Apr 30 2009
POPULAR ROMANCE STUDIES An International Conference August 13-14, 2009 Brisbane, Australia Sponsored by The International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR) University of Queensland Queensland University of Technology Romance Writers of America For decades, scholars have studied popular romance, whether in romance novels, films, comics, or other media. They have studied its sexual [...]
Apr 30 2009
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: The Classic Regency Romance – Now with Ultraviolent Zombie Mayhem! by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith Auto-buy for me Jane Austen and zombies? This is my dream come true. At first, I’m puzzled. Why is Jane Austen sharing copyright with Seth? Public domain book But I read and it is [...]
Apr 30 2009
Two important pieces of news have developed about the Google Book Settlement. First, the court has granted an extension on filing papers for opting out of the settlement. Prominent authors like Patricia Briggs and Kresley Cole and Meljean Brook have opted out but I also know that major agents have advised their authors to NOT [...]
Apr 30 2009
The LA Times held a panel this past week on the issue of publishing. The panel, moderated by the Times book editor David Ullin, included former PW editor-in-chief, publishing consultant and author of So Many Books, So Little Time Sara Nelson; Richard Nash, former head of Soft Skull Press; Otis Chandler, founder of the Goodreads [...]
Apr 30 2009
The Rake’s Intimate Encounter by Ann Lethbridge I’m still not sure I completely understand the set-up of this novella. I realize it’s a prologue, so to speak, for Lethbridge’s historical series for Harlequin but even so I felt like I was dumped midway into a story without any map to point me in the right [...]
Apr 29 2009
Dear Mrs. Hoyt, Your books work for me. What else can I say? I believe in these characters. I believe in the circumstances you place them in. I believe the ways you make them act. I want them to find happiness and when they do, I’m thrilled. When Jane sent out a DA email asking [...]
Apr 29 2009
RWA has approved a Special Interest Chapter for writers specializing in LGBT romance. The website for the new chapter is here. Congratulations to everyone who worked behind the scenes to get this chapter up and running and to RWA who approved it. The group has 39 members and their goals are: to promote excellence in [...]
Apr 29 2009
I’m working on an article of author online promotional dos/donts. This issue came to my attention by a reader who participates on the Amazon Discussion boards. The reader has been noticing an increase in author participation on the boards. The problem is that authors aren’t adding insight into the discussions but see the discussion threads [...]
Apr 29 2009
Dear Ms. Enoch: I’ve really enjoyed this Notorious Gentleman series which started with After the Kiss and ends with Always a Scoundrel, a book that csquared deemed one of your best in years. I agree. This is a book that had my emotions in my throat nearly the entire time. It was dark, evocative, and [...]
Apr 28 2009
Dear Mr. Gill, It must be demon possession month because this is the second young adult novel I’ve read that features such a premise. I believe this is your debut and since I hadn’t heard of it before the box containing it landed on my doorstep, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Even now I’m [...]
Apr 28 2009
In an effort to keep up with the Jones (Amazon), Barnes & Noble has launched a digital audio bookstore. I’m not an audiobook aficionado so I can’t speak to whether the prices are a good deal. The digital downloads are mp3s which means that there are no DRM restrictions such as there are for Audible.com [...]
Apr 28 2009
Dear Ms. Ashley: As a satisfied reader of your Regency pirate series, I was definitely on board to try your new late Victorian book about a hero who suffers from Asperger’s. The barbaric aspects of a growing medical tradition and the increasing urbanization and complexity of British society are a perfect fit for a story [...]
Apr 28 2009
see more Lolcats and funny pictures Dear Ms. Buonfiglio: This is not a traditional review, per se, but I could imagine no other appropriate way to respond to the public posting of your recent presentation at the Princeton Romance conference, especially since you seemed to make a fundamental distinction between your Romance B(u)y the Boook [...]
Apr 27 2009
The big news today was that Amazon acquired Stanza, the premiere reading application for the iPhone. Lexcycle promises that it is not going to drop any of the existing partners (despite that they are in direct competition to Amazon). Others around the web, however, are very concerned. Teleread.org has some great coverage including how Amazon [...]
Apr 27 2009
This account of the Princeton Romance Conference, Love as the practice of freedom? which took place on April 23 and 24, 2009. This account is from reader, Karen W, who helps organize the fabulous Celebrate Romance seminar, wrote this up for another group and I asked if I could repost it. I’m sorry I missed [...]
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