Dear Author: Romance Novel Reviews, Industry News, and Commentary

Got a book you want to talk about? Frustrated with a book or series? In love with a new one? Found a buried treasure? An issue that keeps popping up in the books you are reading? Just want to chat about stuff in general? Post away.

Dear Ms. Haynes:

I hadn’t read you before and honestly, I didn’t think I would like this book. The reason for this isn’t grounded in any good reason, but a fairly superficial one, but I’ll articulate it in case other readers make these snap judgments.

I had started the book Fortune Hunter and read about three pages. It featured an ugly duckling of a heroine who was fat. I skimmed through it and found that the heroine wore a size 8 and decided that the book wasn’t worth reading. I also think these covers don’t help. There’s a huge difference between embarassing and bland, Penguin Art Deptartment, and these covers and the hideous new Joey Hill cover, fall into the bland.

Sorry, back from the cover tangent. In any event, because I received this book for free, I started to page through it and by the end of the second chapter, I was hooked. The story starts out a bit ordinary and predictable. Heroine (rich girl Trinity) comes home and finds her husband of six months in a shower going down on a big chested bimbo. She …

I would like to develop an “If You Like Series” here at Dearauthor. Essentially, I want to build a library of cross referenced authors so that if a reader is searching for a particular read and likes a particular author, she might find a new author to glom onto.

I’m trying to do a better job of recommending authors to other people (and would love to be able to add at the end of a review, an “If You Like” segment). The idea is that we start out a thread with a very popular author like Susan Elizabeth Phillips and we talk about what we like about her books; what, if any, threads of commonality there are about the books; what heroine/hero tropes are in the books; and then, what other authors write books in a similar vein.

If we kind of flesh out what we like about a particular author, then we might be able to give better recommendations. Does that interest you? Would you be willing to participate? Drop a note as to what you think.

Barbara Bauer, named one of the publishing industry’s 20 Worst Literary Agents, has sued over 19 bloggers and website administrators for allegedly defaming her. The New Jersey Star-Ledger has reported on it, in part because Bauer is a local resident. Wikipedia and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America website have been named as well as Preditors & Editors. I’m glad that Wikipedia lawyers are getting involved. They have alot of experience in this realm. To date, Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act has begun to be interpreted fairly broadly to immunize websites from the actions of its commenters (and in Wikipedia’s case, the actions of the webizens who edit it).

The individuals responsible for editing and commenting, however, do not have the same protections. The problem I think for Bauer is in defamation suits, an absolute defense of libel is the truth. Any of the defendants would have the right to prove that Bauer had no good reputation from her own acts. Her whole life will be under the microscope now ala Roger Clemens and his multitude of affairs that are now seeing the …

Dear Mrs. McInerney,

Since it doesn’t look like I’m going to get to Australia any time soon, your book will have to serve as a travelogue of sorts. The Australian Tourism Board can use it as a reason why people should fold themselves into tiny airplane seats for an ungodly number of hours. Screw the koalas, people should read “Upside Down Inside Out” to prime them for a visit Down Under and to watch two nice people fall in love.

When I read the back blurb, I had visions of Aussie Chick Lit which thankfully this book isn’t. One reason I’m getting tired of the traditional CL style is the pratfall laughs. Let’s watch the heroine make a cake of herself preferably in her undies! No, not so much my humor style anymore and not what’s found here. I enjoyed the subtle, gentle humor sprinkled throughout the story. And the fact that both Eva and Joe can take a joke as well as dish one out.

I loved the chance to “see” Dublin, the Irish countryside, Melbourne and South Australia. I take it you’ve had the - ahem - pleasure …

What’s this you say? I read quite a few blogs outside the romance blogosphere and many of the big ones have a daily open thread where the commenters drive the bus. I thought we would test out an open thread here at Dear Author.

The rules for Author Promo Night Open Thread are as follows:

The book has to be released in that month (i.e., anything released during the last week of April would be a May release)
You can post for yourself or you can have a friend post for you if the idea of posting about your book paralyzes you .
No self published authors unless you write romance. No, I am not a POD hater, I am just thinking about the manageability of the thread.
Think about the readership. I.e., does your non fiction book about psoriasis really fit?
This one is more of a guideline than a rule, but be smart about your comment because if it is just a link to your website and the title of your book, I doubt you are going to get any interest.
DA reserves the right to delete the post if it promotes objectionable content (i.e., no daddy/daughter incest recommends …

In light of the recent occurrences at NCP in which the publisher took a partial from an author and inserted it into an anthology without her permission and allowed others to finish the story for her, again without her permission, I wondered what impact that had on readers.

Whenever I hear of a publishing fiasco, I am torn in two. Half of me feels terrible for the authors in the situation that they are in and the other half feels frustrated with the authors. Now, I think the situation that Somers finds herself in right now is fairly unique. Unless the contract specifies that a work is shall not to be used without the permission of the author unless it is for the specified contracted purpose (i.e., novella, inclusion in a specific anthology, or full length work), the contract term may be vague enough that NCP could do with it what they want. It might have taken alot of foresight to have avoided that nightmare.

I heard from one source that NCP sales have actually increased for some authors since news of its issues have come to the forefront. Is it possible that the increase could be …

Dear Ms. Smith:

When I read the setup for this story, I had to read it. I love the reunited lover storyline. Olivia and her husband, Reign, have been separated for over thirty years–since their wedding night in fact. Reign, a vampire, bit Olivia and turned her against her will. She was angered and betrayed and tried to kill him. When she failed she fled and they’ve not had any contact since.

Olivia receives a note that her nephew, who she raised as a son, has been kidnapped and the ransom for his return is Reign. Olivia goes to Reign and explains the situation (except the ransom). Reign agrees to act as her husband to ostensibly search for Jmaes in exchange for conjugal rights. Olivia doesn’t care. She’s more than willing to trade her body for the life of James.

I liked the core of the story alot. Reign isn’t exactly remorseful for his actions, but in the results of them. He would do anything to make it up to Olivia and win her back even if he doesn’t trust her. I didn’t mind that Olivia …

Welcome to Query Saturday. Individual authors anonymously send a query to be read and critiqued by the Dear Author community of authors, readers and industry others. Anyone is welcome to comment. Published authors may do so under their own name or anonymously.

Readers, though, the way that I look at it is this: Would the hook itself interest you in reading the book. If yes, what interests you and if not, what would you change to make it more appealing?
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I would also like to preface this query by adding that this story has a dual, intertwining timeline that also pretzels into a second book, although this book is a stand alone. I’m also looking for book name suggestions. I am an expert in antique clothing- my business. Should I mention this?

Dear Editor X—,

Can love’s obsession exist from beyond the grave?

In my romantic time travel adventure novel, —(unnamed), my heroine, lingerie photographer Cassandra — and hero, dashing French inventor Gaston —, discover the power of love can conquer even the boundaries of time. This completed, 90,000 word novel I believe would suit your “title” line.

Hurtled through time by a cursed broach, Cass awakens in 1904, inside the murdered body of …

Dear Ms. Cumbie and Ms. McClanahan,

Your first book was a delight, second I haven’t read, third was a disappointment and fourth I almost didn’t read. Ha. Let that be a lesson to me. From the blurb, I knew that this would be more comedy and mystery than romance and in the last book I had decried the lack of Buddy Overstreet and Vic Martin. I also realized that I’d probably be in for lots of culture clashes between the good ole girls from west Texas and the people of New York City. Both of these didn’t thrill me. But by gum you pulled it off and had me laughing even as the management of the Anson hotel whimpered at the damage unleashed in the wake of Debbie Sue Overstreet and Edwina Perkins-Martin - hair dressers extraordinaire and PIs still in training.

If “Shoes” had only been an ‘us vs them’ treatment of the differences between small town west Texans and brash Yankees, I’d have gotten tired of it pretty quickly. But I love the way you two have everyone pretty much end up laughing with each …