Showing posts with label Valentine's. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Valentine's. Show all posts

Friday, February 11, 2022

Love is In the Air - Seekerville Style


Yes, Valentine's Day is almost here, so we Seekers thought we'd take a day to talk about love and romance. I mean, we're all either romance readers and/or writers, so it only makes sense, right?

Love and romance have been around since the beginning of time. Adam and Eve were the first hero and heroine on the scene. Song of Solomon could give one the vapors. And while the perception of love has been distorted over time, we want to celebrate it in its purest form, the way God created it. The sweetness, the silliness, the kind of love that endures through the tough times.

Here are some of the Seekers favorite romantic moments:

Erica Vetsch - My husband took me out to celebrate me signing my first book contract, and he said, "I knew it was a matter of when, not if, you would succeed." That blew me away that he would have that much confidence in me, especially when self-confidence isn't one of my strengths! I love that man!

Mindy Obenhaus - On our childrens' birthdays, my husband always brings me a dozen roses. He says it's because I did all the work and without me, they wouldn't be here. Makes me fall in love with him all over again.

Ruth Logan Herne - Jimmy had developed Alzheimer's in his late sixties. By his late seventies he no longer remembered his wife or his kids or where he was. Every day was a surprise of introductions.  "Good morning, Jimmy." Gina was always in the kitchen first. Lights on. Coffee made. "You ready for toast and coffee?"

"Don't mind if I do," he'd say and sit himself down at the table. "Who are you again?"

"Gina." 

"Gina." He nodded as if that was the first time he'd heard the name. "Well thanks for coming by to help an old fella. You got a boyfriend, Gina?"

She'd smile, even though she'd answered this question many times before. "A husband. I married that boyfriend of mine a long time back."

He'd drink some coffee. Have some toast. And then he'd look her way. "If I were twenty years younger and you weren't married, I'd be askin' you out myself. I used to be married, too, you know."

She'd take a breath and swallow hard. 

"Folks say she was nice. And pretty. And she loved me a lot."

"I'm sure she did. Do you remember her at all?"

He'd shake his head. "I don't, no. But if she was anything like you, I must have been a very happy man."

Gina used to tell him who she was, try to jar his memory, but she'd stopped doing that a long time ago. Now she'd just smile and pat his shoulder. "I expect you were, Jimmy. I expect you were."

Jimmy died less than two years later, and he never stopped appreciating that kind woman who made his coffee and toast every morning and his supper at night. 

The woman he'd married fifty-one years before.

Jan Drexler The most romantic date I've ever heard of was one of the first dates of a young couple I know. They live in the Black Hills, and both enjoy hiking. For this date they decided to hike one of the most scenic trails that ended at an overlook. When they reached the overlook, the young suitor looked around and said, "This looks like a great place for a picnic." The young lady said, "Yeah, we should plan to do that sometime."

Then he opened his backpack and spread-out lunch for them both - all planned as a surprise for her.

That's when she knew that he was the one. They were married less than a year later. :-) 

Cate Nolan - I have two contrasting ones. One sweet and one funny.

Many years ago, when I had two babies under two, my husband came home with a huge bouquet of roses to celebrate me finishing my book and submitting it to the Golden Heart contest. He also drove me to the huge post office in midtown Manhattan that was open until midnight (with babies in their carseats) so that I could get all the copies mailed in by the deadline. That book was a GH finalist. :)

Funny - For Mother's Day he bought me purple statice (you know? the weeds!)  He knew I liked lilacs, but he couldn't remember what flower - just that they were purple. So, he came home with the statice. We never let him live that down and I always got lilacs after that. My daughter bought them for me after he passed away.

Now we'd like to hear some of your favorite romantic moments, real or fictional, for a chance to win a $22 Amazon gift card. And be sure to keep it clean. 

Wednesday, February 12, 2020

Almost Valentine's Day!

 Ladies & Gentlemen, we briefly interrupt this program to bring you an updated news bulletin from the Western New York town of "Wishing Bridge"!  On March 2nd, 2020, Jazz's story will BE RELEASED and of course there is great rejoicing in the town over this! While the town is too busy taking care of folks and being kind and good (for the most part!) to throw a parade, we the readers will have our own bit of fun! Because it's not everyday you get the joy and excitement of an all-new visit to Wishing Bridge... a town where hopes, prayers and wishes mingle to make dreams come true.   



 
Ah, romance...

Tis the season! 

Hearts and roses, teddy-grams and jammiegrams and chocolate-dipped berries and every jewelry store in the country will spend mega advertising dollars on TV, radio, magazine and newspaper to entice folks to part with hard-earned dollars.

It's Valentine's week, and even grade schools get on board with little paper Valentines and decorated shoe boxes and candy hearts.

Did you know that some of the candy hearts got misprinted this year???

SHOCKER!!!! But no fear, lads & lasses!!!!

There is always the option of red construction paper, lacy white paper doilies and glue.  Sometimes simple is best.

 And, of course, watching favorite romantic movies is a wonderful thing! The Princess Bride, Pride & Prejudice, Casablanca.... you must share your favorite with us, darlings.... the favorite romance movie.

But as an author of inspirational fiction, romance in life and in stories goes far deeper than the facade of television advertising, newspaper spreads and all the hoopla that pushes folks to spend, spend, spend...

Romance doesn't have to be pricey.

It doesn't have to meet an industry standard.

It doesn't have to be a big splash, even for a proposal. Aren't some of the most grand proposals the simplest?  Lucy Maude Montgomery's "Anne and Gilbert".

"Call the Midwife's" Tom and Barbara.

Jane Austen's beautiful "Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy".

And in each one of these and so many more, there is a beautiful thread of faith in the face of adversity, of strength amid chaos, of how hope survives grief and disaster.




That thread of faith is what sets the lovely from the ordinary.

The emotion beyond the sexual attraction. The devotion that goes so much deeper than hormones and lust and feeds outward from the soul, the beauty of sacrificial love, for love isn't about the glitz and the glamour as most of us know.

It's about the heart, and while hormones and the heart are not always a good mix, the beauty of a great romance isn't afraid to go deeper than sensuality, to the very essence of emotion, and that's something we witnessed first-hand this week with back-to-back guest appearances from two cancer warriors, Christy LaShea and Angela Ruth Strong.

That's what separates the men from the boys... the hero who stands by your side, teasing, laughing, crying, holding... Or just being there to change a messy diaper, fix the plumbing (or call someone to fix it!) and be the family leader.

There's a reason so many couples choose the 13th chapter of the first book of Corinthians for a wedding reading. Those simple words of the fourth verse ring through our ears: "Love is patient, love is kind..." Such a heartfelt message!

But the opening words of that very Scripture are equally provocative in their command, and a verse I hold dear as I write. For King and Country chose one of the most touching versions of this verse in their beautiful song "The Proof of Your Love". They took the quote from "The Message" version of the Bible:

 If I speak with human eloquence and angelic ecstasy but don't love, I'm nothing but the creaking of a rusty gate. 

If I speak God's Word with power, revealing all his mysteries and making everything plain as day, and if I have faith that says to a mountain, "Jump," and it jumps, but I don't love, I'm nothing. 

If I give everything I own to the poor and even go to the stake to be burned as a martyr, but I don't love, I've gotten nowhere. 

So...
.......... no matter what I say, 
                                 what I believe, 
                                             and what I do, 
I'm bankrupt without love. 
(1 Corinthians 13:1-7, The Message)

 
These are words I hold dear as I write a story, as I develop a romance, or the father's love for a child, a teacher's love for a student, a man's love for his family. When we thin the depth of sacrificial love as authors we lessen the impact of our message, but also undermine the challenge and opportunity we've been given.

This doesn't mean no romance.... Perish the thought!

But true romance isn't rooted in the fun and games and flirting although those are big components in story-building. The sunken roots of the best stories are in the depth of emotion, the sacrifices made, the challenge of faith and love. From those well-planted roots, the growing trees flourish. 

Take it from a pumpkin farmer (because who wouldn't believe a pumpkin farmer???)

The roots of the story aren't always as obvious, but they are crucial to hold the weight of the story. And that, dear authors, is in your hands.


There is one copy of Jazz's story that will come to one lucky person today... And I hope you love revisiting this sweet town! Leave a comment below and let's talk Faith... Hope... and Love. But the greatest of these is Love.


USA TODAY bestselling author Ruth Logan Herne is about to welcome her 53rd and 54th books to book shelves in March and April, so she's pretty stoked about romance, about love and crazy-stoked about faith! You can friend her on facebook, follow her on Twitter, visit her website ruthloganherne.com or email Ruthy at loganherne@gmail.com She loves to chat with readers and writers and she also loves God, family, faith, friends, fun and fiction.... and add chocolate and coffee to that list!