Love in the Air

by Alice Benson from the January 9, 2026 issue

When Greta headed on a skiing trip, she didn't expect to make a connection with a fellow skier--and it was the sweetest winter surprise!

Off the Cuff Observations

Details in the first paragraph--the dazzling glitter of the snow, the jolt of the ski lift, and then that smooth glide--bring me right back many years ago to when I used to ski. 

There are a lot of words dedicated to the man's appearance. This is purely an author's choice when writing a Woman's World story. In my Basics class in the section on how to write short, I advocate minimizing physical descriptions. Readers have good imaginations. You don't need much to sketch out a character's looks. However, painting a picture of what the character looks like can be a good thing, especially if, as I suspect, this chin dimple becomes "important."

Okay, the ex-boyfriend also had a chin dimple. I immediately think Greta's motto is now "Beware the cleft chin." LOL. 

So they're stuck on the lift and are finding out they have things in common. Nice.

Ha! The cleft chin is mentioned again. I expect a third mention at the end of the story to bring things full circle. It's kind of funny, isn't it? That a tiny physical feature can be a central motif in the story?

I like the suggestion that they race and that the loser buys drinks. 

So, looking back, the majority of the story is showing them connecting and having things in common. This will show up over and over in Woman's World stories for good reason. These are the basics of a loving relationship. We readers need to believe the couple has a good chance for happiness together. 

Also, I was wrong about mentioning the cleft a third time. I really thought the last line would be about the cleft. LOL

Photo by Jonathan Cutrer via Flickr CC License

Time Will Tell

by Lauren King from the January 5, 2026 issue

When Tessa stops by a clock shop, she meets one of the owners--and their instant connection proves the sweetest moment often arrive right on time.

Observations

My favorite part of this story was when he's asking her questions, at first, to register her for the layaway plan, but later to get to know her better. That was funny and the pacing was perfect and added to the humor.

Not much else to comment on. Solid story.

Photo by Alan Myers via Flickr CC License

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

Lighting up the holidays

by Marcella Robinson from the December 22, 2025 issue

Tagline: Madelyn isn't feeling any Christmas cheer this year--until her handsome neighbor, Zach, asks for help decorating, and something sparks between them.

Off the Cuff Observations: I notice the pro move of dispersing the backstory in a bit at a time. If you're new to writing, backstory is everything that happened to the main characters before the story occurs. In novels, we're told not to "info dump" backstory at the beginning but to sprinkle it in a little at a time, as in this story. We find out that Mad is new to her 0ver-55 community. Her grandson accidentally caused the injury of her nextdoor neighbor. They have a polite and friendly relationship. However, because WW stories are so compacted, it's actually all right to shoehorn it in the first couple of paragraphs.

Her heart sure didn't feel two sizes too small standing close to Zach. - Love the Grinch reference.

Wait, there's a Community Light Up contest? Love that! 

Madelyn smiled as the sound [of his laughter] eased the loneliness that had been taking hold lately. - Again, nice little addition of backstory.

...his eyes flaring with interest as he stepped closer, ready to catch her if she fell. - He's not going to be too successful with a broken arm, so let's hope she doesn't fall! LOL

There's a cute little bit of banter when they're playing this or that.

OMG, there's an almost kiss! What a nice surprise. I find myself really wanting them to kiss, especially since Zach's question of poinsettias or mistletoe was so clever. The reason the interrupted kiss works so well is because Marcella has laid the groundwork for Mad and Zach's history. We readers can tell there's something brewing. If the two of them had just met, the almost kiss would fall flat. We would have no reason to root for them.

The ending gave me the tingles. Lovely story!!

Photo by chasB via Flickr CC License

A Lucky Snow Day

by P.S. Murray from the December 15, 2025 issue

Tagline: When Eve stepped onto a snow-covered street, she never dreamed she'd bump into the handsome guy from work--or that it would lead to new love.

Observations: This was a darling story. I often think about the people who end up being alone on Christmas and I'm glad the two people in the story were able to spend it together. I did worry at first about the snowball to the face. Those can really hurt! The snowballs I've made are always compact and hard so that they fly more accurately. But I'll have to take her at her word, like Chuck did, that she was fine.

Photo by Kyle via Flickr CC License

A Recipe for Love

by Carol J. Douglas from the December 1, 2025 issue

Tagline: When her best friend's brother stops by to pick up the Thanksgiving rolls, Linda is surprised by their instant connection--and it just might change their holidays.

Off the Cuff Observations: I love the aroma of bread baking too! If I didn't work at Starbucks, a bakery would have been a wonderful-smelling place to work too.

Every year, Linda made a beautiful basket filled with Thanksgiving items -- I paused to think about what would go in a Thanksgiving raffle basket those would be. A turkey? That's not going to add to the beauty of a basket. Maybe place settings, a table runner? Okay. This is plausible.

I've read stories in which someone wonders about the path not taken, but it's usually not as serious as a marriage proposal. My heart really goes out to Linda. 

This year, Carla's family bid the highest on Linda's basket again. -- Prediction...the person picking up the rolls is going to be an eligible bachelor!

And I was right. Paul is single!

Linda's heart did a little turkey trot. -- LOL!! Love it.

This story was longer than normal. I love that! I also loved the reason that they're getting together again is to make the perfect leftover turkey sandwich. Nice, fresh idea for a Thanksgiving story, but I am wondering why a Thanksgiving story is appearing in the December 1 issue. Do they need more seasonal stories that aren't connected to a holiday? Just wondering.

Photo by Mark Levisay via Flickr CC License

A Very Happy Thanksgiving

by Tina Radcliffe from the November 24, 2025 issue

Tagline: When Lindsay dashes to the store for a missing ingredient, she doesn't expect to bump into her neighbor...or to spark something new.

Observations: A perfect story. I have no notes on it except good ones.

First, we have great characterization in the form of list-making Lindsay. This trait is threaded throughout the story. We see it really established at the beginning. It's mentioned again in the middle of the story...

Lindsay laughed. "It's right here on my checklist."

Then, it's mentioned at the end for a third time... 

"You're a list person too?"

I think mentioning things three times originates with fairy tales, but it's kind of a time-honored thing that I think readers have come to subconsciously expect. It also feels right, for some reason. What's great in this story is that this third mention also shows that they have something in common.

The second thing I wanted to highlight was that we are shown that Lindsay is ready to move on with her life after a break-up. This is a small but crucial detail when writing a Moving On story, whether it's a break-up or a divorce. The character must be ready or else, in the backs of our minds, we readers will not be sure the romance will ever go anywhere. This readiness can already be established or it can be shown in the story, as in:

Over a year? Already?

...maybe Paige was right after all. Maybe it was time to try.

Photo by DC Central Kitchen via Flickr CC license