Scribbling Women & the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them Read online

  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.