Romantic Subplots are Fun

 

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I don't write romance novels, but most of my mystery and suspense books have romantic subplots. This shouldn't be surprising since I love Jane Austen's novels, which always centre on romance. A few years ago, while visiting my friend Barb in the UK, we went to Jane Austen's home in Chawton and dressed in costumes of the times. 

Jane Austen had the romance formula down pat - keep the lovers in conflict and separated through the story until the end, when they realize they are right for each other. Their conflict and separation can be caused by external problems (family objections, war, geography) and/or internal flaws.  

In my first novel, A Deadly Fall, my heroine/sleuth Paula struggles with both types of problems. She falls for a man who is a suspect and she's committed to a boyfriend (two external impediments). Internally, she's burned from her recent divorce. As the story progresses, Paula learns she must take risks to find love again. 

In book # 4 of the series, Paula and her current boyfriend are stranded on different continents due to the COVID-19 world shutdown. Their separation challenges their relationship. But the novel's greater romantic subplot belongs to Detective Mike Vincelli, a secondary narrator. Mike is attracted to a coworker, but his fear of failure and reluctance to shake up his comfortable life conflict with his desire to make their involvement personal.

Typically the romantic subplot reflects the protagonist's personal journey in stories that are primarily about other things--finding the treasure, defeating an enemy army, solving a murder. While navigating romantic entanglements, heroes and heroines learn the lessons they need to resolve their problems.    

My current mystery-novel-in-progress, A Killer Whisky, has two romantic subplots. The main one features my two story narrators, Katharine, who witnesses a suspicious death, and Bertram, the detective investigating the case. The story is set in 1918, during the last days of WWI. Katharine's loyalty to her husband fighting in France clashes with her attraction to the attentive detective. Bertram's obstacles are largely internal--he can't move past the deaths of his wife and son. Through the story events, Katharine and Bertram must discover what they want in life and from each other after the war is over.  

A Killer Whisky's second romantic subplot involves two suspects, who are non-viewpoint narrators. Their romance fuels the murder investigation plotline. I find their relationship fun and am curious to see how their romantic subplot works out.

Or doesn't work out.  

When romance is merely a subplot, it doesn't have to follow the romance novel tradition of bringing the lovers together in the end. Actually, my impression is that romance novels today don't require this either. I can't think of book example that breaks the rule but a successful romantic comedy movie springs to mind ** spoiler alert ** My Best Friend's Wedding.

Whatever your current real-life romantic journey -- Happy Valentine's Day! 

 

         Me in Puerto Vallarta with Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor. Their grand romance had numerous ups and downs that captured the world's imagination.  

             

The Most Difficult Part of Writing a Novel By Connie Vines. #BWLAuthor, #MFRW Author, #writing, #Plot

 For most writers, the most challenging part of writing is right here. It's the beginning, the opening. It's finding an idea, the first words, and the first sentence. 

Most writers...

Does this include me?

Of course not. 

The most challenging part of the writing process is deciding upon the ending. 

A romance novel usually ends with a happily-ever-after. So how difficult can it be?

Remember the series of novels called "choose your own adventure"? Each story had the possibility of three endings?

This is how my mind works. Can't I be happy with the ending I just wrote? It's a beautiful ending. Apparently not.

I will confess I sit, stare, ponder, and often whine. If I change the ending of my novel, my revisions will snowball. If I don't make the changes, will my readers feel cheated?

So far, so good. Sleep deprivation has worked in my favor. 

Except in my current WIP, I need help with character names. I never had a problem with character names before. Never. Never ever. 

Names are the first thing that has popped into my head until now.

Chanel is listening to me complain.

 

I renamed the heroine twice. My hero still has no name. I call him Guy. Hopefully, he'll reveal his name to me soon. Why? Because, as I've shared before, my dreams always have a musical score. The current wrap-around song, playing all night and every night, is the 1964 version of My Guy.

I would like to give my BWL Insider Blog readers a peek into one of the characters in the story.

Gavin, one of my pups, will have a small part in my Christmas release.

He's excited, and I'm excited. Hopefully, readers will adore his grumbly personality as much as I do.

I was interviewed on a fellow BWL author's blog last week. It's a Christmas in July event.  Please stop by J.Q. Rose's blog... There are cookies and secrets...lots of secrets.

https://www.jqrose.com/2023/07/recipes-n-reads-series-christmas-in.html

Please visit my publisher's website for my novels: https://bwlpublishing.ca/vines-connie/

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Remember, I love to hear about your pets (with a photo) and a 

favorite Christmas/Holiday recipe.

Happy Reading,

Connie 

Light the Way

 Find my books here

At the end of this strange, dark year, I wish you light. 

I thank everyone who has gifted me with light in 2020…

To the nurse who took the time to tell me how reading my Mercies of the Fallen had eased her out of her work in the middle of a pandemic to enjoy a love story held together by the notes of its hero’s penny whistle…

To my family for sending images of dogs frolicking on the Oregon shore and a baby reading Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See? in sun-kissed California. 

To my community, for flooding an ancestor's mailbox with cards to celebrate her 100th birthday, and for for lighting up our town square in defiance of death itself.

Light a candle. Be the light. We'll get through this, together.

Knott's Berry Farm and Other Great Winter Adventures by Connie Vines

Today is National: French Toast Day. 

There are only 33 days remaining in 2020.  

Where I reside in southern California, we have spent a great deal of time (since mid-March) at home/working from home due to the Pandemic, Wild Fires,  Forest Fires, Air Quality, and Power Outages. 

While my eldest son is able to work from home, my youngest son is an essential worker and has little down time.

The day before Thanksgiving my youngest son, his family (which includes me) drove to Knott's Berry (Merry) Farm, in Buena Park, California for a day's outing.

Of course, we practiced social-distancing, wore a mask, and were able to travel/sit together (family bubble is the term) throughout the day.

I wanted to share a few 'happy and up-lifting' photos and little snippets of my Knott's Berry Farm Adventure to give you something to smile about.

The shops were open for purchases (thank goodness), and the park was decorated with holiday displays and lights.  We each were given a lanyard with a two-sided tasting selection list (I wore my around my neck because, after all, it was a field trip).

As everyone knows, I'm a die-hard lover of gingerbread!

And, yay, two restaurants listed gingerbread with frosting on the menu.

Turkey, of course, was in many creations: sandwiches, in soup, over tater-tots with gravy,  Fried and breaded meatballs to dip into gravy, cranberry sauce, biscuits and Knott's famous jam, etc. were also crowd-pleasers.

Eggnog, large sugar cookies peppered with Knott's candied-berries and vanilla ice-cream sandwiched between.  Well, the list goes on and on. Coffee, hot coco (with or without candy canes), and tea.

Five tastings per adult and 3 per child.  I only spent 4 (I sliced my gingerbread in 5 sections to share and my turkey sandwich in quarters).  The other 2 tastings? Knott's famous chicken noodle soup. It was so cold I had a cup when I arrived and a cup at the ice skating rink. 

No one left the park hungry :-).

All of my other grands are older, but Logan is still at the age where he enjoys "Peanuts/Snoopy", "Disneyland", and other gentle adventures. 

Logan wearing his new gloves 'cos it's cold and windy.

 

Logan and I (excuse my hoodie-hair) leaning over the fence to see the gingerbread house display.

Logan and the famous Knott's Berry Factory Truck  (Though I doubt it was berry-purple in the 1900s).

The outdoor ice-skating rink held live-entertainment and display past 'Snoopy on Ice' videos on a large screen. The Peanuts Theme blasting through the speakers while fog-machines filled the area with cold damp air!

At the end of the evening, the "lighting of the Christmas Tree" claimed everyone's attention.

It seemed strange not the hear the clickety-clack of the amusement rides tracks and the shouts of the people when they rounded a curve or entered a tunnel.

The Christmas music and the chatter of families filled the void and we had a clear view of the planet Jupiter in the dark night sky.

It was a wonderful way to spend the day; to remember past good-times- and to look forward to the future!

Speaking of the future...

I retired from education over the summer and I'm looking forward to writing full-time. 

My Snoopy-with-a-typewriter pencil cup sat on my desk and attracted more notice than I realized. Because every gift I received during my tenure in education was a "Snoopy" gift.

So, now my media/craft room displays about 50% of those collectables.

The jade green loveseat is covered by a fabric-protector and small quilt.

Note: Chanel is camera shy tonight and Gavin decided to crawl in bed early.

The room isn't that kindergarten yellow that the photo displays.  It is only a very light color.

I'll closed today's blog post with a long-awaited slice of gingerbread cake. 

Served with a cup of steaming hot coffee, of course!

I hope you and all of your loved ones are having a blessed holiday season.

A season filled with warm gingerbread and a wonderful and bright 2021! 

Connie

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February 2021

August 2021

Writing During Fire-Watch, Power-Outages and More! So, How's Your October? By Connie Vines

 I'm certain you've heard all about the terrible fires we are have in the states of  California, Oregon, Washington, and now in Colorado.

I reside in southern California and we have been on Fire-Watch for months.  While the current fire and suburban evacuation area is only 8 miles away, I don't foresee it reaching where I live.. The Santa Ana winds, with 80 mile wind gusts will, unfortunately, return again this weekend.

Power has been shutdown when the winds are gale force to ward off equipment failure which can, and has, led to a brush fires. I've been without electricity and and phone service for several days.  This is why my post blog post is going live at this odd hour of the day.

And here is my October Blog Post 

Even though I save my manuscripts in three different places on my computer, including the Cloud and Drive, when the power goes down not everything you've written is saved, slightly saved, or even recoverable.

After reality sets in. . .and the shock wears off, sort of. . .I devise a plan.  Not a particularly a good plan, I admit, but a plan, none-the-less.

1. Write a scene in cursive writing on a large note pad, college ruled.  

2. Skip lines so you can make adjustments, comments, etc.

3. Do not write on the back of the page because you will need to add additional notes.

4. Grab your sets of multi colored markers (and probably the taped crayons that belong to your grand children) to make stars or numbers and arrows that link all for your notes and additions together for easy (ha ha) reference.

5. Read each scene into your iPhone Note App.  Title your scene. 

6. Go on to the next scene. So on, and so forth, until you complete a chapter.

7. When the power resumes, run to the PC.  Set up a new doc in Word.  Type as quickly as possible while reading from you iPhone notes into this new document.  "For heaven sake woman, don't worry about spell check! Just type."

And so, this has been my October. Along with ash falling from the sky and landing on everything.

I know I am Blessed to be healthy and my home, and my family members homes, still intact. However, the air quality is horrendous. Opening a door or going outside means wearing goggles, heavy-duty face mask, a hat and clothing you will toss in the washer.  And care must be taken when walking outside.  Ash, leaves, tree branches, etc. are everywhere.

I always like to include a recipe for my readers.

Pumpkin Detox Smoothie

Pumpkin is rich in beta-carotene, lutein and zeaxanthin, which help protect our eyes and skin.

In a blender, combine 1/2 cup canned pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup milk of your choice (mine: Organic 2% milk), 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 1 med. orange, peeled; 1/4 tsp. pumpkin pie spice; and a handful of ice. Blend until smooth. Serves 1.

Left over pumpkin puree can be saved in a air-tight container for 3 days in the refrigerator.  Or measured and frozen in 1/2 cup measurements.

Perfect for a Halloween Read!

Link to BWL Website and purchase links! to my books :-)

https://bookswelove.net/vines-connie/

My author website:https://connievines-author.com/

My Blog: https://mizging.blogspot.com/2020/09/intuitive-and-subtle-themes-in-my.html

All Because of Neil Diamond by Connie Vines

Perhaps it's because of the never-ending-heat-wave here in southern California, 103 - 107 degrees (39 - 41 Celsius), or because my two pups (Chanel and Gavin) are following me around and continually begging to go outside so that they can experience sun-stroke first hand--but I find myself mentally designing my new and improved garden throughout  the evening.

My front yard has a huge mimosa tree, a small (stunted) mimosa tree, a southern magnolia tree and a grass lawn.  There is an area at the front of my patio which would make a lovely rose garden.  It's the perfect place for my roses.  Full-sun, facing west, and the area is nothing but dirt.

I've grown roses in the past, when my children were very young. During that time, I selected  the run-of-the-mill-generic varieties you find at you local garden--on sale and then discounted.  And, if I recall correctly, my rose bushes were particularly thorny.

Well, this time I was intent on finding  the perfect rose for my 'imaginary' garden's focal point.

Do you know how many 'new' varieties of roses are posted on the garden sites and Pinterest?
Do you realize how many photos there are to gawk over?

Too many to count, that's for certain.

These are three varieties of roses which caught and held my attention:

The Ingrid Bergman rose is so beautiful. 

.

The New Orleans rose would be perfect

This is the rose I should select as it goes along with my New Orleans/Cajun theme of my next release: Gumbo Ya Ya.


However, this is the rose bush I will be searching for during planting season:

The Neil Diamond rose is my favorite!

 Do you have a favorite rose or type of flower is a 'must' for your garden?  Do your have any gardening tips you'd like to share?

Well, now that I've selected my first rose bush of the planting season, I can get back to my novel.

🌹Thank you, 🎤Neil Diamond!


I always try to add something new for my readers to enjoy 😋

Rose Petal Tea

 

Ingredients

2 cups fresh fragrant rose petals  (about 15 large roses)*
3 cups water
Honey or granulated sugar to taste
Instructions
Clip and discard bitter white bases from the rose petals; rinse petals thoroughly and pat dry.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, place the prepared rose petals.  Cover with water and bring just to a simmer; let simmer for approximately 5 minutes or until the petals become discolored (darkened).

Remove from heat and strain the hot rose petal liquid into teacups. Add honey or sugar to taste.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe Notes
* All roses that you intend to consume must be free of pesticides.  Do not use or eat flowers from florists, nurseries, or garden centers. In many cases these flowers have been treated with pesticides not labeled for food crops. The tastiest roses are usually the most fragrant. 

Happy Reading!

Connie 

Fall of 2020!

Early 2021

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Romance, Handsome-Hunks, and Moon Milk by Connie Vines

It is April, well, almost May, and we are all still sheltering at home.  Like everyone else, I’m trying to establish some-sort-of-daily routine which is proving extremely difficult.  The weather goes from fall-to-winter-to-spring, and repeats.  However, as of yesterday, it slammed full-throttle into summer. 

Chanel, my sassy toy poodle, follows me around in confusion.  Last week were didn’t venture past the covered patio because of continual down pour of icy sheets of rain.  Then it was the wind and then rain, again.  Now we both get-up to at 5:30 a.m. and water the yards, etc.  before having a cup of coffee; while it is still dark outside. Chanel thinks I needs intervention. She positions herself on the davenport, where ‘we’ have our coffee and watch the 7:00 a.m. news, and barks at me (anyone who lives with a poodle knows they can give a dressing-down like southern mama) demanding I sit down.
I ignore her, and go outside--she follows me (mumbling all the way).

Calendars. Boy, do I have calendars! A poodle calendar in the kitchen, 2 small calendars in my purse (1-writing; 1-personal), a ceramic Snoopy Dog House (Peanuts) calendar where you change the month and daily date.  Well, you get the idea—I still can’t keep my days and dates straight.

However, I do have a system.  I eat brunch (because if I’m hungry at 9:00 am, I eat breakfast.  If I forget to eat until 1:00 pm, it’s lunch). Then there’s an evening meal and usually a snack (often with the vitamins I forgot about mid-morning).  I write/blog/post to social media daily.  You have probably noticed my newly vamped website and Facebook page, too. I’ve been posting cooking videos (without audio because, talking and cooking equals mistakes).

My current WIP is my Anthology (set in New Orleans, Louisiana) titled: Gumbo Ya Ya: for woman who like romance Cajun, and my 2nd Sassy & Fun Fantasy novella, titled: Bell, Book, and Gargoyle.  New Orleans is one of my fave vacation spots (my husband is from Louisiana).

Café du Monde serves the best coffee au lait and beignets (I wear my powdered sugar well). And then, let's revisit my swamp adventures—GTK, I was able to out-run a gator!

While Bell, Book, and Gargoyle takes place in Hollywood, California, so it in easy drive (if you ignore the hours and hours of bumper-to-bumper traffic) from my house.

All of my readers are aware of my ‘obsession(s)’.  One of which residing/experiencing the world of my characters/ aka: setting.  When it is impossible, physically, it is possible to live in my characters' setting in other ways.

1. I listen to the music/YouTube the local news station.
2. Cook the local cuisine.
3. Research, research, and research again.
4. Study the fashion trends.
5. Etc.

New Orleans is a snap (relatively, if you ignore the swamp adventure), I've vacationed there numerous time.

Southern California—I’ve got this! 

Ummm, now there’s the Gargoyle—still working out the ‘flying’ thing.  So, I decided to focus on my heroine.  She has trouble sleeping.  What helps her fall to sleep—especially after a fleeting encounter with a Gargoyle?


Moon Milk.

What is Moon Milk? You ask.  If you aren’t familiar with the natural sleep-inducing beverage, I’ll share both my research and personal experience.

Moon Milk is a drink made out of warm milk, honey, spices, and herbs. Supposedly, sipping on moon milk before bed time helps you drift peacefully into sleep.

The most important ingredient in moon milk is ashwagandha (also known as Indian ginseng, "has wide ranging health benefits and has a grounding and relaxing effect on the mind and body," to quote Dr. Chanoff , “It's used to treat stress, anxiety, insomnia, fatigue, and nervous system disorders she added. You can buy it in powder form at your local health food store or on Amazon). *I’m not endorsing ‘ashwaganha’, as the warm milk, alone, is effective for me.

**I did look up ‘ashwaganha’ for health alerts. “For most healthy people, ashwagandha is considered safe. However, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should avoid it, in addition to people with hyperthyroidism . Furthermore, this herb may interact with sedatives, as well as medications for the following conditions: diabetes. June 11, 2019, consumerlab.com **  (inclusive on positive effects on hypothyroidism—so I monitor when I add ashwaganha to my Moon Milk). The ashwagandha powder smelled very off-putting. I was concerned about the taste. It proved to be delicious—creamy, cinnamon-y and sweet.

MOON MILK

1 cup whole milk or unsweetened nut milk (such as almond, or cashew)
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground turmeric
¼ teaspoon ground ashwagandha
2 pinches of ground cardamom
Pinch of ground ginger (optional)
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon virgin coconut oil or ghee (I do not like ghee)
1 teaspoon honey, preferably raw

RECIPE PREPARATION

Bring milk to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in cinnamon, turmeric, ashwagandha, cardamom, ginger, if using, and nutmeg; season with pepper. Whisk vigorously to incorporate any clumps. Add coconut oil, reduce heat to low, and continue to cook until warmed through, 5–10 minutes (heat, the stronger the medicine). Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in honey (you want to avoid cooking honey or you'll destroy its healing properties). Pour into a mug, drink warm, and climb right into bed.

It's 11:45 pm and it's time for Chanel (see picture) and I to go to bed.  I am not sipping Moon Milk.  I have be 'drinking coffee' (this was probably a bad choice of beverage).

Happy Reading, Stay Safe.  (remember my book are 60% off at Smashwords).

Remember to visit my author page at the 

Chanel while I write this blog post.

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October 2020

August 2020

The Month for Romance and Romance Novels by J.Q.Rose

Deadly Undertaking by J.Q. Rose
Mystery, paranormal

Click here to find mysteries by J.Q. Rose at BWL Publishing
#BWLPublishing

💗💗💗💗

Hello and welcome to the BWL Publishing Insiders Blog! 

Because Valentine's Day is February 14 in our corner of the world, February is the month for romance and the perfect time to read romance novels. However, I enjoy reading romance twelve months out of the year! How about you?

Dangerous Sanctuary
Romantic Suspense

Deadly Undertaking and Dangerous Sanctuary are romance novels, but also mysteries. In the writing business, they are known as romantic suspense because a mystery is included within the romantic story.

Below are the elements which romance readers expect:

💗 a spark ignites between two characters 

💗 the conflict that keeps them apart

💗 Happily Ever After (HEA) ending

Romance is the biggest selling genre and also the most checked out books in libraries. It is a broad genre because romance can be found in paranormal, sci-fi, fantasy, historical, mystery, thriller, and literary romance stories. What a rich menu of choices for romance readers. 

At BWL Publishing, you will find entertaining novels in each of the above categories penned by excellent storytellers. Click here to go to the main page and notice all the different genres available for you.

Here are the Top Five All-Time Romances 

according to Reader's Digest--Do you agree?

1. Vision in White--Nora Roberts

2. Pride and Prejudice--Jane Austen

3. The Wedding Date--Jasmine Guillory

In the comment section below, tell us if you are a romance reader. Do you like your romantic story mixed in with another genre like mystery, fantasy or the paranormal? Share your favorite book written by a BWL Publishing author. 

Thank you for visiting.

💗💗💗💗

Click here to connect and like JQ's Author Facebook page.

The Princess in the Tower—Suburban Version by Connie Vines

The Princess in the Tower.  

Chanel, dressed as a princess

I’ve always been drawn to stories where the princess is trapped in a tower. After all, the standard place to imprison damsels in distress and overthrown princes is a tower. Preferably on top of the tallest tower, in the biggest castle, on the highest hill, in the most dangerous land in the whole wide world.

“Rapunzel" (/rəˈpʌnzəl/; German: [ʁaˈpʊnt͡səl]) is a German fairy tale in the collection assembled by the Brothers Grimm, and first published in 1812 as part of Children's and Household Tales. Is one story which comes to mind. 

Among the earliest examples of this theme are Perseus and Hercules saving princesses from hydras or sea creatures. In Yamata no Orochi, a hero also saves the princess from a type of hydra, which could be considered a primeval dragon.

“Beauty and the Beast” (Disney version) This is pretty similar to La Belle et la Bête, the French fairy tale (minus the animated furniture).

Why am I drawn to these stories? 

It sounds gloomy. . .even hopeless, without a chance of a HEA (happily ever after ending).  Unless, your version of the story is set in the suburbs. 

Think about this for a moment, or two.  

Life in the suburbs is hectic without a moment of down time.  Ever.

However, in the Tower there is:

Room Service.  All of your meals are prepared for you.  Clean bedding and clothing are provided (after all, you are a princess). 

View from the Window. Think of your beautiful view.  Clouds, forests, beaches.  A fresh breeze to tangle your freshly washed hair.

Solitude. You could read an entire novel without interruption, play an instrument, or journal to your heart’s content.

Uninterrupted Sleep.  Unless, you have a fire-breathing dragon guarding the entrance (this could present a problem).

Exercise.  With all those stairs, cardio will be a breeze.

Visitors.  Of course, but none will be a shouting solicitor trying to sell you lame horse or home improvement contracts.

Pets.  It wasn’t unheard of for a woman to be allowed to keep her small dog.  (Anne Boleyn had a dog—well, perhaps that’s not the best case in point. . .)

And since this tower is in the suburbs, imprisonment wouldn’t be enforced for very long. 

This does sound like a nice weekend get-away or perhaps, a B & B (Bed and Breakfast).

What is your favorite princess fairy tale?

Your favorite setting?

How do you feel about dragons?

Happy Reading,




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