by Hope Tarr
Scribbling Women & the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them
Edited By
Hope Tarr
That Book, Inc., New York, New York
Copyright Acknowledgments
Scribbling Women & the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them
By Hope Tarr
Copyright © 2013 Hope Tarr
Smashwords Edition
Smashwords License Statement
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Part I: How We Met
“A Lost Friend, A Movie Star, A Friend to Love Forever” © 2014 by Elf Ahearn
“Stuck on the Italian Boy” © 2014 by Carole Bellacera
“Love at First Sight?” © 2014 by Caryn Moya Block
“Socks with Sandals” © 2014 by Katana Collins
“Donny and Me?” © 2014 by Jacquie D’Alessandro
“A Leap of Faith Straight to the Altar” © 2014 by Sonali Dev
“Falling in Love with the Intern” © 2014 by Megan Frampton
“Acceptance” © 2014 by Leanna Renee Hieber
“Unexpected Treasures” © 2014 by Lisa Renée Jones
“Once Upon a Dream” © 2014 by Delilah Marvelle
“Falling for My Husband” © 2014 by Jen McLaughlin
“Once in a Blue Moon” © 2014 by Deanna Raybourn
“Crossing the Pond” © 2014 by Mary Rodgers
“Thanks to Uisce Beatha (Water of Life)” © 2014 by Kat Simons
“Speeding Down the Relationship Super Highway” © 2014 by Hope Tarr
Part II: How We Wed
“Wedding 101 for the Anti-Bridezilla” © 2014 by Patience Bloom
“Holding Out for a Hero” © 2014 by Leslie Carroll
“A ‘Killer’ Wedding” © by J. Kenner
“Everything Is Perfect” © 2014 by Elisabeth Staab
Part III: How We Love
“Real Life and Real Love” © 2014 by Katharine Ashe
“Pasta for Dinner” © 2014 by Suzan Cólon
“When You Come Home” © 2014 by Carlene Love Flores
“Love Is All Around” © 2014 by Donna Grant
“Resting Easy” © 2014 by K.M. Jackson
“Soul Mates for a Thousand Lifetimes” © 2014 by Jim and Nikoo McGoldrick
“For Better or For Worse” © 2014 by Heather McCollum
“Working Our Way to a Happily Ever After” © 2014 by Cindy Nord
“Catch Me When I Fall” © 2014 by Sara Jane Stone
Scribbling Women & the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them © 2014 by Hope Tarr
Photo Credits
Elf Ahearn & Patrick with permission of the author
Katharine Ashe by Aimée Laine
Carole Bellacera & Frank with permission of the author
Caryn Moya Block & Mike courtesy of Booz Allen Hamilton
Patience Bloom & Sam by Chris Cozzone
Leslie Carroll & Scott by Matt Coleman
Katana Collins & Sean by BLAND Photography
Suzan Colón by Nathan Tweti
Jacquie D’Alessandro & Joe with permission of the author
Sonali Dev by Vernice Dollar of Studio 16
Carlene Love Flores with permission of the author
Megan Frampton & Scott by David Humphreys Photography
Donna Grant & Steve with permission of the author
Leanna Renee Hieber & Marcos with permission of the author
K.M. Jackson by Jax Cassidy
Lisa Renée Jones & Diego by Jennifer Jones, Luxe Photography, Austin, Texas
Julie Kenner with permission of the author
Delilah Marvelle & Marc with permission of the author
Jen McLaughlin & husband with permission of the author
Heather McCollum & Braden with permission of the author
Jim & Nikoo McGoldrick by Images of Watertown
Cindy Nord & Tom with permission of the author
Deanna Raybourn & husband with permission of the author
Mary Rodgers & Simon with permission of the author
Kat Simons by Biz Urban
Sara Jane Stone by Jenna Stern
Elisabeth Staab & Tom by Amy Czelusniak Studios
Hope Tarr & Raj with permission of the author
Contents
Acknowledgments
Foreward
A Note from Win
Part I: How We Met
Donny and Me? By Jacquie D’Alessandro
Socks with Sandals By Katana Collins
Stuck on the Italian Boy By Carole Bellacera
Once Upon a Dream By Delilah Marvelle
A Leap of Faith Straight to the Altar By Sonali Dev
Falling for My Husband By Jen McLaughlin
Once in a Blue Moon By Deanna Raybourn
Love at First Sight? By Caryn Moya Block
Falling in Love with the Intern By Megan Frampton
Crossing the Pond By Mary B. Rodgers
Thanks to Uisce Beatha (Water of Life) By Kat Simons
Speeding Down the Relationship Super Highway By Hope Tarr
A Lost Friend, A Movie Star, A Man to Love Forever By Elf Ahearn
Acceptance By Leanna Renee Hieber
Unexpected Treasures By Lisa Renée Jones
Part II: How We Wed
A “Killer” Wedding By J. Kenner
Wedding 101 for the Anti-Bridezilla By Patience Bloom
Everything Is Perfect By Elisabeth Staab
Holding Out for a Hero By Leslie Carroll
Part III: How We Love
Pasta for Dinner By Suzan Colón
Catch Me When I Fall By Sara Jane Stone
Real Life & Real Love By Katharine Ashe
When You Come Home By Carlene Love Flores
Love Is All Around By Donna Grant
Working Our Way to a Happily Ever After By Cindy Nord
Resting Easy By K.M. Jackson
For Better or For Worse By Heather McCollum
Soul Mates for a Thousand Lifetimes; or, Diary of Two Cosmic Stalkers By Nikoo & Jim McGoldrick
Acknowledgments
My heartfelt thanks to the talented professionals who worked with me to turn what began as a kernel of an idea into an actual anthology. They are, in no particular order:
Lori Perkins, owner of the L. Perkins Agency as well as co-founder of Riverdale Avenue Books, for generously sharing her publishing knowledge.
My ever-wonderful agent, Louise Fury of The Bent Agency, for her generous support and invaluable advice.
Emily Keyes for availing me of her contract expertise when I needed it most.
The very talented Joyce Lamb, freelance copy editor and founder/curator of USA Today’s Happy Ever After romance novels blog, for her stellar copy-editing services.
My talented cover artist, Rachel Marks, and book formatter, 52 Novels, for helping to transform a “mysterious” process into one that felt imminently doable.
Lastly, to my amazing contributing authors, all of whom agreed—without hesitation—to waive any monetary compensation on behalf of raising funds for the charity and who took time away from their deadlines, families, and other commitments
to share their wonderful real-life love stories. You ladies (and gentleman) are what make the romance fiction community one to which I will always be proud to belong.
Foreward
“America is now wholly given over to a damned mob of scribbling women, and I should have no chance of success while the public taste is occupied with their trash—and should be ashamed of myself if I did succeed.”
—Nathaniel Hawthorne, 1855 letter to his publisher, William D. Ticknor
More than 150 years later, Hawthorne’s words still snap with the same bitter bite. How is it that the author of The Scarlet Letter could evoke such rancor for his sisters of the quill? Fortunately, for every Hawthorne there is a real-life romance hero who stands by his or her “scribbling woman” without failure or faltering, with enduring support and dragon-slaying devotion. Regardless of whether our book reviews are good or bad, whether we make a bestseller list or continue to strive toward that goal, whether dinner is Julia Child divine or, more likely, takeout pizza again, he is always there, covering our backs and sometimes flanking our computer chairs, bearing silent or not-so-silent witness to his support, his belief in us—and, above all, his love.
And so the idea for this nonfiction anthology was born. In it, twenty-eight popular romance novelists, one for each day of February 2014, share the real-life stories of how they met, wed and love their spouse or romantic partner. Some journeys to True Love involved travel, even relocation, to or from overseas (Ireland, England, India); others took place in writers’ own backyards. Some couples met as college sweethearts, others as seasoned second-chance lovers. Some of the essays are tongue in cheek, even laugh-out-loud funny, while others are poignant, even bittersweet. All affirm that Happily Ever After isn’t only the stuff of fairy tales and romance novels.
It is every woman’s birthright.
Because we believe that, passionately and purposefully, all net proceeds from sales of Scribbling Women and the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them will support Win, formerly known as Women in Need. (All authors contributed their essays for free.) Since its February 14, 1983, founding, Win has worked tirelessly to bring the hope of Happily Ever After to disadvantaged women and their children in New York City, empowering them to build positive, independent lives and forge forward into brighter futures. (A note from Win President and CEO Bonnie Stone follows.)
Wishing you a Valentine’s month filled with fairy-tale dreams come true,
Hope Tarr
February 2014, New York, NY
A Note from Win
Thirty years ago, Win opened its doors on Valentine’s Day. It wasn’t planned to coincide with a holiday about love, but that’s how it was born. Until this time, there were no services for homeless families with children. Win was founded to help those most in need, and on that day in February, the first Win families—four women and their children—were provided with emergency, temporary shelter in the basement of the Church of Saint Mary the Virgin in Midtown Manhattan.
Arriving at Win during the most tumultuous time in their lives, these families were met with support, guidance and care, and their children were provided with structure, sometimes for the first time. As the need to help these homeless families grew, so did Win. Over the next few years, Win opened more shelters in Manhattan, Brooklyn and the Bronx, providing families with safe, clean shelter and access to critical services, including child care, substance-abuse counseling, domestic-violence services, money management, employment readiness and life skills. Understanding that homelessness is a result of many different issues, Win treats each family uniquely, so that the issues they face are personally addressed.
For more than thirty years, Win has transformed the lives of New York City homeless women and their children by providing a holistic solution of safe housing, critical services and groundbreaking programs they need to succeed on their own—so the women can regain their independence and their children can look forward to a brighter future. Everyone deserves a happily ever after, especially Win’s families.
Bonnie Stone
President and CEO
Win
115 West 31st Street, 7th floor
New York, NY 10001
winnyc.org
Part I: How We Met
Donny and Me?
By Jacquie D’Alessandro
The first boy I ever loved was Donny Osmond. A poster of him graced my bedroom wall, and thanks to Tiger Beat magazine (which sucked up all my allowance), I knew all things Donny—his birthday (December 9), favorite color (purple), as well as the words to every song on every album he recorded. The Osmond brothers were the first concert I ever attended (at Madison Square Garden; I was in the fourth grade), and Donny was the recipient of the one and only fan letter I’ve ever written. To prove the depth of my devotion: I was the only kid in the neighborhood who didn’t go to summer recreation because it started at 8 A.M., and even as a child I wasn’t an early riser. Yet, when the Osmonds starred in a Saturday morning cartoon that aired at 8 A.M., I was not only awake, I was dressed and had my hair combed and teeth brushed (’cause I had to look nice for Donny, you know!) and was glued to the television. And even though I lived in New York and he lived in Utah, my ten-year-old lovesick self was convinced we’d someday meet and fall in love.
Yeah, that totally didn’t happen.
What did happen was a public speaking class in college. The first assignment was to teach the class about something. I sat in the front row and watched a student walk to the front of the room.
My first thought was, “Wow, he looks like Donny Osmond!”
Now, you’d think this would have been my first clue that this was Mr. Right—right? Yes, I guess it should have been, but it wasn’t. In my defense, I can only say that at that point I was only nineteen and I wasn’t looking for Mr. Right. I wanted my freedom and independence to travel and learn who the heck I was.
Anyway, the Donny look-alike’s name was Joe, and for the assignment he was going to teach the class how to play poker. He stood in front of me, looking all cute and Donny-like, then cut the deck of cards he held with one hand.
My second thought was, “Hmmm. Good hands.” (Yes, yes, I know that should have been clue number two that this was My Future, but again, I wasn’t long-term planning at that point.)
Yet, while I wasn’t looking for a serious boyfriend, I was more than happy to be friends with the adorable Joe. We soon became good buds, walking to classes together and going to the on-campus game room, where he proved those hands really were good by trouncing me at Space Invaders (very popular in 1980). In addition to being cute, he was smart (like help-me-with-my-incomprehensible-computer science-homework-so-I-could-pass-the-class smart) and funny. It worked out great that I wasn’t looking for a serious boyfriend, because he had zero time for a serious girlfriend. In addition to being a full-time student, Joe was holding down three part-time jobs to pay for his tuition, books, and car expenses. Between that and my classes and my own part-time job, we didn’t actually go on a date until two months after we’d met.
We didn’t have anything out of the ordinary planned for that first date—just a movie on campus (The Seduction of Joe Tynan starring Alan Alda). When Joe picked me up at my parents’ house (like many Hofstra students, Joe and I both lived at home and commuted daily to school), I was upstairs in my bedroom getting ready. I heard him talking to my parents downstairs, then a few minutes later I heard someone playing the piano. I knew immediately it had to be Joe. He’d mentioned he played, but I’d never heard him. After a few notes, I recognized the song: Frankie Valli’s “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You.” When I came downstairs, he said he’d learned the song for me.
Now, even though we were just friends and this was a casual date, I have to admit, I was impressed.
Yup, and so were my parents. My dad, a piano player as well, was soon talking chord progressions with Joe. My mom pulled me aside and whispered, “We like this one!”
I liked him, too, and over the course of the semes
ter and into the next one, Joe and I continued to casually date, going out about once a month as our busy schedules allowed. We got along great, had a lot in common, enjoyed the same things (yes, I know—a bazillion He’s Mr. Right clues!). But in spite of all that, I still wasn’t interested in having a serious boyfriend. I wanted to learn about me—who I was, what was important to me, and what didn’t matter all that much. I wanted to be independent, to travel, to see the world. And even if I had wanted a serious boyfriend, Joe had no time for a serious girlfriend.
Or so I thought. After about a year of this casual dating, Joe told me he wanted more. Unfortunately, at the ripe old age of twenty, I still didn’t feel ready to commit. He was hurt, which made me feel bad (really, really bad), but I knew it would be a mistake to try to give him something I wasn’t ready to give. We didn’t have any more classes together and went our separate ways. I figured that in spite of all those clues to the contrary, that was it for us.
But then, shortly before we graduated, we met on campus by chance and briefly caught up with each other. I told him I’d gotten a management job with TWA, and he’d scored a job with one of the Big Eight accounting firms in Manhattan. We parted on friendly terms, wished each other well, but a few weeks later, we both graduated and completely lost touch.
Fast-forward a year: Out of the blue I received a call from Joe. He recalled I worked for TWA, and he was planning a month-long trip to Europe and wondered if I could provide him with any travel info. I agreed, and we met at a Red Lobster for lunch. I gave him a bunch of travel brochures, told him about some of the places I’d visited and loved (London, Madrid, Rome), then we talked about his travel plans, which were very open—he wanted to train his way to as many cities as he could visit in a month’s time. When lunch ended, he thanked me for all the info, then asked if we could get together when he returned from his trip. It was clear that he had a date in mind, so I told him I was dating someone and it was pretty serious, so while a date couldn’t happen, I’d love to hear how the trip went.