Sometimes writing a book takes an author by surprise. Take my upcoming book, Fire and Ice, the first book in my new Northwest Ice Christian hockey romance series. There I was, all happily writing about a female sports reporter and a gentlemanly rancher’s son who plays in the NHL, when suddenly research took me to a ranch just outside Calgary which has its own Western town and movie lot, where a bunch of Western-themed films and TV shows, including Lonesome Dove, Shanghai Noon, and even some episodes of When Calls The Heart have been filmed.
What’s an author to do when faced with the tremendous story possibilities of such a location? Exactly. Plan a new series based on a location like this.
In Fire and Ice we get a glimpse of this Western town movie lot, which includes the ubiquitous white chapel, and a dirt ‘Main Street’ with a barber, telegraph office, etc. We also meet the three sisters I figure this series should be based on (who are the younger sisters of my hero, Franklin James, from Fire and Ice). But beyond knowing their names (Cassie, Jess and Poppy) and a tiny bit about their occupations (Cassie helps her dad run the ranch, Jess studies vet science, and Poppy used to help run a ballet studio) I’m a little stuck. I tend to write ‘by the seat of my pants’ and not plan a huge amount, and I’ve seen a bunch of stories come together pretty fast over the years. But I’ve brained pretty hard this year, and just come back from a trip to England, and while I have some vague story ideas, I’d love to know what you, the reader, really likes to read.
So reader help is needed!
* If you’re a fan of ranch stories (and I really hope you are, because Love Somebody Like You, my book in the Trinity Lakes series releases on June 20 and I hope you’ll check it out!), tell me why. What is it about this trope that fascinates you?
* If you’re not a fan of ranch books, why is that? I have to admit that as an Aussie I never really understood the appeal until more recently, when I could see how ranch stories tend to emphasise small towns and family, things I care about too.
* What kinds of tropes do you like / would you like to read about more? Friends to more? Forbidden love? Second chance romance? Fake relationship? Love triangle? Forced proximity?
* What kind of tropes are you over, or feel are cliched, or done to death? (ha – see what I did there?)
* What kinds of covers do you like to see? Photos of a ranch? Sunsets? A couple? A couple kissing? Hugging? Vivid colors or more muted tones?
* What kinds of titles do you like? Ones that hint at the plot? (Fire and Ice does this, with a strong, sassy female reporter and a cool-headed hockey player) Or do you prefer titles that tie a series together with a repeated word? (My Muskoka Romance series tries to blend both, with titles that link the series and hint at the subject matter: Muskoka Shores, Muskoka Christmas, Muskoka Hearts, Muskoka Spotlight, etc).
* What kinds of heroines do you like to see? Strong and sassy? Introverted? Somewhere in between?
* What makes an ideal hero for you? Does he have to be handsome? What other qualities do you like emphasised?
* And how far apart do you like to have three titles in the one series release? One month? Two? It doesn’t bother you?
I’d love to know what ingredients you think I should cook with to make some fun stories to include in the new Three Creek Ranch series.
Let’s go!
Hannah Wade’s heart might’ve once been touched by a rancher’s son, but her real passion has always been sports. Years later, when her sports career is cut short by injury, she jumps at the chance to be one of Calgary’s first female sports reporters. Trouble is, some of the old dinosaurs she works with think she’s only there to look good, add ratings, and stir controversy among the fiercely loyal hockey fans. She longs to prove herself, so when an opportunity comes along to interview newly traded defenseman Franklin James, she meets him. Or, more accurately, re-meets him. With disastrous effect.
Growing up with three sisters means Franklin thought he knew something about women, but nothing had ever prepared him for the sparkling firecracker that is Hannah. And yet her vibrant personality holds a sweetness and soft side, something that draws his interest and protectiveness when an interview goes south. And there’s something about her that’s vaguely familiar…
Can these two overcome prejudice and find a way forward? And what has faith – or the lack of – got to do with anything?
Fire and Ice is a second-chance, forbidden romance and the first book in the new Northwest Ice hockey romance series, a sweet and swoony, slightly sporty, Christian contemporary romance series, perfect for fans of Becky Wade, Courtney Walsh, and Susan May Warren. Preorder your copy at Amazon, other retailers
Carolyn Miller lives in the beautiful Southern Highlands of New South Wales, Australia, with her husband and four children. A longtime lover of romance, Carolyn loves drawing readers into fictional worlds that show the truth of God’s grace in our lives. Her Regency and contemporary novels are available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Depository, Koorong, etc
I do like ranch stories. The thought of open space, horses and cattle are wonderful.
Ooh, good to know! Right now I could do with more open space…
Maybe your next hero should also be returning from a big dream trip to England and is feeling a bit brained as well. Hopes dashed in his big adventure he needs a reason to get excited again about his future!
I like ranch stories, as they emphasize the good things, like faith, family, and love of country. It also takes us back to our “roots” as the start of most countries was farming and ranching. I really don’t like couples on covers. I much prefer scenes to set the mood(s). I also like any and all tropes, and I like the heroines and heroes to all be different. Some can be very extroverted, some introverted, some a mix of both.
I can’t really say if I’m a fan of ranch books. Yours might be the first I read since I know I already like your work. I assumed ranch books delt mostly with horses and the south in the sates and I’m not all that interested in those things in particular. But I do really like the small town vibes like Gilmore Girls and Hart of Dixie.
My favorite tropes are fake relationships,
Forced proximity, pen pals/ secret identity, match maker/ matchmaker gone wrong, reality tv show, arranged marriage, marriage pact, Return to hometown/reunion romance, opposite attract, Sworn off a relationship, blind date, fish out of water, I like the anti-hero, misunderstood hero and a good redemption arch for a character. One of my favorite tropes is Abhorrent Admirer, I also love sugar and ice, and a berry and Veronica trop.
I like a mix of covers, I like the more cartoonist style, but I also love the couple covers, I also like the covers where you can see where the book might be set (like the Muskoka ). I also LOVE when it is easy to tell that the book is a part of the series and easily able to see where it is in the series. I love that you note it’s apart of the original 6. I also like covers when it is just the heroine.
Yes, I love titles that are cheeky and hidden in the book and you go AH that is why it’s named whatever. I do like the ones that hint at the plot and ones that carry through the series.
I like all kind of heroines. Being an Introvert it is nice to see them in a book. I also love the sassy and characters. I absolutely love when the characters have good banter and wit to them.
No, the hero doesn’t have to be handsome but he does have to be funny, or awkward, or the underdog that you want to root for. I do appreciate a hero who troubled. I like when they are self sacrificing.
I like to have the series titles spread out because I forget and get excited when they pop back up!
Another thing I like but I forgot is when the book is set in a specific season or month. I wish I had found the Break Up Project in December so I could have read it during New Years.
I live and own a ranch so it’s comforting…when done correctly ;) .
Enemies to Lovers is my favorite trope I think.
Friends to more and love triangles are my least favorite. I feel them been done SO MUCH and I’ve rarely if ever enjoyed a love triangle sine I usually end up rooting for the one that’s not chosen. :/
I LOVE the cover of Love Somebody Like you.
I don’t always pay that much attention to titles, they have to be bold to get me to notice and remember.
Introverted, Sassy is good! LOL! A wildflower type personality is nice.
An ideal hero has blue eyes, a touch of loveable rogue, but is truly so kind and filled with love for his heroine. A man that understands he has to give love and affection for his marriage to flourish like a well tended garden.
Yes! I’d read that book! I remind me of when I watched movie whose main character goes to Ireland or Scotland to run away from this novel she needed to write. Of course she falls in love with the broody land owner.
I love ranch stories, I love it because it seems so much more peaceful and for sure you can enjoy the stars at night.
I don’t care what trope it is…just that it’s slow burn please no love at first sight…and no single moms or dads hahaha there are too many in small town romances…and widowed people.
I love ranch stories, I like the faith and family values and small communities where people all know each other, but mostly because I find them fascinating, it’s so far outside my experience of anything we have here in the UK!
I like most tropes, I think my favourite is marriage of convenience. I don’t really like secret baby stories.
I prefer covers without people on as they never look quite how I imagine the characters! But a cover wouldn’t put me off if I liked the author or series.
With titles, I like both the kinds you mention – I really like anything that’s not too trope-heavy, e.g. ‘A Second Chance for Happy single mom and her best friend’s grumpy brother’ – I like some plot that’s not completely given away in the title.
I like all kinds of heroes and heroines, it’s nice to have a variety.
I don’t mind when series release, it’s nice not to have to wait too long though so maybe no more than 3 months in between.
Good luck with the writing!
I Love ranch stories there is something about the country that I love just feeling like I am in the place where the story is taking place is what I Love have a Blessed Day!
Ooh, I like…
Ha! I like that.
It’s important to mix up the personalities of different characters, isn’t it? The challenge is when there are multiple series being released and not having the same type of personality appearing in multiple books at the same time!
Ooh, so many good points here! Thank you so much for sharing them. I’ll be taking these things into consideration.
I like to have seasonal specific books too. It’s fun to set it around a particular time of year.
Thanks so much for sharing this! Much appreciated. (And I might’ve sent you a message!)
Yes! Lots of wonderful aspects of it (to balance out all the hard work!)
Ha! What about older, never married people? That’s something we don’t see a lot of in fiction.
Thanks so much Ruthie. Yes, it’s a challenge to get all the pieces to work together. Timing to write (& edit) the book, time to release, etc I appreciate your insights!
Thanks so much Sarah – God bless you too!
I can take or leave ranch stories. I feel like there have been so many of them!
I gravitate towards single mom, friends to more, and more recently love triangles and marriage of convenience stories.
Covers don’t sway me one way or another. It’s the back cover description that pulls me in.
I like heroines that have something “wrong” with them that makes them think they’re unmarriable.
A hero does not have to be handsome, but kindness is a fabulous quality.
Titles a few months apart work well for me.
Older, never married yes! My favourite idea (not necessarily a trope) is the older character of Boaz. We don’t know why he was not married with a family when Ruth rocks up, but we’re ever so grateful that he is. He is pursuing God in very practical and loving ways, and is surprised by Ruth.
I enjoy reading friends to more. In regards to ranch life, it drawns some interesting facets with small towns, horses, beautiful nature the Lord has created. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.
fun setting
Good points! Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Debra!
I think a movie set on a ranch would definitely qualify as a fun setting :)
Wow, that’s a lot of questions, where to start!
I’ve read a lot of outback romances as it’s a way to connect with my mum who grew up in the mallee on a farm and she loves reading about what reminds her of her youth.
A ranch/farm setting is attractive as people band together and work as a team, like working in a small business there are fewer people so personality differences can have a huge impact so maybe characters that don’t understand about being part of a team/community and how they adjust to that as part of the story.
In rural communities those who are most successful on ranches often have another income stream to compensate for financial losses during drought/flood seasons so that creates an opening for new characters and there is always the tension of will they/won’t they be able to adjust to the physical isolation. The stories where the farm is successful every year are rather unrealistic to me.
I can’t remember the rest of the questions but the traits that make me love a character are kindness, compassion and throw in some diversity and inclusivity and a great story and I’m happy reading that book. Not interested in physical violence, bullying, criminals etc.. Heroines and heros that have a backbone and stand for something are most attractive to me. The tropes aren’t important to me, but a good story is as otherwise mum moans about it, lol, just as well she’s a luddite.
Thanks for posting. :)