The Ojibway Circle: A Guest Post by Maggie Blackbird
Talking with Loreth Anne White at #RWA18
I caught up with Loreth Anne White at RWA and was, honestly, kinda thrilled. I’ve been a fan of her books for almost as long as I’ve been reviewing. (If you like romantic suspense and haven’t read her Angie Pallorino series, you’re missing out.) […]
Chatting with Teri Wilson at #RWA18
It’s always a joy to meet new authors at RWA. We’d chatted with Teri Wilson whose first trade paperback with Gallery Books, The Accidental Beauty Queen, will come out this December. Wilson says the plot is romance catnip: Miss Congeniality meets The Parent Trap. […]
Chatting with Rachel Grant at #RWA2018
The best part of RWA’s annual conference is, for me, getting to talk with authors I love. I’ve been lucky enough to have lunch with Rachel Grant the past few RWAs we’ve both been at. This year, we had so much fun that I forgot to take a picture of her. So you’ll have to settle for this picture of the fried pickles–they were delicious–which Rachel took to send to Erica Ridley who, I hear, has a thing for fried pickles. […]
Chatting with Elizabeth Kingston at #RWA18
The best part of RWA’s annual conference is, for us, getting to talk with authors we love. Elizabeth Kingston’s books get high marks from us so we were excited to ask her what she’s writing next. […]
PROMISE ME A DREAM: The Struggle Continues by Wayne Jordan
For me, 2018 was going to be an exciting year. Back in 2016, I pitched an idea to a few of my author friends. The concept was not original. Harlequin had done in years ago. However, my perfect series would be slightly different. While each story would be set in a decade of the 20th century, plus the first two decades of 21 century, the main characters would be black, and the stories would focus on the black experience during that decade. […]
Chatting with Kelly Bowen at #RWA18
The best part of RWA’s annual conference is, for us, getting to talk with authors we love so natch we enjoyed catching up with Kelly Bowen. (Ms. Bowen has received seven DIK reviews from AAR.) […]
Chatting with Sherry Thomas at #RWA18
The best part of RWA’s annual conference is, for us, getting to talk with authors we love. And we love Sherry Thomas. (If you haven’t been reading her, you need to get on that. Now!) […]
Why We Need Romance by Leslie Hachtel
What helps? Respite. A break. Something better to aim for. And that’s what romance books give us. The victory over conflict, the answer to uncertainties, the happily ever after.
Maybe they don’t convey world-changing ideas or cure disease, but they give us hope. And, as Emily Dickinson said so poignantly:
““Hope” is the thing with feathers –
That perches in the soul –
And sings the tune without the words –
And never stops – at all –”
And what are the stories romance writers write? Magical stories of good triumphing over evil, true love conquering all and yes — happily ever after.
In times like these, we need to believe there is hope, […]
What, why and how do you read? A survey by M.K. Tod
Readers and writers – a symbiotic relationship. Ideas spark writers to create stories and build worlds and characters for readers’ consumption. Readers add imagination and thought to interpret those stories, deriving meaning and enjoyment in the process. A story is incomplete without both reader and writer.
And yet, so many authors I know mumble and grumble about their writing: Why hasn’t novel two done as well as novel one? Why is writer X getting so much attention? How should I adjust the manuscript to attract more readers? Why did my publisher reject my latest effort? How can I find the readers who will love my stories?
The grand bargain between writers and readers is a challenging one.
What then do readers want? What constitutes a compelling story? How do men and women differ in their preferences? Where do readers find recommendations? How do readers share their book experiences? These and other questions are […]