I knew Nantucket was special from the moment I stepped off the ferry and onto the cobblestone streets. I saw dozens of boats dotting the harbor, their masts poking the sky like skinny white fingers. Beyond them, gray-washed cottages lined the piers and stone-stepped up the hillside.
Nantucket is an enchanted island, a place just made for romantic tales of love--so what was a writer to do but set a series there?
Getting the setting right is critical to telling a good story, and you can't go wrong with a beautiful New England island.What about you? What setting do you think is ideal for a love story?
BOOK GIVEAWAY!
Thomas Nelson added beautiful new covers to my Nantucket novels, and I've added content to the stories themselves. In celebration of their re-debut, I'm giving away a complete, signed set!
To enter the drawing, answer this question from my new release "A Cowboy's Touch":
Wade's mysterious past leads Abigail to conduct an investigation of her handsome cowboy boss. Name one of the secrets he's hiding.
Send the correct answer to Denise@DeniseHunterBooks.com by May 15 and you'll be entered in the drawing! Please don't leave the answer as a comment on the blog!
Labels: Christian romance, Nantucket
I've been reading romance ever since I became a teenager. I think the first love story I ever read was
Green Mansions when I was about 13
. I still remember crying as Rima fell to her death from the tree. Now we go for happy endings in romance, thank goodness! I hate sad endings.
But a friend is writing an article about how romance is growing in the Christian market and how it is different from what's available in the general market. These two pictures are a prime example of the differences, I think. In a Christian romance, it's not the physical that is emphasized. Of course it's an element, but there is no graphic sex and character is more important. The hero's physical appearance is mentioned, but the heroine grows to love the man because he possesses attractive internal attributes.
I remember reading my first Christian romance. It was Francine Rivers' Mark of the Lion series. Then I read Redeeming Love. All of those books let me see God and His love in the shadows of those stories. And that's one big difference for me between Christian romance and general market novels. I see Christian romance as a great way to reveal how love is a choice. When we're upset about towels left on the floor, we might be snappish, but the books can be a reminder that love overlooks the unimportant. We need the reminder when we're tired and the honeymoon was over ten years ago. :)
Christian romance is booming. I think even non Christians appreciate a great story that doesn't have graphic sex and bad language. But are there other elements? I think there are. I mentioned the difference for me but what about you?
If you read romance, WHY do you read it? Has it given you unrealistic expectations of a relationship or has it helped you be more patient, loving and kind? What is the draw for you? Escapism only? Inquiring minds want to know!
Labels: Christian romance, Mark of the Lion, Redeeming Love
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