Guest Author, Lucy Monroe & GIVEAWAY!
by sue on Jan.31, 2010, under Book Chat
What makes a family?
One of my favorite themes in romance is the concept of family and what that word really means to us. I ascribe to the idea that family is both born and made. You see that theme in romance quite a bit, especially in the gay subgenre. I am lucky to have some wonderful siblings and a terrific mom, but my dad was a drug addict who died young. I never really found a replacement, but that doesn’t mean I don’t get the idea of “making” a family. And I don’t mean just popping kids out. 
[Family Pic]We adopted our oldest daughter when she was a teenager, and it was because of her that we brought two Korean exchange students into our home. They lived with us for three years and are both very much our sons, though they have wonderful family back in South Korea. One lives in our “sattelite” house with our oldest and her family while he attends college locally. The other won a scholorship to Ohio State and we’re going to visit him the week of RT. They’re both part of our youngest’s wedding on January 31st as they were for our oldest daugther last March, just as our biological son is and was. We’ve had other teens and not-so-teens live with us as part of our family for short and long stretches of time. My sibs and I have adopted other adults into our family as well. My husband and I are considering foster parenting or adopting older children once the final teen finishes college and moves out. Not sure if it’ll work with all the grandkids on the way, but my mom always taught us that love given away grows. We agree!
Which makes it unsurprising that In my current release, Moon Craving, the concept of family is an important theme. Just like my own daughters, the heroine Abigail is closer to her sister Emily than anyone else, despite the fact they share no parental genes. She finds a place where she belongs amdist Talorc’s clan, when the best she thinks she can hope for is to somehow be reunited with her stepsister.
Share your thoughts: what is your favorite family concept from a book? Is your personal family born, or made, or both?
My giveaway: a bookbag filled with romance and pamper yourself goodies.
Hugs and happy reading,
Lucy
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Sue G - Borders True Romance Host - Borders Romance Buyer, reads romance. For her JOB. No, really. You can email Sue at sgrimshaw at bordersgroupinc dot com.
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Shape-shifter Dev Peltier thought he knew it all. But one night when a Dark-Hunter, who is also an official member of the Dogs of War, sashays into his bar, he realizes he might have met his match. But as old enemies and new move into New Orleans, Samia realizes that Dev just might be the only hope she and mankind have to save the world.
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February 6th, 2010 on 12:12 pm
My immediate family is born, but I don’t really think it makes a difference. There are so many kids brought into families from previous marriages that there is a big percentage of families these days with blended members. I like strong families that stick together and are always there for each other.
February 3rd, 2010 on 2:44 pm
My family is both made & born. Luckily, no one knows the difference
February 1st, 2010 on 1:17 pm
Wow! Thank you all so much for taking time to share your thoughts on family. Your words were especiially moving today as yesterday was our youngest daughter’s wedding. The event was sentimental, the bridal party gorgeous and the officiant both wise and funny - but what made everything truly perfect was the family love pouring from the guest to my daughter and new son-in-law.
Thank you to every single one of you for helping me to experience those warm, special feelings longer and affirming that no matter what else is going on in the world, love is still there, still powerful and still a force to be reckoned with!
Hugs and blessings,
Lucy
February 1st, 2010 on 2:12 am
Hi, Lucy! I’ve always loved reading about families, whether real or fictional, and I love both stories about families related by blood, and those where people discover through experiences and trials that though they aren’t technically “related,” they’ve become a family to one another. It’s amazing to see the bonds that tie us to each other
So I guess I don’t have a favorite family concept–I like them all!
Congrats on your latest–looking forward to reading it!
January 31st, 2010 on 11:35 pm
my personal family was born but it is also made when we welcomed my dh, my sisters’ husbands and kids they have with them, my one brother’s wife and his children from a first marriage, my 3 stepchildren and now the boys’ spouses and the children each family has.
Family is important and great to have.
January 31st, 2010 on 10:18 pm
I have a huge extended family and it’s such a hoot to read about big families that sometimes remind you of your own
January 31st, 2010 on 10:13 pm
i love born and made, esp made when people have true friends that will do anything and is always there for that person. my family is mostly born even though we live at least 20-1 hr away we usually get 2gether on weekends its a great family
January 31st, 2010 on 9:49 pm
My own family was born, but that didn’t mean there was no room for others. My two brothers were always bringing someone home to stay for a few days. The parents would come and get him, talk to my parents and soon there was a frienship born between the two families. My sister was more of, “Mom he followed me home, can I keep him”. It was always some bedraggled cat that she rescued.
In my married life, the same pattern followed, except I only had two children instead of four.
Families are magical. You can love them, you can hate them, but the good ones stick with you like glue.
January 31st, 2010 on 8:34 pm
What a great family picture! Thanks for sharing.
My own family is made–our son is adopted and, since our own birth families aren’t around, we’ve made a family here. I love reading about blended families with all their ups and downs.
January 31st, 2010 on 8:19 pm
A family starts with love and friendship between people. We can be born into it and often a blood connection binds us. Family is formed through shared experiences and sustained by shared memories so really anyone can be part of one’s family and it is only limited by the size of one’s heart.
January 31st, 2010 on 7:27 pm
Thank you for sharing the beautiful story of your family
I also love the concept of family being both born and made. In my culture, we have very strong relationships with our extended family and close family friends are also treated as part of that extended family. I especially love seeing strong family bonds in romance novels, because it makes for a much more appealing heroine/hero and for strong and interesting supporting characters.
January 31st, 2010 on 6:11 pm
I like the idea of both. A family is not only born into but one you join if by marriage or friendship. A family is a well-blended mix of people who belong together just because they do.
January 31st, 2010 on 4:53 pm
Hi Lucy, nice post and pic!! My fam is very small and all born. I can’t think of one adoption or fostering on either side. I like a good series and I like the ones that do brothers or sisters. I like to read about large families too. Thanks, Sue
January 31st, 2010 on 4:43 pm
My family is both born and made. Some family friends are part of the family.
I like stories about made families.
January 31st, 2010 on 4:40 pm
I love family themes in books, especially one made by the characters. Like in Nalini Singh’s Psy series and how the packs are gigantic families that can add new people in all the time!
January 31st, 2010 on 4:26 pm
My family is born and very small.
That is one reason that I love to read about different family dynamics in romance books.
I love the families in stories that are always going to each others homes, calling each other on the phone. I wish that my family could be closer.
Your family sounds wonderful.
January 31st, 2010 on 4:22 pm
My family is a bit of both. I am the oldest. It is only my 2 sisters and one brother and their families but I have many friends that I also consider family. My boyfriend’s family has adopted me into their fold also.
I love reading about families and the way they interact.
Love & Hugs,
Pam
January 31st, 2010 on 3:52 pm
My family is born but all of us have chosen to remain close and keep on putting time into maintaining our relationships. I love books when there is such closeness between family relations whether they be made or born. Since my family is close I like to see that close family dynamic for the hero and heroine.
January 31st, 2010 on 3:51 pm
Hi, Lucy! Thank you for sharing the story of your wonderful family! Thanks also for the great giveaway! Your question is very relevant to me because all of my immediate “natural family” is gone. My family was small to begin with, and I have been adopted by friends and parents of friends as I have progressed through life. Also, I was a caregiver from age 10 on, first taking care of my grandmother and later providing care for my mother. Somehow, I never got married and created my own family. I would have very much liked to have children and grandchildren. Children are born into the world, but families are made by love. My “collected family” has always provided me with much love and support. Those who have stuck with me through thick and thin are more precious to me than gold. The people who know you for who you really are, and love you anyway, are your “real family”. I do truly enjoy reading about families and watching family films. To me really loving someone means putting their needs and happiness before your own. Sometimes it takes a while to learn that, even between close family members or friends. Reading about how other families survive everyday life and come together to form a loving home is very rewarding.
January 31st, 2010 on 3:07 pm
I like the concept of a made family in a story - that people are brought together and become a family and love and respect each other, even though there is no shared DNA.
There are lots of families that are so dysfunctional, they can’t seem to get along, even though they are related. Choosing your family seems like a good idea.
January 31st, 2010 on 3:00 pm
My family is both born and made. My children’s friends are very much a part of my family.
Robyn Carr’s Virgin River stories are about families both born and made.
January 31st, 2010 on 2:45 pm
I think reading a story where there are family connections is always interesting because it brings a realistic flavor to the characters.
I’m quite excited about Moon Craving because I read the first one and have been waiting for the next book in the series! Thanks for the contest!
January 31st, 2010 on 1:57 pm
I do enjoy connected books that relate to family members. The connection of each character and their relationships are fascinating to me.
January 31st, 2010 on 1:27 pm
Great post! A family is what you make of it, and anyone can be a part of it if you let them in. My family was born but all that is left is my two sister’s and I. We are all pretty close now because its just the three of us. We stick together through the bad times and the good and I couldn’t do without them.
January 31st, 2010 on 12:46 pm
my favorite family concepts in books is the family pulling through problems and having each other’s backs–despite it being made or born. as for my family, we’re all born. there’s six of us: me and my 3 siblings and my two parents are we are very close. we don’t have a big immediate family as it is and most are not living close to us but i love that we are very close knit family despite the distance.
January 31st, 2010 on 12:43 pm
I do enjoy books that have families in them. Families can be established in so many ways. I often enjoy the military books or firefighter books when the team members become their own families. It makes the story more real for me when the main characters interact with friends, teammates, parents or brother/sisters. I think Stephanie Tyler did a good job of this in her SEAL series with the three adopted brothers, who are on the same SEAL team.
January 31st, 2010 on 12:17 pm
I think it’s the bonds, whether from blood or friendship, that make a family–the women in Nora Roberts’ Wedding quartet, Linda Howard’s Mackenzies, the aforementioned Cynsters (and Bastion Club) and Bridgertons, the Bedwyns…In a series about family, one of my favorite scenarios is where a close-knit family has “adopted” someone into their own family (like the Mackenzies). My family is born, but like others have mentioned, I have friends who are like family also.
Looking forward to reading Moon Craving! I bought it yesterday
January 31st, 2010 on 12:02 pm
Good for you for adopting! My two youngest brothers are also adopted and it’s been a challenging, but very worthwhile experience (one is autistic and one is bi-polar). And family is what you make it be. I have one or two blood relatives who I despise, so clearly blood does not a family make.
My favorite book families are Quinn’s Bridgertons and Lindsey’s Malory clan as well as Ward’s BDB and Kenyon’s Peltier clan.
January 31st, 2010 on 11:35 am
My favorite family concept has appeared in many romance books where a single mother is raising her child/children and she meets a man who may be single or a single dad and they get married and become one family. Also, sometimes the woman is the single one and the man is a single father and they get married.
My family is both born and made because I consider close friends and their families a part of mine.
Thanks for sharing a great post.
January 31st, 2010 on 11:30 am
I like reading about family in romances; in fact, the more bickering and banter, the better! Being accepted into the family of your significant other can be a huge hurdle, and I enjoy that extra bit of realism in romance novels.
I have both family by blood, and family by choice–I don’t know what I’d do without them!
January 31st, 2010 on 11:28 am
I enjoyed your wonderful post today. Your inspiring thoughts about family are to be treasured. I think that family is to be cherished and any family story is fascinating and wonderful.
January 31st, 2010 on 10:36 am
What a wonderful, thought-provoking post. I have my family by blood, my friends (family by choice) and my church community (family by faith.) All are so important in my life. Thanks for visitin today.
January 31st, 2010 on 10:20 am
My family is made up, like many, of both blood relatives and friends who might as well be. As for books, I always love to read about a group of people who may not be related, but are as much a family as any other. Of course, reading about one of those huge families (which mine is not) who are into each others’ business, bantering back and forth, but are there for each other no matter what, is always fun too.
January 31st, 2010 on 10:16 am
I consider my family more made and blood. I am not close with all the members of my family yet I consider some of my dearest friends as members of my family (my parents even having called one of said friends their “forth child they never had”.
January 31st, 2010 on 10:15 am
Families are always fascinating. Mine is born but I’ve learned alot from folks who made their own and blended born and made families. As my friend are beginning their own families in their own special ways this is an even more interesting topic.
January 31st, 2010 on 9:53 am
I think families can come in many shapes and sizes. I have a group of friends that I met when I had my first son. We were all first time mothers at the same time and they have become like sisters to me. If anything is wrong or something wonderful happens they are the first people I turn to (after my husband).
I love family stories in book. I love when we get to see what happy endings everyone in the family gets.
January 31st, 2010 on 8:56 am
I love family stories. either ready made or born with. I do think my favorite is ones that are made because you choose these people to be in your life and that makes it extra special.
I have some great friends that I consider sisters of my heart. I feel the treat me and understand me better then my own sister.
January 31st, 2010 on 8:51 am
I like both. Family doesn’t have to mean blood related. To me family is what you choose to make.
January 31st, 2010 on 7:14 am
I got so carried away with the giveaway, forgot to answer your question. LOL.
I like either storyline but sometimes the “made” family is more endearing. It kind of tears at my heartstrings if a hero and heroine get together and take in a child with no parents or parents that are not around or available. The Virgin River series is about a small town and families are “made” and “born” - I love that series. Susan Mallery’s series books seem to be all “born” if I recall - she writes lots of them and they are fantastic. Also a tug of heartstrings is the hero who finds out he has a child and falls in love when the thought of ever having a child was foreign to him or a h or heronine due to circumstances doesnt think they would be parent material finds themselves wanting to “make” a family or finds themselves having “made” one during the story.
Pat L.
January 31st, 2010 on 6:42 am
I come from a big family with four siblings and my husband has six, perhaps that’s why I like to read about big families. They can also be not related, I have a sister-in-law who is as close as any of my sisters.
January 31st, 2010 on 6:36 am
I love the Cynster’s (Stephanie Laurens and yes, the Bridgertons as well. I think family can be from blood and/or friendships that are dear and near to out hearts.I have 7 children myself and whatever in laws come to our family through my childrens’ mates makes us an even bigger family. Love, trust and understanding and lots of laughter make for great families, by blood or not. I love Lucy Monroe’s stories . I buy whatever she writes.
Carol Luciano
Lucky4750@aol.com
January 31st, 2010 on 5:48 am
I do enjoy reading about groups of people who seem like families even though they are not related. That happens a lot in military settings and that makes sense that a group of people who face extreme danger together would become a family of sorts.
January 31st, 2010 on 5:21 am
I have a very small family, only 4 people. So I LOVE the concept of creating your own and often think of close friends as part of my family. It’s comforting and makes me feel less lonely.
I love what you said about: Love given away grows.
January 31st, 2010 on 4:38 am
I have a younger brother who was always my biggest rival. I used to wish I had an older brother who would protect me from the younger one.
Then I married a man who’s the youngest of four boys, and he taught me that older brothers can torture their younger siblings as much as the other way around.
I think my favorite romance family is the Bridgertons. Every other family seems to pale in comparison!
January 31st, 2010 on 4:28 am
I’m a only child and even if I never suffered from it whe I was younger, it’s something I miss a lot now at 31 (and with two sons).
I love reading about famillies with many children and how those interact together once adult. I read the last Emma Wilde book yeasterday and one of my favorite part was the close connection between the three brothers. The scenes where those 3 were together were among the best of the book imo. Grrrr I wish I had a brother (or 3 !).
January 31st, 2010 on 4:04 am
I love reading about families in books. One of my favorites is Stephanie Laurens’ Cynster family. They’re a close family and always show up when one is in trouble or needs help.
January 31st, 2010 on 3:02 am
I like when family members come together to help each other out. My personal family is born
January 31st, 2010 on 2:22 am
Oh darn. I forgot to include that I’ve always liked the family caring about each other in novels! The give & take, push & pull, but in the end the family members coming to the aid of the others..loyalty, etc.
January 31st, 2010 on 2:16 am
I loved the fact that you have expanded your family to include “the many” of your life’s experiences. Does that make sense? At 55 I not only found my father’s family, but 2 half siblings, Aunts/Uncles/Cousins,(in both the south & the north of the US. I’d thought to be an “only” except for my husband, our children, & friends who have been like family. Imagine my surprise & joy to find & include a whole passel of blood relations as well as their friends! My world expanded (to say the least)! Bless you & yours for sharing your lives & love. We need a lot of that!!!
January 31st, 2010 on 2:06 am
I love a good family in a book. In Hannah Howell’s new series I love the family because they all have special gifts. Makes the books more interesting. Or the books with the big family epic’s like The Proud Breed, or even The Throne Birds. My family isn’t as close as it used to be. Just my mom and I but that is enough.
January 31st, 2010 on 1:04 am
A surprise bag is always Good.
Pat L.