State of Romance: Land of 10,000 Lakes
On this day in 1927, Samuel "Roxy" Rothafel opened the Roxy Theater in NYC. Born in Stillwater, Minnesota, Rothafel created romance on stage at the Roxy Theater and later Radio City Music Hall. In honor of Rothafel, we visit his home state in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Minnesota's name is derived from the Dakota word for "clear blue water," inspiring contemporary romances with Marsha Qualey's Come in from the Cold, Cindy Gerard's The Way Home, Mary Strand's Cooper's Folly, Debbie Macomber's Changing Habits and LaVyrle Spencer's Then Came Heaven.
Inspirational romance finds hope in Brenda Coulter's Her Minnesota Man and Lena Nelson Dooley's Minnesota Brothers. Step back into the past with historical romance, including Vanessa Royall's Wild Wind Westward and Janet Spaeth's Minnesota Brides.
Paranormal romance fires passion in MaryJanice Davidson's Undead and Unwed, Anya Bast's Witch Fire and Tamara Hogan's Taste Me. Linda Howard travels through time in Son of the Morning.
Paranormal romance continues in YA books with Maggie Stiefvater's Shiver, Linger and Forever from her Wolves of Mercy Fall series. Tate Hallaway delivers the Vampire Princess of St. Paul series with Almost to Die For, Almost Final Curtain and Almost Everything.
Joanne Fluke blends sweet treats with cozy mystery in Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder, the first book in her Hannah Swensen series. For Sophie Kelly, Curiosity Thrilled the Cat from her Magical Cats series. Monica Ferris discovers a Crewel World in her Needlecraft Mystery series.
Minnesota's motto is L'Étoile du Nord — the Star of the North, giving way to holiday romances with Christi Barth's Tinsel My Heart, Melody Carlson's Christmas at Harrington's and Judy Baer's Love Find You in Frost, Minnesota.
Minnesota is showcased in Laura Ingalls Wilder's fourth book, On the Banks of Plum Creek. Who can forget the colorful cast in Walnut Grove where adult themes of love, hope and greed play out in a children's book?
Add to the list of romance books set in Minnesota on Twitter using #stateofromance. Next week we visit Oklahoma — the Sooner State.
Kim Lowe is an Air Force veteran, Air Force spouse and romance book blogger at SOS Aloha. You can reach her at sos.aloha@yahoo.com.