I’m happy today to introduce you to a wonderful author, my friend Barbara M. Britton. 
I met Barb online in 2020 when Pelican Book Group published my first Christmas novella. Something clicked between us, and that led to frequent emails and a few phone calls. In August, 2023 I was thrilled to meet her at the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) annual conference (Barb is the tall, young, pretty one on the left). I will always cherish our time of in-person fellowship.
Barb has woven her own personal medical crisis experience into a beautiful contemporary romance story. I think you’ll enjoy learning about it.
When Medicine and Romance Meet Cute
“Barb, I have cancer.” Words that might startle other people have become commonplace for me. This was the second phone call where someone with breast cancer had reached out to me. The prequel phone call was my own breast cancer diagnosis.
We often hear in the publishing world that an author should write what they know. Advice like that sounds great if your heroine is an accountant and the author is a real-life CPA, but does a romance readership want to hear about cancer? Or another medical diagnosis?
I struggled with this thought when I felt the Lord nudging me to write about breast cancer. I was a historical author. Mammography and breast checks weren’t the topic of discussion in the Bible or 1918. But there was that nudge with another phone call.
Contemporary inspirational romance is the perfect genre to discuss tough topics, and here’s why.
HEA and HFN – I find myself explaining to readers that a romance, by definition, has to end with a happy-ever-after or a happy-for-now. The ending is predictable, and in this crazy world, readers like predictable, romantic endings with lip sparklers. Your hero or heroine can face a challenging diagnosis. The medical issue won’t scare your reader because they know that the outcome is going to be manageable with God’s love and the strong relationship the author has built between the main characters.
Inspirational – We are blessed as Christian authors because we get to show the world what it is like to go through trials and still get up every morning and praise God. Each new day means more to me post-cancer since I lived through the doubts that my tomorrow wasn’t guaranteed. I was able to take my favorite Scripture (Philippians 4:4-7) and work it into my novel, so others would have encouragement from the Word. God gives us an unfathomable peace through His Holy Spirit that the world does not know. We can share what it is like going through hardship with a certainty that God loves us, and He has a plan for our lives.
Relatability – In modern medicine, images are sharper, AI enhanced, and are able to detect cancer or medical issues faster than in past decades. My breast cancer was detected by 3D imaging which was cutting-edge in 2015. I was told my cancer wouldn’t have been diagnosed for a couple more years had I received the conventional technology. My doctors thought my cancer was small, but after a lumpectomy, the cancer yelled, “Fooled you.” It boggles my mind how all the latest technology missed major portions of my tumor.
Readers are receiving the latest technology, hopefully, when they go to the doctor. Eventually, something is likely to show up on a scan or in a blood test. In the readership world today, everyone knows someone with cancer or another health issue. Reading a book on the subject can educate a romance reader and give them an understanding of what a friend or colleague is going through. The reader also knows there is a happy horizon at the end of the book.
After enough nudges, I wrote about a twenty-three-year-old heroine who had lost a breast to cancer, and about the impact that diagnosis had on her life and a budding romance. I even placed a short summary of my own breast cancer journey in the back of “Christmas at Whispering Creek.” Readers would know why I wrote the story and that I personally knew about my heroine’s struggles.
You don’t have to shy away from tougher topics in your novels. Romance gives an author the tools to satisfy the reader with a heartwarming story even if the journey to get to a happy-ever-after is difficult and true-to-life. We get the amazing job of showing God’s grace during hard times, and His work in our character’s lives while they are falling in love.
And always remember to throw in a super supportive secondary character that becomes the heroine in your next book.
Barbara M. Britton lives in Southeast, Wisconsin and loves the snow—when it accumulates under three inches. She writes Christian romantic adventures for teens and adults from Bible Times to present-day USA. Barbara has a nutrition degree from Baylor University but loves to dip healthy strawberries in chocolate. You can find out more about Barbara and her books on her website barbarambritton.com.
Leave a comment below and one will be chosen at random to receive an eBook of Christmas at Whispering Creek. Deadline is 5:00MST on Tuesday, April 2, 2024.
From Erin: my short time with the InspyRomance family has come to a close. I hope our paths will cross again! You can always find me at my website, www.ESQwrites.com, or email me at Erin@ESQwrites.com. Thank you for your devotion to Contemporary Christian Romance!
Erin has been writing faith-based romance novels for almost a decade. She is published in multiple formats and is a member of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers), where she has served as a judge, category coordinator, and was a 2021 Carol Award finalist. Grounding her novels in reality, Erin crafts characters who encounter events and hardships familiar to everyone. Her inspirational writing will take the reader down paths of both joy and pain, but always highlighting God’s faithfulness.
I just added this book to my TBR list.
Happy Tuesday Erin and Barbara. Welcome Barbara from a Michigander – SW Michigan across the lake from Chicago. Your book intrigues me – at age 23 I had a breast cyst and so I can identify with the angst as a young woman. This Midwesterner enjoys vacationing in the Tennessee Smoky Mountains. Barbara thanks for your informative blog. Yes, tough topics can be part of stories when one knows there is a HFN ending, which got this retiree thinking.
While health issues (cancer, heart, broken bones or replacements) are discussed and the advances in medicine and treatments – dental health is not. My DIL is a dental assistant and had a rough time last week when a patient had a panic attack. As a post WW2 German immigrant child, I had poor teeth. Last week I had my teeth cleaned and then had to have a cavity filled. I applauded my dentist for all the improvements in dental medicine – the suction, the finer/ smaller needles to administer Novocain, the better drills – no more spitting into a sink. Many people “fear” the dentist and dental work, resulting in having dentures. Poor dental health also results in heart disease. YES, write what you know. Maybe this retired English teacher needs to write a book a HFN book with a patient needing dental care.
Best wishes and Blessings this Holy Week.
Thank you so much for putting Barbara on my radar Erin, on my way to check out both of you :)
Thank you, Ellie. I appreciate you joining us and adding my book to your TBR.
Hi Renate. Thanks for being here. One of my sons lives in Michigan, so I know the Southwest corridor. The Department of Transportation hasn’t improved the Il-IN-MI corridor much over the past years.
I agree with you. I do not like going to the dentist. Receiving a shot in my mouth makes me uncomfortable. You have my mind spinning with ideas of how dental work would affect appearance and self-esteem. You should start writing that story.
Blessed Easter to you, too.
Good morning! Thank you for this post on Barbara. I already receive her newsletter and have several of her biblical fiction books. She is actually the author that introduced that genre to me. I have not yet read Christmas at Whispering Creek, but it is on my “books of interest” list.
It has been nice getting to know you, Erin. You are in my prayers as an author writing clean, inspirational stories. My your stories touch the Hearts of your readers.
God bless.
Thank you for joining us, Milica. I love Erin’s stories. She has a gift for crafting characters and unique stories. I appreciate you checking out our novels.
Hi Bonnie! Thank you so much for subscribing to my newsletter and reading my books. I actually took “Write what you know,” to heart when I wrote biblical fiction. I was a chapel teacher for many years.
We appreciate readers who enjoy sweet inspirational stories. I know one lady in my church who came to faith by reading a Christian Fiction novel. I hope we shine the light of Jesus near and far. Thanks for joining us.
I love that you write about faith and confidence in God even through trials, including cancer. I love that you show readers how it is possible to have that foundation holding you up when ‘the news’ undermines the ground you’re standing on.
I also love stories that give me the opportunity to understand the personal pov of someone going through something difficult, it helps me to have an idea of what it’s like and be able to show empathy/understanding when someone is faced with such a situation. (I love the idea of a dental work story as mentioned in another comment. It does have a major impact on the person!!!)
So very true!!! I like reading stories where people overcome all kinds of odds to get to their HEA or HFN. I’m already following both of you, not sure how I found Barbara, probably a giveaway somewhere! I’ve had two breast cancer scares, twenty-seven years apart, followed by stereotactic biopsies. Those biopsies have changed a LOT between times, too. I just read Renate’s post, and I agree!! I remember a news reporter from years ago who passed from cancer in his palate. His was NOT caught early. I have a friend whose daughter’s young son shoved a lollipop into the roof of her daughter’s mouth so hard she had to make an emergency visit to the dentist to get it out. That “accident” led to her daughter finding out she had cancer, which was caught early enough that she didn’t need chemo or radiation. Dental health is a MUST!
Hi Wenonah. I hope readers find joy, but also truth and understanding in my stories. I love shining a light on Jesus and how He gets us through the difficult times. I know Erin does too because I have read all of her stories.
I can empathize with anyone having a medical procedure or dental work. I’m not a fan of needles myself.
We appreciate you joining us.
I’m glad, Ellie. I’m sure you will enjoy it.
Hi Trudy. What a blessing that none of your biopsies were cancer. Early detection is key when fighting cancer. I thought I was perfectly fine until “something” showed up on my mammogram.
Your lollipop story is one-of-a-kind. Yikes! That would make for great tension in a novel. Thanks for being here.
I always enjoy your insights, Renate. Just as Barb’s story resonates with those who have dealt with cancer (or a loved one has), your idea about a character struggling with dental health could reach a lot of people. Bring up that blank page and start writing! Thanks for stopping by, and all the best to you.
I appreciate that, Milica. Thanks for commenting.
Thank you, Bonnie. Yes, Barb’s primary genre is Biblical fiction, but since this blog is focused on CCR, I didn’t want to go down that rabbit hole.
I have appreciated your insights on this blog. I hope you’ll keep in touch! I’m still writing new stories that honor God’s plan for marriage and family, and I appreciate your prayers so much. Take care!
Wenonah, you make a GREAT point. Even if we aren’t experiencing something ourselves, learning more about it through the POV of a character who is can inform our empathetic sensibilities.
Dental health is one of those universal human experiences, isn’t it? I think that’s a great idea for a story, too. Thanks for commenting!
Thank you for your insights, Trudy. I feel as if this blog topic has connected with a lot of folks. Dental health is one of those things I tend to dread. In fact, I’m overdue for a regular cleaning and checkup and need to make an appointment now… :)
Welcome, Barbara! I didn’t realize you also wrote CCR. :)
Hi Valerie. My breast cancer journey couldn’t be told in biblical fiction, so I wrote a contemporary romance. I really enjoyed being able to use text messages in my story, and have my female characters be able to move about unescorted. I liked it so much; I wrote a second contemporary story. I’m happy you joined us.
I’m so happy to have had the opportunity to introduce Barb to the InspyRomance family. We had scheduled this for October 2024 just before her 2nd CCR book comes out, but…. Anyway, this worked just great :)
Hi, Thank you so much for this post. Have a great day and a great rest of the week. May you all have a Blessed Easter. I love the book cover!
Thank you, Alicia. My publisher does a great job of designing the cover art.
Thanks for joining us. May you have a Blessed Easter as well.
Hi Barb, thank you for your post. I haven’t read any of your books but will definitely look out for your CCRvand biblical stories. I think you are absolutely right about including these difficult topics in stories, I think reading about these sort of storyline, particularly from someone like you who has experienced this diagnosis yourself, can be so helpful for readers.
Thank you too Erin for all your blogs here.
Thank you for your frequent participation, Alicia. Isn’t that cover wonderful? Makes me want to go there for Christmas :) Blessed Easter/Resurrection Day to you as well.
Thank you for your kind words, Ruthie. I always look forward to your responses. Thanks for supporting CCR, and take care!
Thank you for your kind words, Ruthie. I felt compelled to write about breast cancer since I had gone from what they thought was an easy road to one that was difficult. I even shared my real-life story in the back of the book. I hope readers are encouraged and that their faith is strengthened.
I appreciate Erin’s friendship and her invitation to be here. Thank you for joining us.
Thank you so much for coming. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
I’m glad you stopped by, Debra. God bless you as well.
I love romance books with difficult themes! To begin with as a single woman there is always that pressure to be attractive enough to stand out from other single women and find a husband, the romance where the heroine or hero has something about his appearance that makes him unattractive in a superficial sense helps me Remember that physical beauty is not what matters in romance at the end of the day.
Also nowadays there is sometimes so much emphasis on “healthy relationships are those where neither party has too many emotional or other problems and can contribute a perfect 50% to the relationship” but…life is not like that How many people have met the love of their life at a time when they were having a hard time? Isn’t it being too idealistic to think that I must have a balanced and perfect life and THEN find love?
Finally, difficult topics remind me that with God there is hope and that a godly man will not leave just because you are not a model with your appearance or because you have some problem.
nice post
Thank you for joining us, Debra. I am delighted to be here. May God bless you, too.
Hi Lilly. Thank you for speaking from the heart. Having a beautiful heart that loves Jesus is way more attractive than outer appearance. I try to connect my characters on a deeper level.
The older I get, I see the messyness of being human. It makes me love Jesus all the more because He loves us despite our sins and faults. And He created us just the way we are, wonderfully made. Marriage is rarely a 50-50 split. One must give and take with the ups and downs of life.
Thank you for joining us and reminding us that we need to love God first and foremost and then He gives us the strength to love others as ourselves.
Hi bn. Thank you for being here. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
As an example of Barbara’s writing the post is extremely powerful and I’ll be checking out her books. I agree with everything in the post but what comes to mind is how often a diagnosis is far later than it could have been, it is sad when people ignore their health out of fear, culture, peer pressure etc and writing about it can raise an awareness which can be crucial to people’s wellbeing. Thanks for your posts Erin, they have been wonderful!
Hi Dianne. You are right. We need to make our health a priority. What is the old saying–prevention is the best medicine.
Mammography and monthly breast checks should be routine for women.
Thanks so much for joining us.
Glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for commenting.
I’m glad this post had an impact on you, Dianne. And thank you for your kind words. I will miss the InspyRomance family.
Lilly, thank you for sharing these thoughts. Your comment about having to have a perfect and balanced life in order to find love reminds me that we don’t have to be “perfect” before coming to God–He loves and accepts us just as we are.
Thank you for joining the conversation!
This is why I love Christian fiction. It can delve into deep, hard topics and still offer hope because God is at the center. That’s something the world can’t offer on its own.
Hi Megan. I’m am so thankful for Jesus. I love including him in my stories. You are right. Jesus gives us so much hope. Thank you for joining us.
This is why I read and write Christian fiction, Megan. There are plenty of books out that that don’t offer hope. Thanks for stopping by, and thanks for supporting Christian fiction!