Luck and Privilege: Book Inserts

Many of the older romances I pick up, and even some of the newer ones, have mail-in cards that sign you up for a monthly book subscription. The cards usually include a gift, sometimes a contest, and always a sticker of some sort that you must remove from one page and attach to another. Presumably …

Dance Cards

Regency Romances often refer to dance cards. Like most lists, a list of your dance partners for the evening is a great way to be organized. No one is overlooked or forgotten, no one gets more time than they should have, and there's no risk of forgetting names. It's also a record of the evening, …

The Well-traveled Book

My library is not what it used to be. For decades I accumulated books, dragging them back and forth across the country, and my library was a source of pride. Vanity, to be honest. Changing priorities (a euphemism for not having enough money) meant I had to drastically prune the collection, but that task was …

The Penguin Book of Infidelities

Having just read a couple of novels where the plot involved adultery, I found myself keen to re-read this collection. The Penguin Book of Infidelities, edited by Stephen Brook, is a rich collection of literature on the subject of marital and/or sexual infidelity. The selections include poetry, fictional accounts, letters, and historical records. Brook's stated …

Why I Respect E. L. James

I have not read Fifty Shades of Grey. I know something of the story (submissive relationship) and something of the writing (poor), and I've no desire to read it. It's no secret that the story and writing are widely mocked, which leaves me mystified as to why anyone thought a twitter Q & A with …

Is it Hot in Here?

I rarely mention that I am working on a romance novel. Apart from not wanting to overdo the self-promotion, staying quiet about it keeps the writing pressure off. I abandoned the first draft a few years ago, and the much improved second draft outline is moving slowly. One of the challenges is the correct level …

The Race of the Book

In the early 1700s, Alexander Pope wrote "The Rape of the Lock." This poem is a mock-heroic portrayal of an incident between a couple of aristocrats: Robert Petre, 7th Baron Petre, around twenty at the time, cut off a lock of hair belonging to Arabella Fermor. She was offended (and rightly so), the families quarreled, and an acquaintance prevailed upon …

Cinderella

I don't usually do movie reviews, but this is my blog and I make the rules. I just saw the new live action Cinderella, and loved it. It's a remake of Disney's animated version, so we still have friendly and remarkably long lived mice, among other familiar elements, but there have been several minor tweaks …

Plotting Out for a Hero

A few days ago, as I was walking in the halls of the twelfth floor office I work in, I saw a hero coming to the elevators. Tall guy, trim, mid-twenties, blonde hair just a little too long, and a tailored suit that suggested money, taste, and the Nordic body of my dreams underneath.  Far …

Harlequin Category Flowchart

It's hard to keep the different categories straight. Fortunately, Harlequin has prepared a useful flowchart. It's intended for writers, but also works for readers. From http://www.soyouthinkyoucanwrite.com/2014/09/what-series-are-you/