Shannon here: Heather Greer shares the inspiration behind her latest Contemporary Romance, Love in the Squared Circle. Heads up – this is one of my editing babies. If you’re looking for something different, this is a fun read with an unconventional hero. I’m not a wrestling fan, but I so enjoyed this story and swooned for the hero. Comment or answer the question in this post to enter the drawing for a free copy, U.S. only. Deadline: April 3oth, 11:59 pm central time. Here’s Heather:
With Valentine’s Day winning the title of most romantic day of the year, I’m surprised February isn’t the wedding month of the year. That honor goes to June. However, my husband and I honored the month of hearts, roses, chocolates, and all things romance for our wedding. The day? No, not the 14th. We chose February 7th.
Marriage to my husband came with a family built-in. His daughter was five when we walked down the aisle, and even before we said ‘I do’, I considered her my child. It was only natural to include her in the ceremony where we would pledge our love and commitment to each other. She walked in before me as the flower girl, dressed in a gown that matched mine. We also bought a heart-shaped pendant that matched her father’s wedding band. When we exchanged rings, she received her necklace as our promise that we would always be a family.
Usually, weddings are emotional affairs. Fathers get choked up as they give their daughters away. Mothers discreetly wipe away tears as their sons and daughters pledge their love to another. Even honored guests get misty as beautifully written vows and songs tug at their hearts.
But as with any occasion, the atmosphere can change drastically when I child is involved. Weddings are no exception. While my husband and I had all the emotional elements in our ceremony, there wasn’t a single tear shed throughout the wedding. Our beautiful little princess saw to that.
While we were lighting the unity candle and being prayed over, her tights were being unruly. This resulted in a wiggly dance of sorts as she hiked up her full skirt and attempted to adjust those uncomfortable undergarments. In her defense, she never was a girly-girl. Layers of satin and ruffles were not her style.
Then came the exchange of rings. Ashley met us in the middle of the stage to receive her necklace. While I
recited the vows we’d prepared for her, Andy tried without success to work the latch on the incredibly tiny necklace. His large, nervous fingers could not get it to work. Misunderstanding the situation and growing impatient for her necklace, Ashley scooped her hair into her hand and promptly flipped her head upside down.
When we finally convinced her to rejoin the bridesmaids with her necklace in hand rather than around her neck, we thought things would settle down. We were wrong. For the rest of the ceremony, Ashley bounced between holding up the necklace to inspect in the light or spinning it around her fingers like a little golden hula hoop.
Relationships look different when children are added to the mix. We had giggles instead of sniffles to start our marriage. We were okay with that. Love and romance have always looked a little bit different for us. And we wouldn’t want it any other way.
Just like the atmosphere and memories of our wedding day were shaped by the inclusion of Ashley in the events, the story in my newest book, Love in the Squared Circle, were influenced by the inclusion of Jay, the main character’s son. It changed the way Trinity, Jay’s mother, thought about and approached relationships. It gave Blane, the story’s hero, an extra element to consider in his dealings with Trinity.
The inclusion of a child in the story even influenced me as a writer. As I considered the honesty and innocence of thought that comes along with children, I found Jay created touching scenes, a lot of fun and even a few awkward moments in the story. And I don’t know that I’ve ever enjoyed writing a character as much as I loved writing Jay.
The romance in Love in the Squared Circle may be a bit different than your typical boy meets girl. In some ways, it has to be. Children in stories create unique and unexpected situations. But as in my real-life romance, I wouldn’t change a thing.
Bio – Heather Greer is a preacher’s kid and pastor’s wife who loves using her passion for reading and writing to encourage and challenge others in their faith. Whether writing or speaking, Heather’s desire to help believers grow spiritually shines through.
An avid reader of Christian fiction, Heather also reviews books on her website. Her love of God and story flow into the devotional videos she shares on her YouTube channel and the ones she shares with her writing buddies about all things reading and writing on the Once Upon A Page channel on YouTube.
While Heather thrives on all things romance, she’s also a fan of professional wrestling. It was this interest that led to her reading the biography of Christian wrestler, Shawn Michaels. His powerful testimony sparked the idea for Blane Sterling and Love in the Squared Circle. Learn more & connect:
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About the book – Love in the Squared Circle: Trinity Knight is not a fan of professional wrestling. But with her husband gone, it falls to her to give their son the father-son trip they daydreamed about when he was alive. After Trinity causes them to miss a meet and greet with Jay’s favorite wrestler, a random act of kindness saves the trip and starts Trinity on an unexpected path.
Universal Wrestling Organization Champion Blane Sterling hears whiny children at photo ops all the time. However, overhearing a young boy comfort his mother piques his interest. Touched by their story, Blane works with the UWO Public Relations team to give Jay the experience of a lifetime.
As they learn each other’s stories, Trinity and Blane are drawn to each other. But they don’t just come from different states. They live in different worlds. Trinity might learn to fit into his life, but can those in her world look beyond Blane’s profession to see his heart? Or will a lack of acceptance cause Trinity and Blane to lose their shot at love?
Question for Readers: Do you have a memory made sweeter with the addition of a child, either yours or someone else’s? Has a child ever added the unexpected to situations in ways that made you smile?
Come back April 22nd for Susan Page Davis, Linda Fulkerson, Elena Hill, & Deb Sprinkle!
Hey Heather, glad to have you here. I love remembering cute things our son said as a toddler. When he was 4, we remodeled our kitchen. We tore out cabinets in front of a window. He walked up to the window he’d never been able to get to before and looked out. “Hey, I can see out this window now because my head sits up so high on my neck.” Still makes me laugh.
Heather, thank you for sharing!
Beautiful cover <3
I have a winner! Diana Hardt won the drawing. I appreciate Heather for being my guest and everyone else for stopping by.