If you’ve ever picked up a romance novel and thought, “Wait, that’s supposed to be the hero? Didn’t the author say he has a scar, dark curls, and a brooding stare? Why is this guy blond and smirking like a toothpaste model?”—you’re not alone. Romance readers have been puzzling over this for decades. Let’s unravel […]
Why Don’t Romance Cover Characters Look Like Their Descriptions in the Book? Read More »
Of course, you’re on the hunt for the best romances out there. Nobody picks up a book thinking, “I hope this is mediocre.” But here’s the thing: using best-seller lists, “top author” rankings, “Best of” compilations, or any similar lists to find great romances? That’s one of the worst ways to discover the truly amazing
Why Best-Seller Lists Are the Worst Way to Find the Best Romances Read More »
If you’ve been in the book community for any length of time, you probably already know that publishing has transformed in a huge way. Digital books, self-publishing platforms, and audiobook giants have given authors so many new avenues to share their stories with you. But let’s step off the well-trodden paths of traditional publishing and big online bookstores for a moment and explore a more exciting alternative: crowdfunding platforms like Kickstarter, Indiegogo, and Patreon.
Other Places to Find Good Books: Kickstarter and Other Crowdfunding Read More »
This is Part Nine of a series: The current economy, world-wide, would be better served, everyone keeps telling us, if we buy local, and buy direct. But we (you and me) buy ebooks. How do you buy them locally? Buying from an author, when they offer their books for sale directly from their site, is
Other Places to Find Good Books: Direct Sales Read More »
I first was drawn to historical romances because of two things. One was, absolutely, the dresses. A woman looks so much more womanly in some of the dresses she gets to swan around in, depending on which historical period you get to write in. And with her breasts and waist emphasized the way most of
Are Historical Romances Really Dead This Time? Read More »
I sometimes feel that I’m very much behind a lot of cultural shifts and trends — I hear about them years after they’ve got rolling. But there’s an advantage in that: I only spend attention bandwidth on events and phenomena that look like they’re going to stick around. Like the recent wild bear/strange man in
I *Was* Going to Rant… Read More »
You KNOW I’m going to put this into a book somewhere! I came across my notes about this bridge in my notebooks this morning, and paused to study it again. This is the Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon bridge in China. And yes, it is made out of glass. So as you walk across the very deep
The Highest Glass Bridge in the World Read More »
Where to Find Fantasy Romance (Other than the Fantasy Romance shelf) Regardless of which retailer you use to acquire new books, do you shop for books via the categories? Or the search bar? Often, you know exactly what book you want, and a quick search is good for that. The title has been recommended, or
Where to Find Fantasy Romance Read More »
Today, in 1912, and very close to midnight, the RMS Titanic grazed past the iceberg that would eventually sink her, nearly three hours later. Tomorrow will be the 112 anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Most of us have a romanticized perception of the Titanic, thanks to the James Cameron movie. But the Titanic
A Most Romantic Sinking Read More »
This is Part Eight of a series: Book bundles are enormous fun. You get a stack of books for a price that is usually much less than you would pay if you bought each book individually. Retailers will also bundle books — usually all the books in a series. Google Play and Amazon do this
Other Places to Find Good Books: Book Bundlers Read More »