Some authors refrain from exposing themselves too deeply and maybe some can even write fiction without revealing who they really are, but there's something about writing stories, developing a fictional plot and characters, and believing in the novel enough to either self-publish (indie) or persist in the hoop-jumping to get it traditionally published that indicates the author hopes some kind of relatable truth will attach readers to the story. Whatever the process and however the story is told and made available, those books tend to tell us things, often subtle implications, about the author who writes them.
Francine Rivers tells me she knows the content of character and conduct of those in the world. Let me just say it's difficult to truly know and capture the depths of those who've lived or live in the world without having experienced it for yourself. Not saying it can't be done, but it's unlikely you can portray the core of it as Francine does. If you've been raised up well in the church and never strayed, you naturally don't fully know it. Her writing also tells me she understands real romance, sexual attraction, and falling in love. She portrays the attraction, descriptions of her characters, reactions to/from the opposite sexes, all of it. She gets it. And while living in the world is not the way we'd prefer to have experienced those things, it does provide the education to write about them truthfully from that point of view.
Becky Wade shows me she's a true romantic with a knack for storytelling. Her background in the church gives her a natural, or some might say an organic, touch to weaving in the spiritual aspects of her stories. She's all female but understands the interactions, confusions, reactions, and the differences between men and women in their approaches to attraction and romance and their resistances to both if pertinent to the storyline and is respectful to both sexes in her portrayals. I can also recognize that she invests in her research of multiple locales and occupations which includes those observations of how males and females relate to each other. She celebrates and enjoys portraying the attractions of the opposite sexes. And does it well.
Kristen Heitzmann indicates to me there are two primary things she wants to convey in her writing. Like me, she enjoys writing about the male psyche, the male reactions to females that attract them, capturing the boldness of a man's man in that process, and is not afraid to keep it real. Secondly, she wants her characters to stand out, to be "different", unique, to not fit into a mold. When she does romance, she makes it strong, giving it power with words, thoughts, and actions to convey how overwhelming it can be. I love the way she writes romance.
These are three authors I've read repeatedly and respect immensely because they "get" romance. Each has her own voice and approach to writing a novel. I've given a partial picture of what I've learned about these three female novelists from reading their stories.
I'll save what I have to say readers might have learned about me from my writing for Monday.
Father, once again I thank you for your authors/writers. It's a pleasure to read the work of those who choose to honor you in their writing. Please bless them with more meaningful stories and encourage them in all they do. In the Name of Jesus, Amen.