Category: humorous fiction

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Love, Laughter, and a Touch of Magic: Why I Write Romcoms

When I first became a published poet, I never imagined I’d end up writing romantic comedies. But somehow, poetry led me to screenplay writing, and that led me to prose, and prose led me to falling head over heels… for writing stories about people who fall head over heels.

These days, my romcoms explore all kinds of love: contemporary stories grounded in real-life awkwardness and joy, and magical ones where enchantment sneaks into everyday life.

What do they all share?

✨ Swoonworthy heroes who make your heart skip.

✨ Feisty heroines who say what they mean and know how to kick some serious butt

✨ And love that shows up in the oddest circumstances: free round-the-world plane tickets, accidental double bookings, piglets leaping out of transport trucks, surprise leaps back in time.

I write romance with main characters in their late 20s to early 40s, because that’s when many of us are still figuring ourselves out. I want to remind readers that love doesn’t have a timeline.

Love just happens, usually when you least expect it, and more often than not, it arrives with a touch of comedy, like a wink from the universe.

And yes, there’s still poetry. I can’t help myself. It’s tucked into the rhythm of my sentences, the way my characters see the world, shaping my metaphors, the rhythm of my prose and the way my characters speak and feel.

But through it all, there’s been a constant magic: you.

To my WordPress family, my Goodreads friends, my Insta family, my Facebook readers, and the Threaders I chat with on a daily basis—thank you!

Your comments, reviews, DMs, email notes, and hugs (so glad we can do that again!) at book events make this writing life feel less like a job and more like a shared adventure.

You cheer me on when finding the right words feels tricky, and you celebrate with me when the characters finally kiss (or leap back in time!).

I write these books to make you laugh, swoon, and help you to believe that love can crash into your life in the oddest—and most wonderful—ways.

So if you’ve ever picked up The Ticket, Good Nights, Lauren from Last Night, Lucky, The Love Leap, or any of my other books, this is a hug from me to you.

With love and gratitude,

Heather 💖

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Home Again, Naturally.

I’m happy to be back home with one of my best furry feline friends, Sam, 171/2. This photo was taken late last night after a long day flying home. My arms are sore 😉
Today, I’ve been writing down my main goals for the year, and at this point, I have some (potentially?) bad news. Not one of them is a new book. I always listen to my gut, and I just don’t feel that I have anything important to say in book form right now. I’ve been writing and plotting but nothing feels “just right” to move forward with yet.
I’ve said all that matters to me for now in CAGED, and in my three romantic comedy novels, and earlier, in my four poetry collections.
That said, I think that by now, you know I often surprise myself. I didn’t think I’d be publishing one book in 2016, let alone two!
This year, I want to focus on learning to market the works that I do have out, with the help of an indie publishing guru, Mark Dawson, with whom I’ve been training thanks to his Self Publishing Genius course – I highly recommend this course!
My novels are selling very well, but I wish more people knew about my poetry. I’m going to focus on improving my marketing skills this year, become a yoga practicing intermediate, and above all, spend more time with/writing to the old fashioned way! family and good friends.
Will I write? Of course I will. I just can’t set a timeline for when the sequel to The Ticket will be out – or even if there will be one.
It’s a blessing and a curse that I always write what I want – not what’s in demand 😉 I hope those of you who have been following me for a while will stick around and check in on me every now and then.
I do know something good is just around the corner. I’ll keep you posted.
Have a wonderful start to 2017! Be good to one another.

Love, Heather
xox

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My Top 5 Reads: Summer 2016

Ah, summer. When I finally stop all the excuses, find a secluded spot, and READ for pleasure! I read both indie and well-known authors this summer, and only had a few books I decided to put down because they didn’t hold my attention/ interest at the time. I’d rather highlight the ones I truly loved, and give you a few descriptive words as to why. I’m not going to put them in any order. They don’t compare – they were all excellent, entertaining, and page-turning for me.

 
The Girl On the Train by @paulahwrites    (on Twitter )
Gripping, disturbing, chilling, page-turning. Set aside a weekend, and some munchies!
The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Such an untraditional love story; I loved how unique this novel was. I loved its artistry. I did find the jumping back and forth every few pages a bit jolting, but I hung in there, because the characters and their story was so interesting. Definitely not a beach read if you’re the type to be interrupted lots on the beach. Read it alone in a cozy spot. When I lost my patience or concentration with this novel, about 2/3 of the way through (and probably just because I was overtired and on a long road trip when I finished this) I  just put it down and went back to it, because it is worth it. There is something magical about this love story; it stays with you long after you read it.
After You by @jojomoyes
This is the sequel to Me Before You. While I liked MBY, I preferred After You to the first one a) because I think the first one was over-hyped so much this summer I expected even more than I should have from it and b) Moyes went deeper into the main character’s thoughts and motivation, and I really enjoyed that. I felt like I got to know the MC even more and was rooting for her more as a result. Read both books if you enjoy touching, thought-provoking romance novels.
Meet Clara Andrews by @thelaceylondon
If you love romantic comedies that are light yet entertaining reads, you need to get to know Lacey London and her Clara series. These are super beach reads; such fun and some silliness, yet all full of heart, humor, and clever quips. I love how quirky Clara is and the situations she finds herself in. You may find yourself chuckling out loud as well as rolling your eyes at her – like a TV sitcom, these reads are NOT to be taken too seriously, but if you let go and just enjoy, they can be a real escape from your everyday. I’ve already bought four in the series.
The Wild Water Walking Club by @ClaireCookwrite
A funny, touching novel about women’s relationships (over 40). I loved the way Cook made each woman different, and found their adventures amusing. I could almost smell the lavender the entire time I was reading. You’ll see.
I’m the author of The Ticket – perhaps you’d like to add that one to your TBR list? 🙂
Thanks for reading,
Heather Grace Stewart @hgracestewart img_0390
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So, You Want to Be An Author?

Here’s my Thursday Q&A video that I did on my Facebook Author Page today. I’ll be offering up these vidcasts every Thursday at 3 p.m. for a half hour for the next few weeks. I’ll try to remind you that morning via Facebook or here. Thanks for tuning in when you can! We had lots of fun today.

Heather 🙂

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Remarkably FREE!

Hey readers, how are things? I’ve been so busy this summer, both playing hard and working hard, and being kept busy with the August 1st release of Remarkably Great. My third novel, The Ticket, will hopefully be out in a few months – more on that later.

Excellent news: Strangely, Incredibly Good is ‪strangely, incredibly cheap today, but reductions like this happen once in a blue moon, so grab your $2.99 copy NOW, and then grab the FREE sequel ‪Remarkably Great but ONLY UNTIL August 26th!

Oh, and a #sigfie #selfie  with SIG or RG would be most appreciated – even if you’re holding up your Kindle! I’d love it! Just tweet or FB post them! Can’t wait!
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