  Romance/Love
This week: Summer Romance Stuff Edited by: StephBee  
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When last I wrote, the June Gloom was upon SoCal, keeping the area cool. Now, the June Gloom is gone and high pressure heat is here. The last 3 days have seen temps between 110-118 here in SoCal. It will be cooling down soon, thank goodness! We went and saw Ant-Man and the Wasp on the first day. Going to see a movie, or getting out to the beach/lake/water park are good ways to beat the heat. Maybe take a walk around the mall. Beating the heat isn’t easy. I hope you are staying cool this July.
Now that summer is officially here, it’s time to celebrate. July is national Hot Dog month, Picnic Month, and Grilling month. The 4th of July has come and gone for those celebrate in the USA. This year the family went to Pismo Beach, cooled off, walked around, listened to patriotic music, and watched the fireworks. How do you celebrate?
In this newsletter I’ll taking a look at a couple of things: themes to consider when writing series, and summer settings. -- and the Romance they have in common.
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Publishers love to publish romantic series. A series of romance novels in the same “vein” help attract readers and fans. However, developing a strong first book in the series and creating characters and stories that are compelling enough to be part of a romance series is definitely a challenge. The major elements to consider are: what is the theme of the series, the setting, the characters, and the plot.
In my Windsor Diaries series, the theme is saving time. How do the characters save the time line and find love? Can you have time go the way it goes and still find love.
The setting is England and a secondary setting is steampunk to include dirigibles, brass, rivets, and leather. Settings need to capture the imagination of the reader without weighing down the characters or restricting their movements.
All the characters who are the main characters for the individual novels in the series, should have a goal that fits into the theme. In Windsor Diaries it’s how each main character saves the time line for England.
There’s got to be a plot that connects all the books. Perhaps all the main characters are friends with similar goals. So how do they achieve their goals?
When I wrote series I might outline the plot, characters and tie them into the theme. Ideas to build up to novels – Write 4 flash fiction stories. Then write 4 short stories. Grow the writing and stories and build up to novel writing.
SUMMER ROMANCE SETTINGS
Setting is important to romance stories as it allows the reader to imagine where the action is happening. Summer time is generally considered a “fun” season and so settings, I need to think, need to be fun. Some fun settings for me are the beach, a lake, or a river. I love any setting near water. There are late sunsets, rich smelling flowers, colorful trees. Summer is about hot dogs, ice cream and watermelon. There’s sunshine and smells, and a light-heartedness that appeals to everyone.
Challenge for you: Write a Flash Fiction romance set in the summer. Challenge yourself by adding a hot dog dinner, ice cream snack or a watermelon treat. I’ll feature all stories in my next newsletter.
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Feedback from my Newsletter DTD: 20 JUN 2018:
D Carlson 
I enjoyed this article. Perhaps you could write one about combinations of these personalities. For instance (using your examples) I'm writing a romance/horror starring a nurturing Amazon heroine. What I found interesting is that her hero boyfriend is the librarian/girl next door type.
Actually, it was supposed to be a horror with a bit of romance, but somehow it evolved into the romance with horror. My characters really hit it off. :)
Sounds like a real interesting flip. Have fun with your characters. 
Quick-Quill 
The first heroine that popped into my mind is Vivian from Pretty woman. She is a mix of seductress/nurturer/librarian. I believe you can build a character like Vivian into someone strong yet with a vulnerability. I'm struggling to build my MC. She has a goal to find out who her mother really is, but who is SHE? I haven't built her yet. I'm plotting the storyline, but what kind of person takes off during the summer and searches for her roots, without a tree as a guide? Diligence is the only characteristic I have at the moment and her unique looks.
Sounds like a delicious challenge. She needs a good reason I suspect. A lot of people are into the 23andMe websites. Maybe she finds that too appeal to turn down? Or perhaps she has a health crisis and has to find her mother?
Christopher Roy Denton 
Thanks for plugging my humorous villanelle.
You’re welcome!
StephBee is a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. She is currently in the process of finding new publishing homes for her romance stories.
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Romance/Love: July 18, 2018 Issue [#8997]
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