Romance in Publishers Weekly

I was thrilled to once again see the romance genre featured in Publishers Weekly. In the article "Publishers Stand By Mass Market Paperback," Jim Milliot says that mass market paperbacks, especially romances, are still popular with publishers, despite new formats. And, in good news for historical romance writers, "There was widespread agreement that, among the various mass market categories, romance continues to enjoy solid sales gains, helped by what deGuzman called a “resurgence” in historical romance." Perhaps unsurprisingly, paranormal romances are also still big sellers. Milliot discusses premium paperbacks at length, which was useful since I'm not familiar with the pricing and reasoning for this new format.

P.S. If you have a little extra money floating around, the London Book Fair will be held in Earls Court, London from April14-16th.

Courtesy and the Romance Genre

Recently, I was browsing through a popular romance website, Ecataromance.com, and was interested in finding out the winners of the 2007 Best Book of the Year. I was disturbed to read the introductory letter from the webmistress, which stated that it was supposed to be a fun contest, and, hoping to make the process more efficient and organized, she changed some of the categories. Unfortunately, and this is the disturbing part, some authors/nominators sent in "impatient ranting emails" about the changes, and further, "I’ve received emails the likes of which I never thought I’d get. Obviously our contest has made many people very unhappy and that was NEVER our intention." Many of the folks who run romance-friendly websites do it for love of the genre and are not getting for their work, and I imagine reading nasty emails must have some effect on how they perceive the genre and its writers. I also realize this is part of a larger problem that Lynne Truss discusses in her book, Talk to the Hand: The Utter Bloody Rudeness of the World Today, or Six Good Reason to Stay Home and Bolt the Door. Rudeness is just part of our everyday lives, but need it be a part of our profession?

Fun Website: Longmire does Romance Novels

I can't believe I've never run across this website before. Basically, the guy who runs the website takes romance novel covers and then has fun with them. If you're easily offended regarding the genre, then avoid it; otherwise, it's a fun site to visit. Also, if you're technologically savvy, you can send in your own artwork, and he'll post it on the website. The image I posted below is particularly funny to me since I write historical romances.

Outlander Graphic Novel

For those of us interested in the intersections between the romance genre and the graphic novel, the news that Diana Gabaldon will be publishing an original Outlander graphic novel is tremendously exciting. According to her website, " The new story, starring Gabaldon’s beloved characters Claire Randall and Jamie Fraser, opens with Murtagh, Jamie’s godfather, awaiting the return of his godson to Scotland, and the fulfillment of a vow made years before. The graphic novel will be approximately 192 pages and will publish sometime in 2009." If you want to learn more about this topic, the RT Booklovers Convention will host a workshop entitled Fiction in All Its Forms: Exploring Opportunities in the Manga, Anime, Graphic Novel and Comic Book Markets, which will be hosted by Anne Elizabeth.

P.S. On the plagiarism front, the romance community is directly attacking the issue at the RT Booklovers Convention, Bertrice Small, Jennifer Blake, and Roberta Gellis will be presenting a workshop entitled How to Use Historical Facts Without Crossing the Line Into Plagiarism.

New Writing Contest: The Wild Rose Press

Got Wolf?
Black Rose Writing Contest
If you've got a hot hero/heroine that also happens to turn furry at
least once a month, then Black Rose is looking for your story.
We are interested in werewolf stories with tight, well-written
storylines and plots. If the hero is female make sure the male is
equally impressive. All stories must have at least one HOT
consummated love scene and, of course, the traditional story
requirements still stand.
Please take a moment to look at our submission requirements
(www.thewildrosepress.com and click on the tab for "Submissions" )
before sending in your stories. Stories that do not follow
traditional guidelines will be disqualified.
Submissions are now open!
Please place "Got Wolf? Contest Entry" in your subject line along
with the traditional subject line matter, also found on the
Submissions Guide.
Contest deadline: August 30, 2008
Winners to be announced: October 31, 2008
Contest details:
4 shorts -- 15-25,000 word maximum and
2 full shorts -- 25-45,000 word maximum will be chosen from the
entries.
All six winners will be included in a Black Rose anthology and will
also receive a special Black Rose contest T-shirt. In addition, one
winner will be chosen from those six to receive an author's survival
basket full of goodies.
Anthology Publication (estimated release) date June 2009
Judges: Ami Russell, Callie Lynn Wolfe, Jade Alexander, Amanda
Barnett, Joan Archer, and Rene Stephens

A Treat for my Fellow Jane Austen Fans

I thought it would be fun to share one of my favorite Pride & Prejudice passages, accompanied by a romantic Regency image. Enjoy!












"Elizabeth, feeling all the more than common awkwardness and anxiety of his situation, now forced herself to speak; and immediately, though not very fluently, gave him to understand that her sentiments had undergone so material a change, since the period to which he alluded, as to make her receive with gratitude and pleasure his present assurances. The happiness which this reply produced, was such as he had probably never felt before; and he expressed himself on the occasion as sensibly and as warmly as a man violently in love can be supposed to do. Had Elizabeth been able to encounter his eye, she might have seen how well the expression of heartfelt delight, diffused over his face, became him; but, though she could not look, she could listen, and he told her of feelings, which, in proving of what importance she was to him, made his affection every moment more valuable."
Jane Austen, Pride & Prejudice (1813)

Plagiarism and Authors

Paul Tolme, one of the authors whose work was lifted by Cassie Edwards, wrote an interesting and thought-provoking column on the topic in Newsweek Online. You can find Tolme's article here; his remarks about plagiarism at the end of the article are particularly astute, and I plan to share the article with my Composition students to open up a discussion about the fair use of research. As Tolme's remarks, "Plagiarism victimizes writers. It betrays the trust of readers. It tarnishes the craft of writing." As an English instructor, I've always been attuned to how I incorporate other authors in my research on the nineteenth century, which has helped when I approach research for my fiction writing. It's just plain courtesy, thanking the people who have helped you along the way to complete your research by acknowledging their contributions.

The Complete Jane Austen on PBS

Rediscover the timeless novels of Jane Austen in celebration of Masterpiece's Complete Jane Austen film festival—airing on PBS this winter.

Viewing Schedule:
• January 13—Persuasion
• January 20—Northanger Abbey
• January 27—Mansfield Park
• February 10—Pride & Prejudice (Part I)
• February 17—Pride & Prejudice (Part II)
• February 24—Pride & Prejudice (Part III)
• March 23—Emma
• March 30—Sense & Sensibility (Part I)
• April 6—Sense & Sensibility (Part II)

For more information, visit pbs.org
The Masterpiece Theatre® broadcast of Pride and Prejudice is the first in the U.S. other than on A&E Television Networks

Red Roses for Authors: Nomination

I just found out that my short story, "The Earl's Enchantment," was nominated for the Red Roses for Authors Christmas award. As the blog owner stated, "I just want to remind visitors to this blog that our reviewers read well over two hundred books since we began in March 2007. It was hard to choose a shortlist from those authors." Although my story didn't win the award, I was thrilled to find out that my story was one of just five nominations in the Short/Novella category. Thank you to Red Roses for Authors, and congratulations to Sloane Taylor and Desiree Holt for winning!

New Reviews: A Seaside Enchantment

I was happy to find out that a few more reviews for my latest release, A Seaside Enchantment, have been posted on the web.




Tammy, from Fallen Angel Reviews, had the following to say: "A Seaside Enchantment by Sara Freeze is an unique tale that mixes a little bit of romance, a pinch of the paranormal and a dash of historical into a very flavorful story that flows along beautifully."








At Sensual Reads & Reviews, L.E. Kelly said "A Seaside Enchantment is a touching story that plays upon the hope of all true romantics—‘somewhere, in some time, is the One Love for me, and nothing will keep us apart when I find that person.’"



Rose, the Romance at Heart Magazine reviewer, stated " Sara Freeze has concocted a delightful tale of lust, danger, magic, and matchmaking."