Family

I've been trying to decide what to post about today. There were several choices, but I noticed that all of them had something to do with family. So I decided, why not? I'll throw out some thoughts and see what happens.

One of the things that makes Harlequin American the choice for readers is the element of family in our stories. Even those heroes or heroines without family have or had or even will have one, which shaped them into who they are. Well, who they are fictionally, of course. :) Even someone who has never known his or her family is effected in some way.

In my upcoming January '08 book, FAMILY BY DESIGN, the heroine, a struggling single mom, yearns to be a part a family like the hero's. Her mother is deceased, her father is living in Australia, and her current family is her three young children. The hero is from a large Italian family of six children and, at times, he has wished he had been an only child, like the heroine. But even he admits that his family has been a large part of making him the successful man that he is.

As an only child, I can remember wishing and hoping for a younger sister. In some ways, I can relate to the heroine. I envied friends and neighbors who had siblings of any kind. I also learned, after having four daughters of my own, that having siblings isn't the be all, end all that I thought when I was young. They argue and fight, they steal each other's clothes, they hate each other one minute, have been known to conspire against me during many minutes, but would defend them to anyone else outside of our family. It's been an interesting trip, and I've learned a lot from them. I've learned that families love and hate...sometimes each other, but even then, we're family, no matter what.

A couple of years ago, after Christmas gifted us with a ton of board games, I suggested that our family might consider having a Family Night once a month, when we could play Trivial Pursuit or Scene It? or whatever new game one of us had. That way, the games wouldn't go to waste. (We weren't a game-playing family while they were growing up, so this was, to me, a novel idea.) With two daughters married and one engaged and not living at home, this would give us the chance to spend some time together. They took the idea and ran with it. The once-a-month Family Night instantly became once-a-week Family Night. Participation is practically mandatory. The games aren't being played much anymore, having been replaced by talking and laughing. Believe me, there are some Saturday nights when I'd rather stay home and veg out with a good book or a movie. Family Night can get crazy. When all together, there are eleven of us, with another due any day. :)

I see by the old clock on the wall that it's after 4 p.m., which means it's time to get ready, once again, for Family Night. And after we've all enjoyed the barbecue prepared by my son-in-law, I'll join them on the porch or around the table and listen and share in their lives. They're still teaching this only child a few things about family.