Unexpected

My latest novel, Unexpected, is now available! 

Here is the blurb from the back of the book:

Eleven years ago, Ross McConnell was devastated by the betrayal of the woman of his dreams. Time does not heal all wounds, and after more than a decade, Ross is no closer to finding love. When his well-meaning family attempts to play match maker, he concedes by creating an unrealistic list detailing his perfect mate. Perhaps he'll give love another try, if such perfection exists. . . 

Natalie Forrester is no stranger to heartache. After two failed marriages, the single mother of three is determined to make it on her own. Without a college degree, she starts at the bottom: working as a housekeeper may not be glamorous, but it's her first big step toward independence. And Natalie's most recent cleaning job is ideal--the guy is always out of town, and the pay will go a long way toward supporting her missionary son. 

And then Ross and Natalie meet . . . and meet again. And following a series of awkward encounters, Ross is shocked by his growing attraction for this woman. Natalie couldn't be further from his ideal woman, and she is firm in her determination to keep her heart closed to love. But as their tenuous friendship develops and deepens, will the unlikely pair have the courage to set aside the disappointments of the past to catch hold of a bright new future?

Writing Unexpected was a lot of fun. I asked my cute, artistic sister-in-law if I could loosely base my main female character after her, and she replied, "Why not? My life is stranger than fiction!" (Too true, that.)

I'll be posting another blog soon to describe what elements I borrowed from her, and what she is doing to help me launch Unexpected! In the meantime, you can find Unexpected at Deseret Book and Seagull Book, and Amazon, for starters. 

Happy reading! And go have some cookies and hot chocolate, while you're at it!

Reality Check

I'm giving myself a reality check. First I pinch myself . . . yep, I'm awake. I'm not dreaming. Holy cow, it's really happening?? Yeah, baby!

My debut novel Reality Check will be hitting the store shelves in June. I'm not sure of all the locations, but you can pick one up at any Seagull Book and Deseret Book store for starters. Below is the blurb on the back cover:

Αfter college graduation, Lucy Kendrick heads home with big plans for work, travel, and relishing her freedom—which means no romantic entanglements. But her two best friends have other ideas. Lucy is seriously steamed when she realizes they’ve signed her up to be a contestant on the reality dating show Soulmates, but she decides not to renege and soon finds herself in Los Angeles—a small-town Mormon girl vying for the love of millionaire bachelor Ethan Glass. 

At first this cute, smart, fun young woman who would rather pray than party bewilders Ethan, as does the fact that his interest and admiration grow with every encounter. But a conniving associate producer is determined to stir up some made-for-TV drama and plants hidden cameras that inadvertently catch a truly honest but unsensational moment. And since reality television is anything but real, when the show finally airs, the story is not even close to what actually happened and Lucy has been recast as someone she unquestionably is not. Will the duplicities that have created this humiliation ever come to light? And will the truth emerge too late for the would-be soulmates?

Fun times! And especially written for all you Bachelor and Bachelorette fans out there (and even all of you who aren't) who constantly wonder, "What would happen if . . . ?"

Get Me Out of Here! (Escapism)

Which of the following statements are true:

1) When I read or watch a movie like The Hunger Games, I am transported to a dystopic world and imagine myself as someone like Katniss, Peeta, or Gale to the point where I actually think I am one of them. Where's my bow and arrow?

 2) When I read The Hobbit or The Lord of the Rings (or again, watch the movies) I find myself believing in hobbits and elves, and I am constantly on Google Maps searching for Rivendell and Middle Earth.

3) When I watch Star Trek (in any of its incarnations), read the fan fiction, or dress up like a Klingon or Vulcan and attend a Trekkie convention, I am in need of my anti-psychotic meds because I'm expecting to be beamed up at any moment.

4) When I read Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's works, I am a brilliant detective in Victorian London, shrouded in fog and intrigue, working feverishly to solve a complex riddle before something deadly happens. I also talk in a British accent and refer to my dog as Watson, although his name is actually Buster.

5) When I read Pride and Prejudice, I realize that Mr. Darcy is the perfect male specimen and insist that any and every man I meet must measure up to his standards. Relationship expectations cannot be taken too lightly.

Answer: None of them is true. And yet, could any of them possibly be true, in certain situations? Sure.

Most of the articles I've read related to the romance genre would make the claim that none of the above statements is true—except #5.  Apparently the writers of the articles would have us believe that women, in particular, are unable to distinguish between fantasy (as it relates to the romance genre) and reality, when it comes to love and their romantic expectations in their partners.

And yet these same women watch movies like Transformers and the various Harry Potters and have no more expectation of having their Volkswagens turn into a robots, or plan to fly on a broom while playing quidditch than the men seated next to them. Are women actually watching Brad Pitt or Ryan Gosling on screen and expecting either actor (or character played) will propose to them? Are men hoping Megan Fox or Angelina Jolie are going to give them a smile and a "hey, baby, text me" anytime soon? I don't honestly think so.

That being said, everyone—whether sitting in a theater, reading genre fiction, playing online games, or doing the traditional couch potato thing—can benefit from the occasional self-inventory when it comes to escapism. Sometimes people do run too far and escape for too long. And if we frequently find ourselves in that position, seeking to avoid the realities of our daily lives by these means of escape, then I suggest that maybe it's time to figure out why and head safely back to the world of reality.

Romance Novels: Another Form of Porn? A Rebuttal

Dear Ms. Bardsley,


I just read your blog titled "Romance Novels: Another Form of Porn?" in LDS Living Magazine. As a reader—and writer—of romance, I would like to offer a differing viewpoint.


Quoting from the Romance Writers of America genre description page, which I have copied and pasted from their website (http://www.rwa.org/cs/the_romance_genre) a romance novel is defined as having:

A Central Love Story: The main plot centers around two individuals falling in love and struggling to make the relationship work. A writer can include as many subplots as he/she wants as long as the love story is the main focus of the novel.

An Emotionally-Satisfying and Optimistic Ending: In a romance, the lovers who risk and struggle for each other and their relationship are rewarded with emotional justice and unconditional love. 

Romance novels may have any tone or style, be set in any place or time, and have varying levels of sensuality—ranging from sweet to extremely hot. These settings and distinctions of plot create specific subgenres within romance fiction. 


The romance genre is frequently and unfairly maligned. Are there those books you describe? Yes, definitely. But it seems to me your blog lumps anything that can be construed a romance into one big, evil pot. You imply that, specifically, romance novel escapist tendencies are bad, while the escapist tendencies of other novels in general are not. Are you telling me that horror, science fiction, fantasy, and mystery cannot potentially do the same things you are accusing romance of doing? In my opinion, your statements paint with too broad a brush.  


You seem to think women's escapist choices in particular undermine individuals, relationships, and families. And yet, if you read the description of the genre from RWA once more, it would appear that the general intent of romance is the struggle, development, and ultimate success of the relationship. The RWA also requires an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending. To me, that is what the Gospel is all about: developing a deep and loving relationship with my husband, and looking forward to eternity—the ultimate "happy ending."


That said, I also recognize that one must be careful selecting reading—romance or otherwise—from the national market. We each have our own sensibilities, and each romance author has her individual style and approach when it comes to the inclusion of intimacy and the level of sensuality. However, to clarify, sex scenes are not the primary content of most romances, as you state in your blog. And while there are authors I will not read, there are others whose writing I find to be sensitive, and who deal with intimacy in a context within the story that I feel is respectful. 


Age and experience are definitely factors that need to be considered when choosing any reading materials. It is unfortunate that the 17-yr old you mentioned had a bad experience. Good for her for having good judgment. There have been books (of all types, not simply romance), movies, and TV shows my children have expressed an interest in reading or watching over the years, and I reviewed and censored them as I deemed appropriate. Trips to the library should not be an exception to this rule. 


I am glad Deseret Book is developing a brand of "Proper Romance." Women are relationship driven. It would only make sense that novels dealing with these types of stories and themes would hold appeal for many women. 


Sincerely and respectfully,
Karen Tuft 


http://www.ldsliving.com/story/68147-ae-romance-novels-another-form-of-porn

. . . and Rhett Butler eyed Scarlett descending the staircase . . .

A few years back I was asked to teach a Relief Society lesson on the topic of self worth. One of the references on which I was to base the lesson was a talk by Jeffrey R. Holland, from October 2005 General Conference (url reference below). I was particularly struck by his plea to be accepting of ourselves physically, and not to obsess over the images we see in the media that create unrealistic expectations. How could I get the women who heard my lesson to see themselves differently and really appreciate themselves for who they are?

It got me thinking . . .

And then an idea struck . . .

Say what you will about romance novels (I've heard most of it already), but the genre exists for a reason. As Robert Frost once said, "Love is an irresistible desire to be irresistibly desired." What would it be like if I could make the women feel like they were the heroine of a romance novel—and have someone gaze at them adoringly and wax poetic about them?

So that's exactly what I did. I wrote a line or two of romantic description about every single woman who would be there. I told the women to imagine they were the heroines of a romance, descending a grand staircase, and the hero was waiting at the bottom, really seeing them for the first time. The descriptions included references to queenly red locks that spoke of fire and passion, elfin features full of joy and mischief, the deep, soft eyes of a doe, and a "smile [that] carried the sweetness of hearth and home, with turquoise eyes that held the depths of the Caribbean within them." I tried to make them sound extra romantic.

I read each one and had the women guess who it was describing. I was surprised to discover how many of the specific descriptions I'd written applied to more than one woman!

The exercise was just supposed to be a simple object lesson, with the hope that the women would begin to see themselves differently. I was totally unprepared for the results. The reaction after class was extraordinary. I got lots of comments—most of them emotional reactions to what they'd heard about themselves and each other. Afterwards, one woman asked me if I'd noticed D (the SEVENTY-year-old with the soft eyes of a doe), when I'd said it was a description of her. "She sat up straight in her chair like she was a new woman for the rest of the lesson."

The woman with Caribbean eyes came up to me afterward, crying, because she'd never thought of herself like that before.

The other surprising result was that, to this day, I still look at D and am drawn to her beautiful brown doe eyes first. I see C and immediately think of the Caribbean. M will always be the mischievous elfin sprite to me (I found out later she's part Irish).

I hope their perspective of themselves changed that day and that they recognize the beauty found in their uniqueness. I know my perspective of them did.  

http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2005/10/to-young-women?lang=eng&query=self+worth+women