I struggled with the subtitle for this article. Last year’s described the contents as books “that won’t make you think too hard,” which is true (also hard, heh), but implies that these books are somehow less than, or won’t linger in the readers’ mind the way a traditional Best Of book might. This is the […]
Best-selling and award-winning writer Maya Rodale discovered just how great a romance novel can be while in college when her mother insisted that she read one. Now the author of more than a dozen romances, a selection of novellas, and the nonfiction work Dangerous Books for Girls: The Bad Reputation of Romance Novels Explained, Maya […]
Born in Texas, New York Times best-selling author Carolyn Brown currently lives with her husband in a small town in Oklahoma, the state where she was raised. In other words, she’s a dyed -in-the-wool Westerner, a status reflected in the vividly rendered settings of her humorous and heartfelt contemporary love stories, historical romances, historical novels, and […]
Regina Scott knew she was destined to become a writer the minute she finished her first story, “Mummies at the Lake,” in the third grade. She put that dream on hold in order to pursue more financially secure jobs—preschool teacher, day-care professional, and communications specialist among them. Later, when she realized that the only thing she […]
In 2014, Sonali Dev won the American Library Association’s award for best romance. Since then, she continues to craft excellent stories about love, family, and healing. In her latest novel, A Distant Heart, a rare immunodeficiency confines young Kimi to her mansion, where she befriends her window washer, Rahul. Later, the sociopathic leader of a black-market organ […]
Last Saturday, I had the pleasure of attending a theatrical in honor of Miss Jane Austen’s 242nd year of birth. In loft on Chicago’s Broadway Street, a troupe of women paid their respects to Miss Austen—exemplary authoress of the Regency era—by fabricating a satirical, gently mocking tale of social mores and romance. . . all […]
In this episode of the Oral History Podcast, we revisit two of our favorite romance tropes and discuss some books that feature them in enjoyable ways. Tell us what you think: feedback AT theoralhistorypodcast DOT com click to subscribe in iTunes or Stitcher SHOW NOTES Our Current Reads Carrie Himself, by Jess Kidd Inside […]
The Romance Writers of America (RWA) have announced the 2017 winners of the RITA Awards, honoring works of outstanding romance fiction. Named after the first president of the RWA, Rita Clay Estrada, the awards were given to the following titles: Best First Book Once and For All: An American Valor Novel, by Cheryl Etchison Contemporary Romance: Long […]
When the doctors removed a tumor from Flora Banks’ brain at the age of 10, she also lost her ability to form new memories. Now, at 17, one memory sticks out—kissing Drake. The trailer for The One Memory of Flora Banks (Philomel) follows Flora as she traverses a tundra, determined to find Drake in Norway […]
An intimate dinner for two at an off-the-beaten path Tuscan ristorante. A moonlight stroll along the Left Bank of the Seine. Watching the sun come up over the savanna. Letting the gentle breeze caress your cheek while standing on a warm beach in the Caribbean. It all sounds wonderfully romantic, doesn’t it? That is, until […]