A blog for writers, Women and Adversity: Jennifer Delamere

"I wanted to write books that were rich with the joy and sizzle of romance while leaving the more explicit details to the reader’s imagination."  Jennifer Delamere

“I wanted to write books that were rich with the joy and sizzle of romance while leaving the more explicit details to the reader’s imagination.” Jennifer Delamere

On her Website’s Author page Jennifer Delamere writes that she believes romance and adventure go hand in hand, and she solidifies that conviction in her inspirational Love’s Grace series. Book I, “An Heiress at Heart,” introduces the family of characters that enthrall, and Book II, “A Lady Most Lovely,” extends the fascination surrounding these fictional people.

Her own life was full of adventure having traveled the U.S. in a military family and culminating in Canada where she learned French, earned her degree and worked at the National Arts Centre in Ottawa.

I asked Jennifer what was the biggest obstacle she had to face when she decided to become a writer.

Jennifer: I’m happy to say I had the support of family and friends right from the beginning, and I know not all aspiring writers have that. So in my case the challenges were more inward—believing that I could do it, as well as developing the discipline to actually sit down and write. It meant learning to be more careful with my time and deciding that I wanted to make writing a priority. Sometimes the biggest obstacles we face in life are right between our ears.

Question: What is the biggest obstacle you have to face now after having books published?

Jennifer: Time! I have a full-time job, so the writing takes up a lot of evenings and weekends. I have to work hard to carve out time for everything else that needs to be done around the house, not to mention relaxing and doing things with my husband. It can really be a challenge sometimes, especially when I’m under a deadline. I also have to juggle all the other things that are expected of writers these days, such as promotion and reaching out to readers on social media. For me, that’s far more daunting than just writing the books.

Question: What is the advantage to writing inspirational novels?

Jennifer: I came to writing inspirational novels in a roundabout way. First, I couldn’t see myself writing the graphic love scenes found in most mainstream romances today. When I was growing up, I loved the romantic suspense novels of Mary Stewart, and the way she could get so much mileage just from the moment her characters kissed. My favorite classics, including books by Jane Austen, managed to evoke lovely and sigh-inducing romances with even less. I wanted to write books that were rich with the joy and sizzle of romance while leaving the more explicit details to the reader’s imagination. I have since discovered there are some romance authors whose books are “PG,” as I call them (also known as “sweet” or “clean” romances). I hope this trend continues and grows.

Secondly, my books are set in Victorian England. At that time and place, the vast majority of people approached life from a Christian world view. I think that in order to truly write a character from that time, you cannot ignore that fact. It was part of their culture. In my debut novel, An Heiress at Heart, the hero was a clergyman who unexpectedly inherits a title, so he would definitely approach things from a Christian perspective. It also added a deeper layer to the book, because he finds himself dealing with certain events where he must learn to extend love and forgiveness in a greater way than he had ever done before.

You asked about the “advantage” to writing inspirational novels. I guess I see both of those things I just listed as an advantage. I see it as an opportunity to place a greater focus on the story and to accurately reflect the inner lives of my characters. Also, romances have what we writers speak of as “emotionally satisfying and optimistic” endings. As romance readers, we like to believe that things will work out in the end, that troubles can be overcome and problems solved. That reflects my personal belief as a Christian as well. Life can be tough, and I don’t shy away from that in my books. But everything I write, whether it’s labeled “inspirational” or not, will always have an overall optimism to it.

Visit Jennifer’s Web site at www.jenniferdelamere.com.

A blog for writers,

Article By: Jo Ann Mathews

I published three ebooks in 2020: Women and Adversity, Honoring 23 Black Women; Women and Adversity, Recognizing 23 Notable Mothers; and Women and Adversity, Saluting 23 Faithful Suffragists to commemorate the hundredth anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment giving women the right to vote. These books are meant to be study guides for all students from grade school through college to help in choosing topics for assignments and to learn more about these noteworthy women. Go to amazon.com, barnesandnoble.com and goodreads.com to learn more.

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