Proposal Time

Elizabeth Goddard here. Celebrate with me. I just turned in a romantic suspense manuscript to my editor last week and now I’m gearing up to write my proposal for another series, and yes, it will be romantic suspense. I’ve concluded this is my favorite part of the process—deciding what I want to write about next. 

The setting, the characters, and the plot elements are up for grabs.

This is the moment when all things are possible.

But sometimes too many possibilities can become overwhelming. In the end, I must decide what I feel comfortable writing about and also remember my audience and what they would enjoy reading.  And yes, what I enjoy reading, too. I especially love spy novels and movies and maybe one day I’ll have the opportunity to write something along those lines.

If you haven’t already figured it out, most of my stories are packed with action and adventure in exotic and exiting locations. They include intrigue and danger as well as humor. I loved Romancing the Stone and it’s still one of my favorite old movies, so when a reader commented that Treacherous Skies had a Romancing the Stone kind of feeling, I couldn’t have been happier. Hopefully, the kind of stories I love to read will come out in the stories I’m writing.

So where do I go from here? Or rather, how do I get what’s whirling around in my thoughts into a solid proposal? 

I’ve pondered several ideas over a few weeks now, maybe even months, as I finished up on other book deadlines. Over time, one of ideas began to emerge as the strongest and most viable.Today I dived into the research for this particular series—the characters, their possible backgrounds, and the geography for the setting. Of course, the stories (the books in the series) must have danger elements. 

I wish I could share more with you about this new series and hopefully, it will sell and you’ll find out soon enough, but in lieu of that, I thought it would be fun to hear from you about some of your favorite romance movies. Sometimes I love to watch my favorite movies to stir up inspiration for new ideas. I started out making a list of romantic suspense movies, but the list grew to include much more. 

Some might consider the movies I enjoy a little corny, but I often keep to light-hearted side of things rather than heart-wrenching. There’s enough real life happening that I want to enjoy the escape. Here are a few of my favorite romantic movies—some with more romance, some with less. Maybe this will give you a little glimpse into the flavor of my stories.

( DISCLAIMER: As is the case with most movies these days, there might be inappropriate content for some, in which case, we fast forward.)

 Sahara, True Lies, Knight and Day, Killers, Duplicity, Leap Year, Seventeen Again, Letters to Juliet, Eagle Eye.

There are plenty more but I’ll stop there. Now, what are a few of your favorites?

Blessings!