Comments on: It’s Not Me, It’s You

By: Lizzie

Lizzie — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 17:29:07 +0000

Well, I must say that in all these comments, I’ve come across some great possibilities! I’m all over the place when it comes to romances. There are some authors that are on the best-seller list who write complete drek, as far as I’m concerned — overwritten, tedious, stupid. I’ve tried and enjoyed many genres. I think I’ve decided that I go for the story — if it’s well-written, and has a good plot, I’m there. One really enjoyable contemporary romance you might want to look at is “3 Aces.” First of all, it’s by a man, which is a little unusual. Second, it features a poker player — but she’s the heroine, not the hero. And the hero isn’t the owner of the casino or anything grand, but a vet trucker, who hides out from the world in his truck. Hey, there’s even a globalist trucking company owner — that makes it present-day right there!

By: Patricia

Patricia — Sun, 20 Jul 2008 01:41:36 +0000

Barbara, IA with you about the loss of contemps. Like others Karen T. is one of my auto-buys, too.

I’d like to suggest one of my very fave writers of contemps, Kathryn Shay. She writes STs for Berkley & HSRs. I always say her books are very passionate, & not just in the bedroom, & I always learn something. My very fave is her SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN (ST), a story about a Liberal, Democratic heroine who has an online site to get girls out of gangs & also runs a shelter. She is single & has a 4 YO son & is a member of an Irish family (w/4 brothers) who runs a pub. The hero is a Conservative, Republican Senator (previously a DA who sent the heroine to prison for withholding evidence of a crime). The two are assigned by the Governor to serve on a task force to allocate social service funds, & they clash with lots of passion. It’s a wonderful, passionate & informative story. Give it a try. I think you’ll love it. Her HSRs include several trilogies which are great, too.

By: Edie Ramer - Author

Edie Ramer - Author — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:57:04 +0000

[...] heard comments lately that the sameness of the books available are part of the problem. In a recent Romancing the Blog post, Barbara Caridad Ferrer says her favorite romances are “straight up contemporaries.” [...]

By: Virginia Kantra

Virginia Kantra — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 18:21:11 +0000

Bea,
Wow. Thank you! What a lovely thing for you to post and me to read. The Children of the Sea series is very dear to my heart because of the juxtaposition between land and sea, between contemporary romantic suspense and the language of fairy tale, between the everyday, pragmatic, police procedural world of my hero and the timeless, sensual, magical world of my heroine. I am so very grateful to you for buying them and to Berkley for letting me write them.

More good news? You don’t have to wait seven months for the next book. Sea Fever is out next month. (Yeah, okay, Sea Lord isn’t out until May 2009, but that’s fast for me! )

By: Bea

Bea — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 03:57:39 +0000

Virginia Kantra
I just bought/just started your latest book and love it already. Your books are an automatic buy. I just love the way you write. I read a ton of books and your writing is just so good and your stories are good…I was just telling my sister who was book shopping with me, you’re on my A list (so is Karen Templeton by the way)…I’d rather wait 7 months and read the kind of books you guys write. Thanks.

By: Nancy D'Inzillo

Nancy D'Inzillo — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:26:47 +0000

I wonder where the publishers are getting their information. I’m a sci-fi fantasy reader who love historical fiction, but then again I figure I can find romance in those genres easily enough (even with romance as the main plot), that I’m kinda sad to see romance being eaten by escapism. I’m a huge fan of romances that apply to today, even though I think they’re quite difficult to write effectively (all the more reason to respect them). Maybe publishers should consider one page surveys in all of their books asking what readers want. . . I bet there’d be amazing results. But then again, the publisher in me thinks, “How much would that cost?” Think readers would pay postage in hopes of getting more of what they want?

By: Jess

Jess — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 19:44:41 +0000

I think you’re both right – for yourselves. Sounds like May’s got ennui, and sounds like you can’t find what you want. I work in a bookstore, and you are certainly right about the selection being kept stocked… it IS limited. But there is also the fact you’re just picky. (I say that in fully good humor. I’m picky too.) So whose fault is it? No one’s, really. You like what you like. It almost sounds like you’ve got a specific form of ennui, the I know what I wan’t and can’t have it so I’m restless and don’t want anything else kind. I get that a lot.

By: Elizabeth K

Elizabeth K — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 18:46:30 +0000

I liked the Harlequin Next series of books; am disappointed they stopped publishing them.

By: Susan Kelley

Susan Kelley — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 14:12:33 +0000

Lots of great comments on every side of this issue. Things go in cycles. The e pubs were the first ones to really get into the paranormal, vamps, shapeshifters and steamier romance. Now the NY pubs are swamping those genres with their machines after rejecting so many of those manuscripts that ended up at Ellora’s Cave, Samhain, etc. I read across the spectrum also and I’ve read some great contemporaries from the smaller presses. Perhaps they’re leading the pack for the next turn of the cylcle again. Or are they perhaps turning it?

By: Delilah Devlin

Delilah Devlin — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 13:31:05 +0000

I haven’t the time to spend hours sinking into a book, so I’ve been enjoying trying out books from Harlequin/Silhouette’s Intrigue and Desire lines. You might want to give those a try.