This is the index for At the Back Fence, quite likely the longest-running romance column anywhere online. At the Back Fence was co-authored by Robin Nixon Uncapher, Anne Marble, and Laurie Gold. Other AAR staff, authors, and readers frequently contributed as well. The last ATBF column was published October 27, 2008. For AAR’s recent commentary on romance novels and what is happening in romance publishing, check out AAR’s News & Commentary Blog.

histbutOctober 27, 2008
Summary:
A Few Last Words over the Back Fence
Post to Our ATBF Forum

October 20, 2008
Summary:
North and South

October 13, 2008
Summary:
For Everthing, There Is a Season

Issue #319 – October 6, 2008
Summary:
The One Where Abi Is All Bark, No Bite and Living in the Caribbean

Issue #318 – September 29, 2008
Summary:
“Sex Books”

Issue #317 – September 15, 2008
Summary:
Them Thar Hills

Issue #316 – September 8, 2008
Summary:
Here’s To the [Old] Ladies

Issue #315 – September 1, 2008
Summary:
Boys with Big Knives

Issue #314 – August 18, 2008
Summary:
Dumb Heroes

Issue #313 – August 11, 2008
Summary:
My Latest Fictional Crushes (or When Honor Is Sexy)

Issue #312 – August 4, 2008
Summary:
In Defense of Breaking Dawn

Issue #311 – July 21, 2008
Summary:
Dorothy Parker

Issue #310 – July 14, 2008
Summary:
Part II: Are Authors Being Pushed To Write too Much (Author perspective)

Issue #309 – July 7, 2008
Summary:
Part I: Are Authors Being Pushed To Write too Much (Reader perspective)

Issue #308 – June 30, 2008
Summary:
Love is Attractive

Issue #307 – June 16, 2008
Summary:
Rich Guys

Issue #306 – June 9, 2008
Summary:
That’s So Dated!

Issue #305 – June 2, 2008
Summary:
Much Ado About Nothing…Not Enough About Something

Issue #304 – May 26, 2008
Summary:
Fever

Issue #303 – May 12, 2008
Summary:
A Break from Romance

Issue #302 – May 5, 2008
Summary:
Six of One…Half Dozen of the Other

Issue #301 – April 28, 2008
Summary:
The Queen Is Dead…Long Live the Queen
Some News from LLB

Issue #300 – April 21, 2008
Summary:
A Young Girl’s Introduction to Romance

Issue #299 – March 31, 2008
Summary:
A Book To Keep You Company

Issue #298 – March 24, 2008
Summary:
Sexuality as Shorthand

Issue #297 – March 17, 2008
Summary:
From Time, with Love

Issue #296 – March 3, 2008
Summary:
Results of the Twelfth Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results for the poll

Issue #295 – February 25, 2008
Summary:
Does He Give Good Grovel?

Issue #294 – February 18, 2008
Summary:
Staff’s Choice

Issue #293 – February 4, 2008
Summary:
Sex Before Chapter Two

Issue #292 – January 28, 2008
Summary:
The Half-Way Mark

Issue #291 – January 21, 2008
Summary:
One More Headache for Editors

Issue #290 – January 7, 2008
Summary:
2007 Buried Treasures
Kick off of Our 12th Annual; Reader Poll on the Best and Worst in Romance Reading[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”2007″ icon=””]Issue #289 – December 31, 2007
Summary:
LLB’s Reading Year

Issue #288 – December 24, 2007
Summary:
AARLIst’s 2007 Hot Topics

Issue #287 – December 17, 2007
Summary:
Reading at Christmas

Issue #286 – December 10, 2007
Summary:
Freedom of Expression

Issue #285 – December 3, 2007
Summary:
Beyond the Top 100 – A Look Into the Larger Picture

Issue #284 – November 12, 2007
Summary:
Results and Analysis of Top 100 Romances Poll

Issue #283 – November 5, 2007
Summary:
TMI?

Issue #282 – October 29, 2007
Summary:
The Wall-Banger

Issue #281 – October 22, 2007
Summary:
The Age in Your Head – Part II (click here for 2006’s Part I)

Issue #280 – October 8 and 9, 2007
Summary:
Two Readers Journey through Erotic Romance – Part I online Oct 8, Part II online Oct 9

Issue #279 – October 1, 2007
Summary:
The Allure of Urban Fantasy – includes interview with Keri Arthur

Issue #278 – September 17, 2007
Summary:
Paranormal Roundtable:

  • Shiloh Walker
  • Linnea Sinclair
  • Eve Silver
  • Meljean Brook
  • Alyssa Day
  • Susan Grant
  • Cathy Clamp

Issue #277 – September 10, 2007
Summary:
Authors at Their Best: Mary Jo Putney

Issue #276 – September 3, 2007
Summary:
Getting It Together

Issue #275 – August 27, 2007
Summary:
Jumping for Joy

Issue #274 – August 12, 2007
Summary:
What’s Your Hallelujah?

Issue #273 – July 30, 2007
Summary:
What’s In a (Pen) Name?

Issue #272 – July 23, 2007
Summary:
Do Ghost Romances Have a Ghost of a Chance?

Issue #271 – July 17, 2007
Summary:
The Perfect Wedding

Issue #270 – July 9, 2007
Summary:
Let It Be

Issue #269 – June 26, 2007
Summary:
Happily Ever After?

Issue #268 – June 18, 2007
Summary:
Expectations – includes input from Anne Stuart, Loretta Chase, Linda Howard, Connie Brockway, Nora Roberts, and Julia Quinn

Issue #267 – June 11, 2007
Summary:
The Elusive English Hero

Issue #266 – June 4, 2007
Summary:
So, what do readers want, what do publishers think we want and will ever the twain meet?

Issue #265 – May 21, 2007
Summary:
Lascivious, Luscious Lusting – a guest column by author Sandra Schwab

Issue #264 – May 14, 2007
Summary:
Where Are They Now?

Issue #263 – May 7, 2007
Summary:
The Senses

Issue #262 – April 30, 2007
Summary:
Guidelines for Writing Literary Fiction

Issue #261 – April 16, 2007
Summary:
Little Things Mean a Lot

Issue #260 – April 9, 2007
Summary:
Confessions

Issue #259 – April 2, 2007
Summary:
Mothers and Daughters

Issue #258 – March 22, 2007
Summary:
Let Me Bring You a Sandwich

Issue #257 – March 12, 2007
Summary:
Oh, Brother…Oh, Sister!

Issue #256 – February 26, 2007
Summary:
Results of the Eleventh Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results for the poll

Issue #255 – February 20th, 2007
Summary:
Staff Choices

Issue #254 – February 12, 2007
Daddy Dearest

Issue #253 – January 29, 2007
Tales from the Ballot Box

Issue #252 – January 22, 2007
The New Romance of Historical Fiction

Issue #251 – January 15, 2007
To Reread Or Not To Reread

Issue #250 – January 8, 2007
2006 Buried Treasures
Kick off of Our 11th Annual Reader Poll on the Best and Worst in Romance Reading[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”2006″ icon=””]Issue #249 – December 18, 2006
The Best, the Worst, and the E-Book Erotic

Issue #248 – December 11, 2006
Are You Feeling Claustrophobic?

Issue #247 – December 4, 2006
AARList: Hot Topics of 2006

Issue #246 – November 27, 2006
The Side Effects of Glomming or Why My House Looks like Antiques Roadshow Gone Awry

Issue #245 – November 13, 2006
Get in Line!

Issue #244 – November 6, 2006
Proper Deportment and Labeling in the Bookstore: A Guide for Staff

Issue #243 – October 30, 2006
Don’t Hate Them Because They’re Beautiful!

Issue #242 – October 23, 2006
Texas Candidate Fred Head: Still Reading for the Good Parts

Issue #241 – October 9, 2006
Don’t Go In There!

Issue #240 – October 2, 2006
Anatomy of a Glom – adjunct page based on emails and message board posts

Issue #239 – September 25, 2006
Revisiting the Marketing of African American Romance

Issue #238 – September 18, 2006
The Weight Question

Issue #237 – September 5, 2006
Everything Old Is New Again

Issue #236 – August 28, 2006
Of Books & Baby Boomers

Issue #235 – August 21, 2006
Good Girls (And Boys) Don’t

Issue #234 – August 14, 2006
Thoughts on Little Women

Issue #233 – August 7, 2006
Video Killed the Radio Star

Issue #232 – July 17, 2006
The Age In Your Head

Issue #231 – July 10, 2006
Where Have All the Historicals Gone?

Issue #230 – July 3, 2006
For the Love of Pirates! – includes segments from Leslie LaFoy, Cheryl Sawyer, Jennifer Ashley, Gaelen Foley, Sabrina Jeffries, Susan Grant, and Sylvia Day

Issue #229 – June 19, 2006
For Whom the Voters Poll: Our Adventures in Updating the Favorite Books by Favorite Authors Poll

Issue #228 – June 12, 2006
Those “F” Books

Issue #227 – June 5, 2006
When Good Heroines Have Bad Ideas

Issue #226 – May 29, 2006
The Male Point of View – includes Q&A’s with Bob Mayer, Leigh Greenwood, Tori Carrington, and Nora Roberts

Issue #225 – May 15, 2006
To Blazes with RITA – by British Blogger Karen Scott – includes adjunct link

Issue #224 – May 8, 2006
Romance Gets an Ally and a Friend in Chick Lit

Issue #223 – May 1, 2006
Head-Hopping and Said Bookisms

Issue #222 – April 24, 2006
Villains and Meanies

Issue #221 – April 10, 2006
Books You Didn’t Like…and Now You Do
Books You Loved…and Now You Don’t

Issue #220 – April 3, 2006
Does Romance Take a Side in the Mommy Wars?

Issue #219 – March 27, 2006
Summary:
Tracking Down those Hard To Find Books
When Only the “Wrong” Kind of Book Will Do
The Lure of Bad Reviews

Issue #218 – March 20, 2006
Summary:
Reading Blocks/Slumps
Good Guy versus Bad Boy Smackdown
Cover Quotes and Blurbs
The Series Romance, the Continuity Series, and Connected Books

Issue #217 – March 6, 2006
Summary:
Results of the Tenth Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results for the poll

Issue #216 – February 20th, 2006
Summary:
Reviewer’s Choice
Winning Entry in Our Ninth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest
Recent User Survey: Results and Responses

Issue #215 – January 16, 2006
Summary:
The 2005 Reading Year
2005 Buried Treasures – link to adjunct page added February 6th
Kick off of Our Tenth Annual Reader Poll on the Best and Worst in Romance Reading
Kick off of Our Ninth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest

Issue #214 – January 2nd, 2006
Summary:
LLB’s Reading Year – includes link to best e-book Romantica read in 2005
Conversion Kits[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”2005″ icon=””]Issue #213 – December 19th, 2005
Summary: AARList – Hot Topics

  • E-books
  • Large Format Mass Market Paperbacks
  • Cheapened by the Check-out?

Issue #212 – December 5th, 2005
Summary:
Audio Books
A Different Look at Reviews

Issue #211 – November 21st, 2005
Summary:
Are We Fair To the Big Misunderstanding? – includes segments from Elizabeth Rolls and Jo Beverley

Issue #210 – November 7th, 2005
Summary:
The Cold Shoulder
Confessions of a Reviewing Author
The Toughest Reviews To Write and Defend

Issue #209 – October 15th, 2005
Summary:
The Marketing of African American Romance – includes segments by Arabesque publisher Linda Gill, and AA authors Monica Jackson and Wayne Jordan

Issue #208 – October 1st, 2005
Summary:
The Need To Know
Recalling Mr. Rogers
Getting it Wrong
A Personal Solution

Issue #207 – September 15th, 2005
Summary:
On Reading Connected Books
Glomming, Connected Books, and GWHR

Issue #206 – September 1st, 2005
Summary:
“Mine”
Summer Reading
Imperfect Heroes and Heroines

Issue #205 – August 1st, 2005
Summary:
Celebrating the Traditional Regency Romance…the End of an Era?

Issue #204 – July 15th, 2005
Summary:
What’s in a List?
Results in Our Purple Prose Parody Contest

Issue #203 – July 1st, 2005
Summary:
Redemption in Romance
Finding the Romance in Your Past

Issue #202 – June 15th, 2005
Summary:
The Romance Umbrella
Addiction and Recovery in Romance

Issue #201 – June 1st, 2005
Summary:
Using Harlequin Presents as a Jump-off:

  • Guilty Pleasures
  • Romance Novel Titles
  • Harlequin as Microsoft?
  • P.C. (or not) Heroes
  • Money and Power
  • Variety and Character
  • Who “brung you?”
  • Traditional Elements – do they still work or have you outgrown them?

2004 Cover Contest Results – May 15th, 2005

Issue #200 – May 2nd, 2005
Summary:
Chicks in Pants
Heroes on the Edge – includes brief Q&A with Anne Stuart

Issue #199 – April 15, 2005
Summary:
Women, Sex, and Sexuality in Romance – includes segments with

  • Mary Balogh
  • Tracy Grant
  • Mary Reed McCall
  • Anne Stuart
  • Lucy Blue
  • Marsha Canham
  • Adele Ashworth, whose segment is excerpted in the column but is also a stand-alone artice

Issue #198 – March 15, 2005
Summary:
The Ho, Virgin Widow, Fake Skank, and Mistake Skank
Roots
Romances Across the Board
The Returning and Tossing of Books

Issue #197 – March 1, 2005
Summary:
Results of the Ninth Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results for the poll

Issue #196 – February 15, 2005
Summary:
Reviewer’s Choice
Winning Entry in Our Eighth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest

Issue #195 – February 1, 2005
Summary:
All About AAR’s Readers: Results in Our Comprehensive Demographic Survey

Issue #194 – January 15, 2005
Summary:
The 2004 Reading Year
2004 Buried Treasures
Kick off of Our Ninth Annual Reader Poll on the Best and Worst in Romance Reading
Kick off of Our Eighth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest

Issue #193 – January 1, 2005
Summary:
LLB’s 2004 Reading Year (includes adjunct page of her favorite reads from 2004)
Authors at Their Best: The Passion of Anne Stuart[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”2004″ icon=””]Issue #192 – December 4, 2004
Summary:
Authors at Their Best: What’s So Great About Julie Garwood
Business & Romance Redux

Issue #191 – November 15, 2004
Summary:
All About Paranormal Romance (part of Our Romance Family Tree series), Features Discussion with:

  • Kelley Armstrong
  • Lisa Cach
  • MaryJanice Davidson
  • Karen Harbaugh
  • Emma Holly
  • Angela Knight
  • Catherine Mulvany
  • Eileen Wilks

Issue #190 – November 1, 2004
Summary:
Results and Analysis of Top 100 Romances Poll
Authors at Their Best: Everyone Loves a Lindsey

Issue #189 – October 15, 2004 with a special mystery guest
Summary:
The Ugly or Faux Ugly Duckling
The Enigmatic and Beautiful Loner Hero
The Geek Hero
Sexuality, Sexual Chemistry, Sexual Confidence, and Love Scenes
The “Manaconda”
Weird Words
The Idiosyncratic Sidekick (Crusty or Otherwise)
The Orphan or Orphan by Proxy
On Books We Love That Aren’t Perfect

Issue #188 – October 1, 2004
Summary:
Secondary Couples To Love
A Box of Books
Browsing the Shelves

Issue #187 – September 15, 2004
Summary:
Couples To Love
Re-Reading
Opening of Our 2004 Top 100 Romances Poll

Issue #186 – September 1, 2004
Summary:
Heroines To Love
In Defense of Series Romance

Issue #185 – August 15, 2004
Summary:
Heroes To Love
About What She Said
Books that Fall Off a Cliff

Issue #184 – July 15, 2004
Summary:
Late-breaking News on Harlequin/Silhouette
The Western Romance
Results in Our Purple Prose Parody Contest
PayPal and Romantica

Issue #183 – July 1, 2004
Summary:
New Favorites by Old Favorites
Reading and Me for 2004

Issue #182 – June 15 & 22, 2004
Summary:
Part One: Laurie’s Library
Part Two: Reader/Publisher Survey Results

Issue #181 – June 1, 2004
Summary:
Q&A with Charlaine Harris
“Too Funny?
Romance-Only Myths
Purple Prose and the 2004 Purple Prose Parody Contest

Issue #180 – May 15, 2004
Summary:
In the Company of Writers
Q&A with Karen Hawkins
Random Ramblings on Recent Reads
Kick Off of Third Reader/Publisher Preference Survey

2003 Cover Contest Results – May 1, 2004

Issue #179 – April 15, 2004
Summary:
All About Chick Lit (includes a mini-interview with MaryJanice Davidson and comments by several other authors)

Issue #178 – April 1, 2004
Summary:
Hell Hath No Fury
A Q&A with Kate Bridges
What’s Sexy?
It’s Got To Be Just the “Right” One

Issue #177 – March 1, 2004
Summary:
Results of the Eighth Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results for the poll

Issue #176 – February 15, 2004
Summary:
Reviewer’s Choice
Winning Entry in Our Seventh Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest

Issue #175 – February 1, 2004
Summary:
Interview with Nonnie St. George
Dinosaurs Still Walk the Earth
Random Thoughts

Issue #174 – January 15, 2004
Summary:
The 2003 Reading Year
2003 Buried Treasures
Kick off of Our Eighth Annual Reader Poll on the Best and Worst in Romance Reading
Kick off of Our Seventh Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest

Issue #173 – January 1, 2004
Summary:
My 2003 Reading Year
The Big Assumption
No More Wire Hangers![/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”2003″ icon=””]Issue #172 – December 15, 2003
Summary:
Beginning with Anne Perry…Ending Elsewhere
Hot Button Issues
That Christmas Feeling

Issue #171 – November 15, 2003
Summary:
The Ick Factor
How Many New Writers Do You Read?
Parkay… Margarine
Flash-Point Authors

Issue #170 – November 1, 2003
Summary:
Bookmarks versus Dog-Ears
Listmakers
Glomming
Book Condition
Book Temples
Anthology Quirks
Send the Spies to Alba!
Please, M’am, I Want Some More (Spies and SEALS)
Dear Santa: We Want it All

Issue #169 – October 15, 2003
Summary:
A Book’s Setting
Making the Jump
Careers
Secondary Romances
Character and Action
Sex
Straight Romance, Romantic Suspense, and a Hybrid of the Two
Grounded
Interview with Laura Leone

Issue #168 – October 1, 2003
Summary:
Bookie Behaviors
Glomming
Beta Heroes (and Alphas and Gammas too)

Issue #167 – September 15, 2003
Summary:
In Defense of the Amnesia Plot
The Stories of Our Lives (Myth and Themes in Romance)
Did She (or He) Write Romance?
The Big Mis
Passing on the Books We Loved

Issue #166 – September 1, 2003
Summary:
Feminism and Romance
Abuse
Spanking
Dirty Words
Words in General
Romance Novels and Men and Women

Issue #165 – August 17, 2003
Summary:
An In-depth Look at Jane Eyre

Issue #164 – August 1, 2003
Summary:
Results of Our Seventh Annual PPP Contest
Q&A with Time Writer Joel Stein
Do They Get it Right? (Foreign readers on how well authors portray their countries)

Issue #163 – July 1, 2003
Summary:
The “L” Word
The All-Nighter
The HEA Ending

Issue #162 – June 15, 2003
Summary:
An In-depth Look at Gone with the Wind

Issue #161 – June 1, 2003
Summary:
Conversion Kits… with all Due Respect to Anthony Burgess & Torquemada ( includes a snapshot in time of lists and comments on conversion kits)
Hot Buttons, Personal Taste, & What’s Right To Write
Virgin Sex

Issue #160 – May 15, 2003
Summary:
Super Couples
Bodice-Rippers, Super Couples, & Romance
Gotta Have a Gimmick?
Conversion Kits

Issue #159 – May 1, 2003
Summary:
Super Couples
(Most) Men Don’t Read Romance
Romance Novel Conversion Kits

Issue #158 – April 15, 2003
Summary:
History from a Different Angle
When National Issues Affect your Romance Reading
Accuracy Is in the Mind of the Beholder

2002 Cover Contest Results – April 1, 2003

Issue #157 – March 15, 2003
Summary:
“When Romance Hurts”: A Look at Heartache in Romance
“Negative Awards – Necessity or Abomination?”

Issue #156 – March 1, 2003
Summary:
Results of the Seventh Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results

Issue #155 – February 15, 2003
Summary:
Reviewer’s Choice
Winning Entry in Our Sixth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest

The RWA Affair – February 11, 2003

Issue #154 – February 1, 2003
Summary:
Chick Lit
Holiday Romances
Anthologies
First-as-favorites, Expectations, “Books of the Moment,” and Parts of the Whole

Issue #153 – January 15, 2003
Summary:
The 2002 Reading Year
2002 Buried Treasures
Survey Results on Percentage of 2002-Published Romances Read in 2002
Kick off of Our Sixth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest
Kick off of Our Seventh Annual Reader poll on the Best and Worst in Romance Reading

Issue #152 – January 1, 2003
Summary:
Remembrances of Books Past
Q&A with Donna Simpson
Q&A with Dorchester senior editor Chris Keeslar[/fusion_tab][/fusion_tabs][/fusion_builder_column][fusion_builder_column type=”1_1″ background_position=”left top” background_color=”” border_size=”” border_color=”” border_style=”solid” spacing=”yes” background_image=”” background_repeat=”no-repeat” padding=”” margin_top=”0px” margin_bottom=”0px” class=”” id=”” animation_type=”” animation_speed=”0.3″ animation_direction=”left” hide_on_mobile=”no” center_content=”no” min_height=”none”][fusion_tabs design=”classic” layout=”horizontal” justified=”yes” backgroundcolor=”” inactivecolor=”” bordercolor=”” class=”” id=””][fusion_tab title=”2002″ icon=””]Issue #151 – December 15, 2002
Summary:
The Flip Side of Buried Treasures: Books that Never Should have been Reprinted
If it Ain’t Broken…
Reprints We’re Happy To See?
The Worst of 2002 Romances

Issue #150 – December 1, 2002
Summary:
Romance Thieves – includes snippets from Anne Gracie, Connie Brockway, Katherine Sutcliffe, and Kasey Michaels
Donna Simpson on What an Author Owes Her Readers
Your Publishing Questions Answered (submitted by an anonymous, best-selling author)
Quirky Names

Issue #149 – November 22, 2002
Summary:
Erotica and Erotic Romance – includes a segment from Pat Ryan
And the Surveys Say
Backlash?
The Nature of Reviews

Issue #148 – November 15, 2002
Summary:
Following up on WalMart Censorship? Story
Independent Bookstores and the Chains
Pat Holt…Definitely and Defiantly Uncensored
More on Bookstores and the Chains

Is This Censorship at WalMart? – October 15 – 24, 2002

Issue #147 – October 15, 2002
Summary:
Old School Heroes
Regencies in Disguise (with Jo Beverley, Mary Balogh, and Diane Farr)
Book Signing Horror Stories (with Robin Schone)
Reader Rants on Author Promotion
Readers Rant about Readers Ranting about Authors
Just Say Yes

Issue #146 – October 1, 2002
Summary:
Dirty Books
Books for the Desert Isle
When Good Authors Do Bad Things
The Fury of Fans
Survey Question: How many books have you bought this year?
Survey Question: How many books have you read this year?

Issue #145 – September 15, 2002
Summary:
Young Adult Fiction/Romance (includes interviews with Avon True Romance editor Abigail McAden, and authors Meg/Patricia Cabot, Lorraine Heath, and Kathryn Smith)
The Age of Heroines – The Age of Authors (includes a segment with Stef Ann Holm)
Romantic and Sexy Movies

Issue #144 – August 15, 2002
Summary:
Americans Abroad
Vikings, Knights, & Indians…Oh My!
Icons, Stereotypes, and Romance Codes

Issue #143 – August 1, 2002
Summary:
Site-wide Style Poll Results/If You Like…
Who’s Popular, Who’s Not, and Who’s Jumped the Shark?
How Widely Read Are they, Anyway?
Author Approval Ratings
Individual If You Like… Poll Results
Imaginary Q&A
More on Author Popularity
Kick-off To Revamped If You Like… Feature

Issue #142 – July 15 & July 17, 2002
Summary of Part I:
Results of Our Sixth annual Purple Prose Parody Contest
Humor in Romance by LLB, with Segments by Teresa Medeiros, Rachel Gibson, Julia Quinn, Sheri Cobb-South, and Patricia Cabot
Summary of Part II:
Humor in Romance by Anne Marble and Robin Uncapher

Issue #141 – July 1, 2002
Summary:
When Heroes and Heroines Are Lovers
In-House Results of Style Poll – includes an adjunct page with detailed chart and round-robin discussion among AAR staff

Editorial: The Chilling Effect – June 23, 2002

Issue #140 – June 15, 2002
Summary:
Protecting Us from Ourselves (a LLB rant)
Libraries and Librarians
A Librarian’s Perspective
Reader’s Advisory/If You Like…
More on the UBS

Issue #139 – June 1, 2002
Summary:
The Selling of Books
The Buying of Books (survey answer)
Memories of the Library
Two Sides…Same Mouth
Anakin Skywalker & Han Solo – includes a segment by Linda Howard!

Issue #138 – May 1, 2002
Summary:
A Trip Down the Aisle
Why Can’t I Ever Find What I’m Looking for?
The Used Book controversy
The Amazon Controversy
Turn the Page
Survey Question: How Often Do You Buy Books?

The Mystery of Cindi Louis’ Crazy Thing Called Love – Major Update published April 24, 2002

Editorial: The Robin Lee Hatcher Fiasco – April 21, 2002

Issue #137 – April 15, 2002
Summary:
Unwed Mothers in the Series Romance
Includes a link to a Suzanne Brockmann Write Byte on the Company that Sells You Series Romance
The Guardian/Ward Romance, including a Segment by author Sally Tyler Hayes aka Theresa Hill
Results and Analysis of Mini-poll Question: How many Romances Have You Awarded DIK status?

Issue #136 – April 1, 2002
Summary:
Reality or Fantasy…or Both?
Survey Answer: How Big Is Yours? (TBR pile, that is!)
Survey Question: How Many Romance DIK’s Do You Have?

Issue #135 – March 15, 2002
Summary:
End-peekers Anonymous
Skimming
Business and Romance
The Sheik
Too Much!
Survey Question: How Big Is Yours? (TBR pile, that is!)

Issue #134 – March 1, 2002
Summary:
Results of the Sixth Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results

The Mystery of Cindi Louis’ Crazy Thing Called Love – February 15, 2002

Issue #133 – February 15, 2002
Summary:
Reviewer’s Choice
Winning Entry in Our Fifth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest – Link included

Issue #132 – January 15, 2002
Summary:
Robin’s Third Annual Buried Treasure Column

Issue #131 – January 1, 2002
Summary:
Reader/Author Anger on the Internet – I am helped by several readers and authors, including Eileen Wilks and Tracy Cooper-Posey, in opening up this topic for discussion
Special link added January 10th; my Q&A with Avon Executive Editor Carrie Feron[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”2001″ icon=””]Issue #130 – December 15, 2001
Summary:
Virginity, Naïveté, Sluttiness, and the Bitch
The Adult Woman Virgin in the Modern World
A Bitch by Any Other Name….
The Misunderstood/Not-really-no-good Heroine
Favorite Romantic Themes
The Series Romance
The Product Line
The Gimmick

Issue #129 – December 1, 2001
Summary:
Should Only “Nice Girls” Be Heroines?
Discovering New Worlds in Romance
Imperfect Books You Just Can’t Part With

Issue #128 – November 15, 2001
Summary:
The Road Less Traveled
More on the Will Stipulation
How Many Strikes Before She’s Out?
The World of the Arranged Marriage
Desert Isle Keepers
Buried Treasures and One-Hit Wonders
The Sequel
Nora Roberts aka J.D. Robb on the In Death series

Issue #127 – November 1, 2001
Summary:
Tolerances for Historical Inaccuracies
Historical Morsels
The Georgette Heyer Universe (including a segment by YA SF/F author Sherwood Smith)
The Reviewer’s Perspective
The Will Stipulation

Issue #126 – October 15, 2001
Summary:
What’s in a Name?
The Re-Written Romance
Romance Re-Issues
Stay, or Switch
Strategies for Switching
The Historical Fox Paw
Product Placement

“Extra” At the Back Fence – Inspirational Romance – October 8, 2001 (part of Our Romance Family Tree series)

Issue #124 – October 1, 2001
Summary:
Adaptations, Homages, and Ideas
The Wrong Turn
The Hero as Pursuer
The Un-Slump

Special Edition – Before and After September 11, 2001 – September 21, 2001
Reader comments archived October 9, 2001

Issue #123 – August 15, 2001
Summary:
Our Romance Family Tree series: Jane Austen
AAR staff, readers, and authors Charlaine Harris, Diane Farr, Deborah Simmons, Carla Kelly, Elizabeth Mansfield discuss the influence of Jane Austen
Includes link to article by Myretta Robens, administrator of Pemberley.com, an “everything Jane” web site
Includes link to article by Regency Romance author Elizabeth Mansfield
Includes Jane Austen “convenience store” of Amazon links to her books and film adaptations

Issue #122 – July 29, 2001
Summary:
First as Favorites?
A Body of Work versus the Marketplace
That Old Black Magic
The Greedy Reader At the Back Fence
A Fit of the Vapors
Beauty and the Beast

Issue #121 – July 15, 2001
Summary:
Whose Slump Is it, Anyway?
Is it Them or Is it Us?
A Change of Heart: the “Golden Age” of Romance
Where To Find the Real Romances
The Series Romance
Edgar Bergen’s Lips
You & Your TBR Pile

Issue #120 – July 1, 2001
Summary:
Romance Reading Slumps
Are Your “Auto-Buys” Still Worth It?
Brit Chick Lit
Time for a Paradigm Shift?
Jumping the Shark?
The Anal Retentive Romance Reader
Readers Rave About Their Libraries

Issue #119 – June 15, 2001
Summary:
Love at First Sight
Reality Check on Love at First Sight
Love at First Sight as a Romantic Premise
Realtity and Fiction Merge
Premise with a Twist
What Works, What Doesn’t?
Let’s Play the Match Game

Issue #118 – May 31, 2001
Summary:
Same Old, Same Old?
What Makes an Old Story New?
Innovation, or Innovation be Damned
Soul Searching Books
The Book You Never Thought You’d Love

Issue #117 – May 15, 2001
Summary:
Special guest column written by AAR Reviewer Maria K on romance novel titles: The Good, the Bad, and the Forgettable

Issue #116 – May 1, 2001
Summary:
Disabilities in Romances – includes link to Beauty Is in the Eye… Special Title Listing
The “Issue” Romance – includes a segment by author Tara Taylor Quinn
Romance and the Guilty Pleasure
News about Janet Dailey/Nora Roberts in this special article

Issue #115 – April 15, 2001
Summary:
Follow the Drum – includes segments by Mary Balogh, Marsha Canham, and Julia Justiss

Issue #114 – April 1, 2001
Summary:
Bookstore Questions and Answers
The Fake Rake
Confessions of a Serial Killer
When Bad Plots Happen to Good Authors
Romance Novels and the Movies
Romance Novel Quotes
Mouth Frothers
Historical Inaccuracies

Issue #113 – March 15, 2001
Summary:
What Makes for a Romantic Setting?

Issue #112 – March 1, 2001
Summary:
Results of the Fifth Annual AAR Reader Awards
Includes a link to the awards page
Includes a link to the interim results

Issue #111 – February 15, 2001
Summary:
Our Yearly Look at Reviews and Reviewing and the Winner in Our Fourth Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest
Includes a link to an adjunct page of comments posted to a special message board
Includes a link to a new Write Byte by author Patricia Rice

Issue #110 – February 1, 2001
Summary:
“Other” Worlds
“Other” Worlds of Romance
AAR-Round Table on “Other” Worlds/”Other” Worlds Romance
Susan Krinard – What Is it About Werewolves?
Christine Feehan – Those Wild and Wacky Carpathians

Issue #109 – January 15, 2001
Summary:
AIR Syndrome (aka Amnesia in Romance) – includes a link to a full-length article
The Undead
Virginal Heroes
The Duke of Slut
The Ascetic Hero
Do Both Change and Familiarity Breed Contempt?

Issue #108 – January 1, 2001
Summary:
Our Year in Romance
What’s a Buried Treasure and a Rising Star?
Who’s a Buried Treasure or a Rising Star?
Link to Our Annual Reader’s Poll[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”2000″ icon=””]Issue #107 – December 1, 2000
Summary:
The Fourth Branch of Our Romance Family Tree – the Historical Novel

Issue #106 – November 15, 2000
Summary:
The “Golden Age” of Romance – includes segments by authors Teresa Medeiros and Marsha Canham
The Gay Über-Villain

Issue #105 – November 1, 2000
Summary:
Special Guest Column Written by Mrs. Giggles
Girls Don’t, Wise Girls Won’t
The “Golden Age of Romance?”
Conversations in a Moonlit Garden

Issue #104 – October 15, 2000
Summary:
Books of a Lifetime
Where Have All the Wulfgars Gone?
Can Readers “Go Home” Again?
The “Reasonable Person” Test – includes a link to a Quickie by Andrea Kane Accounting for Taste
More Books of a Lifetime

Issue #103 – October 1, 2000
Summary:
The Steadfast Heroine
Female Archetypes
The Daddy Dominated Heroine
The Wimpette

Issue #102 – September 15, 2000
Summary:
Strong Women – History and Real Life
Strong Women in fiction
Author Elizabeth Grayson on Strong Women in Romance
Dames and Wimpettes
“Let me seduce you, my dear”

Issue #101 – September 1, 2000
Summary:
What’s Comfortable – includes link to Favorite Comfort Read Authors
What About First as Favorites?
Family & Friends
Getting Specific About the Big Mis
Let’s Talk (Some More) About Sex

Issue #100 – August 15, 2000
Summary:
Let’s Talk About Sex
More on the Big Mis
Robin’s Kick-off of New feature, Our Weekly Reader

RWA Conference – Editorial Postscript- August 8, 2000
RWA’s Response – August 9, 2000
Our Readers Respond – August 15, 2000

Issue #99 – August 1, 2000
Summary:
Results of Our Y2K Purple Prose Parody Contest
An In-depth Look at the Big Misunderstanding from Readers and Authors such as Gina Wilkins…and Andrea Kane’s perspective

Issue #98 – July 15, 2000
Summary:
When Romance Novels Hit You in the Solar Plexus

  • Discussion of The Body Buard, Get Lucky, To Have & To Hold, Lily, and The Major’s Mistake
  • Interviews with Suzanne Brockmann and Patricia Gaffney

Issue #97 – July 1, 2000
Summary:
Laurie’s Library
Reader/Publisher Survey Results:
Conceptions – Before and After
Keepers and Trade-Ins
What’s the Current Buzz?
Current Publishing Landscape
Link to a Pertinent Letter of the Moment – We conducted a Reader/Publisher Survey during the Latter Two Weeks of June, 2000

Issue #96 – June 1, 2000
Summary:
Plucked, Puckered, & Suckled
Hot, Hot, Hot
Erotic Nonetheless
The Series Romance
The Emotional Content of Love Scenes
And, please consider, as Robin did, this question: Which Writers Are Good Enough that You Could Delete the Sex from Their Books and the Books Would Stand on Their Own? – Includes a major segment by Adele Ashworth and comments by Mary Balogh and Carla Kelly

Issue #95 – May 15, 2000
Summary:
The Burning Point by Mary Jo Putney:

  • Romance Novel Premises
  • Secondary Characters and Secondary Romances
  • Villains and Villainous Sub-plots
  • “Issue” Romances
  • Context and the Romance Novel
  • Q&A with Mary Jo Putney Regarding The Burning Point

Head-hopping or heart-stopping?

Issue #94 – May 1, 2000
Summary:
The Third Column in Our Romance Family Tree Series
Which author had a tremendous influence on Judith McNaught, Mary Jo Putney, Catherine Coulter, Jo Beverley, and Merline Lovelace (among others)? Read this column and find out!

Issue #93 – April 15, 2000
Summary:
So Many Cowboys. . . So Little Rope by Carrie Alexander
Series Romance Conversion Kit
En Guard!
Secondary Character Central Casting

Issue #92 – April 1, 2000
Summary:
The Second Column in Our Romance Family Tree Series
Respectable Romance – Romance Before the Beefcake
An Illuminating Look at Some Precursors to Today’s Genre
Lust versus Love
Gothic Buried Treasures

Issue #91 – March 15, 2000
Summary:
Romance Then & Now (the First Column in Our Romance Family Tree Series)
Romance Novels
Romance Readers
Romance Stereotypes

Issue #90 – March 1, 2000
Summary:
Calgon – Take me Away!
Author Susan Grant on Connecting to Books – Is it in the detail, the imagination, or the characters?
Robin on Connecting to Books through Historical Memory
Laurie on Connecting to Books through Emotional Moments

Issue #89 – February 15, 2000
Summary:
Discussion of the 2000 All About Romance Reader Awards – includes a link to the awards page
Comments from the Big Winners
Winning Entry in Our third Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest

Issue #88 – February 1, 2000
Summary:
Labeling & the Multi-cultural Romance
Women & Literary Fiction – includes discussion by Karen Ranney, Carla Kelly, Theresa Weir, Barbara Samuel aka Ruth Wind, and Jean Ross Ewing

Issue #87 – January 15, 2000
Summary:
Romances that Are Out of Time or Place
Rifs on Political Correctness by author Sabrina Jeffries and AAR Reviewer Colleen McMahon
A Reader’s Dilemma
Translating the Cover Blurbs

Issue #86 – January 1, 2000
Summary:
Special Guest Column Written by AAR Reviewer Robin Nixon Uncapher about Buried Treasures for 1999[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”1999″ icon=””]Issue #85 – December 15, 1999
Summary:
More Bookie Recollections
A Year of Romance Reading
2000 All About Romance Reader Awards
LLB’s Favorites

Issue #84 – December 1, 1999
Summary:
Recollections of a Bookie
Buried Treasures
The Torture/Torment Quotient
A Debate About Dark & Light
Reality Check on LN&V

Issue #83 – November 15, 1999
Summary:
What’s in a Grade?
The Call of the Bookstore
Titles Gone Awry
The Color Purple?

Issue #82 – November 1, 1999
Summary:
Those MIRA Reissues and My On-going MIRA Glom
All the Gloms that Are Fit To Print!
Buried Treasures/If You Like. . .
Re-reading aka Books as Old Friends
Ageism in Romance, including a Q&A with Suzanne Brockmann

Issue #81 – October 15, 1999
Summary:
Glomming, Glom-Reading, and GWHR
Interview with Nora Roberts
Buried Treasures/If You Like. . .
You & Your All-Time Favorite Keepers
The Irish Have It!
Bestsellers, the Mid-List, and How Picky are You?

Issue #80 – October 1, 1999
Summary:
The Male Brain – Reality/Unreality and the Uber-Mensch
The Nurturing Heroine. . . Again?
Previous Lives
Hate Is a Four-Letter Word
The Buddy Romance

Issue #79 – September 1, 1999
Summary:
Feel the Heat
Heroines – the Doormat, the Strong One, and Quiet Dignity
Boycott? Reissues, Hardcovers, and the Re-write – includes a lengthy snippet from Judith McNaught

Issue #78 – August 15, 1999
Summary:
The Women We Want To Be: The Eight Female Archetypes by Tami Cowden
Special link added August 18th in rebuttal to Cowden’s article
More on Heroines – Archetypal Hybrids
The Ingenue
Fuming Mad!

Issue #77 – August 1, 1999
Summary:
The Color Purple – includes link to 1999 Purple Prose Parody Contest
Purple Gone Bad
Mother’s Milk
The Problem with Young Heroines

Issue #76 – July 15, 1999
Summary:
To Live, Perchance. . . To Torture? (includes a segment by author Danelle Harmon)
A Writers’ Round-Table on Sexuality in Romance
That Anonymous Author
Creating a new Special Title Listing on The Sweeter Side of Romance
Conversion Kits (revisited) – includes a special link

Issue #75 – July 1, 1999
Summary:
We Don’t Get No Respect – includes link to a reader article entitled Impressions From a Romance Reader Overseas
Sexuality in Romance and the Frightening Idea of a Woman’s Sexuality – includes link to an abbreviated version of the message board
How Much Sexuality Is Too Much?
That Anonymous Reader
Creating a New Special Title Listing on Sweeter Romances

Issue #74 – June 1, 1999
Summary:
Can It Be – Laurie Hates Books?
Reviews – My Yearly Rant
Favorite Funnies – includes link to The Lists and link to Romance Readers’ Top 10 Funny Romances
Questions for Next Time

Issue #73 – May 15, 1999
Summary:
The Big Whine/The Big Blame
Emotional Baggage & the HEA Ending
Romances You Hate To Love
Romances You Love To Hate
The Kitchen Sink
Romance that Make You Grit Your Teeth

Issue #72 – May 1, 1999
Summary:
Grabbing and Groping
The Big Secret – includes a link to The Issue of Masks – both written by Beverly Medos and Karen Wheless
From the Desk of Kate Smith: A Book of One’s Own

Issue #71 – April 15, 1999
Summary:
Romance Appetite and Changing Tastes
Romance Type and Character Type – how do they mesh?
Beauty and Romance – includes a link to The Lists
Groveling Heroes
Dark and Light and the Hair of Heroes – based on a segment by Robin Nixon Uncapher
What Is a Tortured Hero

Issue #70 – April 1, 1999
Summary:
Happy Anniversary
Kissing Cousins: Road Romances and Cabin Romances – includes a segment by author Donna Kauffman – includes a link toThe Lists
Silly Sex Questions
Bonding

Issue #69 – March 15, 1999
Summary:
The Triple Lutz, Triple Toe Loop Combination
From the Desk of Ellen Micheletti: Why I Don’t Get Jennifer Crusie Or Authors Others Love that You Don’t
Laurie’s Feverish Ruminations About Books Read While In Her Sick Bed

Issue #68 – March 1, 1999
Summary:
Words
Anatomy of the Anatomy
More on the 1998 AAR Reader Awards

Issue #67 – February 15, 1999
Summary:
The 1999 All About Romance Reader Awards
Comments from the Big Winners
Isn’t It Romantic? Contest Winner Announced

Issue #66 – January 15, 1999
Summary:
The Second Annual Isn’t It Romantic? Contest
Old versus New – Writing Styles, Writers, and Readers
From the Desk of Ellen Micheletti: On Heroes and Heroines
Patricia Cabot on Different Kind of Humor

Issue #65 – January 1, 1999
Summary:
The Second to Last Year of the Last Decade of the Millenium
The 1998 All About Romance Readers Favorites
Get Ready To Cast Your Vote
Gotta Love Those. . . .[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”1998″ icon=””]Issue #64 – December 16, 1998
Summary:
The Year in a Glance
The 1999 All About Romance Readers Favorites
LLB’s Favorites
Susan Elizabeth Phillips on Desert Isle Keeper Lady Be Good
Patricia Oliver on Regency Romance

Issue #63 – December 1, 1998
Summary:
The Sorcerer
Greek Are the Words
Heroes according to Jo Beverley, Mary Jo Putney, Alicia Rasley, Eileen Charbonneau, and Connie Brockway – includes aspecial link added December 3 from Eileen Charbonneau on the Warrior Poet
A Different Approach
Another Different Approach

Issue #62 – November 15, 1998
Summary:
Humor in Romance – includes a special link and a link to The Lists
The “P-Word”

Issue #61 – November 1, 1998
Summary:
Romance Reading Slumps
Romance Reading Slumps: The Flip Side – includes a link to a stand-alone page
Always Reading
Still Embarassed (Sometimes)?
More on Romance Reader Idiosyncrasies
Is It Good Or Not?

Issue #60 – October 1, 1998
Summary:
The Deserted Isle
Desert Isle Keepers and Buried Treasures
Romance Reader Idiosyncrasies
Balance & Tone

Issue #59 – September 15, 1998
Summary:
The Untamed – includes a segment with author Ruth Langan
The Get Over It! Hero
More on Mad, Bad, & Dangerous To Know

Issue #58 – September 1, 1998
Summary:
Reader Survey Questions
Mad, Bad, & Dangerous To Know – includes a segment with debuting author Adele Ashworth
Cassandra Speaks (about the problems with immediate expectations)

Issue #57 – August 15, 1998
Summary:
Irish Magic – includes a Q&A with historical fiction author Morgan Llywelyn – includes a special link
The Marriage of Convenience/Arranged Marriage/Mail-Order Bride Romances – includes a special link
Alpha Heroes, and the Transformation of Villains to Heroes
Political Correctness and Alpha Heroes

Issue #56 – August 1, 1998
Summary:
Electronic Publishing
AAR’s Ratings & Reviews
Online Behavior
The Mining Company’s feature article about this issue

Issue #55 – July 15, 1998
Summary:
The Purple Prose Parody
Villains. . .Heroes – includes a segment by Mary Jo Putney
Regency Romance – here’s a good link; and here’s another
Stuck in the Middle
Rifs on Political Correctness – includes a special link

Issue #54 – July 1, 1998
Summary:
Of Scotland & Man – includes a link to The Lists
The Arranged Marriage
Random Thoughts on Sarah’s Child
The Good, the Bad, and Both
To Buy Or Not To Buy

Issue #53 – June 15, 1998
Summary:
Multicultural Romance Revisited
Reviews, Reviewers, and a Q&A with EW Reviewer Ty Burr
Favorite Plots and Premises in Romance and Fiction

Issue #52 – May 15, 1998
Summary:
Amazing Statistic
Revisiting the Duke of Slut
More Pet Peeves
Always Reading

Addendum to Issue #51 – May 3, 1998 re: Reviews and Multicultural Romance

Issue #51 – May 1, 1998
Summary:
Multicultural Romance and the Cigarette Billboard
Romance as Entertainment and Books that are “Good”
Visiting a Cherished Friend

Issue #50 – April 15, 1998
Summary:
What do Romance Readers Want?
Romance & Political Correctness
The Rising Price of Romance
Baby, Baby, Baby

Issue #49 – April 1, 1998
Summary:
Introducing the Duke of Slut
Coffee. . . The Grinds
Romance & the Reasonable Person
Publishing Biz – includes a letter from Kensington Publisher Steven Zacharius

Issue #48 – March 14, 1998
Summary:
Itchy Fingers – Do We Tolerate Separations or actually Enjoy Them?
More on Skanky Sex
Baby Books – includes a discussion by author Carla Cassidy
Three Degrees of Romance
Good versus Bad – A Discussion of Moral Ambiguity

Issue #47 – February 25, 1998
Summary:
Romance and What’s “Good”
Connected Books – includes a brief look at Leigh Greenwood
Moral Ambiguity – includes a Q&A with Katherine Sutcliffe

Issue #46 – February 10, 1998
Summary:
The 1998 All About Romance Reader Awards
Comments from the Big Winners
Most Romantic Story Contest Winner Revealed

Issue #45 – February 1, 1998
Summary:
Separations in Romance
Three Degrees of Romance
Villainous Libido

Issue #44 – January 20, 1998
Summary:
The Best Romance
Grit & Bear It
Laurie’s Picks & Pans – special link
Going Against the Grain

Issue #43 – January 10, 1998
Summary:
Link for Responses to Julia’s Guest Column, including My Own
Lusty Love
Gotta Love Those Men, including Nora Robert’s Comments on Her Latest Desert Isle Keeper, Sea Swept
Laurie’s Picks & Pans – special link
Double Standards
The Power of Tears – includes a special link by Lisa Kleyas[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”1997″ icon=””]Issue #42 – December 20, 1997 – Special Guest Column by Author Julia Quinn
Link added Jan 10 for responses to Julia’s column, including my own

Issue #41 – December 10, 1997
Summary:
Women Are from Venus (Reflections)
1998 Reader Awards Ballot
Gore in Romance
Laurie’s Picks & Pans – special link
It’s Time for You To Take a Risk!

Issue #40 – December 1, 1997
Summary:
Road Trip Ramblings/Book Store Browsing
Glomming
The Love Scene – includes a special link
Snobbery – includes a special Subtext link
Laurie’s Picks & Pans – special link

Issue #39 – November 20, 1997
Summary:
So You Read those books?
Julie Garwood:

  • Humor
  • Humor and the Love Scene
  • Mainstreaming?
  • Love Scenes – Garwood and otherwise
  • Settings

Silly Sex
On Anthologies and Christmas Romances
Laurie’s Picks & Pans – special link

Issue #38 – November 4, 1997
Summary:
Confessions of a Glommer
GWHR Syndrome – includes a special link (added Dec 27)
Sex on Page One
An Author Asks – Sharon Ihle on Anthologies and Christmas Romances
Sex – Eyes Wide Open – includes a special link with comments by readers and author Jo Beverley (added Dec 27)
Romance and the Mainstream – link to Katherine Deauxville’s Quickie on Mainstreaming
Laurie’s Picks & Pans – special link provided

Issue #37 – October 20, 1997
Summary:
Talking about High Energy by Dara Joy – (read Dara’s response from Oct 23)

  • Covers
  • Heroes and the Gamma Male
  • Heroines and Humor – Good, Bad, & Forced
  • Sex – Eyes Wide Open?
  • Conflict

A Writer Asks. . . About Sex on Page 1
Torment or Torture?
Laurie’s Picks & Pans – special link provided

Issue #36 – October 10, 1997
Summary:
Tormented Heroines – links to Connie Flynn’s Quickie and Lisa Kleypas’ Quickie
Historical Settings and Cut-off Points – special link provided (updated Dec 27)
The Mid-list Crisis – special link provided
Lauries Picks & Pans – special link provided

Issue #35 – October 1, 1997
Summary:
Tortured Heroes
The English Hero
The Cover Controversy – including comments by author Tess Mallory
Laurie’s Picks & Pans
The Mid-list crisis: Letter from Spider

Issue #34 – September 20, 1997
Summary:
Death of a Fairy Tale – with special link
The Back Cover
The Too-stupid-to-live Heroine – link to Patricia Rice’s Quickie
Laurie’s Picks & Pans

Issue #33 – September 10, 1997
Summary:
Death of a Fairy Tale
Tormented Heroines
Tortured Heroes
The Too-stupid-to-live Heroine
The Back Cover
Laurie’s Picks & Pans

Issue #32 – September 1, 1997
Summary:
Purple Prose Parody Winner
More on Purple Prose
Endings & Epilogues and Link to HEA Endings – part III
Riffing on Political Correctness and Links to Rifs Index
Historical Anachronisms
Tortured Heroes
The Too-stupid-to-live Heroine
Tortured Heroines
Death of a Fairy Tale
Laurie’s Picks & Pans

Issue #31 – August 15, 1997
Summary:
A Discussion of A Well Pleasured Lady and Forced Seduction
Political Incorrectness and Anachronisms
Media Alert: LLB turns the tables on the Nora Roberts/Janet Dailey coverage, including a media response (Gil Gross Responds) to reading this column
Time To Vote on the Purple Prose Parody
A Reader Writes in about the HEA Ending
Laurie’s Picks & Pans

Issue #30 – July 30, 1997
Special Edition about the Plagiarism Case Involving Nora Roberts and Janet Dailey
Follow-up to Special Edition (August 10, 1997)
Lawsuit filed – (August 27, 1997) Updated November 1, 1998

Issue #29 – July 15, 1997
Summary:
The Cover Controversy
Focus on Cover Artist Elaine Duillo
Covers, Publishers, Stereotypes, Apples and Melons
Link to a stand-alone page
Rising Stars and Buried Treasures
Purple Prose
Endings and Epilogues
Copyright Infringement Part Two

Issue #28 – June 28, 1997
Summary:
Copyright Infringement Controversy
Disappointing Reads
Talk about Happily Ever After endings
If You Could Talk to Publishers
Stars of the Future

Issue #27 – June 6, 1997
Summary:
The HEA ending
Swallowing
Readers Write purple prose
If You Could Talk to Publishers
Set-asides
Disappointing Reads
Summer Reading

Issue #26 – May 16, 1997
Summary:
Kat Martin on Secondary Characters
Linda Madl on Secondary Characters and Love Scenes
Katherine Sutcliffe Does an About-face
An Anonymous Author on What Readers Want
Lynna Banning on What Readers Want
A Reader Gets Mad about Conversion Kits
Kathryn Lynn Davis – an update
Lisa Kleypas and Marasha Canham about the Love Scene Parody

Issue #25 – May 4, 1997
Summary:
Conversion kits
TBR Size
Set-asides
Is It Three Strikes, You’re Out?
Censorship at The Romance Reader
LLB Writes Purple Prose
A Sorry New Trend?
Lisa Kleypas, Julie Moffett, and Mary Jo Putney Play Casting Director

Issue #24 – April 20, 1997
Summary:
Conversion Kits
Susan Elizabeth Phillips Plays Casting Director
Glomming, TBR’s, and Time Online
Authors/Books Others Love that You Don’t
Not Pet Peeves
Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Males – LLB’s picks
Fox Paws and Other Pet Peeves
Silly Sex

Issue #23 – April 4, 1997
Summary:
Authors/Books Others Love that You Don’t
Authors and Readers Play Casting Director
More on the Gamma Male
A Discussion of Internal/External Conflict
The Lists
Glomming and Time Online

Issue #22 – March 18, 1997
Summary:
Romance and Age Appropriateness
A Sense of Community
Covers
A Rant about Non-“books”
A Snippet from author Marsha Canham
More on Wall-bangers

Issue #21 – February 26, 1997
Summary:
A New Hero Archetype?
The Importance of Secondary Characters
A Discussion of Wall-Bangers
Romance and Age Appropriateness
In Defense of Bertrice Small
More Reader Rants and Raves

Issue #20 – February 11, 1997
Summary:
The 1997 Unofficial Romance Reader Awards – Link to awards page
Comments by Winners Mary Jo Putney, Jennifer Crusie, Nora Roberts, and Jo Beverley
Dis-Honorable Mentions
The Problem with Authors
Publishing News

Issue #19 – January 25, 1997
Guest Column by Cathy Sova on Series Romance
Included Interviews with Debra Dixon, Jo Leigh, and Tori Phillips

Issue #18 – January 10, 1997
Summary:
Organizing Our Libraries – includes link to Raves About Libraries
Love Scenes, Sex Scenes, What’s Good, What’s Not, etc.
Accuracy, Historical or Otherwise
A look at the “unofficial” 1997 Romance Reader Voting. . . so far
Some New Ideas for Our Special Title Listings[/fusion_tab][fusion_tab title=”1996″ icon=””]Issue #17 – December 21, 1996
Summary:
Is Anyone Out There?
Love Scenes versus Sex Scenes
Violent Sex
Luscious Love Stories
Julie Garwood’s Style of Romance: Conflict Outside the Love Relationship
Publishing Bandwagon: Send in the Clones
Why Are Our Favorite Authors Writing Such Bad Books?

Issue #16 – December 3, 1996
Summary:
1996 – The Year in Review
Long-time Readers versus Newbies
Old style versus New Style of Romance
Sensuality in Romance: How Far should Authors Go?
Rants about Sexuality
Getting Hooked on Romance

Issue #15 – November 18, 1996
Summary:
Snippets about Loretta Chase and Julia Quinn
Authors Play Cast Your Book
Silly Sex and Other Purple Prose
What To Do when You’re in the Romance Duldrums?
How Come. . . ?
How Big Is Your. . . TBR Pile?

Issue #14 – October 31, 1996
Summary:
A Snippet from Sharon & Tom Curtis (aka Laura London)
Rescue Theme
Romance as Fantasy
Labeling of Romance
Special Heroines
Mid-list Follow-up
Precious Gems

Issue #13 – October 1, 1996
Summary:
All-time Keepers and Why
Silly Sex
Road Romances
Do We Really Want To Know/How Come. . . ?
Kensington Follow-up

Issue #12 – September 20, 1996
Summary:
Glomming
Ratings
The Effect of “Cheerleader” Ratings on the Genre

Issue #11 – September 4, 1996
Summary:
A Different Look at Beauty in Romance, including a Discussion with Author Patricia Rice, and the Less-Than-Beautiful Listing
Do We Really Want To Know/How Come…?
Road Romance Listing
Is Everything Old New Again?

Issue #10 – August 21, 1996
Summary:
Mid-list and the Mid-list Crisis (including an impassioned argument by author Patricia Potter)

Issue #9 – July 30, 1996
Summary:
Are Firsts Our Favorites?
Glomming
Publishers and Readers’ Tastes

Issue #8 – July 9, 1996
Summary:
Celebration of Romance
Special Heroes
Keepers
Gilligan’s Island Syndrome
Road Romance Listing
A Look at Strong Heroines
A Different Look at Beauty in Romance
Luscious Love Stories Listing

Issue #7 – June 16, 1996
Summary:
A Guy (and Author) Who Reads it: Douglas Clegg – (to read the entire q&a with this author, click here)
Authors Others Love that You Don’t
Plot-lines: The Good, the Bad, and the Silly
Virginity
Silly Sex

Issue #6 – June 2, 1996
Summary:
What Romantic Fiction Should Be by Author Catherine Archer
Authors Others Love that You Ddon’t
Stereotypes faced by Romance Readers and Authors (including Jean Simmons)
Covers
Ratings
Run for the Hills!

Issue #5 – May 4, 1996
Summary:
Stereotypes Faced by Romance Readers and Authors (including Jo Beverley, Julia Quinn, and Danelle Harmon)
A Look at Heroes
Luscious Love Stories: – How Much Is Too Much and Silly Sex
Favorite Funnies Listing
Two-Hanky Reads Listing
Authors Others Love that You Don’t
Virginity

Issue #4 – April 22, 1996
Summary:
Stereotypes Faced by Romance Readers and Authors (including Lisa Ann Verge, Merline Lovelace, and Deborah Simmons)
Fidelity of Characters in Romance
Desert Isle Picks – heroes and heroines
Luscious Love Stories and Listing
Favorite Funnies Listing
Two-Hanky Reads Listing

Issue #3 – April 2, 1996
Summary:
Fidelity of Characters in Romance
Snippets from Authors
Desert Isle Picks – heroines, heroes, and books
Luscious Love Stories
Favorite Funnies Listing
Two-Hanky Reads Listing

Issue #2 – March 17, 1996
Summary:
Snippets from Authors
Do You Sneak a Peek?
Do You Read more than One Book at a Time?
The Happily-Ever-After Ending
Desert isle picks – heroines, heroes, and books
Two-Hanky Read Listing
Silly Sex

Issue #1 – March 1, 1996
Summary:
Do You Sneak a Peek?
Do you Read More than One Book at a Time?
The Happily-Ever-After Ending
Favorite Funnies Listing
A Snippet about Kathryn Lynn Davis’ Too Deep for Tear[/fusion_tab][/fusion_tabs][fusion_text]

Laurie’s Picks & Pans