Remaking the virgin hero
Back in 1979, during the first wave of popular romance criticism, Ann Barr Snitow claimed that “virginity is a given” in the mass-market category romance. Things changed for heroines some time ago; in...
View ArticleKaufman on inspirationals
Debbie Kaufman didn’t set out to write inspirational romance (or even romance at all), starting with suspense. But between joining the Romance Writers of America and her son-in-law lending her a copy...
View ArticleInspirational qualities
Readers of inspirational romance want both a compelling, wholesome love story and an uplifting Christian faith element. A good inspirational romance supplies both of these, and more. Many contemporary...
View ArticleMany different lives
In first grade, a teacher praised her reading and set Debbie Kaufman on the road to becoming a lifelong reader. Reading let Kaufman experience a “number of different lives,” beginning with the magical...
View ArticleThe inspirational’s roots
Modern inspirational romance novels form part of a tradition stretching back to the 18th century. In these early works, Puritan authors modeled ways to balance the love of a jealous God and the love of...
View ArticleTeaching inspirationals
What defines an inspirational romance novel? Eric Selinger teaches courses on popular romance fiction—including inspirational novels—at DePaul University. When did he first encounter inspirational...
View ArticleOutwitting the kill order
Author Shelley Bates writes under three names, a time-honored tradition in the romance community and beyond. Just as Nora Roberts writes her dark near-future In Death series under pen name J.D. Robb,...
View ArticlePutting a bonnet on it
Author Shelley Bates writes Amish romance under the pen name Adina Senft. What unique skills does writing Amish romance require? Who reads Amish romance, and why do they read it? Bates answers. The...
View Article