They don't quite fit-- or something?

by Rain Trueax 

Why books find acceptance-- or not-- is a mystery to writers-- most of us. I mean we love everything we put out-- most of us. That is not always the case with readers-- most of them. So, this is about my failed contemporary romances, the ones without the paranormal elements, the ones that are all full-length novels-- all with suspense in the plot. 

Only one of these contemporaries was submitted to a publishing house. In the '90s, when I had sent a query on Moon Dust, one editor liked it enough to request the manuscript. This is a big deal as most queries don't end up going that far. Back then, it required printing it off, double-spaced, putting it in a box and mailing it with hope... It was rejected, but I did get a handwritten note with it (again not all do this). The editor said good things about the writing and suggested if I softened the plot, I could resubmit it. I understood the editor's concerns, as the book, while a romance, is also about divorce, consequences of abuse, and the militia movement. How do you soften any of that? 

After my extensive research, I especially saw no way to soften the emotional consequences of childhood abuse.  Some think molestation is only about women, but statistics say 10% of men have been abused. It's underestimated for its impact, given men are supposed to enjoy sex. Abuse is not about sex but control. It is as bad for males as females. I didn't resubmit the book and waited to bring it out-- un-softened-- when indie publishing became an option. 

It turned out to get very few readers; so that editor was probably right that romance readers want their books softer. You know most romance readers have complicated lives and often demanding careers. It's easy to see why they don't want to face difficult issues in their reading for pleasure.

I get that, but writers have to stay true to their muse, to their vision. Each of my books always has elements that interest me about the cycles of life-- not always enjoyable ones. I think this is because those are the books I prefer to read. 

So below are my contemporaries and why they were written-- what interested me in their themes as well as the characters. 

All but one of these books was written in the '90s. They were written during a time I had a desire to write but not so much concern about getting published. I found characters and developing their stories to be fascinating and enjoyed finding the right settings. At that time, there wasn't much about writing that I didn't enjoy-- the years before I learned about marketing *s*. 

To start, here is Moon Dust, the rejected one. Susan has no idea why Dane is emotionally distant from her. She finally cannot take it any longer. When she tells her husband she wants a divorce, he has no clue how discontented she has been. Dane's problems go beyond losing the woman he loves. His school is dealing with a militia movement, which is impacting students, who don't realize that brainwashing techniques are taking away not only their ability to say no but their sense of right and wrong. The book delves into our education system since its hero is a high school principal. Certainly not easy subjects-- any of them. 

A few years after I wrote it, I had this idea for Second Chance, that is centered in a wildlife rehab center. The hero and heroine are an unlikely pair. Barrett is a psychologist, single mom, and best friend in the earlier book. Judd was a teen, who after early mistakes has, with help, pulled himself out of what could have been his fate. Barrett knows enough about caretaker personalities to see that Judd is one of them-- the last thing she wants in her life. He's too young for her, but something keeps drawing her back. 

All of my romances, whether contemporary or historical, have conflicts in the relationships that interest me. Most get into the way we, as adults, need to put our past behind us to make our present into all it can be. During the years I wrote them, I was also reading a lot of non-fiction self-help books. I am sure that I integrated those ideas, ones I was incorporating into my own life, into my stories of romantic suspense. Why can't a book be more than one thing? 

Besides emotional issues in my stories, another thing I like is the homes the people  created for themselves. I enjoy making a house into a home and finding out how others put together theirs. My heroine in Moon Dust has her own business as a home decorator, which led to showing her work as well as the home she created for herself. You know, with nature, I have to take what is and try to share it. When a character has a home, I can make it whatever I want to suit their personality. 

Evening Star's heroine has her career and life in order. As an assistant DA in Portland, with a no-complications boyfriend, she has all she wants. Then along comes a man who causes her to challenge her choices and face the reason she's made them. Unwillingly, she grows through the experiences. This book does not have the hero's point of view (my only full-length novel where that was the case). The reader only sees him through her eyes and that of the villain. I had a reason for that. It's not easy as my natural inclination is to have hero and heroine's point of view (sometimes the villain's when it adds to the story). 

The only book in the series, Romance with an Edge, that is not based in Portland is Desert Inferno. Landscape painter, Rachel O'Brian, isn't looking for romance. She lives on the family ranch in the desert wilderness of the border country. Her father's mentally deranged partner is more of a problem to her than the desert, but then she meets a border patrolman, who will change it all. This passionate romance has the additions of plein air painting, the desert, and some antiquity smuggling thrown in. 
 
Bannister's Way begins with its hero, David (secondary character in Desert Inferno), arriving in Portland to begin his undercover assignment to find a murderer with the personal hope of winning back his ex-wife. Raven is teaching at a small university while she longs to make her living as a sculptor. With a big commission, she has a chance. When her ex shows up at her life drawing class as the model, she is less than pleased. He's about to ruin her life again. 

The home I used in this book was based on one I was in as a teen when my uncle rented a home on the Tualatin River. I loved being on that river, swimming out from the deck. It made the perfect home for the sculptor heroine. 

In Hidden Pearl Christine is a photojournalist who comes to Oregon to do a series on up and coming men in different fields. One of these men threatens her life, while the other her heart. She's a successful career woman with little interest in romance and a lot of interest in revealing people's character through her photos. Once she gets to Oregon she also is eager to uncover a mystery involving a man who is about to change her mind on a lot of things.

My own interest in the book went beyond the mystery and romance to the question of what draws people to cults. Some give up everything to find that 'one' thing. A few find only death or poverty. Maybe a few find the hidden pearl of great value. 
 
Her Dark Angel took a secondary character from Hidden Pearl to  her own love story. As a widow in the first book, Katy has had a few years of grieving and is not looking for love as she has two little girls to raise. She is my only contemporary heroine who doesn't have a career. She doesn't need one as the child of wealth. The problem is that leaves her not feeling of personal value. Then, she comes across the one man she should resist. There is a bit of Beauty and the Beast to it but more importantly-- can someone change when their life has been torn apart through no fault of their own-- hers and his. 

I had intended to write about what I think went wrong, but this has already gone too long. My possible mistakes or maybe what's not quite satisfying to romance readers will come next Saturday. In the meantime, below are links to the books so you can see the blurbs and sample chapter.

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Moon Dust -- https://www.amazon.com/Moon-Dust-Portland-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B00731P2MU

Second Chance -- https://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Portland-Book-4-ebook/dp/B007KE9HYO

Desert Inferno --  https://www.amazon.com/Inferno-Contemporary-OBrians-Western-Romance-ebook/dp/B006LOB170

Bannister’s Way -- https://www.amazon.com/Bannisters-Way-Portland-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B006RYYVWG

Evening Star --  https://www.amazon.com/Evening-Star-Portland-Book-2-ebook/dp/B0078I6MHM

Hidden Pearl -- https://www.amazon.com/Hidden-Pearl-Portland-Book-5-ebook/dp/B00736DIKI

Her Dark Angel -- https://www.amazon.com/Her-Dark-Angel-Portland-Book-ebook/dp/B007TRSGU8

 All of my contemporaries on one poster