by Veda Boyd Jones from the January 14, 2019 issueTagline: After her husband died, Cheryl lost all of her joy. But on a trip to the Grand Canyon, a handsome stranger showed her how beautiful life can be.
Stream of Consciousness Observations:
First paragraph, we get her backstory. As noted before, the stories are very short, so best to get that important info across succinctly. She's a widow and it's been two years. If you're a regular reader of Woman's World romance, you already know this will be a "moving on" story.
I like this description: But as the deep reds and golds of the canyon swirled on her television...
Time to start living again. -- Yep. A "moving on" story, all right.
Another very nice description: She shivered, eyes wide at the wondrous pageant before her as the rising son illuminated the canyon's rich purples, reds and golds.
"Over here, Angie." -- Ah! It's also a misunderstanding story. Again, veteran readers will know that Angie's not the wife. She's a sister or friend or co-worker. LOL This doesn't take anything away from the story. This is the "black moment" of the story when we think there won't be a happy ending. Notice that it occurs in the middle of the story, whereas in a novel, it occurs more in the last third of the book. We still feel the Cheryl's disappointment, but as readers, we also are in on the secret that Glen is actually available and we anticipate that moment of surprise when she finds out the truth.
Angie's the sister. Called it!
I love the conniving sisters. LOL
More vivid description: Outside, the sky lit up in fiery yellows and magenta, as the shadows of the canyon turned gorgeous royal purple.
This story had a strong color motif, which is something I don't see often in Woman's World stories. Nicely done. This story also felt more romantic than the last few stories. Having read the story, I think the title could have been more clever.
Photo credit: lwtt93 via Flickr CC license
6 comments:
Maybe a title that references color somehow. I enjoy picking out titles for my stories.
The title may not have originated with the author. I know I give a lot of thought to the titles I use because I consider them an important part of the story, and at least 50% of the time my title has been changed when the story goes to print. I remember that at one point I counted at least five WW romances that appeared with the title MEANT TO BE, including one of mine. Someone at WW must have a fondness for that title.
I think it was very interesting to use the Grand Canyon as the background for this story. There is the majestic background to an important life moment.
I loved this story. The characters were great, but the setting was wonderful. I actually felt like I was there.
As for titles. I too notice that WW used titles over and over...a lot.
I agree with Pat, I felt like I was there. Great story!
Lovely setting! Glad to see WW used a tourist attraction and made it romantic! Cute story!
This was a very well written story with the great descriptions. I don't think we see that as often in a Woman's World story. It was very romantic. I enjoyed that the author used the Grand Canyon as a backdrop.
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