Cooking up Romance

by Alice Benson from the June 2, 2025 issue

Tagline: Not feeling very lucky in love, Lisa skips a party to stay in, but a late-night grocery run turns her quiet Saturday into a surprising moment of connection and chemistry.

Observations: I love a good grocery store story, especially if it involves cooking! I have very very fond memories of a little cafe on Third Street in West LA that I would walk to for lunch because they had the most amazing potato leek soup. 

Christopher Vogler wrote a famous book on the "formula" for fictional antagonists called The Writer's Journey.  At one point in time Disney was using it as a template for their movies. Vogler lists 12 stages characters should go through in order to craft a satisfying story, but with Woman's World romances, we don't have the luxury of showing the heroines moving through all the stages.

The first step is to show the heroine in her Ordinary World. In this case, we see Lisa at the grocery store and talking to her friend Kim. In a longer work, this is so we can see where the hero started and compare it to where they end up, changed by their adventure.

The second phase is when the character receives a Call to Adventure--the friend Kim inviting her to the party.

The third step is Refusing the Call, which Lisa does. She opts to stay at home to read and do chores.

But like I said, we don't see the other nine stages because the word count doesn't allow that, but if you're interested in writing longer fiction, I highly recommend Vogler's book.

You know what? On secont thought, I might be wrong. Maybe it's actually possible to include all 12 stages. I guess you never know unless you try!

Photo by Janet Hudson via Flickr CC License

True Love Rekindled

by Kimberly Kirkland Absher from the May 26, 2025 issue

Tagline: Samantha reconnects with her first love, Noah, during a meaningful Memorial Day ceremony reunion.

Observations: I really enjoyed this story, mainly because of the respect it showed to the seriousness of the holiday. I think a lot of people get so caught up in the barbeques and the sales that they forget the day is to honor our fallen heroes. 

Usually there's a liberal dose of optimism and cheer in Woman's World stories, but this one was tinged more with melancholy as the main characters had both recently lost loved ones. But that was appropriate to the theme of Memorial Day. I think the value in this story is that it pointed out that, while we mourn our dearly departed, life does go on and there are things to look forward to.

Photo by U.S. Army Southern Erorpean Task Force, Africa via Flickr CC License

Unexpected Dinner Date

by Mina Beckett from the May 19, 2025 issue

Tagline: When Ellie's handsome neighbor Noah shows up at her door, the last thing she expects to find is simmering chemistry.

Observations: I feel like I haven't seen a good old-fashioned man to the rescue story in a long time. I mean, granted, he caused the problem that the heroine needs rescuing from, but that's unimportant in the long run with true love at stake. LOL

What I like about this story is the banter. To me, it shows that the couple have chemistry right off the bat. It's important with these stories to demonstrate that the couple has a decent chance at finding love. It's also good to create likeable characters. In this story, Noah is the star. He's charming, funny, not afraid to take responsibility for his mistakes and he cooks--in other words, he's boyfriend material. It's never a bad idea to make the reader fall for him too.

Photo by rick via Flickr CC License

Delicious Delivery

by Dorothy Wills-Raftery from the May 5, 2025 issue

Tagline: As Gabby helps her grandmother prepare for the Cinco de Mayo festival, a delivery leads to an unexpected connection and new romance.

Observations: I'm a foodie, so I enjoy any story that revolves around food. And, boy, this one made me hungry! I appreciate how authentic and accurate the recipe was as well. I could also practically hear the mariachi music as I read the story.

The only note I have  is that Gabby stated, "The cooking gene skipped me. But, I can whip up a mean batch of churros." Honestly, churros are going to be a little more difficult because of the deep frying and the fact that you have to pipe the batter into the oil with a pastry bag, but this is a very minor criticism in an otherwise fantastic story.

Also, did you notice that Wills-Raftery used the real collective noun for butterflies? A kaleidoscope!

Photo by Quiote via Flickr CC License

Cupid's Tea Shop Set-up

by Cathy Cormany from the April 28, 2025 issue

Tagline: As Sarah relives painful memories of her breakup while replacing a beloved heirloom, an unexpected surprise changes everything.

Observations: Well, Ms. Cormany has been busy! We just critiqued a story of hers a couple of weeks ago. Good for her!

If a tea shop isn't the perfect setting for a Woman's World story, I don't know what is. It's got that old-timey, nostalgic, slice of Americana feel to it much like carnivals/county fairs, festivals, bakeries, florists, garage sales, parades, old folk's homes, antique shops, and bookstores. The list goes on and on. While these settings might feel cliche by now, they continue to sell, so don't necessarily shy away from them.

Being a die hard pragmatist, I immediately wondered how the man identified the china pattern from Sarah's vague description. There have to be hundreds of patterns out there. Sarah would have been better off snapping a picture, but it doesn't really matter. I'm probably the only person in the world who had this thought.

Still, you might want to keep in mind the age of your characters and, if they are considerably younger than you, really put yourself in their shoes as you craft your plot. (This is not to suggest that Ms. Cormany is of a certain age. I really don't know. I'm just bringing up a pet peeve of mine which is when authors use their own frames of reference for characters who are one, two or more generations apart from them. 

Loved the twist at the end! It's so hard to write couple-in-trouble stories. 

Photo by Selena N.B.H. via Flickr CC License

Baking up Love

by Lida Sideris from the April 14, 2025 issue

Tagline: Mari, a cheerful warehouse worker, discovers unexpected joy and potential love when a colleague requests her baking secrets.

Off the Cuff Observations: So we're introduced to Mari who has such a cheerful attitude while at work, I can't help but like her.

A long-time supervisor, Ray[,] often dashed by, greeting everyone--but singling out mari and starting a conversation? That was a first.

As usual, pragmatic me thinks, this is not good in a work environment, setting up someone for possible sexual harrassment. But this is Woman's World magazine, so you have to go with it.

There is no cat or bag.

LOL

Tucked underneath were little notes of appreciation.

That IS sweet!

Ah, give a man some cookies and you feed him for a day... LOL. I was totally expecting him to invite her to the barbeque and ask for her to bring cookies, but I like how he asked to be taught instead. Smart man! That way he gets more intimate one-on-one time with her.

Photo by Helena Jacoba via Flickr CC License

Some Bunny to Love

by Mary Ann Joyce from the April 21, 2025 issue

Tagline: Dressed as the Easter Bunny, Elliot reconnects with an old crush during a springtime community event.

Off the Cuff Observations: But fair and square, he'd lost a bet with his sister Molly, who'd organized the Easter weekend event.

As sort of de facto matchmakers in the wings, we're always consciously or unconsciously judging the characters in the stories to see if they are good for each other. Here we've got to give the guy a point for being a good brother. 

"Besides," she continued, "it's just for a few hours, and women love a man in a suit...even if it is a bunny suit."

LOL

His walk turned light, and he added a hop every few steps.

Atta boy, Elliot! Getting into the spirit of things.

"Do you know the Tooth Fairy?" he asked, lisping through the gap in his front teeth. "'Cause I left her two teeths, she only paid for one."

LOL again.

...another little boy pointed toward Elliot's backside. "Where do the eggs come from? Do you lay them?"

OMG, so funny! Kids say the darndest things.

There was definitely something blooming beyond the yellow daffodils in the sun.

Nice way to set the scene and get important information across at the same time.

"...we're 'opposed to look for eggs now!"

Seems apparent Joyce has or had access to young children to mimic their way of talking so well.

The girl skipped away, giggling under the sun.

Hmmm. Was this little girl put up to asking him the question about having a girlfriend by a well-meaning matchmaker? 

Photo by somewhere in the world today via Flickr CC License

True Love at the Carnival

by Krista Wroblewski from the April 7, 2025 issue

Tagline: Abby's nostalbic visit to the carnival leads to a chance encounter, sparking a connection that promises new beginnings.

Off the Cuff Observations: I'm criminally behind on the blog, so I'm going to do the "quickie" analyses by jotting down my thoughts as I read the story.

While I don't love actually attending carnivals because I don't like those kinds of rides, I love the idea of a carnival as a story setting.

Oh, funnel cakes. Yeeesssss. So unhealthy but so good. I miss having school-aged kids because they were a good excuse to splurge on that and have a couple of bites to satisfy the craving.

Wroblewski sets the scene and the mood well before we meet the love interest.

There was an instant connection neither of them could ignore.

I like this line which shows the spark without mentioning electricity. I'm also thinking this seems to be told in an omniscient POV.

She in turn shared her own journey--a turbulent marriage that ended in divorce and her new life of independence and self-discovery. 

I feel that last part of the sentence embodies the kind of heroine and attitude we see often in Woman's World stories. We want characters with optimistic attitudes who are ready for love.

The lights twinkled like stars... 

I'm suddenly a little confused about what time of day it is. Further ahead it says "rest of the evening," so I guess it was late afternoon when she got there...?

...both felt a sense of hope and possibility.

Here is where I was absolutely sure this was an omniscient POV.

The flow and structure of this story is a bit different. I notice the prolonged ending. It could easily have ended here:

With a gentle kiss on the cheek, they parted ways, both feeling excited for what the future might bring.

Or here:

As Abby drove home, she couldn't help but think that maybe, just maybe, some of the best and brightest moments in life happen when you least expect them.

Okay, it actually could have ended on any of the last five paragraphs, but with all those paragraphs included, the author leaves us basking in a wistful, quiet hope.

Photo by chascar via Flickr CC License