2/22/2008
No bodice
ripping allowed!
By CAROL POMEDAY
Ozaukee Press staff
Photo by Sam Arendt
Fifteen years ago, Christian author Andrea Boeshaar of Newburg turned a steamy, bodice-ripper romance novel she had written for the secular market into a tamer, inspirational story. She’s been selling romantic, faith-based love ever since.
Boeshaar, who once devoured traditional romance novels, has written 20 books, numerous articles and contributed to several collections of romance stories. She has an eager market of Christian women, ranging from teenagers to grandmothers, who wait for her next offering.
Her books compete with Harlequin novels, which she used to read voraciously.
Boeshaar wrote her first romance novel before she became serious about her faith and committed her life to God.
“I felt compelled to write something for the Christian market, but didn’t know if they published romance novels,” she said.
Boeshaar entered the market at the right time, something she credits to God rather than herself.
At the time, and still today, the Christian book market focused on nonfiction, inspirational writings, but some publishers were looking to expand their offerings.
Barbour Publishing in Ohio liked Boeshaar’s novel — “An Unwilling Warrior” about a female photographer in New Orleans during the Civil War — and wanted it for a book club they were starting, but it had to be rewritten for her new audience. It wasn’t easy, Boeshaar said.
“It was very steamy. I rewrote it a lot,” she said. “I took the steamy parts out, but it took me a couple of times to get it so it wasn’t too titillating and was still a good story.
“They want romance in it, but they don’t want it to be titillating or mushy and they want a good, inspirational story. It’s sort of a tall order for a Christian fiction writer.”
Until recently, inspirational romance novels were sold primarily through book clubs, but Boeshaar said some Christian bookstores are now carrying her books.
“It’s been a little taboo in the Christian market,” she said. “The world has an odd view of romance. When you say romance to people, they think sex.
“We’re encouraged to have things happen to our characters that are happening in real life. Christians make mistakes. Christians have bad things happen to them. Christians make bad decisions.
“That’s OK to portray as long as the way in which the situation is handled is in a manner that lines up with the Bible. There are consequences for one’s actions. Just because you’re sorry doesn’t mean the consequences will go away.
“I try to have the element of realism and also I want to share hope with my readers. There is no sin so great that God can’t forgive. I think people who are down on themselves need to hear that.”
Boeshaar has become so adept at the genre that she can present a synopsis to her publisher. If the concept is approved, she will receive an advance and a deadline. She’s currently working on a novel called “Super Heroes Next Door” that’s due March 31.
The book is about a woman who moves next door to a widower raising three young sons.
“I modeled the character after my husband, who was really good with our sons when they were growing up,” Boeshaar said. “When they were naughty, all he had to do was look at them and they would sit up straight.”
Her friends and co-workers often recognize themselves in her novels.
Boeshaar works second shift in the admissions office at Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital in Wauwatosa, which provides plenty of material for characters and story lines.
“I hear the stories. Sometimes, when it’s real cold, they bring in the homeless people. I’ll look at a man and wonder if he’s somebody’s dad, husband or brother,” Boeshaar said. “When you have your head in fiction all the time, it’s good to have that reality check.
“All my co-workers have read my books. ‘The Long Ride Home’ takes place in an emergency room and I used the names of two friends. They liked that. ‘Prescription for Love’ takes place in a hospital and the main character, a nurse, becomes a drug addict. At any time, anybody is capable of falling into something bad.
“It comes down to writing what you know and being able to improvise.”
Boeshaar’s main audience is women 50 and older, but her books are also read by teenagers.
“One deals with a woman who was date raped,” Boeshaar said. “I’ve had 12-year-olds read it and they don’t quite know what’s happening. They could read past it and get the message. Somebody older could read it and identify with it.”
Boeshaar wrote her first book, “Little Miss Mouse,” when she was in fourth grade.
“I was so excited about writing it. I would stop at the library after school and sit there and write,” Boeshaar said. “I think I wrote in the library because I was surrounded by books and it gave me a literary feeling.
“I sent it to my grandmother and she saved it. My mother found it after she died.”
She writes when inspired, which is often after midnight when there are few interruptions.
“I get my ideas from all over,” she said. “Sometimes, I have a dream and wake up with this great idea. I write it down quickly so I don’t forget. Sometimes, it’s things that really happen.”
Her book “Promise Me Forever” was based on a wedding she attended in which the groom didn’t show up and nobody knew why. It turned out the groom had an asthma attack and was in the hospital unable to call anyone.
“In my story, he leaves because he doesn’t want to spend his life in a small town. But she is pregnant and has to raise a child on her own,” Boeshaar said. “They meet again when the boy is 12.”
Boeshaar used to be a literary agent, but is now a life coach who works with writers. She is cofounder of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association.
“I encourage other writers,” she said. “I don’t want the responsibility of their careers on my shoulders. That was too stressful, but I enjoy encouraging them and offering suggestions. I’m enjoying writing more. Before, I felt it was almost a conflict of interest.”
Boeshaar no longer reads secular romance novels.
“Now, the explicit sex and language bothers me,” she said. “When I open up a Christian book, I know I’m not going to be exposed to that.”
‘Write from the heart’ author advises
“Now, 15 years later, it’s a different market,” Boeshaar said.
“It used to be, if you want to get published, go to the Christian market. But now it’s just as difficult to get published there as in the secular market.”
She recently presented a program at the Oscar Grady Library in Saukville on her literary experiences and offered the following tips on how to get published.
Write the book that’s in your heart. “If you try to write something you think will be published, the passion won’t be there, plus the market changes constantly.”
Don’t give up.
Take classes. “Learn, grow and hone your craft. Read books you want to write and figure out why you liked it or didn’t like it.”
Be curious about everything. “That’s very important for a writer.”
More information is on her Web site www.andreaboeshaar.com.