Novellas present a different bride each month
[Editor’s Note: Book author Betsy St. Amant shares thoughts on her latest book, “The February Bride.”]
I was proposed to by my fiction editor.
My editor asked me to write a novella as part of lineup for “A Year of Weddings,” that is.
Zondervan, part of HarperCollins Christian publishing, is proud to present its beautiful blushing bride – “A Year of Weddings.”
This stand-alone series, written by 12 different authors and spanning the course of a year, will march down the aisle each month – first in digital format then in multiple print compilations starting in November. Sprinkled with romance and dusted with an inspiring layer of faith, these novellas will be sure to entertain and encourage the hearts of their readers.
When I was first asked to participate in this series, my first thought was “Hooray!” followed by an immediate “Uh-oh.” After all, it’s not every day a Christian-fiction author is asked to join a romance series about weddings while I was reluctantly going through a divorce.
But writing “A February Bride” turned out to be not only distracting, but therapeutic. It revived my deeply embedded belief in love, and made me hope once more for happily ever after. Because every woman—single, married, divorced or anywhere in between, needs to believe in love just like my story’s heroine, Allie.
“A February Bride” tells the story of a runaway bride, a cursed wedding dress and a love that is more than worth a second chance. Allie left Marcus at the altar to save him from a lifetime of heartbreak — all the women in her family not only divorced, they also wore the same dress Allie almost walked down the aisle in. When his sister’s Valentine’s wedding throws them back together for a season,
Marcus realizes the truth behind Allie’s actions. Then he has to choose whether or not to give her a second chance; while Allie must decide once and for all if she’s going to allow the black marks in her past to determine her future.
I think we’re all a little bit like Allie.
Insecure, unsure; timid inside; yet longing to live out loud; wanting to cling to love, yet afraid of strangling it by holding it just a little too tightly. In the story, Allie struggles with big decisions and even bigger fears, until she ultimately faces the grandest challenge of all — learning how to trust her heart again.
Despite my initial hesitation, writing “A February Bride” and participating in this series turned out to be a huge blessing.
Debra Clopton Parks, author of “An August Bride,” couldn’t agree more. “Being involved in the ‘Year of Weddings’ has been such a fun experience like attending a wedding of a good friend every month,” she said.
Author of “A December Bride,” Denise Hunter, said, “Writing about love, weddings and happily-ever-after’s is always a treat. But being asked to write one of the 12 ‘Year of Weddings’ novellas was a real honor.”
“Writing for this series was like falling in love and planning a wedding, but with ‘virtual’ angst and expense instead of the real life kind,” said Beth K. Vogt author of “A July Bride.”
All of the authors involved in the series have been having a great time promoting each other’s work on social media and inviting each other to one another’s “big day” (release day). HarperCollins Christian Publishing has such a sincere heart for their readership.
Readers of “A Year of Weddings” might find themselves in a myriad places: happily married, caught in a struggling marriage, single, divorced or in a relationship, casually dating. Regardless of one’s current relationship status – however complicated it might be – “A February Bride,” along with the other year’s worth of titles are short and sweet romantic stories readers can sit down and devour with their favorite box of chocolates.
It’s a Zondervan “Year of Weddings,” so make sure you R.S.V.P. to this romantic, inspiring line-up for 2014.
–Betsy St. Amant
HarperCollins, comprised of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan publishing groups, produces Bibles, inspirational books, academic resources and curriculum and audio and digital content for the Christian market space and are headquartered in Nashville.
