Last week’s ask column irked many. One reader emailed me to tell me I was off base in my comments, another cancelled her financial support of AAR, and several others got close to testy in the comments. I thought it would be interesting to pull up some older conversations at AAR and see how or…
Right now, Dennis Lehane’s incredible Small Mercies is on sale. Set in Boston in the summer of 1974 and focused on the city’s violent response to the forced integration of the city’s schools, it’s not for the sensitive reader. The main character, Mary Pat, is a bitter, alcoholic, racist who, when her daughter vanishes, takes…
I’m pretty upfront about how terrible I believe Amazon and Kindle Unlimited are for authors and the book industry writ large. It’s not just me–the web is full of stories and facts explaining how Amazon’s policies and pricing structures are lowering the income of most authors, lowering the quality of ebooks, and, as Amazon has…
Yesterday we reviewed–and loved–the latest by Ali Hazelwood who is one of the doyens of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and math) romance. I think she might be the first author I recall whose work was branded with that title but I’m not sure. STEM romances are also about the long standing and pervasive sexism women…
At one point in time, RWA (Romance Writers of America) was the envy of other genre writers. With over 10,000 members, a robust conference, and courses and tools for published and unpublished writers, it nurtured the careers of many for over four decades. It was, however, always a traditionally leaning organization. In this century, they…
Well… a lot, actually! For starters, the annoying ads are generating much needed revenue for us. I am deeply appreciative you guys are putting up with them. Thank you! We’ve also, I hope, successfully switched hosting companies. Our new company charges about half of what our old one did and, thus far, appears to be…
Last night, as I was tried to fall asleep, I was distracted. I was, I realized, irate. I’d just stayed up past my bedtime reading a book by an author whose books I have loved. This one, well, I wouldn’t say I hated it but I just about did. Now reading books I don’t like…
This week some comments at AAR got me thinking about dark romance. The sub-genre is a broad one but, in general, dark romances have, duh, dark themes. They often traffic in kidnapping, non-con or dub con sex, violence, rape, and stalking. They are wildly popular–on the current romance best seller list, Emily Henry’s contemporary romance…
One of my all time favorite romances is Meredith Duran’s The Duke of Shadows. I read it, for the first time, a few years after it was published in 2008. The story, that of a half Indian/half Anglo Duke and the English artist he falls in love with, riveted me. The book begins in Delhi…
Hopefully, nothing! Although there won’t be Steals and Deals beginning tomorrow. I may try and add some to our Amazon page, so make sure to look there each day. We have scheduled reviews and, baring a technical problem like the one we had yesterday, they should run as planned. I will not be moderating comments…
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