WordPress tells me I’ve written 138 the ask@AAR posts.
The first one, published on September 6th, 2019, asked what did you think about cartoon covers? Reading through the comments, it appears that AAR readers were, in the large part, not fans. I’m curious–has your opinion changed about them?
The post with the most comments–and these are always my favorite–was published on the 18th of October of 2019. I asked if you thought historical romance had a quality problem and–whoa–did you have a lot to say. Many of you felt it did. These opinions then made some other readers extremely upset. It’s interesting to read the comments. I suspect that, today, we are less comfortable being so open about our feelings which, I have to say, makes me sad.
Other much commented on posts include:
What’s your topic deal breaker?
What kinds of stories would you like to see more of in romance?
and the evergreen
What should AAR do to survive?
The most popular post of 2022 asked What romance does everyone else love that you can’t stand?
Thank you for answering so many of my questions. Interacting with readers is, hands down, my favorite part of my work at AAR. You guys are the best!
And I’m curious–what questions would you like me to ask next?
Impenitent social media enthusiast. Relational trend spotter. Enjoys both carpe diem and the fish of the day.
This is a speculative question with an unknowable answer, but one I’d love to read everyone’s thoughts on…
What would your favourite classical author (Austen, Brontë, Shakespeare, even Heyer) write about if she or he was alive today? Would she/he even be a writer?
Ooooooh! I love this! Thanks!
I definitely see a pattern here in that all of these top posts (barring AAR’s Survival) lend themselves to negativity in the answers – I hate X, why does nobody do Y, books should never include Z…
It’s a widespread truth in media based on selling eyeball time that anger drives engagement (see the recent Facebook Papers) – it’s one of the reasons for vitriolic news. But I I feel like leaning into this data this pushes us to write and post things that are more and more provocative and intended to get emotions high – yet then we get shocked and disappointed when responses become personal?
What I want from online Romancelandia is things to read, not things to avoid, so I think AAR is a stronger site when it helps readers find enjoyable things. Every time I post an AAR Loves, I hope it will get the traction of a “Dreamboat or Douchebag” or a “Tell me what was overrated.” But I can’t make people comment.
What you see as negativity, I see as discussion. Again, perhaps this is a generational thing, but there is nothing I love more than a back and forth about ideas. I love it when others disagree with me. I learn from views that are different than my own.
I grew up in the era when women were supposed to be nice and hold their tongues. I didn’t then and I love that AAR is a place where I don’t have to now.
Sure, there are a few comments that are harsher than I’d like. But they are far and few inbetween. It’s been my experience that the vast majority of AAR commenters don’t make their ideas personal–it’s one of the things I admire most about our readership.
We’ve spent the past few years, in general, isolated from one another. I think having posts where people comment, where they interact, is a gift.
Again, this is just my perspective and I respect yours. I also love all the blogs you write and feel they bring so much to AAR. <3
I don’t have a problem with cartoon covers per se. But I’ve always had a problem with a cover that doesn’t reflect the content of the book.
I love columns that generate suggestions of things to read from readers (e.g. what is your top 5 titles for ???? or even just “what are currently reading?”) and I’ve often wondered if people would respond to a post discussing/asking about a specific author’s body of work – especially older authors with big back lists. What are readers’ favorite titles by this author, and why? Is there consensus on what would be in in a Top 5 list for this author? Does a writer deserve their reputation for (fill in the blank)? If you like this person’s writing, is anyone else’s work similar? and so on.
And I should have included FWIW: I’ve really enjoyed the ask@AAR posts, and everyone’s comments. It is one of my favorite parts of the site!
I love your suggestion for future blog posts. We often comment under a specific book review about the author’s other books but it would be great to have a whole post dedicated to an author’s works.
I dislike cartoon covers as I feel they make the book look lighthearted no matter what the subject matter is inside.
Given the regularity with which this argument breaks out on Twitter – Why is it that some people find it practically impossible to understand that the HEA/HFN is a genre requirement of romance? I never see anyone complaining about a whodunnit being solved or a planet being saved…
I still don’t like cartoon covers either. They’re everywhere and, as we’ve pointed out in various reviews, often belie the subject matter, leading readers to think they’re getting a rom-com when they’re getting a story featuring much heavier issues that they may not want to read about.
The snobbery in strong! I just roll my eyes at the complaints from people who don’t read anything but “literary fiction,” but I honestly can’t understand other genre-fiction readers who don’t understand that every genre has unwritten (and even written) requirements.
I know it will open a huge can of worms, but how will the overturning of Roe v. Wade affect romance novels, specifically the “unplanned pregnancy” trope.
And I still hate cartoon covers!!
I’ve wondered that, too. An author who wants a viable “will she keep the baby or not” plot will have to set the story in a state where abortion is an option. And that’s an increasingly shrinking list.
I’ve always loved cartoon covers! but I still agree with what was pointed out in that discussion: covers like this make it more difficult to know the level of warmth of the book.
Perhaps a good question that would spark debate is whether it’s okay to promote “toxic” relationships or non-consensual sex in romance as fantasy…should we just let people enjoy what they want or does anyone feel like there really is a certain kind of ” romance” that shouldn’t exist?
I have seen that discussion on other sites but without taking care of manners and education as much as is usually done here.
I think that would be a terrific topic. We’ve had a lot of “rape fantasy” discussions in the past but it would be interesting to see how people feel about this issue now.
Especially when we refer not to erotic books where within a consensual and in many cases romantic relationship both parties decide to play this, but plots where the heroine is actually raped and humiliated by the hero.
And not only limited to what is questionable in the sexual field, we have the same as “bully romance” where the relationship for the most part consists of humiliations, screams, fights, etc. between the hero and the heroine. For example I remember reading a review somewhere from a reader who liked scenes where the hero “marked” the heroine, with a razor for example writing his initials on her skin.
I think the most important part to discuss – at least for me – is the difference between I won’t read that and no one should read that. And if the book/author is popular, should it be allowed to appear on best-of lists/receive awards? For example, The Flame and the Flower is seen as the start of the romance boom in the 70s and deeply influential in forming the romance industry as we know it today. Are we allowed to celebrate this rapey novel or must we roundly condemn it while simultaneously acknowledging its impact?
I see such a generational gap around this. I literally flinched at the idea that we would roundly condemn The Flame and the Flower for its non consensual sex. (It’s plot is a whole ‘nother thing….)
And the idea that we would shame those who enjoy it and other bodice rippers or dark romances makes me want to run out of the room.
But that is JUST ME personally.
It’s an interesting question for sure.
I agree. These books (romances) should be a source of entertainment and enjoyment for all. If you like something I don’t, that’s okay. I’ll tell you I don’t like it but I won’t demand you not read it.
Honestly, I can see both sides of the discussion. That said, in my 61 years, shame is one of the worst tools we have to change the world and this kind of thing often feels like shaming readers and writers to me.
Books, like everything else in the popular culture, are reflections of the time in which they were written. From 1976 to about 1990, I consumed bodice rippers by the barrel, but I doubt I could make it through a chapter of SWEET SAVAGE LOVE today. While we can’t return to the time, place, and cultural attitudes that made THE FLAME AND THE FLOWER a huge bestseller, we now have uber-dark romance where there’s plenty of dubious/non-consent, among other transgressive acts & situations. There are various reasons for the popularity of dark romance (just look at the amount of it on Kindle Unlimited); one of the most important being that people like to read it! I do like some but not all subgenres of dark romance (it’s a big umbrella), but I don’t push it on other readers. By the same token, I don’t want someone to tell me what I should/should not read. I think most of us clearly know the difference between fantasy and reality, between fiction and real life, and between what we like to read and what we would never wish to actually happen to ourselves or any other woman. The bigger problem arises when someone (usually not a romance reader) decides that because women read dark romance it follows that they want to be abducted/help captive/be forced in sexual situation where consent is dubious.
I’ve always been exceedingly uncomfortable with the idea of punishing people for thoughts. Thoughts, fantasies, dreams–those are not necessarily reflective of the person who has them. Judge me on my actions, not on what plays through my brain.