Summer Loving: How to Summer Up Your Romance Novel
Picture it: a perfect summer day. You walk into your local indie bookstore and spot the front table full of beach reads. You know the ones—books with bright and colorful covers that scream “TAKE ME ON VACATION WITH YOU!!”
(9 Pros and Cons of Co-Writing a Novel.)
We know what attracts readers to these books—the vivid settings, the escapism, the romance, and the sense of freedom and possibility—but as a writer, how do you infuse just the right amount of summer into your WIP?
We’re Ali Brady—the BFF-writing duo behind beach reads like The Beach Trap, The Comeback Summer, and Until Next Summer—and we’ve got some helpful tips to keep in mind when you’re writing the next book of the summer!
#1 – Location, location, location
Never underestimate the power of a good location! Setting your book in a place that screams summer is a simple way to naturally infuse the season into your novel. That could mean anything from a tropical island to a city in middle America—just ask Emily Henry who introduced us all to the beaches of Michigan in her smash hit, Beach Read.
We’re on our third “beach read” and each book has been set in a different location. Our debut, The Beach Trap, was on the beach in Destin, Florida, so it was a vacation on every page with its white sand beaches and emerald-green water.
We wanted to keep the summer vibes going for our second book—but since the story involved two sisters running a big PR agency, we felt like it needed to be in a place that also had a big business community. Chicago fit the bill—it has beaches (albeit in the middle of the city) and it’s a popular destination for summer travelers.
Our most recent book, Until Next Summer, takes place by a lake in the woods of Northern Minnesota at an adult summer camp—a perfect opportunity to showcase canoeing on the lake, skinny dipping, roasting marshmallows around the fire, and holding hands under the stars.
Wherever you set your summer book, a strong sense of place will make your readers feel like they’re there with the characters.
#2 – Incorporate the senses of summer
Summer is more than a season, it’s a feeling. A vibe. Make sure you’re using all five senses to capture the experience, those details will pull readers right into the scene with your characters. Here are a few examples:
Sights: Golden sunsets, sparkling waves, starry nights, lightning bugs, tan lines, old men in itty bitty bathing suits (eew!)Sounds: waves crashing, seagulls calling, children playing, fireworks, outdoor music, mosquitos buzzing, crackling campfire, the sizzle of a grillSmells: saltwater breeze, sunscreen and bug spray, smoke from the barbeque, freshly cut grass, citrus and flowersTastes: ice cream and popsicles, fresh fruit, lemonade, grilled anything, corn on the cob, fresh seafood, tropical drinks, sweet first kissesTouch: soft grass on your feet, sand in your toes, sticky sweat, the chill of air conditioning, warmth of the sun, the stubble of a five o’clock shadow
#3 – Embrace the spontaneity of the season
Even though most adults work year-round, there’s something more freeing about life during the summer. Our busy pace seems to slow down, schedules change because kids are out of school and people take vacations. Plus, the days are longer, so you can pack more in. (In contrast, there’s nothing more depressing than leaving work in the winter and having it already be dark at 5pm!)
So have your characters take advantage of that extra daylight and the flexibility of their schedules. Want to take a road trip? Play hooky and go to a baseball game? Check out a music or a street festival? Ditch the dinner reservations and have a picnic? Build a bonfire and make s’mores? The possibilities are endless.
Not only are these activities a great way to capture the essence of summer, but keeping your characters active and experiencing new things is a great way for readers to get to know them, and for your love interests to get to know each other!
Check out Ali Brady’s Until Next Summer here:
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#4 – Don’t forget the Fourth!
Learn from our first draft mistakes. Summer days may feel endless, but there is a rhythm to the season and certain days that should at least be acknowledged. If we had a nickel for every time we finished a first draft or an outline and realized we needed to figure out where the Fourth of July fit in, we’d have three nickels—one for each book!
Depending on the location of your book, holidays are a great opportunity to bring in summer antics and traditions. They also help serve as a marker of the passage of time.
Mentioning the holiday or date can be enough, but it’s even better when you can make it relevant to the story. In The Beach Trap, the dog one of our characters was taking care of freaked out and ran away because of the fireworks, forcing our two half-sisters to work together to get him safely home. It was a pivotal moment for our characters’ relationship, and worked well to tie in the holiday.
And speaking of fireworks…
#5 – Protection is sexy
We’re not talking about that kind of protection (although if your romance is open door, we are big fans of showing consent and conversations about safety). But if you’re sending your characters out in the summer sun, make sure their skin is protected, too!
I mean, is there anything sexier than, “Let me get your back?” If your couple is in the early stages of their courtship, applying that SPF can be a great way to let them explore each other and up that sexual tension. (Fans self.)
Last but not least:
#6 – Summer up your title!
Yes, there are an insane number of books with the word ‘summer’ in their title this year (including ours!) and there’s a reason for that. The more cues you can give readers and booksellers that your book belongs on that beach read table, the better!
So, when you’re brainstorming for your titles, think about how you can add words that relate to the season: Beach, Summer, Vacation, Time Share, Camp, Fireflies… the possibilities are endless. Just like the feeling of summer.
We hope these tips were helpful, and we look forward to spotting your future books on that “beach read” table!
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