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

Dear Ms. Johnson,
Dear Author received a copy of your latest book, “Scarlett Fever” for review and since I’m slightly anal about reading a series in order, I backtracked to read the prequel book, “Suite Scarlett” first. And wow am I glad I did. YA isn’t my usual forte here but with books like this one, [...]

Dear Ms. Marchetta,
2006’s Jellicoe Road, which I reviewed here, was one of my absolute favorite books read last year. When I heard you were about to publish another book, this time, a YA fantasy titled Finnikin of the Rock, I requested an ARC of the book and was thrilled when one showed up in [...]

Dear Ms. Smith,
When I told some friends I was reading your YA novel, Flygirl, and what it was about, one of them directed me to this article at The New York Times. It’s about the awarding of Congressional Gold Medals to the Women Airforce Service Pilots (WASP), who provided the United States Army with [...]

Dear Ms. Meminger,
On Saturday, September 15, 2001, seventeen-year-old Samar “Sam” Ahluwahlia encounters a man she doesn’t know at the door to the house she and her mother share. The man is wearing a turban, and his presence on her doorstep disturbs Samar. But he turns out to be not a menacing terrorist, but [...]

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. [...]

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 [...]

Dear Ms. Marchetta,
I have a bone to pick with you. I’ve got a packed read-and-review schedule for the next month or so, and I need to be able to move from book to book. But you’ve made that impossible. Yes, I blame you. It’s your fault that your book, Jellicoe Road, left [...]