A Perfect Match

by Mayori Krues from the September 21, 2015 issue

Tagline: Once Christina opened her heart to the possibility of finding love, love found her!

Observations: I very much liked the theme of this story--that love doesn't pay any attention to age, however, the story itself struck me as a bit average. The setting wasn't anything special, The characters were a bit flat. The plot wasn't anything new. I'm not saying that all of these things need to really stand out, but in this story, to me, none of them do. I think if just one of those things--setting, characterization or plot--and been unusual or more beefed up, this story would have been much better.

Again, please remember, I'm only one person and this is only my personal opinion. Obviously, Johnene saw fit to publish it so, to her, it was worth $800. :)

Photo credit: Pexels.com via Creative Commons License

Birthday Surprise

by Shannon Fay from the July 20, 2015 issue

Tagline: Derek went with his daughter to her friend's party, never imagining he would enjoy it as much as she did!

Observations: I really enjoyed this story. I liked how Fay had me not liking the hero at first, then changing my mind and making me root for him.

At first, I didn't like Derek at first because he was ditching his daughter to work. Now, I'll admit to my share of drop-off's at birthday parties when my kids were younger, however, this guy only sees his daughter on the weekends! I was angry with him for resisting her invitation. However, as noted in Vogler's The Writer's Journey--an EXCELLENT book for fiction writers--the hero must "resist the call" at first.

When Derek decides he needs to step up and join his daughter, he shows a bit of character. So, I thought maybe I was too quick to judge.

When he goes to the refreshment table and says, "Is this an open bar?" I laughed. He has a sense of humor. So, there's another point.

By the time the story ended, I was glad he was going to see Aggie again. I liked seeing he spent some time with his daughter at the party.

I thought that the "surprise" theme (in the title and then mentioned twice in the story) was subtle and well done.

Photo credit: Paul Sapiano via Creative Commons License

An Unexpected Gift

by Kathy Perrin from the May 3, 2010 issue

Tagline: He had welcomed his granddaughter to the world and met a lovely woman named Joy--all in one magical day...

In A Nutshell: A widower is shopping for earrings for his daughter to celebrate the birth of his first grandchild. He hits it off with the saleswoman.

Observations: Sometimes you can build a story around a life event. I did a story once about a woman whose daughter was getting married. This one revolves around the birth of a grandchild.

There is a very subtle black moment in the story, but oddly enough, it has nothing to do with the budding romance. The hero finds out that he can't get the diamond earrings he liked, but Joy has a fantastic solution for him--to get emerald earrings instead because they're the birthstone of his new granddaughter.

The story ended with a clever reference to the jewelry theme:

"...Would you be interested in getting a bite to eat?"

"I'd love to," Joy said, her eyes sparkling like diamonds.

Cute story.