The ever wonderful Cheryl St.John agreed to put together (VERY last minute for us) a post on Inspirational Romance and how they fit with Westerns so well. I promised not to whine, at least not in the post, *g*! Our host finally got us up and running so I am running very late. Sorry about that our slow start here… hey I have been a bit behind on this blog stuff the past year. Any mistakes below are mine, leave a comment and I will correct, and contest post will follow as soon as I get back.

Those of us who write and read western romances are as chipper as a bunch of jaybirds by the upsurge in attention the genre has been receiving of late. We are following The Great Western Drive (also see KristieJ & Wendy) week with anticipation. I’m more than curious to learn what the publishers are saying. Thanks for being western’s #1 fan, Sybil—oh wait, you have to share that #1 spot with Wendy. But wait just another gosh darn minute—wasn’t this Kristie’s idea? Okay, thanks to the three of you for the western love we’re feeling—and not only this week, but all the time. Keeping a finger on the pulse of this market is harder than tyin’ down a bobcat with a piece of string.

Victoria Bylin, who writes for Steeple Hill’s new Love Inspired Historical line told me she was attending RWA in Reno, hearing about the supposed death of the western when she ran into an agent. The agent told her the western wasn’t dead at all. It had just moved to Christian fiction.

When I asked Vicki why she thought that was happening, here’s what she told me: “Faith and westerns go hand in hand. It took tremendous courage for the early pioneers to load their wagons and travel 2,000 miles. They found hope in the Bible and drew strength from the stories about the children of Israel seeking the Promised Land. Westerns are about adventure, new beginnings, courage and risk. So is Christianity.

“I personally think the middle dropped out of the romance genre. A few years ago, the books that sold were either hot-hot-hot or inspirationals. The middle ground readers (and writers) had to make a choice. I love inspirationals and always have, so the choice was easy for me.

Vicki went on to say, ” I loved writing for Harlequin Historicals, but I’d run out of ideas that required a higher level of sensuality. With LIH, there’s still plenty of romantic tension, but I’m able to go in a direction that’s true to my beliefs about love, courtship, marriage, family, etc..” Her latest story is The Maverick Preacher. (Syb note: didn’t see at eHarl but you can get at amazon hurry!)

So I asked a few more writers for their thoughts. Linda Ford, Dakota Child, LIH September had this to say: “One reason I think westerns and Inspirationals are a good match is because the struggle between good and evil in westerns somewhat mirrors our spiritual struggles. Villains come dressed as gunslingers or smooth talking con men but recognizing them and defeating them requires our characters to confront truth and apply it. Much the same way as how we all deal with spiritual struggles. In other words, the western is almost allegorical and therefore, satisfying to the reader as we all face moral issues in our lives.

“I think readers like them because of this but also because of the adventure and bigger- than-life characters who confront huge obstacles like conquering a new and challenging land, dealing with incredible tough situations and emerging as victors. I like writing westerns because cowboys and ranchers are strong, independent, self-sacrificing men. Who wouldn’t fall in love with such a hero?”

Well, Linda, I can’t resist a cowboy, that’s for sure. When my HH Her Montana Man (syb note: you can still get this at amazon just saying) was out, I happened to stand in Wal-Mart and take a long look at all the covers. I counted twelve books with cowboy hats on the covers. Marketing knows something about how to make readers pick up books, so that tells me readers do want to buy those cowboys.

My gun-toting preacher in The Preacher’s Wife has garnered me more reader mail than any book in a long time, and that one is an inspirational. I like to write inspirationals because it’s an extension of who I am and how I think. I don’t think many of my readers were surprised that I expanded to write for both HH and LIH. A few have asked me to please not abandon HH, and I can assure them I will not.

I liked what Lyn Cote, Her Inheritance Forever, had to say about the relationship between westerns and the inspirational market. “Westerns are tailored made for the inspirational market because at that time except for the native tribes, everyone in America and its territories was Christian of some sort. Their faith in God was as expected as breathing air. And in a time where there was really no “science of medicine” to speak of and life could end in an instant, faith was got people through. Just like today.

And my friend Laurie Kingery—some of you will remember her as Laurie Grant—whose The Outlaw’s Lady is in stores now told me: “Westerns are a natural for the inspirational historical genre because it was a time of great growth and conflict in this nation, a simpler time when folks moving to the frontier territory found their faiths not only comforting, but necessary to survive in an often hostile climate. Their existence was threatened not only by the weather, but by Indians, outlaws and wild animals. The settlers’ goal was to create civilization wherever they settled, and a church was often one of the first buildings erected, though they often came after saloons!

“They had few possessions, and no distractions such as TV, computers or cars, so perhaps it was this very fact that made possession of faith very important. Most of our forbears didn’t question the existence of God or the veracity of his Word—they’d seen it proved true in their own lives, and the Bible might be the only book they possessed.”

All I know is I’m grinnin’ like a weasel peekin’ in a henhouse door to discover all these cowboys and know how many readers are loving them some westerns!

Wendy the Super Librarian’s review of In a Mother’s Arms by Jillian Hart and Victoria Bylin
Inspirational historical romance anthology released by Steeple Hill 14 Apr 09

It’s been bittersweet for me as a western romance fan that while secular imprints have been ignoring the sub-genre, it’s positively booming in the inspirational romance market. Like a lot of secular romance readers, I’ve been hesitant to give inspirational romances a chance because of the fear that the authors will drop the ball on story content and instead preach to me. 

When I pick up a romance novel, I’m just not looking to be converted. But I felt I had to give the sub genre a chance, and figured the In A Mother’s Arms anthology was a good place to start. After all, both Jillian Hart and Victoria Bylin have written some excellent Harlequin Historical novels - so I knew they were capable of giving me a good story. I was happy to discover that both of them did here as well, although with varying degrees of “God stuff” thrown into the mix.

Finally A Family by Jillian Hart

After losing both her husband and child to illness, Molly McKaslin is working three jobs, scraping by, and living in a shack on her cousin’s property. It’s a lonely life, and Molly is haunted by the tragedies of her past. Then one day the precocious Frost twins come barreling into her life, along with their pet cow, Sukie . The girls are painful reminders of all that Molly has lost, but she can’t help but by charmed by their antics, and their stoic father, Dr. Sam Frost.

This story features one of my least favorite plot devices - the cutesy tots who play matchmaker for their single Daddy and/or Mommy. However, Hart writes the twins so well that’s it hard to not find the little hellions adorable. Even a cynic like me couldn’t help smiling. The author keeps the “God stuff” relatively minimal (the characters attend church, pray at meals etc.), but doesn’t really beat the reader over the head with it. I did think the romance was a little light in the pants. Even though the characters say otherwise, part of me still couldn’t help thinking that Molly and Sam hook up because she’s desperate for a family and he’s desperate for his girls to have a Mommy. Still, it’s a pleasant and sweet story.

Grade: B-

Home Again by Victoria Bylin

Cassie O’Rourke hopped a train for Chicago to become an actress and proceeded to leave her sweetheart, Gabe Wyatt, at the altar. That was 14 years ago, and now she’s back in town with her son, Luke, to take over her father’s general store. However not everyone in town is happy to see her. A nasty old biddy is spreading malicious gossip about her, nobody is shopping at her store, and Luke has just been hauled off to the jail for breaking a church window. That’s where she finally faces Gabe, who has never stopped loving her.

The “God stuff” in this story is much more prevalent than in the Hart entry, and at times it did feel intrusive. There’s even a moment where a character breaks out a Bible story to share with Cassie. That said, this is a really good story and, I’m not above admitting it, there’s a moment towards the end that had me openly weeping. Bylin has a knack for pushing all the right emotional buttons, and she does it to marvelous effect here. I did feel the turn-around of the nasty woman spreading rumors about Cassie was really abrupt, but the romance is solid and tugs all the right heart-strings. The secular reader just has to be willing to wade through the “God stuff” to get to the pay-off.

Grade: B-

I like to occasionally cleanse my reading palate with a sweeter read, and this anthology certainly fit the bill without being sugary or saccharine. It’s the kind of book that had me wishing that my devout grandmother were still alive so I could share it with her. I’m not converted, but I’m more than open to reading more inspirational offerings by both of these authors.

Overall Grade: B-

Summary:
.
Finally a Family by Jillian Hart
.
Widow Molly McKaslin won’t marry for less than true love. But does handsome town doctor Sam Frost want a wife, or a housekeeper for his daughters? With the help of two little matchmakers, Molly might end up with the family of her dreams.
.
Home Again by Victoria Bylin
.
When her troublemaking son vandalizes the town church, Cassie O’Rourke comes face-to-face with town sheriff—and former love—Gabe Wyatt. The honorable lawman offers to help tame her wild child, if he can come courting. For the love of her son, dare she entrust her heart to this man once more?
.
Read an excerpt (Hart story only.  No excerpt found for Bylin story)