On Track for Love

by Jody Lebel from the June 11, 2018 issue

Tagline: Nora wasn't looking for love, but she found it on a romantic train ride...

Photo credit: Stanley Wood (Flickr CC license)

Observations: It's so good to see a story from my friend, Jody. I thought this was a charming story. It's difficult to construct a plot in which the couple meet while traveling because, in order for the romance to continue, they need to spend more time together--difficult to do if you live in different cities.

It was interesting to see a sort of "villain" in the story. If you're a regular reader of the Woman's World romances, you knew that Colette was not a serious contender. I think Jody did a good job of showing Nora analyzing the other woman without seeming catty.

Notice the moment when their hands touch near the beginning of the story. I thought that was a lovely snapshot in time. It also showed Ken being a gentleman.

The Setup

Photo credit: Josh Dionne (Flickr cc license)

by Anna Jo Christopher from the June 4, 2018 issue

Tagline: Cassie wasn't looking for love...but there was something special about Ben!

Observations: This week we had a matchmaker story about a game night. I love game nights! I recently went to visit my brother in Texas and we played games almost non-stop. But I digress.

I didn't see anything in particular I wanted to point out except for the fact that the suspenseful black moment happened in the middle of the story and not at the end. Did you notice it? It's when the mystery man is 20 minutes late. It's odd how in these short stories, you can get away with things you wouldn't normally be able to in a novella or novel.

Catch of the Day

Photo credit: Fuzzy Gerdes (Flickr CC license)

by Diane Crawford from the May 28, 2018 issue

Tagline: Paul was fishing for his dinner...then he caught Lynne!

Observations: Obviously, this story stood out a bit for being in the male, first person point of view. It was refreshing! It was also another example of a story that goes against my oft offered advice to give the couple more screen time together. This story mainly occurred in Paul's head. We get a very detailed picture of who this man is and we end up liking him.

I liked the surprise of Lynne being the one in the hat, and the moment he spotted the red cap, I knew it was her. Also I wanted you to notice at one point in the story, Paul wondered at the scarcity of women who liked the outdoors. Sure enough, he finds one right under his nose. Crawford didn't feel the need to repeat this info in a sentence like, "Paul knew he and Lynne would spend many a day in the sunshine and fresh air." It wasn't necessary. The reader already knows this is a good match.