Love Inspired Historicals discussion
First Ever Reverse Q&A
Hannah wrote: "Dorothy wrote: "Hannah, said, "Hunky heroes better not be gold-plated jerks under all that exterior spit and polish." I SO agree! I often prefer the friend in a movie or book to the hero for this v..."Hannah, I agree with what you are saying another that is really bad here is the word root and any forms of it when it doesn't refer to the plant root. It is quite a rude word and you would never hear us say we did that for a team. We would cheer/support etc a team but never that. The word cr*p is another I struggle with. While I have heard the word stuffed when not referring to something being stuffed can be bad in America am I right? its fine here.
Wendy I know the B word you mean and I am so annoyed its getting used more and more.
Dorothy, It would depend on indi books if they are well written I would buy them but if they have profanity etc they will lose me. Some authors do well as hybred authors while others really need to do more editing and that will really annoy me.
Regina wrote: "Coming in late--new computer took some getting used to. So many great questions and answers! I so appreciate you all for sharing. I see a question was asked about covers being period-accurate. Wh..."
I am one who likes a nice cover but doesn't take in all the detail. many will get upset if the cover is different from the description. I am one who after I read a book unless its knocked into me often doesn't remember what colour eyes or hair etc a hero and heroine wear. I do like them to be era accurate.
Dorothy wrote: "Would you accept a mild expletive like damn, or an era appropriate, drat! Or do you want the books you read to be totally free of any expletive?What about sexual innuendo? Do you want all hints of sexual attraction eliminated--even between husband and wife? Is it all right with you if a husband and wife are in bed talking and they kiss with their love expressed, not desire?""
I agree with others that I read Christian authors so that I don't have to read expletives. With such a vast vocabulary before us, there must be better choices than expletives. I will also read other authors is it is a good, clean read. But mild things like drat or darn don't bother me, even though I don't use them. With such a vast vocabulary before us, there must be better choices than expletives. And I don't want books to include sexual innuendos. I will stop reading a book if it goes too far.
I was told an author using expletives is often them being lazy in their writing and that there are always ways to still express an character cussing without using the words. I know some will say he cussed under his breathe or different ways to express the sentiment without using the words. I read a couple of books and I admit they are Australian ones where they did use words I was really annoyed with and have been told I am to conservative.
What a great thread. I'm enjoying all the well thought out answers. Thank you for being here. What do you think of women breaking out of traditional roles from their time period?
Jolene wrote: "What a great thread. I'm enjoying all the well thought out answers. Thank you for being here. What do you think of women breaking out of traditional roles from their time period?"I like stories where women are breaking out of traditional roles, because they are real life.
Do you have any pet peeves as far as the actual writing goes? For instance, I have a problem when the hero or heroines names are constantly used- especially when the scene is in their pov. We do not think of ourselves by name! At least I don't...unless I'm disgusted with myself in which case I might think something like, "Good one, Dorothy!" I feel the same irritation with dialog tags. If they are constantly used I'll put the book down. So...what about you? Do you have any writing pet peeves?
I agree over use of names when its in there POV as it also can be a sign of bad writing. Constant descriptions I remember one book and I still remember the colour was the eye colour I don't remember anything else about the book except the heroine had Cerulean Blue Eyes It was mention so many times.
Also some books when POV changes they repeat what has just happened so its like reading two books at once a bit like a soap opera that rehashes the day before's story line. Oh the worst is a red herring. It can happen more in suspense but it also happens in other books like say some item or even person is described in detail only to not be mentioned again in the book. I am waiting to see what happens with that item/person and its not mentioned again.
Jolene wrote: "What a great thread. I'm enjoying all the well thought out answers. Thank you for being here. What do you think of women breaking out of traditional roles from their time period?"I believe that no matter the time period some woman were doing non traditional roles due to life. As long as it stays believable, it is fine.
Dorothy wrote: What is your favorite place and era to read about? Would you buy a book set in pre-revolution colonial America?Definitely!!! I love Amber Lynn Perry's Daughters of His Kingdom series that is set in that era and into the Revolution. I also enjoyed A Moonbow Night by Laura Frantz which was very pre-colonial but not set on the east coast.
I'd say my favorite time periods to read are 1800's westerns and Regency England, but I definitely like to branch out. The flapper era is probably my least favorite.
Patty wrote: "Would you like to read fictional accounts of famous women you've never heard of like the women in Hidden Figures?"This idea sounds awesome!!! I would definitely be interested.
Sherri wrote: "As a reader, what are your favorite types of historic heroes? Soldiers, spies, cowboys, ranchers...etc. etc....."Blacksmith, sheriff, rancher, cowboy, soldier, explorer/guide/mountaineer
Janet wrote: "What draws you to stories, the truth of the time period or a more idealized version of the nitty-gritty realities?"I prefer the reality of the time period, but I'm not comfortable with explicit violence/grossness. An author that does a great job riding that fine line is Carla Kelly. She's a historian who wrote for Harlequin for several years, and while there's romance in her books she definitely does not idealize the time period and her characters are generally middle-class, soldiers, and struggling financially. I appreciate her dry wit and eye-opening historical details.
Christina wrote: "Do you enjoy strong accuracy of historical settings?"I definitely do, unless it starts to distract from the characters or plot. sometimes when I read Tamera Alexander's books I start to skim long paragraphs about details of the mansion or grounds. It would be more interesting to me if I had actually visited the location, but since I haven't, a more brief description suffices. I'd say go for detailed historical descriptions to enhance the plot but in measured doses ;)
Dorothy wrote: "What is your favorite type of heroine? Do you like them strong? sweet but feisty? wounded and defensive? pampered, spoiled and forced to grow?"I love all of the above except for pampered/spoiled who grows. That one is a bit more tricky since the character needs to be written in a way that the reader likes the woman from the beginning, which can sometimes be hard when the flaw is so obvious. I've read stories where it's done successfully and some where it's not.
Wendy wrote: "Regency & Victorian England, Prairie/Wild West America & Canada are favourites of mine.Australia is a place I would like to see more books set. "
I love Canada as a setting, and I would definitely love to read more set in Australia. Jennifer Moore recently wrote one called Miss Whitaker Opens Her Heart and the history and setting were fascinating!
Christina wrote: "How do you feel about secret babies and ready-made families?"I'm not a fan of the secret baby trope but I do like ready-made family stories.
Great thoughts, Becky! Thanks for sharing!!!Yes, there are soooo many books to read. Authors feel the same :)
Becky wrote: "Eva wrote: "You're all fabulous at answering!!! This is fun :)
New Questions:
How involved do you like to be with an author?
Do you like to help choose character names?
Be an author's first reader..."
That's great, Megan!I hope one of your names gets used one day :)
Wow, those are a lot of different newsletter ideas!
Megan wrote: "How involved do you like to be with an author?
It's fun to interact with authors - whether it's just in a book group, on their FB page, or through email.
Do you like to help choose character name..."
I am far behind on answering these questions--only 1 answer since message 32. So here goes---message 40: Christina--I think ready-made families are an interesting challenge.
message 56: by Karen Kirst--I can't say that one aspect always hooks my interest. I like lots of types of stories--mail-order brides, new people in a town, a trip west, interesting occupations.
message 64: by Dorothy Clark--I sometimes look things up if I'm wondering if the book is right about the way things were in years gone by. Modern language or slang in historical novels bugs me. I pay more attention to the story than the names.
message 68: by Louise Gouge--Yes, I like a fairly even telling of the story.
message 69: by Dorothy--Sometimes I will check a historical fact.
messages 76 & 84: by Louise Gouge--Yes, I like animals in stories--cats, dogs, horses, cows, donkeys, llamas. Just not wild dangerous animals.
message 90: by Eva Hamilton--I like both stand alone books and series.
message 94: by Dorothy Clark-- I don't pay much attention to the names unless they are weird or don't sound like they match the time period of the book.
message 160: by Dorothy--I like a bit of a lead-in but want to read about each of them by the end of the first chapter.
message 193: by Danica--Yes, I follow my favorite authors across genres--if I like the genres. I don't look much farther than LIH, LI or Amish. I don't read much suspense, not sci-fi, time travel, unreal place and time, nor weird, nor tmi books. But I like the rut I am stuck in with my reading. lol.
message 205: by Dorothy--I like a wedding and an epilogue.
message 235: by Eva-- I like either siblings or random people in series. Siblings do make it interesting though.
message 238: by Eva--I enjoy the online parties, chatting with authors. I could vote on character names but I don't know if I have enough imagination to pick the right name. Sometimes I like to be a first reader but I'm afraid I will postpone writing a review.
message 260: by Dorothy--Inspired books with Bible verses inside, written by Christian writers are no place for coarse language, cursing or sexual scenes. There are other ways to reveal that a person is upset with words that aren't offensive. Attraction between 2 people can be shown without an offensive, detailed word picture.
message 261: by Dorothy--I haven't read any of that series.
message 296: by Regina Scott --I like a cover to have both hero and heroine in a setting like the book with buildings, clothes and hair matching the time period. I know matching the time period is difficult. Especially historical clothes for men.
message 309: by Jolene--I think women doing jobs that folks think they can't do is interesting.
Awesome, Brenda!Thanks!
Brenda- wrote: "I am far behind on answering these questions--only 1 answer since message 42. So here goes---
message 40: Christina--I think ready-made families are an interesting challenge.
message 56: by Kar..."
Jolene wrote: "What a great thread. I'm enjoying all the well thought out answers. Thank you for being here. What do you think of women breaking out of traditional roles from their time period?"I like it and have seen some good books with this like women wanting to be a dr. Christine Johnson did it well with Women aviator. Even back in the revolutionary war there were women who pretended to be men to be in the war. Lacy Williams had a good book with a Lady Marshall. The reverse may be tougher with men doing some of the lady roles.
Karen wrote: "Is there one story aspect that always hooks your interest?"I love marriage of convenience stories and also mail-order bride!
Louise wrote: "Do you like a fairly even telling of the story through the heroine's and hero's eyes, or do you prefer more of the heroine's thoughts?"If it's going to show both viewpoints I like it to be relatively even. If one viewpoint is dominant, I like when the author uses that technique to show indications of what the other character is thinking/feeling even if the POV character isn't aware of it. A book that does that really well is Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson.
Louise wrote: "Do you like animals in our stories?"I think animals can be a fun part of a plot or an important role if it's a therapy animal for PTSD, but I'm ambivalent about animals in stories in general. As long as they are not overused, but enhance the story or what it tells us about the character, like providing a way to show something about the character's personality rather than simply telling us.
Sherri wrote: "As a reader, what are your favorite types of historic heroes? Soldiers, spies, cowboys, ranchers...etc. etc....."Another commenter mentioned doctors, and I have to agree!
Eva wrote: "Do you have a preference for stand alone books or do you like books to be in a series?"I prefer stand alone books, but I also like series. I don't like it when an author retells the plot from an earlier book in the series in case I'm reading it out of order. If I have read them in order, it's a boring rehash of information.
Dorothy wrote: "Are there any names you feel have been overused to the point where you will pull your hair out if you read another book with that cowboy name?"Nothing that comes to mind. That kind of thing doesn't bother me. If a name is used often, I think that just indicates that it's a common name for the era. I do like seeing uncommon names, but not untraditional ones if that makes sense.
Dorothy wrote: "Do you want the hero and heroine together immediately? Or do you like a bit of lead-in that gives you a hint of why the hero and heroine are in this particular place/situation?"I like as much hero/heroine interaction as possible, so I do like when they begin interacting sooner. It does take some skill for an author to slip their background information in when the story has already taken off, without doing an info dump. I find that it's more intriguing when the pasts/personalities of the characters are revealed in layers throughout the first half or so of the book.
Christine wrote: "Do you prefer gritty reality on the cover or a more stylized/romantic image?"I think a balance between the two is what I prefer. I like handsome/attractive characters on the cover, but it wouldn't be fitting for a "pretty boy" to be the model for a rough character. The facial hair is definitely a trend right now so I'm glad to see some variety.
Christine wrote: "Do you feel there is any time period or type of story that is currently under-represented?"I would like to see more pre-colonial and colonial America. I've always liked reading vintage YA novels written in the 50's as contemporary. I wonder if that era will be considered historical. The Long Way Down by Robb White and Golden Slippers by Lee Wyndham were two that I've read several times.
I'm kind of getting tired of all the children-centered plots in Love Inspired, it seems to be a very popular trend right now. I don't mind them in stories, but I appreciate when the focus is on the romance. Some of my favorite tropes that aren't overly used are friends-to-lovers, ugly duckling, Wounded Hero/Heroine, Forced Close Proximity, and sacrifice. There's a great article on Seekerville about plot and trope: http://seekerville.blogspot.com/2016/...
Hannah wrote: "Federal period, definitely (period between adoption of the Constitution and years leading up to the Civil War, roughly 1780s-1840s)....there are some fascinating things about this period (including..."I agree with all of Hannah's suggestions! I would definitely be interested in all of those eras!
Danica wrote: "My question is whether or not you follow your favorite authors across genres? If a historical author writes contemporary, would you read the contemporary or just the historical?"I definitely follow my favorite authors across genres! Suspense isn't my favorite so those I might give a pass, but if an author did contemporary and historical I'd read both.
Dorothy wrote: "Do you like the story to stop as soon as the hero and heroine express their love for one another, or do you want a wedding as the final moments."I don't like when the story ends as soon as love is expressed, I do like the plot to be wrapped up and feel that generally the expression of love shouldn't be saved for the final sentence or scene in the book. But often the jump ahead to the wedding or epilogue is anti-climactic or feels generic or cliche. Unless there is something interesting about it, I don't miss the wedding scene.
Eva wrote: "Does anyone else have a preference for siblings in series, instead of random people who happen to live in the same location?"I love siblings in a book or series! There's a different dynamic there that can be complex and bring greater depth. Also can show fun ways that siblings interact and bring an element of humor. Mary Connealy's stories are good examples there.
Eva wrote: "How involved do you like to be with an author?Do you like to help choose character names?
Be an author's first reader/reviewer?
Or are there any other things that you love or hate?"
I have a book review blog and am very active on facebook and I love interacting with authors on social media and helping promote their books and giveaways. It's so fun being on "street teams" or part of an influencer group.
Dorothy wrote: "About series books. I wanted to do a Down the years series that followed certain residents in a small town. The series (Pinewood Weddings) started with the town's beginning and then followed four c..."Honestly, that isn't something I'd be interested in. :/
Dorothy wrote: "I'd like to know how you ALL feel about coarse language, or sexual innuendo. Would you accept a mild expletive like damn, or an era appropriate, drat! Or do you want the books you read to be totally free of any expletive?What about sexual innuendo? Do you want all hints of sexual attraction eliminated--even between husband and wife? Is it all right with you if a husband and wife are in bed talking and they kiss with their love expressed, not desire?"
I don't like seeing the actual curse word in print, but am fine with a sentence that says "so-and-so cursed". Non-curse expletives don't bother me.
As far as sexual innuendo goes, I'm pretty tolerant since I think that desire and attraction are an important part of romance. I prefer that the characters fall in love with each other's personalities, but an expression of desire whether thought or physical isn't going to make me upset. The one thing I find extremely annoying is sentences where the male character thinks about the physical beauty of the female and then adds what he likes about her personality as an afterthought.
Interesting, Heidi! Thanks for your input!Heidi wrote: "Eva wrote: "Do you have a preference for stand alone books or do you like books to be in a series?"
I prefer stand alone books, but I also like series. I don't like it when an author retells the p..."
Dorothy wrote: "You make an interesting point about some of the LI authors not adhering to the LI guidelines in their indie books. Does that make you pass on buying their indie books, but still buy their LI books?"The LI guidelines are pretty tame so I would still read the indie books. My threshold for content is higher than that. Susan May Warren's indie books are more passionate and intense than her books with Christian Publishers and I loved them. For me it's about how well the story and characters are written.
Eva wrote: "Interesting, Heidi! Thanks for your input!It's so great that you all have fun with authors!
Heidi wrote: "Eva wrote: "Do you have a preference for stand alone books or do you like books to be in a series?"
I prefer stand alone books, but I also ..."
Regina wrote: "Do you like a cover that's super-specific to the book, with the hero and heroine or just one of them, or does an atmospheric cover with say a fan or flowers or an interesting house intrigue you?"I'd rather have people on the cover than just an object or scene. It catches my attention more and makes me more curious.
Dorothy wrote: "Do you have any pet peeves as far as the actual writing goes?"My biggest pet peeve is telling rather than showing, which prevents me from connecting with the characters. I come across this quite a bit in LI books, and is one of the reasons I tend to give three stars to books in this line. I have no problem rating four-five stars, but the writing needs to be good enough for it.
Typos of homonyms are another pet peeve, especially brooch and broach which I come across in historicals often.
Jolene wrote: "What do you think of women breaking out of traditional roles from their time period?"I think those are interesting to read, as long as they are realistically done and the motives of the character aren't selfish but are for more noble reasons.
Good morning! I just read through the list of answers posted after I went to bed last night. All of you are giving such great answers! I'm learning so much. l appreciate both the confirmations and the uh-uhs! : )Today is our 60th wedding anniversary (yes, that's right-I was a child bride) and we are going out of town to celebrate so I won't be able to participate today. So, my question for you all is this...
Would you read a book with an older hero and heroine?
And,Heidi, YES on the telling rather than showing! That is my biggest pet peeve! I definitely put those books down no matter how good the story is. I can't read them because I'm editing the entire time. It's odd, because I can read older books when that was the writing style without too much of a problem. Though I still find myself "fixing" them in my head. : )
So, yes or no on the older hero and heroine?
Have a fun day! I'll be reading through all of the questions and answers when we come home.
Dorothy wrote: "Good morning! I just read through the list of answers posted after I went to bed last night. All of you are giving such great answers! I'm learning so much. l appreciate both the confirmations and ..."Happy Anniversary Dorothy!
Of course I would read a book with an older hero and heroine. (I am older so it sounds interesting to me....)
Older hero/heroine? Definitely! I loved Delia Parr's Martha Cade series (midwife with grown children) and love Father Tim books by Jan Karon.
Heidi wrote: "Dorothy wrote: "Do you have any pet peeves as far as the actual writing goes?"My biggest pet peeve is telling rather than showing, which prevents me from connecting with the characters. I come ac..."
Yes about the homonyms. There are several authors who confuse mantel/mantle (fireplace ornament vs. scarf-type object) and their editors miss it every time.
Another misspelling that's started cropping up recently is "trouper" instead of "trooper"...
It's really funny when I get confused and double-check the word in an ebook, especially when it's so blatant a misspelling that the dictionary gives an error message: "this word has no definition." Ha ha.
Ladies, if you go indie for your next books, do please hire a proofreader and an editor! ;)
Good morning, ladies.Today my question is for those who don't like the h/h named in their pov passages. I was a little shocked to see you call it poor writing, since some of the great literature is written this way. We write our LIH stories in third person, so how else can we identify the person whose pov we're in, or who is doing or saying something? We can't just use he/she, him/her because there might be more than one person of a certain gender in the scene. Can you give examples of what you meant? I'm always open to new ideas and instruction. :-)
Love Inspired Historicals
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Ane Mulligan (other topics)Dawn Crandall (other topics)
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Really good Christian fiction authors don't NEED to use..."
You make a really good point, Megan. And it's very true. Having restrictions as to words or content makes an author look to their imagination to let the reader know of the growing attraction, or anger or whatever. It's easy to just stick In an expletive, etc.
Writing within my own personal Christian guidelines as well as those of LIH has made me a better writer. And that brings me to another question...
Do you have any pet peeves as far as the actual writing goes? For instance, I have a problem when the hero or heroines names are constantly used- especially when the scene is in their pov. We do not think of ourselves by name! At least I don't...unless I'm disgusted with myself in which case I might think something like, "Good one, Dorothy!" I feel the same irritation with dialog tags. If they are constantly used I'll put the book down. So...
what about you? Do you have any writing pet peeves?