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 […]
With The Lady is Daring, the latest sparkling installment in Megan Frampton’s Duke’s Daughters series—out earlier this week—the always- reliable historical romance writer delivers another happy literary marriage of red-hot sensuality and deliciously dry wit. We spoke to Frampton about writing witty characters, Latin phrases, and Clark Gable. JOHN CHARLES: Who is Megan Frampton? […]
Early in her writing career, which began with the publication of The Diabolical Baron in 1987, Mary Jo Putney began testing the traditional boundaries of historical romance. She tackled topics like alcoholism and domestic abuse, set her stories in a wide range of locales from China to Indonesia, and even added a dollop of magic […]
What is it about Paris that makes it so darn romantic? Is it the thought of stealing a kiss under the Eiffel Tower at night? Enjoying a picnic in the springtime beauty of the Luxembourg Gardens? Sharing a delicieux éclair with your petit chou at some charming little patisserie? Holding hands while enjoying a sunset cruise […]
J. R. Ward (of Black Dagger Brotherhood series fame) is at it again with a fiery protagonist, a fiery romance, and actual fires in her new novel. coming this October. When the consequences from a rash decision leaves adrenaline-junkie Anne unable to continue her work as a firefighter, she turns to arson investigation, starting with […]
Yesterday, the Romance Writers of America (RWA) announced the 2018 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, linked to their Booklist reviews when available. For more information, click here. Best First Book Take the […]
Lynn: Are you still watching videos of Meghan and Harry’s wedding on YouTube? Yup, me too. If you and your teens are ready to move on to royal-watching in a different format, here’s a delightful new book that checks all the boxes for fans of crowned-heads-on-anything. Gorgeous clothes? Check. Handsome princes? Check. Behind-the-scenes secrets? Check. […]
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 […]
New York Times–bestselling author Linda Howard is passionate about many things including her family, her friends, her dogs, college football, and her home state of Alabama. One thing she could definitely do without? Cows. She describes these as “mean, devious, and psychic.” Before becoming a full-time writer, Howard worked at a trucking company for 17 […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
Encouraging Middle-Schoolers to Choose Books
There’s been a lot of discussion among the librarians I know about what to do with middle-schoolers: they just don’t seem to read as much as they used to. I know that here in Chicago, we have a unique perspective on this situation, since our schools run K–8. In my former school system in Maryland […]
Getting Started with the Global Read Aloud
The 2017 Global Read Aloud kicked off yesterday, and I’m here to help. Author and educator Pernille Ripp founded the program as a way to connect students and teachers from different locales around the topics of books. (Think One Book One School or One Book One City, but on a global scale.) Each year, Ripp […]
TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: Practice Recognizing Fake News
Cindy: There have been a number of YA fiction books with the title “Two Truths and a Lie,” but we’ve found a creative, informational book for middle-grade students that reinforces evaluating information for truth. Fake news, anyone? Two Truths and a Lie: It’s Alive (2017) by Ammi-Joan Paquette and Laurie Ann Thompson is the first […]
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