Category: Conversations with Kav

We have something special coming up this week and it got me thinking about authors and book signings and conferences and all that great ‘seeing an author out in the wild’ stuff that never happens way up here where I live. But I know many of you have met authors at various events and I thought it would be super fun to hear some of your stories. That way I can live vicariously through your author meet-ups! It’ll be the next best thing to actually being there! So won’t you indulge me, please? 🙂

Oh — and that something special? I’m featuring a new author’s debut book on Tuesday. I haven’t even read it yet (waiting for the paperback to come out here in Canada) but I was so excited when Mark contacted me about his niece, Stephanie Sanders, publishing her first book in December. He’s as proud as proud can be (and rightfully so) and “Hooked” is even endorsed by Colleen Coble! How cool is that? So now I’m all fangirling over authors in general and left with a craving for all the author meet stories you can send my way! Please share. Please. Please. Please. 🙂

First the Catch Up:

Just a reminder that we are closing in on the last day to get Bingo entries in. The closing date is Thursday November 27 – American Thanksgiving (sorry, I said Friday in previous posts but your Thanksgiving is always Thursday, for some strange reason. Can someone explain why? It would make more sense to have it on the Friday so you’d get a long weekend.)

We already have 8 Bingo Blackouts and lots more that are pretty close so woohoo, lots of great reading this autumn! And I’m getting lots of great books to add to my TBR because it clearly wasn’t long enough before! 🙂

Remember that interesting discussion we had about AI and the publishing industry a few months ago? Well, I’ve recently noticed a new disclaimer being added at the end of my audio books now. It says something to the effect of: “No part of this audio book may be used or reproduced for training artificial intelligence technologies or systems.” And I’ve also heard the phrase ‘text data-mining’ which I think refers to using an author’s work to train a AI to write books! Ack! This whole topic gets my dander up and I’m inwardly fuming that publishers need to add this kind of disclaimer at the end of any creative work. It should be obvious – don’t steal anyone’s intellectual property! Gah! But I guess these disclaimers make it easier to pursue legal action if necessary.

Price of ebooks: I was listening to an author chat (cozy mystery) about a month ago. Apparently bestseller lists are only compiled from sales of physical books in brick and mortar stores. So the theory is that publishers match the ebook price to the paperback price for the first few weeks in order to encourage people to buy the print book so that sale can be counted for the bestseller lists. They were talking about how that criteria needs to change and that ebook sales should also be counted but that’s not happening yet. I’d say audiobooks should be counted as well. A sale is a sale no matter the format, right? Anyway, that explains why the ebook price will go down after a couple of weeks to where it should be.

End of the Year Book Tag

Are there any books you started this year that you need to finish?

This is the book I am reading with a church non-fiction group. We cover a chapter every two weeks so I’m not sure if I’ll finish by the end of the year. But this is the only book unfinished at this time from my TBR. I choose a book, read it all the way through or DNF it and move on. No fictional malingering for me!

Do you have an autumnal book to transition into the end of the year?

This is the second book in the Hometown Hardware Mystery series which has an autumn setting. I keep pushing it aside for Christmas reads but I really need to read this one because the author has just released #3 which is a Christmas book!

Is there a new release you’re still waiting for?

Eeeeppp!!! I have this one on preorder and I’m anxiously awaiting the call from the bookstore to say it’s finally arrived! Just a couple of weeks to go.

What are three books you want to read before the end of the year?

Argh! I have way more than three but here we go…these ones are on my TBR right now:

Is there a book you think could still shock you and become a favourite of the year?

This one grabbed my attention the second Cindy mentioned it on our Hello November day. Thankfully it came out in paperback closer to the release date and I might have ordered it right away. The tagline is: “Blizzard Outside. Banter Inside. Sparks Inevitable.” Blizzard. City girl with a pampered pet in force proximity with a brooding cowboy. I have high hopes for this one!

Now it’s your turn. Feel like answering one or more of these questions? If so, share in a comment, along with the title and author, of one of the Christian Fiction books you would like to end the year with (that you don’t already have.) If your name is drawn, that is the book you will win! Easy Peasy!

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 15 2025

I’ve always dreamed about owning a bookstore. I think every reader has a variation of that bookish fantasy…at least I hope so, otherwise this is going to be me being weird again. 🙂 I came upon this book tag on Chautona Havig’s Youtube page and thought it was too fun to pass up.

So, today, let’s chat about bookshops…specifically the kind we’d own. Money’s no limit, and, of course all our bookshops will be mega successful so let your imagination run wild. (And remember to check out the giveaway details at the end of this post.)

If I Owned a Bookshop…

Well, of course, I’d be over the moon and I would never want to take a day off! I’d order books and shelve books and make pretty display books ! Oh and I’d get to talk books all day long! Happy sigh. Of course, I’d have to be practical too and that’s where this book tag comes in.

Oh, and I should say what kind of bookstore. I have two dream ideas and they are exact opposites. One is a huge multi-storied bookstore with lots of reading nooks and craft corners and large spaces for book signings. The Hudson’s Bay Company (Canadian department store) has recently gone out of business and whenever I go to the mall and see that huge three storied empty space at one end of the mall I think, “that would make an amazing bookstore!” So that’s one of my bookshop dreams.

But the one I’m going to use to answer the questions for this book tag is my other dream — making over an old school bus into a travelling bookstore that I could take to out of the way places where people are hours away from a bricks and mortar bookstore. So, here we go!

1. Operating Hours – They would vary depending on my destination so I’d have to be very flexible. And the season would play a part as well. Tough to be on the road in the middle of winter (mind you being stranded in a mobile bookshop in a the blizzard might be cozy!)
2. Music Playing – I don’t think I’d do music but it would fun to play ambient sounds to suit the location and time of day. So waves crashing on the beach for a seaside town, a crackling fire and night owls hooting for an evening opening in the mountains…that kind of thing.
3. Coffee and alcohol? – Definite no to the alcohol. Maybe I could have an awning across one side of the bus with a few cafe tables and chairs and I could serve simple coffee or juice. It would depend on how much room I’d be willing to sacrifice from my books!
4. Set up of store – I’ve kind of described this already. A bus outfitted with shelves and a couple of cozy reading nooks. I’d have some clever storage set up so I could pull out a bookshelf and set it up outside on good weather days. OH – just had a brilliant afterthought. A double decker bus bookstore!!!
5. Live entertainment and community events – welllll, that’s kinda hard, though I could partner with small towns and we could host something together. I’d bring the books and they could supply a meeting place for a book club or crafting event. That kind of thing.
6. Store Location: Wherever the road takes me!
7. External appearance: I’d definitely want to paint it with books and characters — kind of like the Magic School bus only book themed. 🙂
8. What kind of books would you sell? – Everything. It would be fun to tailor my collection to the different communities. People could send it requests and interests beforehand so I could stock up. That means I’d need a warehouse in my home base….oh wow, a whole warehouse full of books! Thud!
9. Name of the store:Novel Journeys.

The Giveaway

Now it’s your turn. Share a bit about the kind of bookstore you would like to own in a comment below and I’ll enter you in a draw to win:

US – $10 Baker Book House gift certificate

Canada – $10 Amazon or Indigo gift certificate

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday November 15 2025.

I thought it would be fun to talk about our favourite genres and how they came to be our favourite. Have your reading tastes changed over the years or have you always been a stalwart *insert genre here* fan?

For some strange reason, I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately. Maybe because I’ve been shifting books and bookshelves again (I swear my bookshelves are shrinking! Like a shelf or two vanish with alarming regularity. Where do they go? It’s a mystery!) Anyway, I always get nostalgic and a tad contemplative when I’m organizing my shelves. Every book I touch has a story beyond the one inside – the history of how it came into my house, an author’s signature, the way just touching it can bring on the emotions I felt during the read. Okay, that sounds kinda strange, but I’m sure fellow bibliophiles will understand what I mean. 🙂

Anyway, then I got to thinking about genres and which one I’m most drawn to (hint: it’s a multiple tie) and how my preferences really haven’t changed a ton since childhood. Does that make me boring? Dependable sounds better, I am a dependable genre reader…with the exception of one. Stay tuned to find out which one.

So, I thought I would share my first ever (as far as I can remember) genre read in childhood and then when I discovered Christian Fiction….which was around 2009. If you feel like sharing your thoughts on genre preferences and first books read, I’d love to hear all about it. Bookish talk delights me! And be sure to check out the giveaway instructions at the end of this blog – it’s uniquely genre specific.

I’m thinking that my first ever historical novel has to be The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. Followed closely by The Little Princess and then all of Louisa May Alcott’s books! My first Historical Romance was Mrs. Mike by Benedict Freedman. I remember my first swoon and toe-curls fondly. I was fourteen. The book is about a woman who falls in love with a Mountie and the challenges of following him to his postings in Northern Canada. Set in the 1800s. I remember feeling soooo grown up reading it!

My first ever Christian Fiction Historical novel was The Lady of Milkweed Manor by Julie Klassen. Such exquisite storytelling. I was charmed and have read almost all of Julie’s books since. Just have the latest two Sea view Sisters books to read and I’ll be all caught up.

My first contemporary novel was Junket by Anne H. White. Of course, it was about a dog! And now it would be considered historical fiction because it was published sometime in the 1940s! I always loved dogs but this book brought me to a whole other level. I was officially dog crazy from the age of eight and always looked for dogs in my fiction since I never had my own until I was in my late twenties.

I’m finding it harder to exactly remember what my first Christian Fiction Contemporary novel was but one that sticks out is The Cubicle Next Door by Siri Mitchell. Humorous, great witty sarcasm but lots of emotion too. Borderline rom/com, but goes deeper.

Oh, my, there are so many and I really don’t know which book came first. I’m definitely a born mystery reader! I read a lot of Phyllis A Whitney’s mysteries for kids which led me to her gothic adult novels when I was in my teens. And of course, I read, reread and reread again all my Trixie Beldens! And yes, while I did read Nancy Drew and even some of the Hardy Boys and Dana Girls too, I will always choose Trixie as the best girl sleuth ever!

Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series was my introduction to Christian Fiction Suspense and I never looked back. This is truly my favourite genre, I think, since a lot of my Historical novels have elements of mystery in them as well.

I discovered Plain Girl by Virginia Sorensen in my school library when I was in grade five and I was utterly fascinated by the story of an Amish girl forced to attend public school and the challenges she faced. It was first published in the 1950s before the Amish were able to create their own school system.

I actually read quite a few Beverly Lewis Amish novels before I even realized there was such a thing as Christian Fiction. I’m pretty sure The Shunning was the first one I read. This is now my least read genre. I still enjoy a good Amish story and my library is great about getting all the big name authors’ books but I don’t reach for them as often as other genres.

When I was a kid, Fantasy was my most read genre! Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis kicked things off, then I discovered E. Nesbitt and Five Children and It etc, and all of Edward Eager’s magic books starting with Half Magic and Canadian author Catherine Anthony Clark wrote a series of books featuring every day children entering a magical world of uniquely Canadian Indigenous myths and legends. The Golden Pine Cone was the first one. Oh and Pierre Berton’s campy, tongue-in-cheek children’s fantasy The Secret World of Og, about a group of children who tunnel their way into a secret world underneath their playhouse. Sigh, I’m getting quite nostalgic. Oh — Susan Cooper’s The Dark is Rising series with it’s Arthurian legends. Oh — Oh — Carbonel and The Kingdom of Carbonel by Barbara Sleigh about a girl who finds a witch’s broom and a talking cat. 🙂 I could go on…but clearly, I was fantasy driven in my childhood.

But now…it’s not a genre I gravitate to anymore and that makes me sad. I think I need to find my fantasy groove again. I don’t have many Christian Fiction fantasy books on my shelves. Lisa T. Bergren’s River of Time series might be the first I read.

Time for a chat and a giveaway!

Share your thoughts about fave genres, past and present and include one title (and author) of a book from your favourite genre that you would like to win. Your name will be added to the Random Wheel of Names and if the spinner chooses you, that’s the book you will win. Of Note: Books should already be published.

Giveaway options:

US – paperback or ebook – winner’s choice

Canada – paperback or ebook – winner’s choice

International – ebooks if you have a US Kindle account

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday October 25 2025

True Confession: I have a library problem. A BIG problem! Like a 44 Books Checked Out problem. Partly because it seems to just happen that a bunch of holds come in at the same time, but largely because I can’t resist browsing the bookshelves and adding to my growing collection.

Then I get home and I add them to my mountain of a TBR pile and promptly start to feel overwhelmed. Then, when it’s time for a new read I cautiously approach the pile and spend an hour browsing through all the books trying to decide what to read next. I like to read and rate the first sentence of all the books and choose the one that intrigues me the most.

It can take ages to narrow it down to the ‘winning’ book. I look for a first sentence that beguiles me, leaves me with a question or sparks intrigue. A sentence that makes me want to read more. So I did that today after I came home from my third library visit this week (I just can’t stay away!) And I spent way too long winnowing down my first sentence hopefuls only to become stymied by indecision when I pared the pile down to seven books. Groan! (And, yes, I could have read a whole book with the time I’ve spent trying make this monumental decision!)

So, I had a brilliant idea! Why don’t I let YOU choose my next read for me? Just read the seven first sentences below and and vote for the one you find most appealing in a comment. I’ll tally the answers up and the sentence with the most votes will be the book I read next. And I’ll be able to return at least one book to the library next week! Yay! 🙂

Nine PM and time for me to head to bed…with a book, of course! So I thought I’d update these first sentences with their matching titles in case some of you won’t be able to sleep tonight for not knowing! Bwahahaha!

This Great Water will be my sepulcher.

Tempest at Annabel’s Lighthouse by Jaime Jo Wright

It was a strangely calm morning in March, with no wind off the dales, when the woman I assumed to be my mother slipped into the shop.

The Curious Inheritance of Blakely House by Joanna Politano

So this is how it feels to be near death and utterly alone.

Indigo Isle by T.I. Lowe

Bleak. The weather, her mood, her life.

The Seaside Homecoming by Julie Klassen

What had I done?

The Vanished by Cara Putman

Strange how an empty room could be haunted by sound, especially a sound as whispery and distant as the shiff of sand between the bowls of an hourglass.

The Atlas of Untold Stories by Sara Brunsvold

I was only eight years old when my aunts cursed me.

Truth Cursed by Angie Dickinson

Questions, I Have Questions (and a Giveaway)

• I’m curious: are you a library user? How many books do you have checked out at time?
• How do you choose what will be your next read?
• Do you pay attention to the lure (or not) of first sentences?

And, of course there’s a giveaway.

Leave your vote (#1-#7) in a comment below and join in the conversation to be entered in a draw for:

• US – $10 Baker Bookhouse e-gift card
• Canada – $10 Amazon or Indigo e-gift card

Draw will be held and winner announced on

Saturday October 18 2025.

I enjoyed our Summer Bingo Readathon so much, I thought it might be fun to try my hand at a Holiday version. It’s a mix of Autumn/Thanksgiving and Winter/Christmas prompts and fits nicely between the Canadian and American Thanksgivings.

And this time there will be TWO WINNERS! The Prize? $20 gift certificates: Baker Book House for US winners Indigo or Amazon for Canadian winners.

Once again, I conquered Canva and managed to create a Bingo card, only I have one typo. Can you spot it? Extra point if you do!

How to play (and have a chance to win):

• Bingo runs from Monday October 13 2025 Friday November 27 2025
• Read a book that fits a prompt (or prompts) to fill in a square (or squares)
• So yes, that means, one book could fit multiple prompts. Example: if you read a book featuring a heroine traveling home to spend Christmas with her family and the cover has a snowy scene including a night sky on the cover, you could mark off 5 squares (Christmas activity, snow on the cover, star or night sky on the cover, book set in the winter and family centered story)
• 10 chances at a Bingo – 4 rows across, 4 rows down, 2 diagonal rows
• Your name will be entered into a draw every time you get a Bingo (so the potential for 10 times)
• Bonus round: Fill your entire card to have your name entered 5 more times 
• Once you’ve achieved a Bingo, submit the prompts and corresponding books to me at kavluvstoread@yahoo.ca. using BINGO in the subject field
• Technically, you have until midnight EST November 27 to submit all your entries, but it would be easier on me to have them trickling in throughout October and November.
• Winner will be announced on Saturday November 28 2025

More About the Prompts

• Gold or Brown on the Cover : self-explanatory
• Christmas Activity in the Story : at least one significant scene where the hero and/or heroine participate in some kind of Christmas activity. Could be church related, family oriented, community focused etc.
• Atmospheric Read : this is going to mean different things to different people. Basically it’s a story that evokes strong emotions and a distinctive mood. The kind of story a reader becomes immersed in.
• Book Set in the Winter: self-explanatory
• Story with a Dinner Scene: this should be a significant type of dinner. Maybe a Thanksgiving feast or a Christmas brunch but it could also be a restaurant date, or friends grabbing dinner after a day of shopping. The scene should move the story forward somehow, so like in a mystery, they might be discussing clues, or a couple on a date could be getting to know each other better or working out a problem. Should be more substantial than “They grabbed a bite to eat and headed over to the movie theatre.” 🙂
• Travelling home – Either the hero or heroine travel home for a holiday, some sort of celebration, to help an ailing relative/friend, attend a funeral, accept an inheritance…etc, you get the idea.
• Giving thanks for good friends – a story with a strong friendship in the plot or subplot
• Star of night sky on the cover – self-explanatory
• Book by an author you are thankful for – read a book by a fave author
• Family centered story – any sort of family makeup – siblings, extended family even found family. These characters play an important role in the story.
• Red AND green on the cover – both colours need to be represented on the front cover.
• Book set in Autumn – self-explanatory
• Gift giving is featured in the story – any kind of gift, doesn’t have to be Christmas, could even be the gift of service.
• Snow on the cover – self-explanatory
• Thankful for Christian Fiction – read a Christian Fiction novel
• Cozy Read – whatever you think of as a cozy, comfort read. For me that’s usually a cozy mystery or a reread.

Phew! I think that’s everything. Feel free to ask any questions in the comments. And let the holiday reading begin!

Just a fun little book tag wherein I reveal some hidden truths about my TBR pile(s)

How do you come across books to add to your TBR?

Well, I’m always happy to take suggestions from bookish friends. 🙂 And our Reader’s Choice Week keep my wishlist well-stocked. I’m always finding Instagram a great resource since I get to see what other people are reading and all the announcements for new releases. Plus Closed Door Romance is brimming with new-to-me authors to try out.

Social Media shout out to book tuber, bookstagrammer, blogger etc who adds the most to your TBR.

Narelle Atkins’ YouTube channel. Should have mentioned her in the first question. She reviews one book a week and I find her reviews really helpful and insightful. https://www.youtube.com/@NarelleAtkinsAuthor

Narelle also has a blog where she reviews books and does a weekly ‘Preorder Roundup’ which is a great way to get a look at upcoming releases. https://www.narelleatkins.com/blog/

Book that has been on your TBR the longest.

Code Name Edelweiss by Stephanie Landsem. I don’t know why I’m always passing it by for something else. The Hollywood setting might have something to do with it, even though it’s historical. I’m determined to read it before the year is out!

Most recently added book?

All’s Fair in Love and Blackmail by Gracie Ruth Mitchell. She’s on my read-to-zero list so I best get to it!

Which book will you read next?

Ummm….I just started a book and I usually don’t plan ahead. I just pick whatever I’m in the mood for. I have a feeling it will be Canyon of Deceit by DiAnn Mills. I have it on preorder and it comes out on Tuesday.

Most anticipated book and why you haven’t read it yet?

This seems like a trick question because, logically, the most anticipated book should also be the one I’d read next but….The Best Kept Secrets by Sarah M. Eden. It’s obviously been on my TBR longer than Canyon of Deceit but I’m in a suspense-y mood sooooo…..

Book that you added to your TBR because of the hype?

The Queen’s Cook by Tessa Afshar. I’m scared – it’s biblical fiction!

Book that you added even though you knew you weren’t going to read it?

Ha! Probably The Queen’s Cook!

Any books that you will be removing from your TBR without reading?

You Were Made For This World : Celebrated Indigenous Voices Speak to Young People. It’s a lovely book – the illustrations are stunning and I’ve read some of the stories/poems but not all of them. It’s more of a coffee table book that I’d pick up and read a story or two from time to time. I borrowed it from the library and there are lots of holds on it so I’m going to return it, though I’ve added it to my ‘for later shelf’ and will definitely check it out again.

How many books are on your TBR?

Oy – counting them up makes me anxious but here we go:

Chirp audio books – 6

Audible audio books – 4

Library books – Christian Fiction – 13

Library books – Cozy Mysteries – 13

Print books I purchased – 5

So, how about you? Feel like exposing some of your TBR secrets with all your book besties? Inquiring minds want to know how many books are on your TBR. I’m kinda hyperventilating at my 41. When you add them all up it makes it seem so daunting!

True Confession: I’m much more easy going about heroine occupations than hero’s. There’s only one that really doesn’t appeal to me at all. Otherwise I’m open to pretty much any kind of job -librarian, teacher, shopkeeper, cafe owner etc. All those typical jobs that so many of us are familiar with. BUT I absolutely LOVE it when a heroine has an unusual career. Could be a non-traditional one – like carpenter, mechanic etc. or something unique for the time like a female doctor in the 1800s. So I thought it would be fun to share some of the most unique careers we have found our fictional heroines working at.

But first: aren’t you dying to know the one occupation that I really don’t want to read about? My feelings are quite intense and I blame Hallmark. 🙂

I just can’t relate to upwardly mobile, workaholic corporate type heroines. Think practically every Hallmark movie where the Scroogey heroine must close a deal by Christmas Day and it always involves a corporate takeover of a family inn or shutting down a toy shop or trying to buy the land out from under a hardworking farmer. I just can’t anymore. And the high powered business world just isn’t something I can relate to in general, so I tend to avoid stories and movies with that occupational trope these days.

Some of my favourite unique occupations for heroines:

Margot De Wilde is a codebreaker in England during the Great War. I wasn’t sure how I would relate to Margot since I have a major math-phobia. I thought it would be hard to connect with her analytical mathematician’s mind but I was sooooo wrong!

Love Michelle’s scientific mind and her canny inventions. She puts both to good use to meet all kinds of challenges Mary Connealy’s heroines are always independent mavericks who thrive in traditional male roles.

Tess O’Rourke is adjusting to to her new role as a small town police chief with a force totalling eight officers.. Her big city experience isn’t enough to win over wary residents…or automatically bring about the respect of those officers. She’s faced with prejudice and resistance both inside the precinct and out.

Love that Kate is the adventuring rodeo cowgirl — nice twist as that’s usually the hero’s claim to fame. And that she’s restless and antsy and unsettled about whether she’s capable of staying put in one place. Again, that’s usually the brooding hero’s role. And while, Kate isn’t quite brooding, she’s definitely sassy and opinionated and often grumpy.

Chloe Humphrey’s is a 24-year-old computer whiz and has just accepted a position as Director of Technology Services at a small town college. She’s just a little bit awkward, a touch nerdy and so easy to like…even for this technology adverse reader!

The carpenter’s daughter is also a carpenter and while her career choice defines Sarah to a certain extent, there’s so much more to her story. Profoundly beautiful. “…if you define yourself with the truth of God’s love, you will always have an anchor. Because his love will never change.”

This has got to be the most unusual job I’ve read about. Ottlie supports her family with the traditional Indian skill of beetle wing embroidery! And that is exactly what it sounds like. Embroidering actual beetle wings onto fabric to create haute couture gowns!

Giveaway Opportunity:

So how about you? Do you have strong likes and dislikes as far as occupations go for the heroines in the books you read? And what’s one of the most unusual occupation you have read about? Share your thoughts in a comment and I’ll enter you in a draw to win a $10 Baker Book House ecard (or Amazon for Canadians).

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday September 6 2025

I have Opinions on the careers I love to see in my fictional heroes. Strong likes and equally strong dislikes. In some instances, a hero’s occupation can turn a book into an auto-buy OR send me running away in abject horror. 🙂 (Told you I had opinions). Let’s get the unappealing (to me) ones out of the way first.

Careers that I really don’t want to read about:

1. Billionaires – I have made the occasional exception because I’m a fan of the author but lately I’ve been so turned off by real life billionaires behaving so badly that I just can’t any more. Totally unappealing.
2. Politicians – Again — to0 many cases of politicians behaving badly in real life for me to be able to see a politician as a hero I could (or maybe even want to) relate to. The exception might be a small town career – like mayor or councilman.
3. Trophy hunter – little ol’ vegetarian me just can’t relate to a a guy who kills animals for fun. I’m talking the kind of hunters that pay big bucks to go on a safari and leave most of the animal’s carcass behind, just taking a token trophy to display. Or they ‘hunt’ from the comfort of a helicopter and mark their success by number of animals killed. I have no problem with heroes who hunt out of necessity, for food, protection etc.though I wouldn’t sit down with them over a venison stew…bwahahaha!
4. Actors/Musicians – I’ve read some books featuring heroes with these occupations (Toni Shiloh’s The Love Script, for example, is fantastic!) but they aren’t my go-to. Just not into the whole Hollywood hype and glitz and glamour scene.

Careers that have me swooning before I even start reading!

1. Librarian/bookseller/author – I’d be surprised if there’s a reader alive who doesn’t love a hero with a bookish streak! I especially love finding a librarian hero because they are so rare. Nothing quite so toe-curling as a guy who has dedicated his life to serving the public one book recommendation at a time! Swoony sigh!
2. Veterinarian – the animal lover in me has always had a soft spot for guys working in this career. I blame James Herriot. 🙂 Read all his book in my teens and have watched various adaptations of ‘All Creatures Great and Small’ throughout the years. And really, what better profession to highlight a hero’s compassionate, gentle, caring side?!
3. Firefighter – so cliche, I know, but…
4. Cowboy – This one doesn’t make sense since cowboys work on ranches with cattle that are heading to slaughter eventually (remember, I’m a vegetarian) but I’m still drawn to well-written cowboy hero, contemporary or historical. I feel like cowboys represent integrity and honesty and hard work – the backbone of a pioneering spirit. And they are often portrayed in romances as kind of grumpy protective which is always fun. 🙂
5. Pastor/Minister – this one is tricky to write, I think, but I’ve read some really good romances featuring a pastor hero. Love the scope for faith elements this occupation brings to the story plus, I appreciate when an author realistically showcases the unique struggles, insecurities, etc that come with this calling.
6. Farmer/Gardener – no surprise that I’m attracted to these professions because I love gardening and have always yearned to live in the country. I’ve read a few farmer hero romances (there seem to be more ranchers than farmers which isn’t the same thing at all) but I’m not sure I’ve ever read a book featuring a professional gardener. I would love to though.
7. Carpenter/craftsman – and really any blue collar kind of job. I’m not drawn to corporate CEO types at all. I guess I’m drawn to a simpler kind of life and am looking for something relatable for my fictional hero worshipping. 🙂

Giveaway Opportunity

Time for you to join in the chat! Share your thoughts on what makes a good fictional hero career, and what doesn’t, in a comment below and I’ll enter you in a draw for a $10 Baker Book House gift card. (or Amazon card if you’re in Canada)

Draw will be held and winner announced on Saturday August 30 2025