Male romance authors are hard to come by, which is why I’m pleased to announce a giveaway for indie author J. Timothy King‘s contemporary romance novel From the Ashes of Courage. Intrigued? Read more:
From the Ashes of Courage by J. Timothy King
“… a sense of excitement when I remember that I’m in the middle of this story and can get into it whenever I have a chance to read again…” – Rebekah Labell
Gail Bishop is a headstrong, driven, single-minded businesswoman, a successful independent professional at only 29 years old. But she still feels empty. Eddie Chase is a fun-loving real-estate agent who made a mint in the boom market, now fast running out of money. And their friends set them up on a blind date, unaware that many years ago, they were once married to each other.
Now, both are taken aback by their feelings for each other at a romantic, seaside cottage on Ardor Point, and by the impact this will have on the rest of their lives. This long-languishing relationship that Gail thought was surely dead, could it hold the secret, the meaning of life that she’s looking for?
A heart-wrenching story of human kindness and love without strings.
“Tim’s ability to throw in lines that struck a cord with my heart was wonderful.” – Linda Boulanger
What is romance? The author replies:
JTK: “Romance, to me, is about human relationships and the hope they provide. I know that’s a different definition than many romance fans have, which is why I write traditional romantic elements into my romance stories: a heroine and hero, true love, a happy ending, and so forth. But what really defines “romance” to me goes deeper than that.
Growing up during the 70’s and 80’s, one of my guilty pleasures now is The Love Boat (the TV show). Yeah, yeah, I know: before your time, and you’re lucky to have missed it. But beneath the dime-a-dozen jokes, endless cornball puns, and half-baked plots, that show held a core of what I admire in romance. Next to the standard boy-meets-girl stories, you’d see a story of an old couple rediscovering the real reason they got married in the first place; or a rebellious teenager butting into a grouchy retiree’s pleasure trip; or an estranged daughter spending a last weekend with her dying father. Stories like that have very little in common with the traditional boy-meets-girl prototype, but they define romance to me, because they’re about the human need for relationship.”
Want the chance to win a copy?
You’ve seen Tim’s thoughts on the matter. According to Google, romance is “an illusion”, or perhaps “the never ending pursuit of life’s peak experiences.”
But what do you think romance is?
Leave a comment by Friday September 17th with your definition of “romance” for a chance to win a copy of From the Ashes of Courage! Funny, quirky, factual, sad — anything goes, but the more creative, the better. I’ll pick my favourite answer out of all eligible entries.
And make sure you remember to put in a valid email address! The winner will receive the book directly from the author.
A.M. Harte 
A cryptic entry:
Romance is man encircled by a broken core.
Romance lies in the little things: a look, a smile, a caress, a gift, a candle-lit dinner, a reassuring hug…it’s knowing how and when to do them, and getting it just right ignites that spark deep within, buried under the day to day stress, beneath the cold negative feelings dragging us down. And that spark gives us hope that things can be better, that the world we live in still has emotions, and that there is someone who knows just how to touch our inner cords and believes in establishing a profound relationship with us.
Literally Romance is A tale dealing with a hero of chivalry, of the kind common in the Romance languages: the group of Indo-European languages descending from Latin.
But where would Romance be without metaphor and allegory?
Figuratively then, Romance is mysterious – an obsession with the unknown. Those who seek a literal definition may say “Romance is dead”, but that’s only because there is no mystery left in their lives. Real Romance is found in the hearts and minds of anyone who still wonders; one who seeks a figurative answer.
Romance then lies in the lives of those who can still be amazed at the awesome tales of heroism, chivalry and beauty in the world all in the name of love – but what that actually is to me will always be a mystery.
Romance is something that each person must define for himself or herself. It is something that means something different to each individual person; for some, it may not even exist.
romance,romance,romance
romance comes in many languages, gestures and feeling. It has many definations,many meanings, many words to describe it as. However, in my opinion, the best way to describe ‘romance’ would be a invisible thread that connects. Maybe this dosen’t make sense or has come to your senses. The classic one has to be as a way to express love ,an emotion. Romance subconsciously ties each of us to each other. Here, amharte talks about a novel in the romance genre. Subsequently, these ‘romance’ books ‘ties’ us to the author, the readers, etc. Same goes to romance-themed music, or a romance meter {a metric pattern found particularly in Spanish-language poetry}. Films are also included, many center on romances in everyday lives. People talk about them, dream about them and some write,sing about them.
Romance= a part of life itself.
Romance is one of the many words that remain from olden times till the future. Never ending, never going to be modified, never going to vanish anytime soon. Why you ask? Romance is the one thing that’s going to remain in every one of our lives, regardless of race, habits or profession. It’s the one thing that each of us has at least thought about or even some yearn for, and many experience it. Romance is going to be a part of our lives whether significant or not. To some, it’s as vital as H2o and oxygen, to the rest it’s as painful as death itself. Here, I must reaffirm, that romance is a part of life itself.
btw(great giveaway!) {thx to those who read this long,long comment.}
regards: goddessbloom@hotmail.com
ROMANCE IS WHEN A GUY RUNS AFTER A GIRL ONLY FOR HER TO CATCH HIM.