Story: Hearts and Flour

What follows is an analysis of a Woman's World story with suggestions and observations for people who want to sell stories to WW, peppered with some personal opinion, too. :) If you truly want to get the most from this weekly blog feature, it's best to have your own copy of the story to refer to. (And no, I don't get a kickback for pimping the magazine here!)

Story: Hearts and Flour by Andi Davenport, from the June 9, 2008 issue

Tagline: Katherine thought that the kitchen was the most romantic room in the house...

In A Nutshell: An avid baker, Katherine attends a party because her best friend wants to set her up. Before she can meet Andrew (I'll call him "Mr. Maybe"), she talks with one of the caterers, to whom she's attracted. He asks about the dessert she brought and she lets him taste it. But afterward, she dutifully speaks with Mr. M anyway. They have nothing in common, but when she goes to leave, she encounters the caterer again. He wants more of the dessert she brought, and she wants more of him!

Teaching Points: I thought this was an excellent story. It had a matchmaker, but contrary to the usual plotline, the heroine doesn't end up with the person the matchmaker intended. So trained am I by the typical WW plots that I expected the caterer to somehow be the other matchee. I thought maybe he was just in the kitchen because he liked it, but when he introduced himself with a different name, I knew I was mistaken!

I thought the title was especially clever. If I were Johnene, the editor, that would catch my attention right off the bat.

And then, at the end, she even has the guy kneel. Shucks. I'm such a sucker for romance!

Woman's World Standbys: A matchmaking friend.

In My Humble Opinion: I found nothing to pick at in this story!