Why Both Contemporary and Historical?
The general wisdom in the romance end of the publishing industry is that an unproven (i.e., unpublished or debut) author should focus on writing just one thing: she should write either contemporary romance or historical romance. She should write Amish or romantic suspense. It’s better that way, we’re told, because it’ll be easier to pitch ourselves to publishers as a single type of writer (a contemporary romance novelist, a historical romance novelist).
So I get asked quite often how I was able to not only write both contemporary and historical but get published in both right from the start of my career as a published author. This question came up once again over the weekend on a romance writers’ e-mail list of which I’m a member, and I thought I’d share some of my answer with y’all.
Why do I write both contemporary and historical? Was I following the market and choosing what was selling?
I write both contemporary and historical because I’ve had ideas for both contemporary and historical novels, and I’m published in both contemporary and historical because I had both acquired by publishers. I most definitely didn’t follow the market—when I first started writing Ransome’s Honor, I had just heard at the 2005 ACFW conference that historicals were dead, dead, dead, dead and NO ONE was acquiring them (they were all looking for chick lit that year, and I wasn’t writing that, either). But I kept writing the historical because I loved the story (and I was writing it while I was finishing revisions on Stand-In Groom as my master’s thesis).
In 2006, when Stand-In Groom was a finalist in the Genesis contest, we heard at ACFW that while they were acquiring historicals again, not to even think about pitching Regencies—because publishers weren’t touching Regencies with a ten-foot pole. Guess what—Ransome’s Honor is set in England in 1814, making it a Regency. But I kept writing it—and expanded it from a category-length idea to a three-book proposal.
In January 2007, I signed with my agent (Chip MacGregor) based on his reading Stand-In Groom. At the 2007 ACFW conference, I pitched both the Brides of Bonneterre series (Stand-In Groom, Menu for Romance, and A Case for Love) and The Ransome Trilogy to Rebecca Germany, the only editor with whom I got an appointment. She wanted to see the contemporary—but passed on the historical, because Barbour had just published MaryLu Tyndall’s pirate series and had just acquired her Charles Towne Belles series and felt Ransome was too similar. At that conference, I had the opportunity to get to know Kim Moore from Harvest House and we discovered a shared love of Jane Austen and Horatio Hornblower. The next year, she was instrumental in Harvest House acquiring the Ransome series.
I enjoy writing both contemporary and historical stories. To me, there’s really not a lot of difference in the two—except for the amount of research, because more is required for the historicals, as well as more of a focus on language. It still takes the same amount of effort to create the characters, develop the relationship, and work out the plot. I have readers who read both my contemporaries and my historicals and, I’m certain, some who read only one or the other. I have some readers who prefer the contemporaries to the historicals (but some of them admit that they really don’t enjoy most historicals as much as contemporaries) and vice versa.
Which does better in the market, historicals or contemporaries?
As far as sales go . . . as a genre, historical romance outsells contemporary romance exponentially (in both the CBA and the general market). And all you have to do is look at the list of titles of the finalists in the “contemporary romance” categories of the 2011 Christys and Carols to take the temperature of how well true contemporary romance novels are doing in the CBA—in the Christys, the finalists were all romantic suspense; in the Carols, they’re all Amish novels. So where does that leave those of us who are writing “simple” (oh, the irony) contemporary romance novels? Well . . . between a suspenseful rock and a “plain” hard place. It’s hard to be taken seriously as a genre when the two major awards for the CBA don’t even have the books that can truly be labeled “contemporary romance” as finalists. 
(I don’t consider Amish novels to fit the label “contemporary” because the whole draw of them is the pseudo-historical Amish lifestyle. Romantic suspense is, technically, a different genre from contemporary romance, with a different plot structure and different story/character needs and expectations.)
Specifically with my books, it’s a little harder to compare contemporary sales to historical sales, because my contemporaries have sold better than my historicals to date—but the Ransome series is a continuing-story series, and it’s hard for those to sell as well (especially the second book in a trilogy) until the entire series is published, so over the next six to twelve months, I hope to see the sales numbers for those books increase, 
since the final book in that series just released. But that’s also one of the reasons why I decided not to go with a continuing-story series for this new historical series. I’ve “branded” myself with my contemporaries for novels that can be read as stand-alones, though they are tied together by secondary characters and settings. So I’m taking that brand over into the historicals with this new series, which will hopefully result in better sales from the start instead of having to wait and try to build the sales after the final book comes out.
Which do you prefer?
As readers, we all have preferences. So which do you prefer to read—contemporaries or historicals? For those of you who are also writers, which do you prefer writing?
Writer’s Window: Stephanie Grace Whitson
Joining us today for Writer’s Window is historical romance author Stephanie Grace Whitson.
One lucky commenter* will win a signed copy of Stephanie’s latest novel, A Most Unsuitable Match. Deadline for leaving a comment to enter the drawing is Friday. To enter the drawing, you must answer the question posed by Stephanie at the end of the interview. Only one comment per person will count toward the drawing. Please do not include your e-mail address in the body of your comment—just make sure it’s correct when you sign in to leave your comment. The winning name will be drawn next weekend and the winner will be notified via e-mail.
- *U.S. residents only, void where prohibited. If you win the drawing, you will be ineligible for the next three drawings, though hopefully you will still come back and join in the discussion.
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Miss Fannie Rousseau is a young woman of privilege traveling west to uncover the truth behind a family secret. Mr. Samuel Beck is on a mission to atone for past failures that still haunt him. Their meeting aboard a steamboat to Montana sparks an unlikely attraction. They are opposites in every way… except in how neither one can stop thinking about the other. Will the end of the journey bring the end of their relationship, or is it just the beginning?
Welcome, Stephanie!
What do you like best about being a writer?
- The revision and self-editing phase. I love getting my arms around a story and making it better.
What do you like least about being a writer?
- Creating the first draft. Even after more than twenty novels, the same fears rear their hideous heads every single time.
- Steph 1: Can I do this? How did I do that? I’m a fraud. I can’t do this.
Steph 2: Just put something on the screen, Stephanie. You can’t do anything with a blank screen. Get something up there so you have something to work with.
Steph 1: OK … but’s it’s going to be so bad.
Steph 2: That’s all right. You’ll make it better. Here. “Once upon a time …”
Steph 1: Oh puh-leeze. I can do better than that.
Steph 2: Prove it.
You get the idea.
Pop, Soda, or Coke? What do you call it, and what’s your favorite variety?
- I had to learn to call it “pop,” after growing up with “soda” in southern Illinois and marrying a boy from Chicago. It took a while. I don’t have a favorite. I’m an equal-opportunity imbiber, although I don’t drink a lot of pop.
What’s your favorite dessert?
- Dessert is my favorite food. In no particular order I’d say tiramisu, blackberry cobbler, gooseberry pie, strawberry shortcake, coconut cream pie, chocolate cake … well. I should stop.
Oh! Coconut cake …
What’s the most fun/interesting/crazy/scary/unique hands-on research you’ve done for a book?
- This goes back a bit, but when I was researching the Dakota Moons series, I’d read and read and read prior to going to Minnesota’s historical society to research in the archives. I’d grown to admire missionaries Stephen and Mary Riggs. Handling Dr. Riggs’s private papers was actually emotionally moving to me … especially when one of the letters in his file was a copy of a letter he’d written to President Lincoln. At the History Center I learned that some of the historical sites I’d read about were still accessible, so my hostess and I took a road trip. When I visited the Lac Qui Parle mission, sitting at the pump organ in the place where Dr. Riggs had preached brought tears to my eyes. I’m really looking forward to meeting him and his wife in heaven someday … and the Dakota man who inspired my character named Daniel Two Stars.
What’s your favorite movie from childhood?
- National Velvet
If you were to write a novel about what your life would have been like if you’d become what you wanted to be at eight years old, what kind of character would the story be about?
- The owner of the Triple Crown Ranch in Wyoming. Three herds of horses, three stallions named Red, Midnight, and Starlight. Red looked like Secretariat, by the way. Midnight had a strange resemblance to Black Beauty. Starlight was part Lipizzaner.
What makes you happy?
- Holding my grandchildren, hearing from readers, helping other writers, savoring good coffee, walking around Paris, sitting on the beach watching the ocean, discovering a new story idea, quilting, learning, seeing my girls sing in church, hearing my daughter’s music, riding my motorcycle, spending time brainstorming with writing friends, taking time to walk through a garden, seeing a butterfly, listening to blues music …
What makes you nervous?
- Waiting to hear back from my editor after I’ve submitted a manuscript, public speaking, confronting anyone about anything (even when it’s unavoidable), driving on icy roads, heights … and spiders. Although those last two make me more than just nervous.
What’s your biggest dream for the future?
- To see my grandchildren grow up to be champions for Jesus.
Tell us about your newest release and what you’re working on now.
A Most Unsuitable Match just released with Bethany House. It takes a well-to-do young woman to the end of herself as she heads up the Missouri in 1869 on a steamboat in search of her only surviving relative. On the way she meets a poor roustabout in search of his runaway sister. Sparks fly … not necessarily of the romantic kind at first :-).
The Key on the Quilt releases next year with Barbour and explains why a quilt maker affixed a brass key to a courthouse steps quilt. I’m working on the re-write now and enjoying seeing my new imaginary friends comes out of their shells. Jane took a while before she’d open up to me, but I think I’ve earned her trust now. She finally told me what the key is all about … but made me promise not to rush Rose when it comes to using it to open the past.
Where can people find out more about you/connect with you online?
Now it’s your turn to ask the question. What question do you want to ask the commenters to answer?
- What is your all-time favorite romance read … and who would play the lead roles if it were made into a movie?
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Southern Illinois native Stephanie Grace Whitson’s writing career began in an abandoned pioneer cemetery near where the Whitson family lived in the 1990s. That cemetery provided a hands-on history lesson for Stephanie’s home-schooled children and a topic of personal study. When she first began “playing with imaginary friends,” Stephanie had no idea that the scenes she was writing would become her first novel and the first on a list of nearly two dozen published books to date. Whitson’s books have appeared on bestseller lists and been finalists for the Christy Award. In addition to keeping up with five grown children and several grandchildren, Stephanie enjoys motorcycle trips (on Kitty, her Honda Magna), volunteering at the International Quilt Study Center and Museum, studying pioneer women’s history, Paris, Florence, and the Big Island. She is in graduate school pursuing a Master of Historical Studies degree.
An Announcement So Big and Public, You Might Say I’m Making a “Great Exhibition”!
Coming in 2013 & 2014 from
Kaye Dacus
and
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England—1851
An American woman under an edict to “marry money.” A governess facing the bleak reality of unemployment. A spinster seamstress whose only concern is her sick mother. The daughter of a baronet who’s already lost one suitor and refuses to lose another. A headmistress living with the shame of her family’s past. A school teacher with little to live on and less to hope for.
Prince Albert’s Great Exhibition was meant as a worldwide showcase of industry and agriculture—a “Union of All Nations.” Now this great world’s fair becomes the stage for another sort of “union” . . . this time of the romantic kind!
Click the mock cover image to learn more about each book.
(These are all working titles—subject to change!)
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Follow the Heart (May 2013)
An American woman is sent to England to marry wealth, but finds herself torn between the poor man she loves and the viscount who offers the wealth and stability that can save her family.
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An Honest Heart (October 2013)
A physician with a secret past falls in love with the daughter of one of his patients. He must choose between revealing his past, which could mean losing everything, or keeping his secret and watching her marry another man.
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The Heart That Waits (April 2014)
Stephen Brightwell, Viscount Thynne, wants to be loved for himself, not his money or title. Mercy Timperleigh has never married because of the shame of her family’s past. When the aristocrat and the schoolmistress fall in love, is it a love that has been worth waiting for?
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(All the artwork here was done by me—from images I found online—and in no way represents the much better job B&H will do with the covers!)
And how poetic is this? Here’s the post from last year in which I introduced the templates for the main characters—posted exactly one year ago today!
Needless to say, this contract has been in the works for a while—given that I finalized and submitted the proposal to my agent almost a year ago. I’m super excited to be embarking on an new adventure with a new publishing house, B&H Publishing Group, and am looking forward to getting to know Julie Gwinn and the entire B&H team. The other nice thing is that the B&H offices are located right here in my hometown of Nashville, so I was actually able to drop off the contracts there after signing them yesterday!
So, what do you think of my new endeavor?
Thursday Thought Provoker
Why Do Romance Novelists Get All the Blame?
It’s hard to get through a week when there isn’t another blog post, another article, from Christians and from the general market, comparing romance novels—yes, even Christian romance novels—to p*rnography for women and blaming them for ruining young women by creating false expectations of what love/marriage is or will be like.
But why are we romance novelists taking all the blame when there are almost daily stories like this one, an interview with actress Olivia Wilde, being published containing statements like this (emphasis mine):
“ ‘We’re crazy to do this, but we’re doing it because we’re in love and it makes us happy. The only reason to divorce is if one of us isn’t happy. Life is too short.’ After really trying to make the relationship evolve in the way our lives had, I realized it wasn’t a natural evolution. When the relationship becomes about working to make it work, it’s lost that beauty and that optimistic bohemian sense that brought us together. I don’t think love should be work. My parents have been married for 35 years. They said, ‘You have to work at it. That’s what it takes.’ But we tried, and it wasn’t making us happy.”
And then there’s this blog post, from last week’s HuffPost, which delves into the phenomenon of “runaway brides” and links it to the pressure put on young women by all of the “reality” shows built around the multi-billion dollar wedding industry (and I’ll admit, I personally am addicted to Say Yes to the Dress in all its incarnations) in which we read:
Mandy, 25, of Craig, Colorado, who broke off her engagement in April, said one of the reasons she originally said yes to a man she knew was wrong for her was that she saw how many of her friends were married and having kids. She was eager to settle down herself. “Part of me really just wanted to get married,” she said.
And pop culture’s celebration of the wedding as the ultimate milestone in a woman’s life has arguably reached an all-time crescendo. Current and upcoming wedding-centric reality television shows include “Say Yes To The Dress,” “My Fair Wedding,” “Four Weddings,” “Rich Bride Poor Bride,” “Bridezillas,” “The Real Wedding Crashers” and “I Do Over.” Wedding-themed movies have had impressive showings at the box office over the last decade, and there are numerous national and regional bridal magazines in circulation and countless wedding websites and blogs.
Once a woman has begun planning a wedding, changing her mind becomes even more difficult. There’s often a sense of shame attached to calling off a wedding and a feeling that things are too far along to back out.
But isn’t “the church” also to blame for young people’s false expectations of marriage and relationships? All the family and/or marriage conferences. All the sermons extolling the blessings of marriage. All the veneered, fairy-tale weddings. All the focus on family and how getting married and having kids is the “right” way to live. All of the sweeping under the rug of the less pleasant aspects of relationships. All the bright, shining faces in Sunday school because no one would dare actually do anything other than pretend everything is perfect with their little family unit and disturb everyone else’s peace. (Please don’t shoot me, I’m generalizing here—I know not everyone in the church or all churches are like this.)
I started reading both YA and mainstream adult romance novels when I was twelve years old. While the YA romances made me feel all gooey and gushy inside, the adult romances actually helped me in a way that their authors may not have intended. You see, while I grew up in a church-going family with parents who are both Christians, they aren’t the “perfect” example of a “Christian couple” that we hear talked about in church. They fought (they still do). And if they were fighting on the way to church, once we got there, all anyone saw was a happy family—as that veneer went up as soon as we got there. As a child, I was certain my family was the only one like this. But then when I started reading romance novels (general-market) and I read about couples arguing, raging at each other—while still falling in love/staying in love with each other—and I started to realize that my parents’ behavior at home was more normal than what I saw at church. And reading those romance novels helped me let go of the fear that there was something terribly wrong with my parents’ relationship (they’ll be celebrating 46 years in December). For me, romance novels gave me a much more realistic view of what a genuine relationship is like from the inside (not just that outside veneer) than anything I ever learned at church.
Yet as a still-single adult (and at my age, too!), whenever a “church person” finds out that I’ve never been married, the pressure starts: Don’t you want to be married? So-and-so has an unmarried son/nephew/godson/grandson/ employee/yardboy—we should hook you up! We’ll do whatever it takes to get you married, settled down, and happy. I’m sure once you find the right man, God will be able to start using you. Well, obviously, you haven’t been praying hard enough/don’t have enough faith/there’s something God still needs to teach you—and then He’ll bring you your husband. Your standards are too high—what does a little bad personal hygiene matter/I’m sure he’ll find a job soon.
Yes, ALL of those have been said to me, in one way or another, over the past twenty years. So I ask again . . . why do romance novelists take all the blame for young women feeling pressured into marriage or going into marriage with false expectations?
Writer’s Window: Sarah Sundin
Joining us today for Writer’s Window is historical romance author Sarah Sundin.
One lucky commenter* will win a signed copy of Sarah’s latest novel, Blue Skies Tomorrow. Deadline for leaving a comment to enter the drawing is Friday. To enter the drawing, you must answer the question posed by Sarah at the end of the interview. Only one comment per person will count toward the drawing. Please do not include your e-mail address in the body of your comment—just make sure it’s correct when you sign in to leave your comment. The winning name will be drawn next weekend and the winner will be notified via e-mail.
*U.S. residents only, void where prohibited. If you win the drawing, you will be ineligible for the next three drawings, though hopefully you will still come back and join in the discussion.
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Lt. Raymond Novak prefers the pulpit to the cockpit, but at least his stateside job training B-17 pilots allows him the luxury of a personal life. As he courts Helen Carlisle, a young war widow and mother who conceals her pain under a frenzy of volunteer work, the sparks of their romance set a fire that flings them both into peril. After Ray leaves to fly a combat mission at the peak of the air war over Europe, Helen takes a job in a dangerous munitions yard and confronts an even graver menace in her own home. Will they find the courage to face their challenges? And can their young love survive until blue skies return?
Welcome, Sarah!
What do you like best about being a writer?
- Almost everything—when an idea sparks, when the story flows, when a sentence sings. I love research and plotting and getting to know my characters. I love the rough draft and even love editing. Publication gave me new joys of interacting with my readers.
What do you like least about being a writer?
- I’m not fond of marketing plans, and I don’t care for some aspects of promotion—it often feels like bragging to me.
Pop, Soda, or Coke? What do you call it, and what’s your favorite variety?
- Soda—I’ve lived in California most of my life. My favorite is Diet Coke, but I’m cheap, so I usually drink generic diet cola unless the brand name is on sale.
What’s your favorite dessert?
- Homemade white chocolate cheesecake with raspberry topping.
What’s the most fun/interesting/crazy/scary/unique hands-on research you’ve done for a book?
- One of the most things I’ve done for research was visiting England and walking the streets my characters walked. Another fun thing I got to do was an actual flight in a restored B-17—an absolutely amazing experience and a rollicking ride.
What’s your favorite movie from childhood?
- I was very fond of Disney’s The Aristocats. I had a record with the songs and learned them all. My daughter loved it when she was a preschooler and watched the video over and over. I was surprised how much I remembered about the movie, considering I was very young when I saw it and I only saw it once.
If you were to write a novel about what your life would have been like if you’d become what you wanted to be at eight years old, what kind of character would the story be about?
- I would be an elementary school teacher who also danced professionally as a ballerina and somehow managed to be a full-time stay-at-home mom. At eight I had little concept of time management.
What makes you happy?
- Watching my kids having fun together, watching them grow into godly and talented young people, my husband’s laugh, time with friends, when I’m teaching Sunday school or Bible study and my class gets it, a good romantic comedy, finding just the right phrase, rain, chocolate, hot tea, a down comforter, and anytime my yellow lab is sleeping and not eating random household objects.
What makes you nervous?
- When I hear Daisy the yellow lab chewing—and it’s not mealtime. Tension in the home or among friends—I love conflict in my stories, but not in real life.
What’s your biggest dream for the future?
- Right now I’m living my dream—husband, kids, even published novels! It’s too early to dream of grandkids—my kids are at the “don’t even think about it” age. But I do dream of a growing writing career, being able to give back to the industry, and for my children to live godly, productive lives.
Tell us about your newest release and what you’re working on now.
- Blue Skies Tomorrow is the third book in the Wings of Glory series, which follows the three Novak brothers, B-17 bomber pilots with the US Eighth Air Force stationed in England during World War II, but each book stands alone. I really enjoyed writing this series, and I already miss the Novak boys.
Right now I’m finishing the first book in my next series, tentatively called Wings of the Nightingale, which follows three World War II flight nurses in the Mediterranean Theater. The first book comes out Fall 2012.
Where can people find out more about you/connect with you online?
- Website: http://www.sarahsundin.com
Blog: http://www.sarahsundin.blogspot.com
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/SarahSundinAuthor
Twitter: http://twitter.com/sarahsundin
Now it’s your turn to ask the question. What question do you want to ask the commenters to answer?
- Do you have a family member who was involved in World War II—either in the armed forces or on the home front? How were they involved?
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©2008 Linda Johnson Photography
RQ Winners from 7/22 and 7/29 & Editing Services Announcement
Congratulations to winners from the last two Fridays’ blog posts:
Stephanie Wilson
Brandy Gilbert
Amanda Barratt
and
Stephanie Sookhdeo
whose names were drawn as winners of signed copies of Ransome’s Quest from the comments on the 7/22/11 and 7/29/11 blog posts.
Ladies, please e-mail me your mailing address.
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You’ll also notice that there’s a new page listed up under the header for Editing Services. Because the publishers I’ve been working for are cutting back on what they’re sending out to freelancers, and because I’ve applied for more than a dozen jobs in the past week and haven’t gotten a call back from any of them, I’m going to start taking private/individual editing projects. Please read all of the services and terms on that page. If you still have questions, e-mail me at the address on the bottom of that page (it’s different, to keep those messages separate from all of my other e-mail.)
Please pass the word on to anyone you know who’s looking for freelance editing services!!!
Thursday Thought Provoker
The Most Fun Couple I’ve Ever Written
I just finished the galley edit for Turnabout’s Fair Play—the last book I’ve completed and the last book I had under contract. (No, I haven’t stopped writing, I just don’t have any new contracts.) One thing we authors complain about, to each other, is when we’re doing interviews and we’re asked which is our favorite book or character (or both) that we’ve written. It’s like asking a parent which is their favorite child! I always answer that I have favorite things about each book I’ve written. But, having just finished re-reading Turnabout (and the blog posts and comments during that last week I was writing it when Flannery and Jamie “took over” my blog), I have to admit . . . Flannery and Jamie are the most fun couple I’ve ever written. I initially had a little trouble getting in to their heads,
but once I let go of any preconceived ideas of who they were and what secrets they were hiding and just let them take over . . . well, if you followed along in May, you’ll know that I was able to write almost 78,000 words in under two weeks. And writing those “takeover” blog posts really helped (and once the book comes out in November, you may even recognize some of the back-and-forth from their comments on those posts in their interaction in the book).
And now . . . because I had to rewrite it based on how the book actually turned out from where I’d originally thought it would go when I wrote the proposal two years ago . . . here’s the new suggested back-cover copy I sent in along with my galley edits:
The matchmaker has met her match. . .
Flannery McNeill has sworn off men. . .at least the handsome, charming kind, as they’re nothing but trouble. So when handsome and charming Jamie O’Connor shows up as an usher at her best friend’s wedding, she tries her best to avoid him. But it seems like someone is conspiring to throw them together. Two someones, to be exact: Flannery’s grandfather and Jamie’s grandmother.
Maureen O’Connor thinks Kirby McNeill’s granddaughter will be perfect for her grandson and convinces the handsome gentleman to help her bring the two together. But soon, the matchmakers will find the tables turned on them when Flannery conspires with Jamie to play matchmaker, too.
As the juniors scheme to bring the seniors together, a hilarious tumult of mayhem and misconceptions ensues. . .but will it end in romance?
Coming November 2011
RANSOME’S HONOR is Free!!!
If you thought $1.99 was great for the e-book edition of Love Remains, then get a load of this!
From August 1 through August 15, Ransome’s Honor is available as a free e-book!
Click here for Kindle. (Amazon US)
Click here for Amazon UK’s Kindle Version.
Click here for other formats from ChristianBook.com. Includes smartphone and tablet/pad apps, Sony e-reader, and Nook.
KayeDacus.com 