Does the World Need Another Rom-Com? By Author Becca Kinzer

Does the World Need Another Rom-Com? By Becca Kinzer

Becca Kinzer guest post featured image with book cover and author picture

You know what two words always seem to go hand in hand? Nursing and shortage.

Since childhood, I’ve heard the same message: The world needs more nurses! Which is one of the reasons I decided to become a nurse. (The other reason had to do with a 1980s television miniseries about the Civil War in which a nurse ends up marrying the hero, leading me to believe the life of a nurse would be full of great romance. But that’s a story for a different day.)

Today is about two words never caught holding hands: rom-com and shortage. When was the last time you heard someone say, “Oh no! The world is running out of romance stories. Where are all the rom-com writers?”

I’m guessing you haven’t heard anyone say that. And if you have, tell them that’s weird. Between self-publishing and traditional publishing, thousands of books get published every day. And at least in terms of book sales, romance continues leading the way.

Which is probably why I couldn’t help wondering from time to time as I wrote Dear Henry, Love Edith . . . Does the world really need this story? There’s a surplus of romances, including rom-coms, already available.

Then by the end of 2020, as I sought to get the story published, I couldn’t help wondering . . . Does the world even want this story? With so many hot-button topics demanding attention—a global pandemic, for starters—a lighthearted romantic comedy about a couple of quirky characters falling in love in a fictional little town seemed like the last thing that should be on anyone’s mind. Including my own. Shouldn’t we be focusing on more serious matters?

Hmm . . . maybe. Serious matters are important. But you know what else is important? Learning how to thrive in a world full of serious matters that—let’s be honest—completely stress us out. And you know one thing that helps us thrive under stress? Humor.

While romance is a completely wonderful thing in its own right (despite leading impressionable girls into making career choices based on swoony kisses after Civil War battles), let’s not forget the importance of the com in rom-com.

Saying “laughter is the best medicine” sounds trite, but laughter does have a proven association with multiple health benefits, including improved immune responses, lower blood sugar levels, and better sleep.

Not only that, researchers are discovering how humor might even make us smarter—and more attractive to the opposite sex. (Which must be why characters who hate each other but keep exchanging witty banter can’t seem to fight their growing attraction for one another. I’m looking at you, Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy.)

So if romance is a completely wonderful thing in its own right, and comedy apparently has so many health benefits, what happens when these two mighty forces join hands? You get a story that offers the one thing this world always needs.

Hope.

Hope that the challenges we’re facing aren’t insurmountable. Hope that we won’t end up alone. Hope that things will work out. Hope that love conquers all. Hope that our dreams will come true—even if those dreams change along the way. Hope that someday, somehow, we’ll find our happily ever after. And—just as importantly—the hope that we’ll always find something to laugh about.

So maybe the real question here isn’t about whether the world needs another rom-com. Maybe the question is, how will you offer hope to a world that so desperately needs it?

I can’t answer that question for you. But as for me, I’m going to write another rom-com.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: BECCA KINZER

Becca Kinzer lives in Springfield, Illinois, where she works as a critical care nurse. When she’s not taking care of sick patients or reminding her husband and two kids that frozen chicken nuggets is a gourmet meal, she enjoys making up lighthearted stories with serious laughs. She is a 2018 ACFW First Impressions Contest winner, a 2019 Genesis Contest winner, a 2021 Cascade Award winner, and an all around champion coffee drinker. Dear Henry, Love Edith is her debut novel.

OFFICIAL BOOK DESCRIPTION OF DEAR HENRY, LOVE EDITH

Synopsis From Tyndale:

He thinks she’s an elderly widow. She’s convinced he’s a grumpy old man. Neither could be further from the truth.

After a short and difficult marriage, recently widowed Edith Sherman has learned her lesson. Forget love. Forget marriage. She plans to fill her thirties with adventure. As she awaits the final paperwork for a humanitarian trip to South Africa, she accepts a short-term nursing position in a small Midwestern town. The last thing she needs is a handsome local catching her eye. How inconvenient is that?

Henry Hobbes isn’t exactly thrilled to have Edith, who he assumes is an elderly widow, dumped on him as a houseguest for the summer. But he’d do almost anything for his niece, who is practically like a sister to him given how close they are in age. Especially since Edith will be working nights and Henry works most days. When he and Edith keep missing each other in person, they begin exchanging notes—short messages at first, then longer letters, sharing increasingly personal parts of their lives.

By the time Henry realizes his mistake—that Edith is actually the brown-eyed beauty he keeps bumping into around town—their hearts are so intertwined he hopes they never unravel. But with her departure date rapidly approaching, and Henry’s roots firmly planted at home, Edith must ultimately decide if the adventure of her dreams is the one right in front of her.

Reminiscent of the beloved classic You’ve Got Mail comes a delightful new romantic comedy about mistaken identities, second chances, and finding love in unexpected places.