I loved this recent post from Jeff Goins, The Wrong Reasons to Write. Goins makes a lot of good and interesting points here–the difficulty in writing for just money or fame, in particular–but what really has stuck with me about this post was the bit at the end about making the reader the focus of … [Read more…]
I’ve been looking at tons of romance novel blurbs at online bookstores this year–a consequence of being both an enthusiastic romance reader and writer. Looking at all those book covers and blurbs, I’ve noticed something: if I had a dime for every time I read the words “secret” or “alpha,” I’d be able to buy … [Read more…]
Give me a bookshelf of romances, virtual or real, and I’ll show you dozens of manscaped men. Naked torsos totally devoid of hair, sometimes gleaming with sweat, almost always sculpted. When did this happen? Where did all the hair go? Is it being knitted into sweaters? Is it clogging our drains? The other day I saw … [Read more…]
Of all the New Year’s resolutions I made this month–walking more, using more Listerine, watching my Hulu shows before they expire–I’ve got an extra-weird one: stop being embarrassed about reading romance. I’ve always been drawn to television shows and movies brimming with love stories and sexual tension, but when it comes to books, I’ve often … [Read more…]