Inspy Romance

Inspy Romance—Fall in Love With a Good Book

Hooked on Romance!

by

Coming in November

Did you know that romance publishers are trying to invade your brain?

Well, sort of. Companies like Harlequin, where Love Inspired books are housed, are constantly doing focus groups and market studies to figure out what readers want. They’ve got it down to a science… they know exactly what will hook a romance reader. In the industry, these appealing romance tropes are called “hooks.” Some sample hooks for readers of Christian romance are single dads, babies, nannies, cowboys, small towns, and ranches.

That’s why Love Inspired books have titles like “Small Town Nanny” or “Engaged to the Single Mom.” Titles like these put those appealing hooks front and center so that readers can see what they’re getting at a glance.

Coming in December

Months ago, my Love Inspired editor invited me to participate in a miniseries of books called “Christmas Twins.” I was thrilled, because who doesn’t like Christmas and twins? And the other authors in the series are absolutely wonderful: Patricia Johns, who writes fantastic Amish books, and Inspy’s own Deb Kastner, who’s cornered the market on handsome Texas cowboys. The books will be released in October, November, and December of this year.

And talk about hooks: all that market analysis has revealed that you, the inspirational romance reader, really like to read about:

  • Christmas
  • Twins
  • All things Amish
  • Texas
  • Secrets

Coming in October

So it makes sense that the new miniseries titles are: Amish Christmas Twins, Secret Christmas Twins, and Texas Christmas Twins. Are you hooked by the hooks?

I think you’re going to love these books, and I think you should preorder all three as a Christmas present to yourself! During your  busy days of Christmas preparation, three new, fun, inspiring Christmas books will arrive in your mailbox or on your e-reader! To help one of you do just that, I’ve giving away a $15 Amazon gift card. Just comment below. You could share  your favorite romance hooks, or let us know whether these three covers did, in fact, hook you, or just tell us what you think about the whole idea of romance publishers trying to figure out and cater to reader preferences. Comment by Sunday night and you’ll be entered in the drawing to win.

Lee Tobin McClain (52 Posts)

Lee Tobin McClain read Gone With The Wind in the third grade and has been an incurable romantic ever since. Lee is the author of the Sacred Bond series of contemporary inspirational romances and also writes the Rescue River books (angsty, but full of fun kids and dogs) for Harlequin Love Inspired. When she not writing emotional Christian romances, she's probably driving around a carload of snarky teen girls, playing with her rescue dog and cat, or teaching aspiring writers in Seton Hill University's MFA program. She is probably not cleaning her house.


Comments

  1. I do love Christmas stories. I also love friends-becoming-more kind of stories. And I’ll probably read almost anything from Love Inspired Suspense line ?

  2. Hi Lee, it makes sense that publishing companies want to know what will sell- it will make them money!! Cute covers- a couple of my friends had twins and they have the cutest photos of them:)
    Blessings:)

  3. You are so right..Christmas and twins..what a great combination. I will order all three. Since my only niece and nephew are twins, it makes anticipation that much sweeter.

  4. I love the covers. I love to read Christmas stories and those children are cute. I especially like the cover with the children and westies!

  6. I always wished to have twins… until one of my friends did, and I saw the reality of caring for two demanding babies at once. Now, I stick to writing books about them rather than longing for them myself!

  9. Hi Lee! Interesting blog! I have always enjoyed reading romances. Before eBooks as a busy mom and teacher, who didn’t have time to visit a bookstore, I belonged to two Book of the Month clubs, one was published by Harlequin. So now as a retiree and a Midwesterner, my hook is no longer tends to be single dads, nannies, cowboys, ranches or Amish. Northern Indiana has a large Amish community and I know how private Amish are. They do not interact with outsiders. The covers with the twins are adorable. Christmas reads are inspiring with so many new selections and never enough time to read them all, even for a retiree. In my season of life, I now prefer variety in my reading and therefore enjoy the Arcadia Valley Romance series. Thanks for hooking Inspy Romance readers with a $15 Amazon gift card. We appreciate your generous spirit.

  11. Hi Lee,
    I love books with babies in them, twins even better since they run in my family.
    But what hooks me every time are Christmas books, I’ll read them any time of the year, because let’s face it, there can never be too much Christmas spirit full of loving, giving hearts that show up then.

    I love all three book covers, but the smiling faces of your babies may have just won my me over, I want to pick them up out of the snow and squeeze them tight :)
    I’m heading over to amazon to check out the summary on each story!

    Oh, and one last comment, it’s a good thing publishers try to give readers what they like, but I sure hope they leave room for the new and unexpected. Avid readers like being surprised sometimes.

  13. So many of the hooks are just a part of my life. LOL I LOVE Christmas and twins. Well I also have a thing for Texas cowboys since I live with one. Can’t wait to read these.

  14. It makes perfect sense that publishers try to know what sells.. their main interest is selling the books and making money, so knowing the formula to that is what they need.
    I’m not that hooked by single dads and nannies, but the babies in the cover totally hooked me, they are so cute!!! Can’t wait to read the books.

  15. I do love the LoveInspired books. I love Christmas stories. I love the single dad’s and the babies on the covers. I really like the Amish and the Cowboys. I just love them all

  20. The covers are cute. I enjoy clean reads and know the love inspired or inspy romance provides me that. I’m very grateful! I recently had twins in my in home daycare until they went to preschool. Years ago I helped a friend with her twins who are now in their 30s. So I have fun reading about twins now.

  21. The covers are cute. I don’t get hooked by Texas, Amish, single dads and nannies, etc., however :-)

  22. All three covers grab my attention! I have always loved the Love Inspired books. My aging hands pain me to hold books these days but I can prop up my kindle or hold it to read without hurting my hands. I, too, love the Arcadia Valley Romances. Thanks for the opportunity to win a gift card!

  23. I agree the baby or twins ones do make me want to read. But, I’m not a huge Amish fan right now, so I don’t usually grab those. It all depends on my mood, too!

  28. My parents started with a pair of twins, who are 12.5 years older than me. I remember my mom looking at new moms of twins and saying, “You poor thing.” Come to think of it, hearing those words might not have been the best ego booster to my older sisters!

  29. Lee, those look great! Well, yours and Deb’s – I’m not a huge Amish fan, personally. But I’m curious what links the three books together in a mini-series? Are there cross-over characters or settings?

  32. That was what was interesting about this particular mini-series. The only requirements the editors had for us was that each book had different ages and gender combinations–you’ll notice Patricia’s are both girls, Lee’s are two boys, and mine are one of each. There really aren’t any other links.

  34. It certainly makes sense for publishers to do focus groups and other studies to learn with their readers want most. Historical fiction is my favorite, but I read a good bit of contemporary fiction also.
    Who wouldn’t be hooked by those cute babies on the cover ?

  36. Two of the three sound great! Personally I am just not big into the Amish books in general. I have read a few but I just don’t get into them like regular love inspired books.

  37. Oh, these 3 covers definitely hooked me! I love these covers and really look forward to reading them!!!

  39. I am so ready to read Christmas stories….and these books look fantastic! I’ll be checking out more on them. Thanks for your giveaway of the gift card!

  45. I agree about the Christmas books. Here in Pennsylvania, it’s gotten cooler outside and that makes me think about the holiday season. Cozy fires, snow, beautiful lights, and romance!

  48. Hey,Lee
    I love romance,especially yours.
    I agree with the hooks and how Harlequin writes what readers want.
    The Harelequins from the 70’s were oh so different.

  49. I love Christmas stories and my latest enjoyment has been Amish and Mail order brides, partly because they are cleaner books. Of course I love the baby ones and with children.

  50. What could be better then a romance and Christmas everyone loves happy endings at Christmas time. My husband and I do our place up with lights and Santa’s workshop every year for the kids. You can see how Christmas brings people together.
    I am from Australia ??

  54. I so love Christmas stories and those about the Amish also. Christmas is such a special time of year that brings families together and the kids are all excited and cannot wait for Santa to come. It’s a magical time of year. Our Savior, the Christ Child, makes sure we are all blessed during this season of love.
    Donna

  55. I am definitely drawn to books about single moms as well as friends who fall in love. I also really like Regency.

  58. If I know the author, I’ll snap it up right away. If I don’t, and the cover intrigues me, I’ll read the back cover copy and also look at reviews on Amazon. Sometimes it just depends on the mood I’m in :-)

  59. Thanks for sharing about the focus groups. I’ve been recently wondering why has romance been invaded by babies/ single parenthood all of a sudden (or is it just me?!). It seems like of every 3 books I want to read, 2 are about that. And honestly? I’m done. I’ve been screening those books and just not reading them anymore. It’s just so much drama around why they are raising kids alone that I feel like I haven’t seen just any other kind of conflict–it’s all about the former spouse/lover and the kids. It’s getting old pretty fast.
    My sister seems to think the same way, because out of the blue she just brought it up when we were discussing which books to read next. She finished a copy of Match for Magnolia that I’ve given to her and wanted to borrow Heather, Holly, and Clover’s stories that I have. Her first question was: none of them have kids, right? Nor even the heroes for these ones, do they? If they do, don’t want to read it. I’m getting tired of those stories. So it seems like many authors have heard of this whole “new” idea that people want to read about single parenthood, but forgot that maybe they didn’t want to read “just” that, but keep writing the good old romance too.
    (Sorry if I’m venting, but just feel like you’ve opened a can of worms when you asked about this and I needed to tell someone for whom it matters, because my sister and I? we’re just avid readers…)

  60. I don’t like secret baby, love triangles, and Christmas is okay but only for Christmas time (sorry). Just about everything else is great :-) I especially like cowboy/ranch stories, mail-order bride/ marriage of convenience, and military, K-9, cop, fireman. My two favorite lines of LI are Suspense and Historical. Though I am sad & mad they are discontinuing that next year :-(

    I know there’s another hook out there I don’t like, but I can’t really come up with it right now! :-)

  61. Oh, I forgot to say thanks for the Amazon gift card chance! That will buy more Love Inspired, lol!

  64. Hi Lee! Christmas is a hook but not if it involves single parents or kids. Sorry those are turn offs for me and I tend to skip that fare. Maybe because i don’t have kids and I’ve never been married. BUt definitelt Christmas, Small towns and cowboys. Those are hooks for me and romance of course..lol

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