Book Review: Love is a Flame

This is a special book for me, because it represents my first publishing credit. Love is a Flame: Stories of What Happens When Love is Rekindled is an anthology, and the first one I ever tried submitting to.


I nearly didn't. The deadline was back in January. I was swamped with preparations for a writer's conference I was heading to in New York City. The little voice in my head said, "It's time to take some things off your plate, and this is one of them."


But one day, I came across something I had written to myself last year. Our family had been going through some difficult times, and I jotted a note telling myself not to forget everything that had happened, and how it all worked out. I realized that writing down the story would, at the very least, be a record for my family and I.


So I spent an hour or two writing the manuscript. Edited the next morning, and sent it off. I was more than surprised to get the email that my story was one of those selected.


Here is the summary of the book from Bethany House Publishers:
Happily ever after. Does it only happen in fairy tales, or in real life? Over the years love may burn strong and steady, but sometimes it grows cold. However, it can be rekindled--and these stories show how. Be inspired by true accounts of how love was revived and renewed.

You'll discover that love can grow stronger and burn brighter through the years as you read more than forty stories from everyday people like

• Jan, whose marriage was restored despite adultery.
• Marsha, who fought pornography and won.
• Bryan, who realized his family, not his career, was his most important responsibility.
• Emily, who learned that real love overcomes unrealistic expectations.
• Jeff, who went from dissatisfaction and boredom to falling in love all over again.

The true stories in Love Is a Flame will warm your heart and show you how to create a new spark in your marriage and build it into a glowing flame.

I can't give a comprehensive review yet, since I haven't received the book. But once it comes, I'll give you a more detailed review.

You can find out more about writing for anthologies here. The editor of Love is a Flame is no stranger to anthologies. James Stuart Bell has edited quite a few collections of stories, including Cup of Comfort. He  also coauthored many books in the Complete Idiot's Guide series.

So think about trying an anthology. The worst that can happen is ending up with a story you can sell elsewhere, like a magazine. And you'll still end up with a publishing credit.