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

Starter for 10
Genre: Comedy/Drama/Romance
Grade: C+/B-

For all of you who were thinking “Jayne only likes old movies,” I decided to pick one that’s not 70 years old. Yes, it’s set in 1985 but it was just released in 2006! So that counts, right? Why did I pick this? 1) James McAvoy. 2) I was in college in 1985 so a trip down memory lane looked good to me.

Brian Jackson (James McAvoy) is a working class teenager who’s just been accepted at Bristol University. Brian loves knowledge, loves learning and genuinely wants the chance to study and improve himself unlike some of his mates from home. So off he goes with the challenge of his friend, Spencer (Dominic Cooper), ringing in his ears for Bri to “not become a wanker.”

Next follow scenes of Bri starting to find his way around, going to lackluster “costumed” theme mixers and pretending, like most of the other freshmen, that he’s having a good time at them. One of the first women he meets at a party is Rebecca Epstein (Rebecca Hall) who’s the slightly more sophisticated campus protest leader.

It’s at a meeting to test for a place on the campus “University Challenge” quiz team, that …

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It’s International Blog Against Racism Week.

Barnes and Noble is proclaiming it is giving away 6 free books when you download its special ebook reader on the iphone or laptop. The special ebook reader is merely a BN wrapped version of eReader. The six books are ones in the public domain and when one reader complained that these books were subject to DRM, BN replied with the following:

We selected public domain titles as our free eBooks because these books are traditionally among our customers’ favorite works of literature.

As an alternative, we also offer free samples of every commercial title available on our website so that you can discover for yourself how easy it is to read our eBooks on your iPhone, Blackberry or personal computer…Also, for copyright protection purposes, these files are encrypted and cannot be converted or printed.

Oh, BN, you are not inspiring confidence in your knowledge of books and technology. Just saying.

In contrast, Quartet Press is shaping up to be a very exciting entrant into the publishing world. Today, Mr X’s …

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Dear Ms. Long:

I took a small break from reading your books, albeit unintentionally, a couple of years ago. I think once a reader falls off the bandwagon of an author, you start hesitating to start reading her again, believing that you must have stopped for a very good reason. My reason for stopping, though, was simply forgetfulness and having read Since the Surrender I am kind of kicking myself for having missed the last couple books. The benefit, of course, is that I can go back and purchase said backlist titles and enjoy a weekend of reading.

Since the Surrender excels at the character portraits of its lead protagonists: Captain Chase Eversea and Rosalind March but stutters at the plot execution. Fortunately, the character portraits and the romance arc is enough to overcome.

Captain Chase Eversea has been banished to London by his exuberant family. They no longer want him moping about the Eversea properties in the country, making them all sad and gloomy. Ever since the war has ended and Chase has returned, he’s not been the same succumbing to his temper more than once at what seems like a nonsensical jest. …

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A question raised by Esi Sogah, editorial assistant at Avon, last night on Twitter was whether Bestseller lists matter on the cover of books and which ones. Extended beyond that would be what bestseller lists are most useful in making purchasing decisions. I do look at bestseller lists at etailers like Amazon and Fictionwise and Samhain to help make purchasing decisions. I don’t believe that the label on the book has influenced me, but perhaps it has.

One thing about bestseller lists, particularly like the NY Times, is that they aren’t based on actual sales, but projections and calculations and other mysterious woo woo guarded tightly by these bestseller list owners. The lists can be deceptive. Take, for example, Susan Andersen’s recent release, Bending the Rules, which made the NYT list (No. 14) and PW list (peaked at 12). According to her July 29, 2009, newsletter, Harlequin is axing the series, refusing to publish the third in the trilogy and Andersen will be starting with a new stand alone.

I tend to believe that the Amazon, Fictionwise bestseller lists are based on actual units sold and thus more accurate. I could be …

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Dear Ms. Sheckley,

Earlier this year I read and reviewed (with Janine) your first urban fantasy book, The Better to Hold You. (Wait, can a book be termed “urban fantasy” when it’s set in the boonies? Maybe it should be called semi-rural fantasy? Though that’s kind of unwieldy as a name…) Janine and I agreed that The Better to Hold You deserved a high B grade – missing a B+, but not by much. I was eagerly anticipating this next book in the series, though as it turned out the glut of good books coming out lately means that I didn’t get around to reading Moonburn until several months after it had been released.

Moonburn opens some months after The Better to Hold You ended; Abra Barrow, lycanthrope (or werewolf, in layperson’s terms) is living the rustic life in a cabin in the woods of upstate New York with her lover, Red. Red is a shapeshifter, different from Abra in that he was born with an animal nature he can transform into, whereas Abra was infected with a virus (by her jerk of an ex-husband, Hunter) that causes her to turn wolf around the full moon …

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Dear Ms Michaels,

When I finished “Mistletoe Cinderella,” I knew I wouldn’t mind spending a little more time with the nice people of Mistletoe, Georgia. Good people who care about each other, genuine issues mixed with a little humor and a series that you don’t have to have read the previous books to follow along. Yep, win/win all around.

I’m feeling like a lazy slob today so I’m just gonna steal your blurb.

Brenna Pierce is a pet sitter who thinks the biggest complication in her life is a broken-down car—until Dr. Adam Varner and his three children roll into town for summer vacation! Trying to get her self-owned business up and running, Brenna doesn’t have time for romance. And Adam certainly isn’t looking for a relationship. He already has his hands full trying to bond with a teenage son, surly “tween” daughter and a little girl obsessed with getting a cat for her fifth birthday. Yet, amid the chaos of animals and kids, Brenna and Adam discover love and something that feels remarkably like family.

There are lots of things to like about this book. The kids aren’t all sweetness and light – they act their ages …

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Barnes and Noble will offer free ATT wifi access in all its retail stores. Once on the wifi access, you’ll be able to get access to instore promotions and the ability to buy your ebooks.

Wendy, the SuperLibrarian, wonders if bloggers can actually make a book. Wendy says that publicists can’t expect this of a reader and reader bloggers shouldn’t play into that mentality (hear, hear).

My response to this was that if Avon was waiting for the day when a blogger was going to be solely responsible for “making” a book, they’d be waiting a long time. Listen, I’m a librarian. I can tell you in no uncertain terms that there are two ways to “make” a book. 1) The publisher’s PR department puts in a lot of long hours and 2) Oprah picks it for her book club.

…

The minute reader bloggers begin losing sight of what their purpose is, and why they got into the game to begin with, is when they start feeding a corporate machine. Most of us started blogging for one reason, and one reason only. We wanted to connect with other readers who loved the romance genre as much as we do.

Even Jeff …

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Earlier this year, Harlequin announced it would be launching a Young Adult line. The line is officially called “Harlequin Teen” which can be found at HarlequinTeen.com. The line launched yesterday with My Soul to Take by New York Times author Rachel Vincent in trade paperback. A hardcover from another New York Times Bestselling author Gena Showalter, Intertwined, which will be available in September.

Natashya Wilson, editor for the Harlequin Teen line, was gracious enough to answer a few questions for our Dear Author audience. Drop a comment or question about the Harlquin Teen YA line and be entered to win one of copy of either Gena Showalter’s Intertwined or Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Take. International readers are welcome to enter but I will order that book via Book Depository so Showalter’s book would not be mailed until September. Contest will close at midnight July 30, 2009 CST.
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Your target age group is 12-18 year old girls. Do you expect than older readers will pick up the teen books?

NW: Definitely. While our books are …

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Dear Ms. Dare:

I would not have read this book had it not been for the April Fool’s Day joke that led to my getting a copy of Legend of a Werestag in my inbox. Legend of a Werestag is a novella you published through Samhain and your writing in that novella made me hungry for a full length novel which you so conveniently were able to provide to me shortly after I finished LofaW.

The covers for the series and the blurbs made the stories inside seem very ordinary when, in fact, the writing is exquisite. This book doesn’t have a unique setting. Lucy and Jeremy meet and spend most of their time in pastoral England. This book doesn’t have unique characters. Jeremy is an Earl and Lucy is the daughter of the gentry.

It’s a romance and so the plot is terribly unique either.  But that is what makes the book so wonderful. It takes familiar characters and a familiar plot and delivers a story that reads like its fresher than morning dew on the grass. (It’s that too trite? I’m not terribly good at the simile).  Frankly I think the best recommendation …

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The most famous first line of a novel was penned by Victorian Baron Edward Bulwer-Lytton. “It was a dark and stormy night” led off his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. Maili offers up the four reasons why first lines are important:
Reason 1: it’s usually the fastest way to determine whether I would enjoy the book.
Reason 2: I think an opening line can be helpful as it can quickly set a mood or expectation of what to come.
Reason 3: a good opening line can make me appreciate how well an author manipulates the language.
Reason 4: some can be so outrageous that I can’t help but read on. Most times it will become clear that it’s not what it really is, which makes me appreciate the author’s wit.

Of course, some great books have terrible opening lines and some awful book have truly memorable ones. Once in a while, some authors tried too hard. I think simplicity works best. Here’s a selection of opening lines that got me to buy a copy:

• My mother was the village whore and I loved her very much. Pigs Don’t Fly – Mary Brown
• He liked radical

…

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Dear Ms. Duran,

Since I’ve acquired my lovely Sony PRS-505, I’ve used the handy-dandy “bookmark” button to mark notable pages in a book that I may want to refer back to when I write a review. Depending on the book, the bookmarks may be noting something that worked for me or something that didn’t. When reading your latest book, Written on Your Skin, I hit the bookmark button so many times I was afraid I was going to wear it out. All 32 bookmarks (and it easily could’ve been 132 if I hadn’t restrained myself a bit) noted bits of prose or characterization that I just loved. So it’s no surprise that Written on Your Skin is easily one of the best books I’ve read in a long while.

The book opens in Hong Kong in 1880. Phin Monroe and Mina Masters have been carrying on a flirtation for several weeks when they encounter each other at a party. Phin thinks that Mina is an empty-headed flirt and Mina thinks Phin is an American businessman. They’re both wrong. Things get interesting when Phin collapses, the victim of poisoned brandy. Each quickly realizes that the other has hidden …

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Robin, who cheats on Dear Author by blogging at Access Romance and Romancing the Blog, posted her thoughts about spoilers in reviews.  Robin is for it (and I am too) but we both work hard to have spoiler free reviews. It’s often quite hard, particularly when an element of the story affects how you view the book’s plot or character development.

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• More rumors abound about the Apple Tablet.  The Financial Times is stating that it will be due out by Christmas (registration required).   There is a supposed launch of a new iTouch complete with camera and microphone in October so it’s possible that the Apple Tablet will be announced at the same time.
• Red Sage author, Leigh Court, was featured on NBC Nightly News in a piece about entertainment. I haven’t watched it yet but I heard it was pro romance.
• Speaking of national news and romance, Geri Krotow, a romance author, gave her book to Barak Obama as a gift for Michelle.  The pictures of the President looking at the book are priceless.
• Penguin has a good quarter but only because of the currency exchange rate.  Under the hood, it shows that profits fell 19% and there was a 6% sales decline in the first six months of 2009.  Penguin appears to be losing money in its travel and reference department which resulted in the layoffs (100 people) and downsizing of its DK Publishing Group.  Charlaine Harris is the highlight of the US publishing group.  Dead and Gone shipped 540,000 copies of the hardcover.  E-book sales are “very strong”

…

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Welcome to the My First Sale series. Each Monday, Dear Author posts the first sale letter of bestselling authors, debut authors, and authors in between. Lynn Raye Harris‘ debut novel, Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge (Harlequin Presents) has an official release date of August 1, but look for it in stores now.
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I love First Sale stories.  During the dark, hard times when I slogged through muck and doubt and disbelief I could ever write a story someone would buy, First Sale stories were my hope (yes, the phrase is always capitalized in my mind).  When I wanted to quit, I’d stumble across someone’s First Sale story and the flame of perseverance would rekindle.  To be able to share my own First Sale here with you now is a great joy.

To begin properly, I have to say that I read my first romance when I was about twelve years old.  It was a Harlequin Presents, with a dashing alpha male (probably a sheikh) and a virginal heroine.  I was hooked.  I read HPs for several years, then dropped away …

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see more Lolcats and funny pictures

I am going to get back to Google Book Settlement, I promise, but this Sunday I really wanted to address the topic of ebook ownership given the Orwellian actions of Amazon. For those who are unaware, two weeks ago Amazon failed to notice that two Orwell titles (1984 and Animal Farm) were being illegally sold in the Kindle store. These books are in the public domain in other countries, but not the U.S and since the Kindle is available only to U.S. residents the sale of these Orwell titles was improper.

The U.S. Kindle owners had no idea, of course, that the books that were made available were illegal copies. It was for sale at Amazon, for goodness sakes. One might be excused for thinking that when one pressed “Buy It Now”, one was buying a legitimate copy.

Then one evening Amazon accessed all of the Kindles that had these illegal copies and removed them, reimbursed the consumer, and left without notice.  It’s the lack of notice and invasion of privacy that was shocking and frightening to users and observers and Amazon’s actions further served to …

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All the links I should have posted this week but didn’t:

Kovid has released Calibre 0.6, a major upgrade to the best software program in existence for digital book readers. This program allows you to manage, rate, sort, tag, convert your ebooks. If you don’t have it, you should. Calibre is available for Windows, MAC, and Linux users. Kovid even has demo videos available for those new and confused users of Calibre. It never ceases to astound me when free products are better than the pay products. It’s a sad state of things, frankly. (If you are a user of Calibre, please consider donating to Kovid because this product is just so outstanding).

Amazon media sales, which includes books, DVDs, music, video games and video game consoles, was “flat” in the second quarter. Sales of the Kindles were purportedly strong but those sales fall within the electronics segment.

Sales for the entire company increased 14%, to $4.65 billion, but net income fell 10%, to $142 million. Unfavorable exchange rates lowered sales and earnings at the corporate level. One-time items also lowered earnings. The company said it expects total sales to rise between 11% and 23% in

…

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Dear Mr. Lane:

I reviewed your Dark Heart in February (the book of the gorgeous cover), which I very much enjoyed. So when you sent me White Flag, I was thrilled to have it, short though it is (only 68 pages). And it was an enjoyable, if predictable, little read. But I’m really writing about it because of its place in another conversation I’m having about romance.

Charlie is a travel writer, a rolling stone, content never EVER to settle. On a canal in the French countryside, he meets Matthieu, scion of a vineyard family, who is attractive, seductive, determined…and has put down roots so strongly there’s no way to uproot him. Instant drama. Instant, unfixable conflict.

As I said, it’s a short little book, told from Charlie’s first person POV. Every now and then it’s got the emotional disconnect that I associate MFA program writing, in which the characters are observers of their own lives, not actors. But that’s appropriate for Charlie, who’s terrified about being dragged out of his observational mode and into the life of a boisterous, loving family. But then the emotions come back, most especially when Charlie and …

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Welcome to First Page Saturday. Individual authors anonymously send a first page read and critiqued by the Dear Author community of authors, readers and industry others. Anyone is welcome to comment. You may comment anonymously.

***

Jack Sutton heard a whisper of movement a split second before an arm wrapped around his neck and something sharp plunged into his gut. His brain registered that he’d been stabbed as a hard shove sent him crashing to the cold concrete floor.

“You should’ve slit his throat,” a croaky, unfamiliar voice complained.

“He’ll be dead in an hour,” a second voice assured the first. “Come on, help me get the cash register opened.”

Jack lay still as death, praying whoever these bastards were they’d hurry the hell up. If he could crawl to the phone and dial 9-1-1, he might have a chance.

Jesus, he was going to puke. Concentrate, Sutton, he thought, swallowing hard, choking down bile. He cracked an eye open and wished he hadn’t. The sight of his own blood brought on another wave of nausea; the noxious odor of gasoline made it worse.

He squeezed his eyes shut and listened as his attackers struggled to get the cash …

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Dear Ms. Shalvis:

This is the second in a series of books about the Wilder brothers. I really enjoyed the first one, Instant Attraction, and I feel that those who enjoyed Cam Wilder’s story will also enjoy Stone’s although these decisions could be made easier if the books were in mass market and not trade.

Emma Sinclair has come to the town of Wishful, California, to help manage her father’s clinic while he is recovering from a heart attack. Stone Wilder, partner and business manager for Wilder Adventure, the extreme vacation getaway that the Wilder brothers own and operate out of Wishful (set in the California Sierras). Everyone in this story comes across as fit, buff, and beautiful which makes for a nice fantasy read but doesn’t entice me to do anything but load on another blanket, reach for my bag of potato chips and snuggle down into the sofa.

Emma wants to get back to New York and her fast paced life, her no strings attached emotional life, and her bevy of take out choices. Wishful, however, moves at a glacially slow pace particularly since no one wants to be treated by her. …

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The following is a speech that Laura Bradford gave at the Passionate Ink cocktail party at RWA National Conference 2009.  Laura is the owner of Bradford Literary Agencywho represents authors such as Ann Aguirre, Beth Kery, Jess Granger (whose book I am reading right now), Lauren Dane, Megan Hart, to name just a few.  The Conference was abuzz with this speech and I begged Ms. Bradford for the privilege of reprinting it here at Dear Author. Thank you so much, Ms. Bradford, for this invaluable information.
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A few months back I was asked to speak about market trends at the Passionate Ink gathering at the 2009 RWA National conference. To that end, a week before National, I called editors from most of the major New York publishers with some interest in sensual or erotic romance. It is not an exhaustive list. With one GIANT DISCLAIMER that this information is based on one agent’s conversations with a handful of editors about what their houses are currently on the lookout for, here is the information I shared with the Passionate Ink RWA chapter last week:

Avon
* Avon is still acquiring for their Red imprint …

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Paperback Hero (1999)
Genre: Romance
Grade: B

Recently my old VHS player bit the dust after years of faithful service. So when I was looking to replace it, because I have tons of movies recorded over the years on tape, it dawned on me that VHS is in its twilight and I’d better come up with some way to save these movies which have not yet been transferred to DVD. So I bought a player that will allow me to transfer VHS to DVD. Now, before anyone gets their knickers in a knot, these are movies I’ve either bought or recorded off TV and I don’t plan on turning it into a money making enterprise so I figure I’m all right. Right?

As I began pawing through my many, many tapes, I saw this one – Paperback Hero – which I was fortunate enough to buy years ago. Why fortunate? Because the bloody thing doesn’t appear to be available any more. There are a lot of older movies, and not so older movies, that I am amazed have not been released on DVD yet. This is one of them.

Jack Willis is a roadtrain driver (long haul driver for us in the …

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Dear Ms. Vincent,

While it’s true that your Faythe Saunders werecat books don’t work well for me, I’ve been watching the soon-to-be-launched Harlequin Teen imprint with interest. It’s no secret that YA novels have been experiencing a sort of renaissance in recent years. The genre is large, diverse and continually growing, so I was interested in seeing what titles the largest romance publisher would bring us. The imprint doesn’t launch until August with your novel, My Soul to Take, serving as one of the lead titles (and Gena Showalter’s Intertwined to follow in September), but Harlequin gave us a sneak peek with your prequel novella.

It’s just another day at the mall for Kaylee Cavanaugh, who’s gone there with her best friend. Well, maybe not just another day. After all, they’re working on a plan to get revenge on Kaylee’s ex-boyfriend who unceremoniously dumped her and then proceeded to ask another girl to the dance without missing a beat. Unfortunately, things don’t go according to plan. Kaylee has always suffered from panic attacks and as so often happens in this sorts of stories, one overcomes her in the middle of …

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Kindle sales are now being counted toward bestseller numbers. I hope this goes a long way toward pushing publishers to get their act together and release ebooks in a timely fashion.

Slow web loading speed can be a greater deterrent than anything and can overcome great features or content. This is something I struggle with at Dear Author – the trade off between widgety goodness and fast loading pages. I think it’s a battle I’m losing right now and plan to relaunch at the end of the year, a better faster Dear Author.

Teleread reports the Sony 700 is no longer available through the French store.  Mike Cane noticed that the Sony 700 and Dark Blue Sony Reader 505 are gone from the US site.  Does that mean the Gen 3 Sony Reader can’t be too far behind?

Twilight is turning ComicCon into a girlfest of sorts as teens descend upon the conference to catch glimpses of Robert Pattison who is scheduled to be on the New Moon Q&A panel.

Wall Street Journal writes about the digital buyer remorse when she finds out the books she bought, she doesn’t really own (which is why I crack the DRM …

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NOTE: I flushed the poll because there was some confusion about the “PUBLIC” nature of the criticism. I want the poll to reflect the temperature of whether public criticism is acceptable.  Sorry for the restart.

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The website mistress of The Season (a place to find out about new historical romance releases) asked this question on Twitter this morning.  Many authors I know believe never in saying anything critical of another author’s work in the genre.  As a reader, an author saying something negative about the book of another author does not bother me in the least.

Further, one of the biggest complaints I hear about Dear Author is that we are mere readers and don’t understand the craft of writing. It is true that we are a group of readers here and we don’t have intimate knowledge of the craft of writing (although at times I feel like I know more than the writer if the book is particularly bad).  Who understands the craft of writing better than a writer?

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Dear Ms. McCarthy:

You are fast becoming one of my go to authors. This was a fun, sweet, and very sexy romance. I want more of these. Russ Evans has been trying to track down a fraudster, Trevor Dean, who is preying on women in online dating forums. He romances them, takes their money, and leaves them heartbroken and poor. Russ and his partner believe that Trevor is set to meet a new victim, one Laurel Wilkins. Except Laurel is different than the others which makes Russ wonder if she is not Trevor’s accomplice.

The setup is cute. Laurel and Russ are both waiting for her blind date to show up. When it seems like Laurel is about to get stood up, Russ goes inside the coffee shop to warm up and take a closer look at the vic/accomplice. Once inside, Laurel spots him and greets him like he’s her date. And apparently he is because Trevor masqueraded as Russ online.

“How the hell did she know his name, he wondered as he watched her walk. And how had she poured herself into those black pants? That was one beautiful

…

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Dear Ms. Briggs,

I always approach an old favorite with trepidation. So often they were favorites because of the person I was at that time in my life, and having changed, they no longer affect me as they once did. But sometimes I’m lucky and I find that it was something more timeless and I love the book as much as ever.

I’m a long-time lover of science fiction romance, and have been reading it since the 70s, even though I didn’t have any concept of the sub-genre at the time. I’m going to be revisiting some of the classics, those books considered must reads that I haven’t read in ages. I expect that I won’t love some as much as I once did. I’m happy to say that the first I chose, a favorite of both mine and Jane’s, is one of those timeless ones, your Dragon Bones / Dragon Blood.

Honestly, I was hard-pressed to come up with any criticism of this book. I sat down after re-reading it and tried to come up with something I’d have changed had I written it …

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Dear RWA:  It looks like next year, you’ll have to disqualify at least one New York publishing house from the RITAs next year. Hopefully you have someone looking into this right now and will be making an announcement in the interest of fairness and equity.

According to an editor, one New York house is not paying a full $1000 per advance. In fact, in a two book deal, the author is getting less than $1000 per book.  Authors, please consider what you are worth and whether print publishing is the right avenue at $1000 and a standard 6% royalty rate (or less).

I did manage to pick up some industry news. Not sure it’s really news, though, but perhaps more just confirmation of what we already knew was going down. A NYC print publisher has slipped under RWA’s stated “$1,000 for all books” requirement on a recent 2-novel contract (yes, in print). This is the second NYC house to do so, though RWA may not know about this one yet. Keep watching. This is far from a dead issue. Advances are falling almost everywhere, and I expect they’ll continue to fall as long as we have this economy.

Virgin is no longer …

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I had to write this post after reading all the headlines on Twitter about Barnes and Noble’s ebookstore presenting real competition for the Amazon Kindle.   It’s not and here’s why.

First, BN’s ebookstore is simply that, a store. There is no device.  Kindle captured the burgeoning ebook crowd not because it simply provided books in digital but because there was a bookstore tied to a device that made purchasing so simple you could explain it to your mom or your five year old.

Second, BN has no such device and there are no plans to release such a device until 2010.  2010 is a long way off. The fabled Apple tablet may have come by then. The PixelQi netbook that has a dual screen (eink like and straight LCD) may have captured the attention of the market.  2010 is eons away in technological time.  Further, there is no confirmation that BN will even sell the device. Instead, the news is that BN will be the exclusive content provider of digital books for the Plastic Logic device. Have you seen the Plastic Logic device? It’s big which means expensive (the Kindle Dx cost $449) and unweildy.

Third, BN price matching Amazon …

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Dear Ms. Watt,

I love a contemporary that doesn’t ask me to put up with idiot behavior or a stupid premise that has to be explained every which way to try and get me to believe in it. Thank you for giving me such a book.

Now that his rodeo career is over, Kade Danning has nowhere else to crawl but back home. He wishes he could just keep his head down, fix up his father’s abandoned ranch and then sell it so he can afford to spend more time with his daughter. Move back, then move on–quickly. Unfortunately, after ten long years he can’t avoid Libby Hale.

Kade has loved Libby all his life and he’d give his championship titles never to have hurt her. But he did. And convincing her to forgive him is the hardest challenge he’s ever faced–in or out of the arena.

There are so many things I like about this book. A believable hero and heroine, a plot that makes sense, details that set the time and place and a couple finding a second chance at a love they both thought gone for good.

The way you handled Kade and Libby’s initial interactions …

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I think I was a preteen when I first started reading romances, albeit against my mother’s wishes. I am sure I was only 14 when I read Whitney, My Love. God I loved that book when I was 14.  Of course Whitney and my maturity level was about the same so it made perfect sense.  I’m grappling with when I will let the tot read romances.  I mean, I recognize the subversity of some of these boss/secretary books, but will she?

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Dear Ms. Howard:

I liked this book but I think it is important for a reader to view it more as an adventure book than a romance on although there is a strong romance. It lacks the emotional intensity of prior Howard works, but it was engaging. There was a certain instruction manual feel to it as you guide us through each mental connection of the heroine as she susses out the who and the why and this, I think, lends to some emotional detachment for me.

Jenner Redwine wins the lottery and it changes her life, although not totally for the better. We are definitely treated to some poor little rich girl scenes in the beginning but I sympathized with Jenner. (and secretly hope to be her some day, well, not her exactly but independently wealthy). We are taken through each and every step of the lottery winning process but then skip over the attempts to integrate into Palm Beach society. (I.e., after all the thoughtful exposition as to how Jenner picked her financial adviser and lost her friends, I am surprised we see nothing about her decision to move Palm Beach. It’s just one …

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Borders Group Inc. is trying new things to revive its flagging sales.  The latest is Borders Ink, a department devoted to selling books and merchandise to teens.  By the end of August most of the Borders superstores should have this specialized department.

At a time when book retailing is slumping, young-adult titles and graphic novels are still delivering growth. Albert N. Greco, a professor at the Fordham University’s Graduate School of Business Administration who studies the book industry, estimates that young-adult fiction, fantasy and science fiction will generate $744.3 million in U.S. publisher revenue this year, up 13% from $659.1 million in 2008.

That compares with U.S. publisher revenue of an estimated $9.73 billion for consumer books as a whole, a 4.7% decline from 2008’s sales, according to Mr. Greco.

Via WSJ.

Another article from the WSJ (pay link) was posted last week and pertained to the timing of ebook releases.  Sourcebooks decided to delay the release of the ebook for a big September title, one that they are hoping hits the New York Times bestseller list.  The publisher of Sourcebooks explains more about her decision at Booksquare.  Her position is that publishers need to make sure that authors are adequately …

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see more Lolcats and funny pictures

It seems romance has evolved to the point where we either get positive press by way of showing off the Ph.D’s writing romance or we get smarmy coverage about how romance authors are all smelling of yeast but still bringing home the bacon. A better article on the RWA Conference and its reflection of the romance genre would be thus: Romance is in a state of flux and represents both the good and the bad of the state of publishing. It shows that reading and publishing is on the brink of a change and no one really knows where it is going.

The RWA National Convention happens once a year when over 2000 registrants  converge on one unsuspecting hotel. The registrants are there to revive old friendships, cement new ones, and generally get their spirit revived. Writing is a solitary business with few rewards.  Under all the conviviality, however, is a discordant note of stress. Nationals is about business too.

Contracted authors meet with their agents and publishers. Some will be told that they no longer have contracts or will …

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Abortion has been fairly taboo in romance. In other words, a heroine has rarely ever seriously contemplated abortion or had one. Would a heroine who had an abortion be acceptable?

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Dear Ms. Mallery,

That I endeavored to read Lip Service is probably a surprise to anyone who read my Twitter entries about the first book in the Titan sisters series (Under Her Skin), since that book hit quite a few of my hot buttons.  But a good experience with the Buchanan series and active curiosity about the suspense subplot in Under Her Skin got me to give the second book a try.  And I must say that I liked Lip Service quite a bit better than Under Her Skin, in large part because I found the characters of Skye and Mitch more believable and relatable, and their relationship more interesting than Lexi and Cruz’s.  Lip Service still wasn’t a real winner for me, but it did offer promise for the remaining two books in the series (sister Izzy and good friend Dana’s stories).

Mitch Cassidy has been gone for almost nine years, and he is not returning home a whole man – at least not according to his definition of the word.  Instead, he is returning embittered and incomplete, having lost part of his leg in Afghanistan and most of his faith in life all along …

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Last week, Amazon crept into consumer’s Kindles and deleted two ebooks that had been purchased: 1984 and Animal Farm by George Orwell.  These books are considered public domain in several countries but not in the US.  The copies that had been uploaded were not authorized copies for readers in the U.S.  Instead of contacting the consumers, Amazon decided to delete them and refund the money.  It proves the point that your books are not your own when you purchase them via the Kindle.  (Thanks to Churrosnchocolate and chris for sending me the link). Check out the annotated Kindle Terms of Service. (readers you have no rights).

Class action lawsuit has been filed against Amazon over the fragility of the Kindle device. Matthew Geise purchased the Kindle and optional protective cover. Shortly after its purchase, the Kindle screen began to crack. Amazon refused to pay for repairs. Geise found others who suffered the same problem and thus the class action suit was birthed. Amazon has responded by offering to repair the devices without charge, but the lawsuit lives on.

The Washington Post got to post its snarky commentary on the romance genre in When Romance …

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Welcome to the My First Sale series. Each Monday, Dear Author posts the first sale letter of bestselling authors, debut authors, and authors in between.

Roslyn Hardy Holcomb is the author of three books. Her most recent book, Pussycat Death Squad, is available from Loose-Id.
***

My first sale story should probably be a primer called How Not to Get Published. My first book happened purely by accident. Back in 2002 I was on a message board with other romance readers complaining about interracial romances. I think I read my first one in 1999, and being in an interracial marriage, I really liked them. However, they were few and far between, and many of them were quite tentative when it came to the more erotic aspects. I had just finished one that had no sex at all, and I was beyond annoyed by it.

So, my friends challenged me to write a love scene of the type I’d like to see in a romance. I’ve always been a writer, primarily of technical and instructional copy, but I’d never written fiction in my life. I had a lot of experience reading romances, however, …

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This is my third RWA National event.  The first year, I was all agog. Last year, I took in more events. This year, I actually did some Dear Author business.  To the business first, then.

I met with Bob and Kana from BooksonBoard.   I’m not sure what the discount will be, but starting next month (August), BooksonBoard will provide a special discount for the monthly recommended reads for Dear Author for those readers who purchase digital books.

Publisher News

Harlequin shared digital publishing news with us. They are actively seeking input from readers on how to make their digital program better.  I got the impression that no idea is left unconsidered so if you have any idea at all, no matter how crazy, post it in the comments so that Harlequin can get an idea of what a reader wants. Wendy, Super Librarian, and I told them we wanted more backlist titles digitized.  Apparently 50% of Harlequin’s sales in the digital format is backlist titles. I think digital publishing has really been a boon to series authors.

Harlequin has a new YA line coming out and I have an entire inteview about …

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Surprised? Disappointed? Happy?  Feel free to use this thread to vent about the awards.

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This thread is to congratulate the winners of the RITA Awards for 2009.  Please keep this a positive thread only for the winners.

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2009 RITA Finalists for Contemporary Single Title Romance

• No Good Girls by Jean Marie Pierson
• Not Another Bad Date by Rachel Gibson WINNER

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2009 RITA Finalists for Best First Book

• No Good Girls by Jean Marie Pierson
• Oh. My. Gods. by Tera Lynn Childs WINNER
• Passionate

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2009 RITA Finalists for Romantic Suspense

• Killing Fear by Allison Brennan
• Now You Die by Roxanne St. Claire
• Scream for Me

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2009 RITA Finalists for Novel with Strong Romantic Elements

• Last Dance At Jitterbug Lounge by Pamela Morsi
• The House on Tradd Street by Karen White

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2009 RITA Finalists for Paranormal Romance

• Dragon Wytch by Yasmine Galenorn
• Mine to Possess by Nalini Singh
• The Darkest Night

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2009 RITA Finalists for Romance Novella

• “All He Wants for Christmas” by Jill Shalvis in Heating Up The Holidays
• “Blame It on the Mistletoe” by Terri Brisbin in One Candlelit Christmas
• “Only You” by Jacquie D’Alessandro in It Happened One Night

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2009 RITA Finalists for Inspirational Romance

• Deep in the Heart of Trouble by Deeanne Gist
• Faking Grace by Tamara Leigh
• Finding Stefanie by Susan

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2009 RITA Finalists for Regency Historical Romance

• Duke Most Wanted by Celeste Bradley
• Mr. Cavendish, I Presume by Julia Quinn
• My Lord and Spymaster

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2009 RITA Finalists for Historical Romance

• Duchess By Night by Eloisa James
• In Bed With the Devil by Lorraine Heath
• Private Arrangements

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