Monday Midday Links: It Looks Rosy for Romance

JaneFeatures / Publishing NewsCarina Press / genre critique / Stephenie-Meyer9 Comments

Romantic Times is blogging about Carina Press. The blogger, Nicole, says that the manufacturer limitations is what has prevented her from adopting ebooks. What Nicole is talking about, however, seems to be limitations by the publisher and not the manufacturer:

I know that one of the reasons I have resisted a Kindle or a Nook is because of the limitations put on it by the manufacturer. I want something that allows me to upload and read any document I so chose, regardless of origin. I also want to be able to manage my own electronic products, move them around if so desired.

Stephenie Meyer is burnt out on vampires and her next book is likely to be a follow up to her adult novel, The Host and maybe a fantasy book. Sounds like she doesn’t have anything written. Maybe look for Meyer in 2010 or 2011?

Publishers’ Weekly has an article entitled “Romancing the Recession” and it talks about the vibrancy of the romance genre. Paranormal leads the pack with historicals selling strong but what is surprising (but encouraging for me) is the rise of the contemporary. Long time readers will know that I love a good contemporary. Sarah Wendell and I even created a special website called SavetheContemporary.com.

St. Martin’s, says Enderlin, continues to see growth in this area, especially with humorous, contemporary romances such as Susan Donovan’s Ain’t Too Proud to Beg, about the romantic fortunes of a group of single women in a dog-walking group. SMP also recently launched a new chef-themed series by Louisa Edwards with Can’t Stand the Heat; the follow-up, On the Steamy Side, is due in March. Each title is billed as a "recipe for love novel." As Enderlin says, "Right now there’s so much dark paranormal out there. Light, funny, contemporary can be an antidote to that."

Author Sharon Ashwood is offering holiday greeting cards in an effort to assist dogs and cats who are injured and abandoned. These cards also serve as a promotional vehicle for her upcoming release, Scorched. Photos of GVAC pets and artwork for the greeting cards can be found at: http://www.sharonashwood.com/gvac.php.

For every card downloaded, Ashwood, a native of Victoria, Canada, will donate 54 cents, Canadian, to the Greater Victoria Animal Crusaders (GVAC). All donations will help defray veterinary costs for one of GVAC’s injured pets. Once that animal’s expenses have been covered, all donations from Ashwood’s program will then go toward the health care costs of another dog or cat. The author says she settled on 54 cents as the donation amount because that’s the current cost for a Canadian first-class postage stamp.

Wired takes a look at adaptions of children’s books that have resulted in box office disappointment.

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory (2005)
Where Gene Wilder succeeded in making Willy Wonka a lovable character with a sardonic twist, Johnny Depp did quite the opposite, and director Tim Burton helped turn the character into a creepy loner with too much makeup. While the children were spot-on and the music was updated to current pop culture standards, the presence of Depp’s Wonka gave the film a disturbing vibe that was hard to shake. -‘Curtis Silver

Apple has filed a patent on ad technology that would require you to interact by pressing a button or tapping a screen in response to a directive from the ad itself. Egads, is this scary or what?

The technology can freeze the device until the user clicks a button or answers a test question to demonstrate that he or she has dutifully noticed the commercial message. Because this technology would be embedded in the innermost core of the device, the ads could appear on the screen at any time, no matter what one is doing.”

Can DNA matching serve you better than a regular old dating site?

A couple of genetic testing companies are promising to match couples based on DNA testing, touting the benefits of biological compatibility. The companies claim that a better biological match will mean better sex, less cheating, longer-lasting love and perhaps even healthier children.

Jane

Jane Litte is the founder of Dear Author, a lawyer, and a lover of pencil skirts. She self publishes NA and contemporaries (and publishes with Berkley and Montlake) and spends her downtime reading romances and writing about them. Her TBR pile is much larger than the one shown in the picture and not as pretty. You can reach Jane by email at jane @ dearauthor dot com

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