Daily Archives: January 8, 2009

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Marriages of Convenience â€“ Yum!

January 8, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives

My blog this month is inspired by a discussion running on eHarlequin about that most traditional of romance novel storylines, the marriage of convenience. I love marriages of convenience (in books, that is, not in real life 🙂 )! A marriage of convenience is more likely than any other plot to get me reading books in a line or series I donâ€™t normally read.

Whatâ€™s so great about them? For me, I think itâ€™s the larger-than-life situation that â€œforcesâ€ two people into marriage. These days, youâ€™ve got to have a pretty compelling reason to get married, so as a writer itâ€™s a real challenge to think up a marriage of convenience story that my editor believes readers will accept. But once youâ€™ve managed to force your couple into marriage, there are endless opportunities for wonderful banter and fun situations.

In my new book out next week from Superromance, The Groom Came Back, the hero and heroine got married when the heroine, Callie, was a schoolgirl, to rescue her from a custody battle. Callieâ€™s dying mother approved the marriage so Callie could go on living with the â€œgroomâ€™sâ€ family, who were fostering her, rather than being forced to live with her estranged grandparents. The hero, Jack, was back in town to support his parents through a difficult time, but wanted to escape back to his budding career as a neurosurgeon. He figured he could help Callie, and at the same time ensure his parents, who loved her like a daughter, got to keep her with them. Apart from Callieâ€™s mom, no one else knew anything about the wedding…until eight years later, when Jack comes home to get a divorce and discovers Callie is definitely no longer a schoolgirl!

Yvonne Lindsay has a book out from Desire next month called Convenient Marriage, Inconvenient Husband (great title, Iâ€™ll definitely be buying that one!). Sheâ€™s hosting the current discussion at eHarlequin about the appeal of the marriage of convenience. Yvonne says, â€œI love seeing people forced into a situation outside of their controlâ€ â€“ hehe, thatâ€™s mean, Yvonne! Mean, but true…all we MoC fans love to see that.

A couple of weeks ago I read a book by Tessa Radley called Pregnancy Proposal. The marriage of convenience was actually an engagement of convenience in this book (which was released from Desire in December and is still available online), and it was a lovely story. These days, people donâ€™t necessarily believe pregnancy is a good reason to get married, but Tessa creates her characters so well, I easily believed neither of them had any alternative but to agree to a convenient marriage.

Iâ€™m putting the finishing touches to my own â€œengagement of convenienceâ€ story (Her So-Called FiancÃ©, Sept 09), and itâ€™s been a challenge to make it convincing, but I think (I hope!), Iâ€™ve nailed it.

So, tell me, do you like to read a marriage of convenience story? If you can remember some of your favorites, let me know!
Abby

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THINGS THAT MAKE ME GO MMMRUH!

January 8, 2009 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Things That Make Me Go Mmmruh

John Edwards Owes Me 200 Bucks!

by Geralyn Ruane

That’s right. Two hundred dollars. That’s how much I donated to his campaign last winter.

But he used MY MONEY to pay for his mistress!!!!!! He hired her to do a bogus job she was marginally qualified for just so he could have her handy along on the campaign trail! And part of my hard-earned, thinly-stretched paycheck went to her salary!

But it’s a new year with an awesome new president, so you’d think the smoke would stop shooting out of my ears and I would cease seeing scarlet every time I think of my 200 bucks. But I cannot just let it go.

Because it is partially my fault.

I invested my money into a campaign I believed in. I did that. Me. I’m responsible for for my decisions with my own money. True, he lied to me. Seriously, how much can John Edwards care about the middle class if he used our scraped-together dollars to pay off his chick to cheat with? But I’m in my thirties and reputed to be intelligent, and I’m surprised that a politician lied to the country? Shame on me.

I should have been more careful with my money. More thoughtful. I think from now on, we all must be more conscientious with our money and with our trust in public assertions and institutions. In 2008, so many people lost savings, security, homes and livelihoods at the hands of shady lenders, irresponsible regulators, overpaid CEO’s and downright swindlers – none of whom will ever feel even a fraction of the suffering they’ve caused. None of whom will ever pay their victims back. Those Americans who lost out are just plain screwed, because the bailouts don’t bail out the ones who really need help.
So where is the mmmruh! in all this? It’s not in the past, where Black Tuesday and Enron lurk to mock us; it’s not in the present, where corporate bigwigs in golden parachutes float over blocks and blocks of foreclosed homes. It’s in the future, where vigilance must be our watchword. There will always be devious sharks out there, trolling for prey to fill their bellies, and they don’t care how much we scream and bleed. But on January 20, a new ship will break through the thick red water, offering passage to those willing to lend a hand on deck. So climb aboard, but be prepared to work your ass off for a better tomorrow.

Geralyn Ruane’s favorite numbers are 18 and 1, and it’s January so she’s getting excited despite Plaxico’s debilitating aim. She co-hosts the radio show Better Times After 50 on AdviceRadio.com and her short story â€œJane Austen Meets the New York Giantsâ€ is published in the New York Times Bestselling anthology The Right Words at the Right Time Volume 2.