A book to rekindle that romantic spark
By B.C. Manion
Local author Kim Moore said she learned early in her marriage about the importance of setting time aside to spend alone with her husband.
The Land O’ Lakes woman said she and Doug, who have been married for 34 years, were good about that at the start.
“But then what happens is, OK, you have date night once a week, you go out to eat once a week; what do you do now when a special occasion rolls around?” Kim said. “You go out to eat again? … I felt like all of my Valentine’s, anniversaries and our birthdays were all looking the same. ‘Want to go out to eat, honey?’ ‘Sure, let’s go out to eat.’ ‘Where do you want to go out to eat?’ ‘I don’t care.’”
In an effort to break that pattern and inject a little more pizzazz into her marriage, Moore decided to do something inventive.
She began creating what she calls roomscapes, which incorporate room décor, food, lighting, music and attire aimed to set the mood for romance.
“The very first one was probably done about 11 years ago,” Moore said.
She decked out an upstairs balcony in a Caribbean theme.
“It was our anniversary. I took him up there and he was like, ‘Wow, this is gorgeous.’” Her husband’s reaction was so positive, it encouraged her to create other theme celebrations, which prompted him to urge her to write a book to inspire other couples.
Moore resisted the idea of a book initially.
“I told him for two years, ‘I don’t know how to write. I’m a decorator,’” said Moore who owns a home decorating business called Southern Interiors.
Eventually, though, she decided to give writing a try.
She began her book in January 2008.
She perused other decorator books for layout and organizational ideas and joined a writer’s group to strengthen her skills. She also hired professionals to help design, photograph and edit the book, including Mary Rathman, an editorial assistant at The Laker/Lutz News, who proofread the pages.
After more than four years of work, Moore self-published a 119-page, full-color book, called Now That’s Romantic! Intimate Themed Dinners for Special Occasions.
While many books offer recipes for romantic meals, Moore created a detailed guidebook to create the mood for intimacy.
The book provides plans for six romantic getaways couples can have at home. She names these themed celebrations for two, including Caribbean Cabana, Hearts on Fire and Santa Baby.
Moore offers readers step-by-step instructions on how to pull it off.
In her Valentine’s celebration, Hearts on Fire, Moore provides a checklist of items needed to create that special mood.
She also provides specific instructions for setting the table, for the décor and lighting, sounds and scents, what to wear for men and women.
While food is part of the equation in Moore’s romantic roomscapes, she keeps that element simple.
She suggests combining takeout foods with a few homemade touches to keep the focus on fun and one another.
Moore also shows readers what she’s talking about with full-color photographs.
She staged the scenes featured in the book at her home and her sister’s home.
The photographs depict elegant settings and creative approaches, but Moore said she deliberately kept plans easy to achieve.
“I didn’t want it to be intimidating,” Moore said. “I really want it to be doable. …I tried to use things that people can find. You don’t have to have specialty items.”
Moore credits her mom, Shirley Perez, of Odessa, for influencing her imaginative nature.
“My mom’s very into being creative and thinking outside of the box. She was always into doing fun things around the holidays that were unique and different,” Moore said.
Moore hopes her book will inspire people to tap into their personal creativity and put their own spin on her suggested roomscapes.
People can use as many or as few of her ideas as work for them, Moore said. The main idea is to help find ways to re-awaken the ardor that brought them to together in the first place.
Some couples will want to play it safe, and others may choose to be more adventurous, Moore said. As couples use the book for guidance, they may choose to expand their comfort zones as times goes on.
So far, Moore has been marketing her book through women’s shows, holiday shows, on her website and on Amazon.com. She has also been asked to speak to some women’s groups at churches, and she’s willing to give talks to civic or other clubs too.
While she wrote the book she thought her target market would be couples that had been married for years looking for ideas to rev up their romance. But the book has found another market. It’s been a popular choice as a bridal shower gift or a wedding present, she said.
She has been pleasantly surprised.
“It was to spark older couples’ imaginations,” Moore said. “I figured in the beginning, you don’t need it.”
Buy the book
The book sells for $29.95 and is available on Amazon.com or through Moore’s website, www.NowThatsRomantic.com.
