Publishing Newschildren's fiction / diversity / editors / gender / general fiction / heroines / publishing / road novels4 Comments
Green Screen: The Lack of Female Road Narratives and Why it Matters – Although this essay by Vanessa Veselka is a couple of years old, with all of the focus on Gamergate and systematized violence against women, I think it’s more relevant now than ever. Viselka talks about her own ... more >
Letters of Opinionheroines40 Comments
Like many romance fans, I recently read the newest book by Loretta Chase, Silk Is For Seduction. Like many fans, I too loved it. It is a great example of the qualities I look for in a romance: interesting characters, engaging storyline and witty, sometimes startlingly funny, dialogue. It also ... more >
Letters of Opinionheroines92 Comments
Back in April, I had an exchange with poster Liza Lester in response to Janine’s review of Petals and Thorns. Liza wrote: But it occurred to me that if the forced seduction were presented as (rather mild, actually) BDSM erotica, if it were explicitly a game, or limited to a ... more >
Letters of Opinionheroines / Ugly Duckling / Ugly heroine49 Comments
I tend to read for three things: a visceral response, a delightful and interesting use of language, and character. While genre fiction often relies on plot rather than prose to compel the reader forward, I firmly believe that the best plots are rooted in character. Even if the plot of ... more >
Publishing Newsbook business / Borders / digital publishing / Harlequin SuperRomance / heroines27 Comments
Publisher talks with Borders do not appear to be promising according to the Publishers’ Weekly article. Brian Keene (who broke news about Dorchester) states that several Borders employees reported to him that they have been told to look for other jobs. Sarah Weinman, over at Daily Finance, says that Barnes ... more >
Features / Pollheroines / poll / Reader Opinions56 Comments
At the Popular Romance Studies: International Conference, organised by the International Association for the Study of Popular Romance (IASPR), there was a brief discussion to explore this question: Are older under-represented in the romance genre? If so, why? Good questions. The average age of heroine in U.S. romance novels is between 24-26 (and possibly ... more >