I have a subscription to Freedom With Writing, which sends out a newsletter every week. In it the team that hosts this service compiles contests, calls for submissions, editorial pitch requests, potential work in a vast array of writing related jobs, conferences, and other cool information aspiring writers can use.
One of the latest editions contained a call for submissions entitled “The 12 Knights of Christmas.” The publisher, Button Hall, is relatively new on the market. They are looking to produce an anthology of romance stories set at Christmas time that have the making for the next great Hallmark movie. It would release Christmas 2025.
What caught my attention was the title of the submission: Knights. Well, I happen to have a knight or two in my world. And there is one in United Vidden who already has a bit of a romance thread laid out for him — Sir Andross. So, naturally, I decided to make this the focus of my Galveston Winter retreat writing with the full intention of submitting it.
Now, I had to do some research to make sure I understood the qualities that make a Hallmark holiday movie great. I spent an evening watching a couple films with my dear friend, Violet Shelton. We also read summaries of the top 25 films in the genre. Here’s what we gleaned:
Successful lady living in the big city has to make a trip to quaint picturesque small town. There she rekindles her romance with an early love or meets a local man and falls in love. She learns the importance of simple life and the meaning of Christmas.
There’s also the version where successful male professional is having to drive through quaint picturesque small town. Something happens and he is stranded there for the holidays. He meets jovial successful local lady and falls in love. He learns the meaning of Christmas.
Another version is where successful attorney lady is fired from her high stress law firm after some backstabbing by others. She meets a successful doctor who has come up from Florida (by the way Florida is mentioned a lot in these films — not sure why) to convince his elderly grandfather to retire there. They meet at a pub and she takes a temp job as bar tender, but it turns out that the bar owner is the grandfather. In the end, both forgo successful careers as doctor and lawyer to marry and run the pub. They learn the meaning of Hannukah. (yes, they have jewish versions of this as well).
After that exhaustive and somewhat mind numbing research, I decided to go with the following for my story:
Planet Jorn by Araceli Casas
Lord High Marshal of the realm is notified of sheep farmer dad’s death. Returning to small town to deal with the estate he reconnects with the only woman he ever loved. In the past, she refused to marry him because she is a medicine woman and wants to serve a small town community. She is now living in his old hometown. After they uncover the horrible way a large corporation is taking over farms, the two rekindle their love. He is offered a chance to run a prestigious military academy in the community and so they both get to have the careers they want and still be together.
Oh… and they learn the meaning of the Festival of Lights, basically planet Jorn’s version of Christmas.
No mention of Florida though. Hope the omission doesn’t ruin my chances.
I’ll let y’all know what happens with the submission. Wish me luck!
