A Whale of a Time

by Veda Boyd Jones from the July 15, 2024 issue

Tagline: On a summer cruise to Alaska with his dad, Marshall met Abby, who was traveling with her aunt. Soon, sparks fly.

Observations: It's a strange coincidence that I am doing some serious research on an Alaskan cruise for my extended family-- my mom (87 years old and still kicking), my siblings and their families and me and my family! So I immediately identified with the people in this story. I am a bit jealous though because on my whale watching excursion, we saw whales, but only with binoculars.

By the way, if you've never cruised to Alaska, put it on your bucket list. There is no cruise that is like it in the world. The views are majestic and you feel so close to nature.

Back to the story...most of it happens during dinner, but what a dinner! Marshall and Abby really make a connection. We see that they both care deeply about the elder members of their respective families. We see that conversation between the two of them comes easily. Then, on the whale watching trip, Marshal realizes Abby is very special and the ending is perfect.

We even see a second romance budding between the dad and aunt. A twofer!

The only thing that gave me pause was when Marshall declared of Abby's ex, "He was fool!" That came across a little stilted to me. I'd have preferred something more like "What an idiot." Or, "What a lamebrain." Or, "He obviously didn't deserve you."

Photo by Mark Gunn via Flickr CC license

A Star-Spangled July Reunion

by Mina Beckett from the July 1, 2024 issue

Tagline: After a year had gone by, Sophia was stunned to see Jake at the town's Fourth of July event...but the duo picked up right where they left off.

Off the Cuff Literally As I Read Observations: This story is excelling at describing the setting. From the sights, sounds, smells the author depicted, I feel like I'm right there experiencing it all.

Ah, Jake Parker...the one who got away. He's obviously strong, judging from the effortless way he's carrying the crates of refreshments. 

I am wondering how old Sophia is.

She's been thinking about him for a year? I can't help but wonder why she hasn't at least gone into his restaurant with a girlfriend to test the waters.

More super amazing description...

As she weaved through the throngs of youngsters, their sticky fingers reachign for sugary treats and running with boundless energy.

That was only one sentence, but it does so much to create atmosphere.

"Jake...do you remember last year after the fireworks? We were cleaning up and we...well, we talked about everything and anything. It was really nice."

Yeah, Sophia! Way to be assertive! 

Okay, he cups her jaw. Yeah, this makes me uncomfortable. I would have had him place a hand on her shoulder or just meet her gaze squarely, but it seems that my boundaries for physical touch and intimacy between fictional couples are way more sensitive than many writers' and the editors'. (If you're interested, there's a hierarchy of physical intimacy and here's an article about it.) This isn't the first time a character touches another one in a story and I think it's too much too fast. This might be purposeful. A man cupping a woman's jaw is undoubtedly romantic and intimate, so perhaps this is the intention of Beckett and the editors--to add romance. 

As far as writing your own stories, write what you believe your characters would do. Use your own judgment. If you're like me, not so touchy-feely right away, there are plenty of ways to increase romance and dial up the intimacy that don't involve rushing up that hierarchy. You can describe the tone and volume of the voice, have him touch her hand or, as I said before, meet her gaze. 

Okay, so it's much later and this happens:

She leaned into him, her head finding a natural resting place on his shoulder as they watched the show.

And his brushes his lips against her hair and they hold hands too. I was fine with all of this because of the time that had passed. They'd spent the entire day together. For me, that's enough time for their relationship to progress to step 8 on the hierarchy.

All in all, this was a fantastic story full of fantastic setting descriptions and a heroine who finds the courage to make the first move.

Photo by Nigel Howe via Flickr CC license.

Silhouette in Full View

by Wendell J. Potter from the June 17, 2024 issue

Tagline: While on their outing to celebrate Father's Day, Anna and her father have two sweet encounters that soon lead to true love.

Observations: I loved seeing Anna and her dad's relationship. Truth in fact, I'm a little jealous. My dearly departed dad and I weren't close. 

I think it was awesome to get a twofer, too! Two romances in one story. I've read all of Mr. Potter's stories and I can say with confidence, they are much improved, which just goes to show you practice makes perfect.

Note the omniscient point of view. I'm not the best at writing this POV. I like to be in one character's head or the other's. But it's nice to see that Woman's World is flexible with points of view.

Photo by Rolands Lakis via Flickr CC license

Strawberry Festival Love

by Jennifer Anne F. Messing from the June 3, 2024 issue

Tagline: While at her vendor booth at the annual fair, Isabelle finally opens her heart to the possibility of romance--and before she knows it, love walks by.

Observations: "Strawberry Festival Love" gave me another idea for thinking up story plots. This story is set at a strawberry festival--a quintessential summer event. When you want to write a seasonal story, look at your town's event calendar, or even some other town's event calendar, for settings. 

For instance, in Los Angeles, I found:

• Summer Sports Brewfest
• Beachside Summer Brunch
• Summer Cocktail Mixology Class
• Summer Wine Fest
• Summer Love Speed Dating Event
• Summer Culinary Creations
• Summertime Dessert and Tea Pairing Experience
• The Culinary Dude's Summer Cooking Camp: Harry Potter Inspired Recipes - Um, I want to go to this, but it's for kids! 
• Summer of love Charcuterie Class
• Vegan BBQ Party

Getting any ideas from this list of events? I am! So, what are you waiting for? Get writing!

Photo by kahvikisu via Flickr CC License

Flags of Love

by Colleen LaQuay Urbaniuk from the May 27, 2024 issue

Tagline: After losing her beloved husband in combat, Memorial Day was tough for Annie each year. But just when she thought she would never love again, a chance encounter shows her that love can have a second life.

Observations: I apologize for not blogging in so very long. I swear, if I don't write things down in my calendar (and even sometimes when I do), it doesn't get done. Then, I went on vacation and swore I could get some blog posts out of the way. Did I? Nope. But I don't feel too guilty about that. I was on vacation.

This story is the perfect example of how to end a Woman's World first meet story a little differently. We have two people meeting and making a tentative connection. Normally, you would see them arrange a date or go out on one immediately. Here, there is no mention of a date, which is perfectly fine. If the author does a good enough job, you don't need that because you know in your heart that these two will eventually go out together.

Photo by Joey Zanotti via Flickr CC license

The Two Perfect Gifts

by Barbara Catlin Craven from the May 20, 2024 issue

Tagline: Upon listening to her horoscope for the day, Janna made a bold move that was quite out of character, but it led to unexpected love.

Observations: This story brought back great memories for me because the first story I sold to Woman's World was based on a horoscope! 

I think the best part of this story was the ending. We got a lovely two-part epilogue that was so perfect for the story.

However, I think they meant locket, not cameo. Cameos typically don't open up...

"And two-and-a-half years later, Brent gave Janna the traditional second anniversary gifts of cotton: two pink cotton baby blankets as well as a beautiful pink cameo that held pictures of their precious twin girls..."

It all makes sense now because when I read cameo, I was like, I'm 62. Not even my mom would choose a cameo for someone of childbearing age. A locket is still pretty old-fashioned, but might be okay. This is something I would caution writers of a certain age to watch out for. Make sure everything about your story is age appropriate to your characters, not to you.

Anyway, as I said, the first story I sold to Woman's World was based on a horoscope. After two rejections, I decided to look more closely at the contents of the magazine for story ideas and it worked like a charm! 

If you'd like other ways to come up with story ideas, check out the book I wrote on the subject: Story Sparking: How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World 5-Minute Romances. The first chapter goes into greater detail about how to look at the magazine for ideas.

The Gift of Gabby

by Mary Ann Joyce from the May 13, 2024 issue

Tagline: As a surprise Mother's Day gift, Gabby set her mom, Tess, up with the handsome owner of a fix-it shop...and their fix-up soon turns into true love.

Observations: I loved this story. It has all the hallmarks of a classic, well-done Woman's World romance. I'd expect nothing less from Mary Ann Joyce.

Note the three act structure. In the first act, we meet Tess and her daughter, Gabby, the librarian. We get a little background on Jim. We find out Tess is having dishwasher trouble. It's almost Mother's Day. 

In the second act, we meet Jim and see what he looks like. We see them being easy with each other, despite Jim being nervous about his presentation. There's a brief "telling not showing" paragraph about their conversation and how they both like to keep busy. We also find out he's a widower. 

Act three, the class goes off without a hitch. It's discovered that, unbeknownst to the two of them, daughter Gabby set them up, promising Tess would help him with the class if he came and fixed her dishwasher. There's a very brief black moment when Tess tells him he's obviously not obligated to follow through, but never fear--Jim is smitten. 

I also loved the humor about the cat...

"She bought me the Alexa device so it wouldn't be so quiet all the time. It's wonderful and it fills my house with music!"

"My son got me a cat named Oscar," Jim said. "He fills my house with hair."

Cute punny title too. 

Photo by Dylan Foley via Flickr CCL

Carnitas and Love

by Maria Gorman from the May 6, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Ava's neighbor convinces her ot host a Cinco de Mayo party, she never expects it to include tacos, margaritas, and romance.

Observations: I am not sure, but this might be the first Woman's World story I've read to have a person of color in it. Please comment below if you remember this happening before. Either way, it's welcome and might I say long overdue. The time when mixed race couples are frowned upon is far behind us. It's wonderful to see a Woman's World story reflect the current times.

I really appreciated this sentence, which showed a physical reaction that did not include electricity of any kind.

"...he smiled, sending her pulse racing like an Indy car."

I liked seeing carnitas, an authentic Mexican dish, as his specialty. I love carnitas tacos. I live in Southern California and fantastic Mexican food is readily available. (It would have been perfect if they included a carnitas recipe elsewhere in the magazine.)

I also heard Luis's voice in my head with a Mexican accent, which was fun!

A tiny bit of criticism...I wish they'd been consistent with the italics for the Spanish words. They only italicized especialidad but should probably have included "hola," "amiga," and "perfecto."

Photo by Mike McCune via Flickr CCL.

Coming Home to Love

by Shelley Cooper from the April 22, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Mackenzie fostered a pup whose owner was deployed, she never imagined the handsome dog-dad would soon take her breath away.

Off the Cuff Observations: I usually do Off the Cuff Observations when I'm way behind on the blogging, which--as you can tell from the April date--is currently the case.

So, right off the bat, I know I'm going to like this story. I LOVE watching videos with deployed soldiers being reunited with their dogs. I get all the feelz from those and they never get old. 

Can you bring non-service dogs to the airport? Not sure about that, but I'm letting it slide because the promise of the reunion payoff is enough for me.

...she wasn't prepared for the shock to her central nervous system when she saw him. -- No electricity. Yay.

Oh, she took pictures of the dog the whole time and sent them to him? Love it. So they have a relationship. 

"Can I give you a ride?" -- Seems like they would have figured this out beforehand. 

Okay, at this point, I read quickly to the end, engrossed in the story. I noted he checked for her consent before kissing her, something that, in this day and age, seems like a good idea. I liked the banter at the end and that last line had just the right timing. Nice story! Not that I'd expect anything less from Shelley Cooper.

Photo by evan p. cordes via Flickr CCL.

A Promising Partnership

by Chris Maday Schmidt from the April 15, 2024 issue

Tagline: Businesswoman Lila Parker has a meeting about the future of her start-up. But when she makes a professional faux pas, it just might lead to love.

Observations: I was utterly surprised by the twist in this story! Brava, Ms. Schmidt! This plot twist was so well done that after I read the story, I re-read the story to experience everything but with the knowledge that he was her client. What a delight.

Photo by Moresheth via Flickr CCL

Pup Paves the Way to Love

by Kay Layton Sisk from the April 8, 2024 issue

Tagline: Allie never would have guessed the lost puppy that her dog, Biscuit, found in the flower bed would be what led her straight to a budding new romance.

Observations: Great story. I immediately saw a writing tip to share with you.

When you're trying to communicate information and your main character is alone, here are two things Ms. Sisk did that you can do too.

1. Get the info across via her thoughts or the narrative.

Last spring's frog crop had cost a trip to the vet, and Allie didn't want a repeat performance.

2. Have the character talk aloud to a pet/animal (as in this story), to herself, or even to something like a photo of a loved one.

"You're a mess, girl, but let me get a photo and I'll put it on the neighborhood watch site. If it wasn't the weekend, we could go to the vet and see if you're chipped. Either way, we'll find your family pronto!"

Photo by Tyler Allen via Flickr CCL

Love Around the Corner

by Cher L. Tom from the March 25, 2024 issue

Tagline: After a series of bad dates, Marcie opens up to her friend Max--who might end up being the one she was looking for all along.

Observations: I'm not a huge fan of friends to lovers stories, mostly because I am usually frustrated that the two people are too dense to see they belong together. 

I'm an impatient reader, apparently. LOL

However, I really liked Max. He was the best part of this story. His humor...

"Is my hair singed?" he deadpanned.

Hilarious.

He bakes/burns cookies! I mean, come on.

He plays pranks. Love it.

So, in summary, create a really lovable character, one that the reader/editor can't resist either. Make him or her someone you'd like to date. 

Photo by Whatleydude via Flicker CCL

Lucky Find

by Shannon Fay from the March 18, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Melanie went to the park to pick clovers for an upcoming art project, she never expected that her excursion could lead to finding a stroke of good luck on her own--and the possibility of a chance at happily ever after.

Observations: I thought this was a fun, well-written story that follows the structure and story elements we expect from a Woman's World romance. Let's go through them, one by one, shall we? LOL

The heroine is presented along with her goal--finding four leaf clovers for her bookmarks.

She meets a man, whose goal is finding his lost keys. He also has a cute dog whose plot purpose is revealed later.

Someone has to make a move, and in this story it's Melanie. She suggests they look for the keys and the clovers together. (If the hero makes the move, it's fine, it's traditional, but if the heroine makes it, it demonstrates her confidence or her willingness to take chances or action to achieve happiness.)

They engage in conversation. This conversation accomplishes a few things. The dog is used as a vehicle to reveal that Wyatt is single. It establishes that Wyatt is a good listener and they make a solid connection. You must establish a connection between the characters, physically and mentally. You do this by showing and sometimes by telling. In this story, Fay shows them connecting over her making paper, then follows up with a "telling" paragraph that describes that they spent a lot of time together and the heroine "didn't want it to end."

We come to what is developing into a Woman's World cliche--the hand holding. <sigh>  I am not against holding hands in a story, per se. It's a fantastic way to show a relationship in its early stages developing. However, I don't relish it happening too fast in the relationship, i.e. within an hour of meeting someone, not without good reason, like helping someone to their feet after they've fallen or onto a rocking boat. Here, Wyatt has a good reason to offer his hand--he's helping her up from a crouch. Thumbs up. But forcing physical contact for the plot isn't being true to your characters. Imagine yourself in the woman's place. In the exact same circumstances, would you like the man to hold your hand or be creeped out about it? 

Wyatt takes the next step and asks her out to dinner. I like this because earlier, it was Melanie who suggested they search the grass together, so this makes things even and suggests a give and take that would serve them well should things develop between them. 

Lastly, we've ended the story with a callback to the beginning. I like to call this coming full circle. Melanie remembers the clover she found and wonders if it brought her some good luck.

Photo by Cygnus921 via Flickr CC License

A Birthday Surprise

by Barbara Catlin Craven from the March 4, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Jerri's handsome plumber invited her to an impromptu birthday celebration, she would be gived a new chance at love!

Observations: At first, this matchmaker story plays out as expected. There's a set-up--the single mom needs a plumber. Her friend, the matchmaker, recommends someone who is a single dad. They connect as he fixes her problem.

I liked this part. It contributes to the characterization.

While he worked, we talked...and our easy, polite conversation along with his occasional glances out the window to keep an eye on the boys gave further confirmation that Mason was a good man.

Mason invites her to a birthday party. She and her son go to the party. The cake has nine candles. All clues point to the fact that it's a party for the kid, except there aren't any other children at the party. You think to yourself, maybe it's just a family party. But then, Mason the dad, blows out the candles. Plot twist! He's a leap year baby. 

As you know, I'm touchy about holding hands too soon and this story was guilty of that but the plot twist was so good, I didn't care that much.

Photo by Droid Gingerbread via Flickr CC License

Love Finds a Name

by Vicki Cox from the February 26, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Joy's friend Megan secretly plays matchmaker behind her back, she ends up finding true love--and a new furry friend.

Off the Cuff Observations: I'm a little confused, two paragraphs in. Joy seems surprised to be at the animal rescue even though Megan has wanted her to "come for months." And it seems odd that they're running errands together before going to lunch. I usually meet my friends for lunch...

The building is concrete, which is what I'd expect from a city or county shelter, not from a place called "Lily's Rescue and Adoptions." But I'm going to go with it.

Aww, he knows of Megan's Rainbow Bridge dog. 

Max offered his hand to help her back up. -- See, this is an instance of taking a hand that doesn't make me uncomfortable because it's too intimate a gesture for having just met someone. There's a real reason to do it. 

Yeah, great matchmaker story. My confusion about running errands was solved when I realized it was a matchmaker story. Of course, it was fishy.

Cupid Always Knows Best

by Dorothy Wills-Raftery from the February 19, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Sophie decided to spend Valentine's Day solo trying something new, she never imagined Cupid would swoop in with a shot at true love.

I'm so far behind on blogging, it's not funny. Practically a month! Shameful. Anyway, I'm here and, as I often do when I'm lagging, I will be recording my thoughts as I read the story instead of doing a deeper analysis.

Off the Cuff Observations: Here in Southern California where I live, we don't get snow, so the idea of Valentine's Day being snowy is so crazy to me!

What is a snow tube?

...her breath curling up in the cold air. -- I like that phrasing!

He smells like limes? I love limes.

The son, Jackson, is funny with his rapid-fire questions. Leave it to the kid to do what the parent is too shy to do. 

Oh, there's a conveyor belt? This is something completely foreign to me, but I'm imagining something like a ski lift, but maybe just a rope you grab onto.

I think snow tubes are like inner tubes. Okay, I just Googled snow tubes and now I really want to ride one!

"I hope I have something to do with that," Jake whispered before turning in their tubes. -- Seems odd to me that this almost complete stranger is whispering for no apparent reason except intimacy.

Love their jobs--firefighter and pet photographer.

...causing butterflies to burst in her stomach. -- I know what the author meant, but my brain went literal on this one. Maybe a different verb like careened or bat around or even the cliche flutter?

He takes her hand, too? Yeah, sometimes in Woman's World stories, I think things move too fast.

Oh, I do love the epilogue paragrah at the end though!

Photo by MIKI Yoshihito via Flickr CC license

Snow Men

by P.S. Murray from the January 29, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Selina called a number on a flyer tucked under her windshield wiper, she never imagined that it would lead to a winter romance.

Observations: This story had a lot of things I like to see in a Woman's World story, but it really focused hard on the hero. During the course of the story, we see Dane and all his good qualities.

He's shown to be a good uncle, helping his nephew out with his side gig. We see him complimenting the kid. We see his playfulness and humor in the snowball fight. At last, we see his unwillingness to do a good deed when he cuts down the dangerous branch on her tree. He's also a "tall good-looking man."

All of this gives us a chance to develop a crush on him along with the heroine, Selina, because Woman's World stories --indeed all romances--focus on escapism. Readers wnat to live vicariously through the story, experiencing the giddy feeling of falling in love or, in the case of Woman's World first meet stories, finding someone who just could be The One. Never lose sight of that when you're writing.

Photo credit: Via Flickr CC License, Nomadic Lana

As Sweet as a Macaron

by Audrey Wick from the 1/22/24 issue=

Tagline: When Rayna takes a French cooking class, she never expects to whip up romance...until she meets the handsome chef and sparks fly.

Observations: This was a charming story. I love cooking and am a genuine foodie. I love watching cooking shows. The Great British Baking Show is a fave of mine. I imagine Ms. Wick likes macarons and perhaps even makes them. Or, if she's like me, she wants to try her hand at them one day. To be honest, I've even had daydreams of starting a macaron making side gig, selling at farmer's markets and online. Probably never gonna happen, but it's fun to daydream.

The thing is, you can take one of your daydreams, and turn it into a Woman's World story. I talk about this at length in my book, Story Sparking: How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World Magazine 5-Minute Romances. (If you're interested in buying the book, the link is down below.)

For instance, let's say you thought it might be fun to be a blackjack dealer. Maybe your heroine's friend owns a catering company or is a party planner. She needs someone to help her with a casino night and your heroine has played blackjack in the past with her late husband, so she knows the game. Her friend is desperate, so she volunteers to help. One of the guests has never played before so she teaches him some tips and tricks her late husband taught her. One thing leads to another and they make plans to see each other the next weekend.

Now, I have to tell you, I also used another story sparking idea in that story outline, above. Look at your own life. What is going on at this moment? At this moment, I'm at the Red Rock Resort outside of Las Vegas, so when I asked myself, what kind of kooky, out of the norm daydream/interest could I use as an example for this blog post? Blackjack dealer!

Try it yourself. Try either method--current events in your own life or a hobby or interest--and see if you can come up with a story plot. Do this often and it will get easier. The more you brainstorm story ideas, the better you'll get at them. 

To buy Story Sparking: How to Generate Ideas for Woman's World Magazine 5-Minute Romances, click here.

Photo credit: Takeshi Kuboki via Flickr Creative Commons License

Romance Ahoy!

by Wendel J. Potter from the January 15, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Miranda's friend invited her out to the local seafood restaurant, she never imagined she'd end up catching feelings for a new man.

Observations: I liked this story. I like the meta aspect of the heroine being a budding romance author, even if I wondered if Miranda had a day-job, because graduating from college to be a romance novel writer is ambitious and risky. I identified strongly with her writer's block and the fact that she has a writer buddy to help her through the tough times. Also, Shrimp Boat Charlie's sounds like the kind of restaurant I want to go to.

However, other than Naomi saying at the beginning that she might be able to help Miranda figure out what the perfect man looks like, it wasn't crystal clear that this was matchmaker story. Miranda might have wondered if her friend Naomi might be interested in Charlie for herself, but she didn't. This is a very nit-picky point but I would like to have seen some other clue that Naomi meant for Charlie and Miranda to meet. Maybe Naomi could "suddenly remember" she had somewhere else to be. Or maybe Naomi could have been engaged.

Another small point--it's my nature to focus on the tiny details--Charlie would most likely not refer to his son's teacher by her first name.

But otherwise, great story!

Photo by Yoppy via Flickr CC License

Love on Ice

by Rosemary  Hayes from the January 8, 2024 issue

Tagline: When Jacqui had to help cover a shift at the cafe, she never imagined that her heart would be warmed with love on such a chilly day.

Observations: I adored this story! The more I read, the more things I found to love about it.

I loved the heroine's go-to attitude... I wasn't going to let a little snow stop me. Sara couldn't do her shift at the cafe today and Alex would need help.

"...this cafe used to be my uncle's DVD rental store a long time ago." -- Ah, the memories! I remember Blockbuster used to be a regular stop on my errands. That is, until I discovered Netflix would deliver to my mailbox. Gamechanger. I should have invested right then and there.

"Flat white?"

"How did you guess?"

"My hidden talent."

This reminds me of that movie Chocolat, where Viv's special talent is know which chocolate is someone's favorite.

I was quite surprised she was the boss. It's very rare for someone to get a plot twist in without me seeing it in advance. This was so nice!

It was like a scene from a movie. I gazed at him, he gazed at me. Sparks flew. -- Note the short sentences. Great choice. Moves us along their emotional arcs at a snappy pace.

Hayes calls back to the hidden talent comment, which is always nice. It's like an inside joke for the readers to enjoy too.

I also like how he brought photos for her to see. She would definitely love to see what her cafe looked like before she took over, not to mention the fact that it brings them a bit closer together.

I thought the ending was perfect. It even gave me chills. Excellent.

Photo by Bill McChesney via Flickr Creative Commons License