Founders of YourNovel.com Personalized Novels Encourage Dreamers to Act on Their Good Ideas
ncarol.com/10208757

RALEIGH, N.C. - ncarol.com -- "It changed our lives forever," said J.S. Fletcher reflecting back to 1992, when he and wife Kathy M. Newbern acted on a great idea. The pair create fiction under the pen name Fletcher Newbern.

That spark of an idea soon became a full-fledged business, and their concept has remained a year-round hit, but especially as one-of-a-kind Valentine's gifts. Their big idea was to create a personalized romance novel where any couple could become the main characters. Thirty-one years later they're still at it as YourNovel.com.

They 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.

More on ncarol.com

• Santa Your Way Announces Official 2026 Q4 Holiday Tour: Booking Open For Santa, The 5-star Grinch, And Dual Character Experiences Nationwide
• Put Your Herd on Your Phone: Kiko Nation Makes Livestock Management Simple
• Future Intelligence Think Tank Surpasses 1,000 Members Exploring Human and Artificial Intelligence
• Gary Bernstein Expands Media Leadership Role With Senior Strategic Advisor Appointment To Blacksun Private Equity
• Headline: House of Nova Paints Every Face in Gold at New York Fashion Week

What sparked the idea? While working in public relations serving on a conference panel, Newbern fielded the icebreaker question: "What would folks be surprised to find out about you?" She responded that she'd written a yet-to-be-published romance novel. Good-natured chuckling ensued.

Over lunch, a friend commented, "Wouldn't it be great if you could star in one of those novels?" On the long drive home, then-boyfriend (now hubby) Fletcher commented, "You know we could do that." Newbern agreed and grabbed a manila envelope from the glove box and started outlining a story that anyone could star in.

After figuring out how to customize each book using personal information provided by each customer — names, workplaces, eye color, hair color, best friends, nicknames and many other individual details, they got to work.

"It's been quite the journey," Fletcher added. "When we tell people what we do, that we're travel writers and romance novelists, they're in awe. The big difference is we acted on our great idea, and we are able to work for ourselves, which is a dream come true. We also knew if we didn't take the plunge to see if we could create a whole new publishing genre that we'd always regret it."

More on ncarol.com

• Can Government Operate Better Through Innovation?
• Michael H. Kaplan Advocates for Seriously Injured Colorado Workers Who Need In-Home Care
• She Writes Python and Produces Music. KayeDinero Has a Question About AI Artists
• Infinity Infusion Solutions Named Finalist for D Magazine's D CEO 2026 Excellence in Healthcare Awards
• There and Back comes to Hillsborough

"We're proud to be the original creators of customizable adult romance novels and, more importantly, the gold standard of the industry," said Newbern.

http://www.YourNovel.com is all about options — offering "wild" or "mild" versions of each book in terms of the romantic interludes; adding an uploaded photo to become part of a book's existing cover; or even using a treasured photograph to create the entire book cover.

"Over the years," said Fletcher, "our books have been called the 'Ultimate Vanity Valentine,' and we've been labeled 'Computerized Cupids.' We love that job title."

And it all started by acting on a good idea.