YourNovel.com husband-wife founders toast 25 years of creating the perfect Valentine

They've put thousands of couples in novels

What started as a quick quip at a conference has turned into two-and-a-half decades promoting love and romance through a most unusual publishing venture. For Raleigh, NC, couple J.S. Fletcher and Kathy Newbern, acting on that good idea changed their lives.

That quip occurred at a public relations conference 25 years ago when panelist Newbern was asked what people would be surprised to know about her. She laughed and said, "I've written a yet-to-be published romance novel." At lunch, an attendee responded, "Wouldn't it be fun to read about yourself in one of those books?" Later, on their four-hour drive home, she and then-boyfriend Fletcher, had their light-bulb moment: They could make any couple the stars of their own romance novel.

They founded the personalized romance novel company YourNovel.com, where their busiest time is Valentine's "season," as they call it, though their custom books are available year-round. The adventure begins when customers choose a title from 50+ available and supply a few details about the couple — names, hometowns, workplaces, eye and hair color, best friends, favorite fragrances and music, affectionate nicknames for one another. These details are scattered throughout the book. There's the option of adding the couple's photo to the book cover, plus all novels come with a customizable, dedication page.

When they're not writing custom romances under their pen name Fletcher Newbern, the pair travel the world as award-winning freelance journalists. Their romantic adventures and locales — 70 countries and counting — inspire the novels that feature any couple as the main characters, enjoying romantic adventures in settings such as Tahiti, Jamaica, Africa and Alaska.

Newbern says, "When we meet people in airports, on cruise ships or lounging on a foreign beach and tell them we write romance novels and travel for a living, their faces light up. Invariably, they say, 'We want your jobs.' I don’t blame them; it’s a dream life that's made us both happy and appreciative. We love spreading love."

The co-founders and their bright idea have been featured in more than a thousand radio, TV, magazine and newspaper interviews including "The Today Show," USA TODAY, ABC-TV's "The View," People magazine, Elle, Bridal Guide, Reader's Digest, Entrepreneur and more.

For year 25, they got a surprise. "We laughed," says Fletcher, "at the sheer coincidence that author Thomas Marcy pitched a time travel book for us for 2017, when we're marking this silver anniversary, own special point in time." Set 150 years in the past, Wild West Love Fest features a town and characters right out of central casting.

"One of the most fulfilling parts of this work," says Fletcher, "has been helping other authors see their dream of publishing come true." YourNovel.com has published work by nearly three dozen writers including 10 each in two anthologies marking the company’s 10th- and 20th-year as a result of sponsoring romance writing contests.

"Four of our writers have multiple books in our lineup. One went on to traditional romance novel publishing acclaim and credits us with teaching her a lot about not only crafting a good story but promoting yourself and your work."

YourNovel.com's titles come in paperback, hardback and ebook versions. Among the company's best sellers are Another Day in Paradise, set at a luxury Caribbean resort, and Island of Love, where the hero and heroine confront black-pearl thieves in Tahiti. Others take place in New Orleans, Key West, on safari in Africa, at worldwide beaches, on cruise ships, a dude ranch and a ski lodge. Selections also include vampire titles, a golf fantasy book and detective novels.

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