As many of you may know, I am new to writing for Harlequin Heartwarming. So new, in fact, that my first Heartwarming book, Reunited with the Cowboy, doesn't even come out until July. I just turned in the edits for that book, and my experience writing it really got me thinking about what it means to write for Harlequin Heartwarming.
The books I wrote for the Superromance line were often called 'heartwarming' by reviewers. But I never thought too much about why that was. I just wrote the stories that were in my heart at the time. When Superromance closed and I decided to try to write for the Heartwarming line, I read a bunch of wonderful Heartwarming stories, and really enjoyed them, but they all seemed quite different from each other. I mean, I could see the similarities of wonderful small towns, lots of secondary characters, family and kids, but I still felt like I was looking for the secret ingredients that makes these books so special.
I went on the Harlequin website and read this description: Harlequin Heartwarming celebrates wholesome, heartfelt relationships imbued with the traditional values so important to you: home, family, community and love.
Well, that was helpful, but when I got my potential heartwarming story in front of an editor, she asked for more conflict, and then some more conflict, to the point where my first Heartwarming book is now the most angst-filled story I've ever written! I've done my best to make it as uplifting, hopeful and heartwarming as I possibly can, but it isn't the type of story I expected to write for the Heartwarming line!
I read the more detailed description for the series on the So You Think You Can Write website. And that is very helpful, of course. Family relationships, small towns, heroes and heroines who are everyday men and women, community... all the stuff I love to write!
But in my quest to truly understand Harlequin Heartwarming, I figured, why not ask the experts? The longtime readers and writers of Heartwarming books!
So my questions for you are... what are the things you love most about Harlequin Heartwarming books? What is it that makes them feel special and so truly heartwarming? Is there a book that you've read, or written, that really stands out to you as especially moving or exemplary of the line? What tropes, events, holidays or situations do you love to see in Heartwarming books?
You don't have to answer all of these questions, (unless you want to!) but I'd love to hear your ideas. Because as you can see, I still have a lot to learn about being a Heartwarming author!
The books I wrote for the Superromance line were often called 'heartwarming' by reviewers. But I never thought too much about why that was. I just wrote the stories that were in my heart at the time. When Superromance closed and I decided to try to write for the Heartwarming line, I read a bunch of wonderful Heartwarming stories, and really enjoyed them, but they all seemed quite different from each other. I mean, I could see the similarities of wonderful small towns, lots of secondary characters, family and kids, but I still felt like I was looking for the secret ingredients that makes these books so special.
I went on the Harlequin website and read this description: Harlequin Heartwarming celebrates wholesome, heartfelt relationships imbued with the traditional values so important to you: home, family, community and love.
Well, that was helpful, but when I got my potential heartwarming story in front of an editor, she asked for more conflict, and then some more conflict, to the point where my first Heartwarming book is now the most angst-filled story I've ever written! I've done my best to make it as uplifting, hopeful and heartwarming as I possibly can, but it isn't the type of story I expected to write for the Heartwarming line!
I read the more detailed description for the series on the So You Think You Can Write website. And that is very helpful, of course. Family relationships, small towns, heroes and heroines who are everyday men and women, community... all the stuff I love to write!
But in my quest to truly understand Harlequin Heartwarming, I figured, why not ask the experts? The longtime readers and writers of Heartwarming books!
So my questions for you are... what are the things you love most about Harlequin Heartwarming books? What is it that makes them feel special and so truly heartwarming? Is there a book that you've read, or written, that really stands out to you as especially moving or exemplary of the line? What tropes, events, holidays or situations do you love to see in Heartwarming books?
You don't have to answer all of these questions, (unless you want to!) but I'd love to hear your ideas. Because as you can see, I still have a lot to learn about being a Heartwarming author!
I love this, Clair. I'm interested in seeing others' answers while I think about what my own thoughts are.
ReplyDeleteOkay, now I'm ready. It is, like Janice said, the relatability of the stories and the people within them. I remember the old "make them laugh, make them cry, make them wait" saying and--even though I don't care much about the waiting--the making readers laugh and cry is so important from both sides of the page. Heartwarming does that in spades.
DeleteHi Liz! Thank you for your thoughtful reply! I am glad to see that 'make them cry' can be a part of it too because my July book has some intense emotions in it! I love books that really make me feel something, and I try to write those too, so hopefully my stories will fit in!
DeleteSome thought-provoking questions, Clair! I too switched from Superromance to Heartwarming but the main change for me was the ‘sweetness’of the line. I’d always been drawn to family issues and connections. What I like most, besides the family/community aspect, is the trend of having heroes and heroines who are regular folk. After my first Heartwarming was accepted, I began to read an assortment of Heartwarming’s written by our colleagues. I love them because they are about people and situations that I can relate to. And I believe we are July release partners! Feeling very privileged to be in your company.
ReplyDeleteHi Janice! I'm so glad we are release partners, that will be really fun! I feel honored to be in your company! I was definitely drawn to the sweetness too. I have written some slightly spicier stories, but I have always been mainly drawn to the emotional connection between the characters, and in my last few books, I kind of forgot to write the spicy bits, I was so busy writing all the other parts! And yes, I love reading and writing about regular people finding their happily ever after. It's fun, sometimes, to read a billionaire book, but 'real-life-romance' is my happy place!
DeleteI like the line because the characters are "filled out." They have backstories like real people have. No one is perfect or has a flawless family. They've made mistakes and paid for them, and have to move past the heartache. That makes their happiness all the more heartwarming. I also enjoy meeting secondary characters who could be main players in in subsequent books. Love the variety of settings and the sense of community running throughout all the books.
ReplyDeleteHi Virginia! Thanks so much for your reply! I love what you said: that they have to move past the heartache and that makes their happiness more heartwarming. It's true isn't it, in real life too, that our heartaches make us see things differently, and maybe appreciate the love we find even more? And that also really makes me feel like maybe my July book will be okay because that is definitely the theme of my story!
DeleteGood questons. I do think it's the depth of relationship, not just the romantic one but friends and family and community. Like Superromance, they're longer and can be more complex. The sweet factor forces the story to find a different path to intimacy between the main characters, which can make for very original stories. I like that there is a wide variety within the guidelines, so there's room for suspense, humor, angst, or all of the above. I'm there with you and Janice in July, as well. Yay!
ReplyDeleteHi Beth! I'm so glad we both have July books. And Janice too! Let's round up our fourth author and maybe we can all celebrate together! I agree that Heartwarming stories are really original. I think that's one reason I have fallen in love with the line. And maybe it's also why it has taken me a while to get a sense of what the line really is about. Because there is so much room for a wide variety of stories and settings. I really do love the emphasis on community, friends and family. I had so much fun creating the secondary characters in this new series!
DeleteClaire,
ReplyDeleteYou're such a wonderful writer, my guess is your book is perfect for the line!
denise
Thank you so, so much! I hope so... it's so interesting to change to a new line from Superromance because Supers were so open... it could be suspense or sweet, or spicy... so I guess I'm having a bit of anxiety moving into a line of books that actually has more of theme and a set of expectations! But I feel so welcomed - and also more informed after the comments in this post!
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