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Writing from home with an eye to the community around her, Milwaukee resident Andrea Boeshaar has carved out niches in the growing Christian book market. Since 1992, she has written 15 historical and contemporary Christian romance novels, seven novellas and three women's fiction books that deal more with issues than romantic relationships. "Wisconsin," a collection of four previously published novels - was ranked No. 1 on the Christian Booksellers Association bestsellers list for romance fiction when it came out this May. "Precious Things," in which a single woman encounters the daughter she gave up for adoption, was released in June. Boeshaar's publisher is Barbour Publishing in Uhrichsville, Ohio. She says her sales are about 20,000 to 30,000 copies per book. Boeshaar, 45, is a Shorewood High School graduate. She and her husband, Daniel, have three adult sons. Her Web site is www.andreaboeshaar.com. Reporter Tom Heinen interviewed her.
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Q. How do you describe your writing? It certainly isn't like the bodice rippers people often associate with romance fiction.
A. To write Christian romance, it's really quite challenging, much more so than, say, one of the bodice rippers that you mentioned, because we don't rely on heavy, torrid love scenes to carry the plot. We have to have a good, strong story. I write healing fiction for hurting hearts. I write about second chances in life, and how there really are second chances. And, of course, how God is very much a part of that, and how he is a part of my life and the characters' lives. I try to portray life very realistically, but incorporating a lot of hope into my stories because I think this world is devoid of hope in a lot of ways.
Q. What would you compare your work to?
A. I guess I would compare some of the books to something like "Christy" (by Catherine Marshall) or "Sarah, Plain and Tall" (by Patricia MacLachlan) . . . maybe something you would see on the Hallmark Channel. They're very wholesome and have varying degrees of religious elements in them. Some may have very little, some may have more. So they really appeal to everyone. The romance is not anything sleazy or immoral. It's very wholesome and pure, and at the same time, very entertaining.
Q. Tell me about your book, "Wisconsin."
A. It's actually available at Wal-Mart. All of the stories take place in Wisconsin, and that makes it kind of fun. One is called "September Sonata." It's about a married couple whose children are all grown, and they realize, 'OK, it's just you and me now.' They realize they are very different people than when they got married. They don't like some of the things they are seeing. But this couple decides they are going to stay together and make their marriage just as sweet as it was when they were first married.
Q. An example of young romance? You mentioned that one story is based in Tigerton, Wis., where your mother grew up, and where you spent time as a girl visiting your grandparents.
A. In "Wisconsin," actually, I have a story called "The Haven of Rest." And it's about a young gal in Chicago who is insulted when she inherits her uncle's run-down gas station in Tigerton instead of stocks or jewelry. But what she finds is that the man who is running it, or trying to make a go of it, has the same dream as she does, to build a hotel on that corner. And so they work together to make their dream come true, and, of course, they end up falling in love.
Q. What is your own faith background?
A. I attend a Baptist church, but I am a very non-denominational Christian. I believe the Bible is a very non-denominational book. It's for everyone. My books do not reflect any particular denomination. They're Bible-based.
