And it’s my own backside that’s been kicked. But here I am. Woof.
Here’s an excerpt from PBW’s upcoming StarDoc book that is so good I want to eat it. Her book, Evermore, is fantastic, too, and I’ll be talking more about that soon.
Interesting discussion at Dear Author on how “Romance Needs a Makeover” (basically saying we need respect, the covers should change, etc.) Read the comments for some juicy stuff, including this, from Mrs. Giggles:
Also, with romance in essence being an optimistic genre with its affirmative messages about love and happy endings, I think we will always have an uphill battle to climb towards respectability. Changing covers won�t do much, I think, because the very nature of the stories in the genre is unfashionable in today�s cynical environment. “Mainstream” and “literary” fiction that get oodles of respect from critics thrive on tragedy, irony, and sometimes, cruelty, because many folks that have the power to bestow “respectability” upon things are enamored with such “realism”. Love and happy endings in romance novels are deemed unrealistic even by Oprah, so I tell you, if Oprah, the Fairy Godmother of Feel Good TV, doesn�t support romance novels, we really have our work cut out for us.
And this from sky-diving maverick and fellow author, Gennita Low: Our genre, as I see it, is fun. Hollywood. Absolutely the hated stepchild of intellectuals who want to make serious films and write serious books about being and nothingness because our stories have happy endings. There�s nothing wrong with their choices of “realism” too�yeah, Frey�s, anyone?Besides, I really don�t think it�s the covers (maybe the titles) because fantasy books have about the cheesiest ones I�ve seen, what with those impossible Amazon chicks in chainmail bras riding on an elephant with three horns.
I think both sides make good points, but I’m with Giggles and Low on this one. Besides, I like my covers, and my happy endings, and being the little black sheep in the publishing closet going “BAAAA-HAHA” and laughing all the way to the bank. Literary books are fine and good—sometimes mind-blowing and excellent—but what we do as Romance writers are all those things as well, and the readers know it.
I am going to go rest now, and eat, and read a good book.