween, they looked all wrong together. But Dan had a feeling that in this case, appearances were deceiving...

In a Nutshell: Dan notices a woman dressed as Wonder Woman has a flat on the side of the road. He's dressed as a vampire himself, but she doesn't mind when he stops to help her. They connect and make a  date for dinner the next week.

Observations: I thought this was a cute, if formulaic story. I've seen man-to-the-rescue car trouble stories before many times over the years. (And I kind of wish they weren't a librarian and a teacher. Those professions seem to be over-represented in the pages of Woman's World stories, too.)

What made this one different was it was first person, present tense, and from the man's point of view. I always find it fun to temporarily inhabit a man's head, even if it's fictional. I thought this man was funny.

My favorite lines:

1. It's not the spooky atmosphere that concerns me as much as how the super heroine will react to a vampire stopping to lend a hand.

2. Still, despite her heroic appearance, this avenger of truth and justice is having a hard time budging the tire wrench.

3. "I would have looked udderly dashing in it, don't you think?"

Photo by skyfaller (cc)

Lucky in Love

by Lisa Weaver from the July 9, 2012 issue

Tagline: As far as Sarah was concerned there was nothing unlucky about Friday the 13th. After all, that was the day she met Brian!

In a Nutshell: Sarah's Friday the 13th isn't going well, but she still refuses to believe in superstition, even when the handsome cop pulls her over for a broken tail light. They chat and when he finds out she's a teacher, he invites her to drop by the station sometime so they can discuss a safety awareness program he's been thinking about. She does. They have dinner.

Photo by Clotee Pridgen Allochuku (cc)

Observations: I have to admit, I thought "Bridesmaids" when I read about the cop pulling her over for the broken tail light, but other than that it seemed like your basic WW story.

Notice the tiny black moment when Sarah thinks Brian is taken.


     "I'm looking for Officer Reynolds," I tell the woman at the front desk. "Is he here?"
     "He went off duty at four, but he should be back soon," she says. "He went out for a run with Holly."
     Holly? I wonder. Who's Holly? I can't see myself trying to pry information from the woman, so I just say, "I"ll catch him some other time."
     "It looks like you won't have to," I hear someone say.
     I turn around to see Brian coming through the door walking a German shepherd.

LOL. I've never seen a WW heroine find out the "other woman" is a dog. What a bitch! LMAO.

Sounds Like Love

by Lisa Weaver from the August 22, 2011 issue

Tagline: Callie never believed the old family legend about the love bells--until they chimed for her...

NOTE: So here's the August 22 issue. Don't know how the August 29 issue could have arrived before this one, but the ways of the post office are a mystery to me.

In A Nutshell: When picking up blueprints for her grandparents' greenhouse, Callie meets a nice man on the elevator. At a family dinner later, it turns out he's the architect of the greenhouse and was invited to dessert.

Observations: In my online class, I give my students a list of common plotlines that I've seen in Woman's World magazine. One of the categories is "Proving a Saying or a Loved One's Advice," and this story loosely qualifies, except it's not a saying, like "Opposites attract..." or advice, like "The way to land a man is to do little things for him." This time it's something that happens to the heroine. In this case, it's hearing bells.

What I thought was cute was the fact that Weaver kept tricking you into thinking Callie has heard the bells. First, it's the man's cellphone. Ah, you think, that's him. But then he and Callie part when the elevator takes him to his floor. Darn.

But you are a savvy reader. You know that it's boy meets girl, boy loses girl, so you keep hoping.

At her grandparents' house, she hears the doorbell when he arrives and you think to yourself, Yes! Also, he brings a set of wind chimes with him, and you think--okay, pow, it's gonna be a double whammy. But then, the chimes don't ring. Finally, they're on a date a few days later and Callie does hear bells--bells that no one hears but her and you get that warm happy feeling that they're going to be walking down the aisle very soon.

"Halloween Magic"

by Lisa Weaver from the November 1, 2010 issue

Tagline: Officer Phillips was expecting some ghoulish encounters on Halloween, but the pretty witch took him by surprise!

In A Nutshell: Officer Phillips helps Emily get the neighbor's cat out of the tree. Afterward, he's called back again to Emily's, but not because of any real mischief. The neighbor is playing matchmaker. Emily and the policeman make a date for dinner.

Observations: This story is first person, present tense, which I always have to get used to.

A lot happens in this story, so much that I wondered how the author fit it all in. The hero and heroine interact quite a bit, which is terrific, but I found it a little choppy in the middle.

"Can you both stay for some hot cider?"


I radio headquarters to let them know I'm taking a break, then head inside, where the talk turns to superstitions.


"My grandmother believed that if you gazed into a mirror at midnight on Halloween, you'd see the reflection of your future spouse," Mrs. Jenkins says, peering over her mug of cider at Emily and me.


I'm due back on patrol, so I extend my thanks and leave.

This scene is so short that it can't be anything other than foreshadowing. It's so obvious that they're going to see each other's reflection later because there isn't much of an attempt to disguise this smoking gun with a little more conversation or internal thought. In my opinion, this could have been done a little more smoothly.

Also, because it is midnight when they look at each other in the mirror, I wonder how long did they sit and chat over cider? What time was it when he rescued the cat, because midnight is pretty darn late for both trick or treaters and/or matchmaking/false alarm attempts by elderly neighbors.

A Purrfect Christmas

by Lisa Weaver from the December 21, 2009 issue

Tagline: For Dan and his daughter, it looked as though this Christmas would indeed be wish-come-true time.

In a Nutshell: Dan, a widower, isn't having any luck finding a kitten for his daughter for Christmas. A co-worker helps him out by giving him the name of a friend who has kittens to give away. Turns out the friend is a woman Dan helped a few months ago. She'd been having trouble coaxing a hurt stray cat out from under a car. Of course, one of the kittens is thereby earmarked for Dan's daughter, and they make a date.

Observations: I was told once that you can get away with one big lie in a story, but after that you have to tell the truth, otherwise you risk losing your readers. Often in WW stories, the one big lie you have to swallow as a reader is a coincidence. In "A Purrfect Christmas" the coincidence is that when Dan meets the kitten purveyor, she just happens to be the woman he helped a few months ago.

Luckily, Weaver doesn't push the envelope like Hickerson did in "Fairy Tale Beginning."

Also, it's worth noting that the hero in this story is a Nice Guy. In romance novels, the aggressive, virile man dominates. Often he has a lot of emotional baggage. Here, in WW stories, not so much. Dan is a good example.

1. He's a widower, but isn't beating himself up over the loss of his wife.
2. He is a great father. You see it in the snippet of dialogue he has with his daughter and how he's bending over backward to find her a kitten.
3. He helps total strangers rescue injured stray cats.

What more proof do you need that he's relationship material for any woman found between the pages of the WW magazine??? :)

I didn't have a favorite part. This story was solid, but not particularly moving for me.

Question: What did you think of the character of Abby?

Love Letters

Story: Love Letters by Lisa Weaver from the March 30, 2009 issue

Tagline: Grace had no idea who her secret admirer was. Or did she?

In a Nutshell: Tom is a mail carrier who has a friendly relationship with a widow on his route. Determined to lighten her outlook in the wake of losing her husband a year and half ago, he secretly writes and delivers letters to her. One day, he's about to ask her out via one of the letters, but she had long ago guessed he was her secret admirer.

Woman's World Stand-bys: The secret admirer is one of those plots that WW likes. After all, what woman wouldn't like to have a (harmless, not stalking-type) secret admirer? The only drawback I find to secret admirer stories is that I always kind of wonder about the manliness of not just coming out and stating his interest in the woman. Then again, alpha heroes don't show up much on the pages of WW. You'll more commonly find the shy, humble, dependable guy.

Also, this story is a good example of the traditional character names they prefer. Grace, Alice, Evelyn, Pete, Tom--these are good, solid, old-fashioned names. Nothing trendy. Editors will read until they find a reason to reject, and why make them hesitate over a heroine named Nevada?

In My Humble Opinion: I found this a little too corny for me.

"What gave me away?"

"Your heart did. You put a piece of it in each of those wonderful letters."