Looking for a cool podcast?

By |2022-08-31T12:32:36-04:00August 31st, 2022|Categories: Publishing|

FMK Lit is a podcast where hosts Neil and Claire read two romance novels, a straight one and a queer one, and then play fuck marry kill with the characters. It is a podcast built to celebrate the romance genre even as Neil and Claire turn their boozy, lit-crit eye towards problematic tropes and sometimes unworthy heroes. Themed episodes like “Modern Retellings of Jane Austen,” “Silver Foxes,” “Wedding Planners,” and “Cowboys” show how straight writers and queer writers tackle the tried and true tropes that prop up romance storylines, and hopefully open up a whole new world of reading to romance enthusiasts of all types. Claire and Neil laugh at crazy storylines, shake their fists at the patriarchy, rant about grammar, and sigh deeply at a well-earned kiss. Oh…and they cheer for lube always.

FMK Lit recorded its first episode on September 17th, 2017. Neil, Claire, and their producer extraordinaire, Christine, came together in Christine’s sunlit apartment to hang out […]

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Romantic Intentions Quarterly’s Ten Questions for Dabney

By |2018-07-07T08:04:09-04:00July 7th, 2018|Categories: Dabney AAR, Interviews, Polls, Publishing, Romancelandia, Top 100 Romance|Tags: |

Romantic Intentions Quarterly, a new e-zine about romance, interviewed our Publisher, Dabney Grinnan, for their second issue. With their permission, we are sharing the interview.

RIQ: All About Romance is one of the most respected romance-related websites in the world. Can you tell us how it came to be? […]

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Are Erotic Romance Authors Welcome at Nook?

By |2017-09-01T17:07:11-04:00September 1st, 2017|Categories: Anne Marble, Book news, Bookstores, E-books, Publishing, Romance reading, Romancelandia|Tags: , , , |

Are indie erotic romances and erotica no longer welcome in the Barnes & Noble Nook store? Are some of them okay? Apparently, it depends on what day of the week it is.

Last week, several erotic romance authors reported that that Barnes & Noble’s Nook Press had suspended their accounts. Initially, it was reported that the books being removed were those that broke the content policy – that is, erotica about incest, rape, bestiality, necrophilia, or pedophilia. As with any of these breaking news stories, the truth always takes time to bubble to the surface. In other words… That was far from the truth. Author David Gaughran reported that authors of “regular erotica” were being targeted – not just writers of the more … niche … stories.

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Defining Romance: Does RWA finally have it right?

By |2017-06-23T08:30:11-04:00April 5th, 2016|Categories: Anne Marble, Defining Romance, Publishing, RWA|

RWA logoOn April 4, a message went up on the Romance Writers of America (RWA) blog: Important Message Regarding 2005 “Definition of Romance” Survey. Here’s what it said:

At the November 2015 Board of Directors meeting, one of the issues discussed was an RWA survey conducted in 2005. Though this occurred eleven years ago, the ill effects of that survey still linger for many members. The survey was included in the Romance Writers Report and asked RWA members to vote on whether romance should be redefined as being between one man and one woman. The survey responses were never acted upon, and RWA’s definition of romance was not changed.

The survey, however, sparked a discussion that compelled our LGBT+ members to justify their existence to others and to participate in debates about their humanity and their capacity to love. This incident was a low point from which RWA’s reputation has never recovered. […]

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Lisa Kleypas: The RWA2015 Interview

By |2017-05-24T17:09:26-04:00July 27th, 2015|Categories: Authors, Dabney AAR, Interviews, Publishing, RWA|Tags: |

When it comes to romance novelists, few are more storied than Lisa Kleypas. She’s been a beauty queen (Miss Massachusetts in 1985), a best-selling author (she’s written 38 books and four novellas), and is known for her warmth and charm.

I can attest to the latter. When Avon asked if I’d like to interview her at RWA2015, I gulped. Me? Talking to Lisa Kleypas? I feared I’d be starstruck and tongue-tied.

I was starstruck, but no tongue-tied. From the moment, she sat down, Lisa was lovely (She began by complimenting me on my jewelry and then moved on to telling me how much she adores AAR.) I felt at ease.

She answered every question I asked. Here, dear readers, is our conversation.

Dabney: What’s next for you and when will it be out?

Lisa: The next is Brown Eyed Girl, out August 11th, and that’s my last Texas contemporary. My first historical […]

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RWA – Thursday

By |2017-06-23T08:30:19-04:00July 24th, 2015|Categories: AAR Blythe, All About Romance, Book news, Publishing, RWA|

CKo6iu7WUAAV3QMThe first full day of RWA is in the books. Lynn, Dabney, and I have been busy observing, reporting, tweeting, and okay…celebrating.

One change this year is that there are no luncheons; the sessions with featured speakers are breakfast sessions in the morning. Undoubtedly a cost-cutting measure, and I am not sure whether it is a permanent shift or if they are just trying it out. All of us missed it Thursday because we were invited to breakfast the the Simon & Schuster Offices – for booklovers, that was pretty cool and a major perk of having the conference in New York. Incidentally, there do seem to be a lot more men milling about at this conference than the one in say, San Antonio. Don’t get me wrong; this is a very female dominated industry and there are far more women than men – just more men than usual. We […]

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RWA 2015 – The Conference Begins

By |2017-06-23T08:30:19-04:00July 23rd, 2015|Categories: Book news, Book Signing News, Lynn AAR, Publishing, RWA|Tags: |

20150722_181549 (720x1280) I got a slower start than I wanted, as my planned 6:00 arrival in NYC didn’t actually occur until after 11:00pm. However, one night of sleep later, I was raring to go to the conference! I love RWA for a variety of reasons. On a personal level, I enjoy visiting with some of my AAR colleagues and folks in Romlandia that I only get to see once a year or so. On a professional level, the energy at RWA is contagious, and I am not only able to gather news about authors and publishing trends, but things I hear at conference tend to percolate in my mind and influence my writing for some time afterward.

The literacy signing was its usual mix of interesting and overwhelming. The ballroom this year felt a tad cramped, but I think most of us were still able to find […]

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RWA (and AAR) is in the Big Apple!

By |2017-05-24T17:09:24-04:00July 20th, 2015|Categories: AAR Blythe, Dabney AAR, Lynn AAR, Publishing, RWA|

One of the most fun parts of Romancelandia is the annual Romance Writers of America conference held each year in July. Last year it was in sweltering San Antonio and this year, still sweltering, its attendees are in New York City.

I arrived here on Sunday afternoon and spent the afternoon walking and sweating profusely. My phone claimed it was a measly 96 degrees–I’m sure with the heat of the traffic and the asphalt, it was well over 100. But who cares? This is New York, a city where you can find just about every kind of activity you can imagine.

I’m here a bit early because my eldest son lives here now and this is the first chance I’ve had to visit him here. (First mom job: Buy him a second set of sheets and a few more towels–he has just one of each.)

Blythe and Lynn arrive on Tuesday and then it’s a whirlwind of panels, interviews, dinners, parties, and awards. Yes, […]

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