Be My Grl - A contemporary romance set in Western Australia

New release. Yay.

Let me introduce Be My Grl.

Ros Wilson had only meant to return a mis-posted package to the original sender. She never meant to have her demisexual world shaken by the thought of a hot, sweaty man, where his T-shirt clung ever so—

No. Enough of that. Sex was never her thing. She never had a crush, she never got all hot and bothered over a celebrity, she never had a single stirring in her loins. Ros was content with her job, her foster kittens and her lack of sex life. (Or was she?)

Then she met Everett Pak, with his exquisitely carved wooden boxes and delightful candy hearts. While it was nerves/lust/love? at first sight, Ros thought she'd never see him again, until her housemate texted him a flirty picture of Ros. (Honestly!)

And he replied most favourably. Maybe this flirting thing wasn't so bad. But flirting led to dating, and dating led to a relationship, and a relationship led to...  

Was Ros ready for this? Was she ready to give over her heart? Could she give more? Or would her own hang-ups ruin what promised to be the best thing to ever happen in her life?

* * *

Last year I wrote this contemporary novella for the "Be Mine: Valentine Novellas to Warm the Heart" anthology. This anthology was a limited run a bunch of us did for fun.

Then I entered it in the RuBY awards by Romance Writers of Australia. Go me.

Then I realised, if I won the RuBY, people would want to buy it and read it. So I commissioned a whimsical cover from a university graphic design student I know and I stuck it up on Amazon.

It's funny and sexy and not much like what I usually write. Also: it's got sexytimes. If you're of my delightfully large fanbase that prefers my cleaner reads, this is not for you.  But if you're okay with a little brown-chicken-brown-cow Spiciness in your Romance novellas, feel free to check it out.

Free to read on Kindle Unlimited. Might as well give it a go. It features foster kittens. 

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Her Grace likes stretching her limits.

Greetings from Melbs

And what a fabulous Romance Writers of Australia Conference 2019 that was!  I am so glad I went. The conference has been officially over for an hour now, and we are all exhausted.

I totally got my extrovert on, and boy, the extrovert spends sooo much energy. I couldn't maintain it for the whole weekend.

I am tired, so I shall have to post later. I will do a complete rundown of the Conference in September's newsletter. Sign up now so you don't miss out.

Quick shortlist of things I learned:

• This is my tribe.
• I need to up my marketing.
• If you don't know something, someone there does. Find them.
• It's great to simply listen to others.
• Be bold.
• Business cards serve you well.
• Grab opportunities.

Yeah. More later. My hotel bed is looking nicer and nicer.

RWAus 2020 is in Freo next year.  We welcome you to Western Australia.

What would you like me to tell you about the Conference this year?

Behind the Scenes: the Recording of an Audiobook

Ever wanted to see your books as audiobooks? Ever wonder how it’s done? I'm gonna show you how.

Romance Writers of Australia (RWAus) are presenting a month-long Online Writing Lab (OWL) where I demonstrate a behind-the-scenes production of an audiobook, including recording and editing, Quality Assurance (QA) requirements, and more. Discover why a good narrator is worth their price per finished hour, or see if you’ve got the patience to DIY.

What makes a good raw sound file? How do you edit that sound file? What makes a good-quality audiobook? How can I make my voice sound better? Does an engineer need fancy equipment and a sound booth? Is my laptop or computer good enough? What about microphones? How long does it take to produce one Finished Hour of an audiobook? How can an audio file pass strict Quality Assurance?

Participants are welcome to treat this as an info-only course, or you can install the same software I use and give sound editing a go in the comfort of your own home. Proceed at your own pace week by week.

There's still some spots left in this online workshop.  Interested in knowing more? RWAus or TryBooking has more info.

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Her Grace has just finished a thesis and is ready to move from Astronomy to Audiobooks for June. Come join her

Book Reviews - Finish or Forget

I haven't done book reviews for a while (blame the semester. Planetary science took up more time than I realised).

I've been downloading and reading various books, mostly sourced from BookBub and Fussy Librarian, but also from the occasional recommendation from friends.

I confess, I did not finish reading many of the books I got. At .99c, I can afford to ditch a book that simply does not catch my interest.  I thought I'd go through some of the books I've recently read, including my reasons for finishing or forgetting it.

Note: my tastes may vary from yours, and you might enjoy a book I failed to finish, because what turns me off might be your crack.

________________

Book: The Woman who Saved the World (and was hated for it)
Author: Ebony McKenna
Finish or Forget:  Finish! And read a second time.
Why:  First of all it was a short read, which actually disappointed me. I wanted more. I read everything from this author I can get.  This book was a delightful time-travel story with many layers of nuance.
Many of her books are currently on sale at the moment for .99c or less.

---
Book: Ever Shade (A Dark Faerie Tale #1)
Author: Alexia Purdy
Finish or Forget: Forget. Got to chapter four
Why:  The plot felt one-dimensional. It simply didn't raise any questions to keep me going. I'm a stickler for complex plots. This didn't seem to have one. Sorry.

---
Book: Marine Biology
Author: GL Carriger (Okay, it's really Gail Carriger writing modern stuff)
Finish or Forget: Finish!
Why: Her voice and style is bright with a bit of humour. Her characters are likeable. While I'm generally not a fan of contemporary real-world settings, this one worked for me, because of how she painted the layer of magic over the contemporary world and made it relevant. Don't know if I'd hand it to most of the teenagers I know, as it's really for grownup people who can handle mermen and werewolves smooching atop ladders.

---
Book: Midnight Marriage
Author: Lucinda Brant
Finish or Forget: Forget. Made it to chapter two.
Why: Style didn't catch me. Also, the secretly arranged, forced marriage between a teenage boy and a twelve-year-old girl (even there was no consummation) felt very squicky to me, partly because of their ages, but also by the men forcing both parties to the marriage. They get married, and then don't see each other again until a decade later. Still, I couldn't feel any chemistry.  Might come back to it. Maybe. If I do, it'll be in hopes of plot complexity.

---
Book: Mademoiselle at Arms
Author: Elizabeth Bailey
Finish or Forget: Forget. Got to chapter three.
Why:  Characters felt too inconsistent. I couldn't get a sense of any depth from them. "Mademoiselle" claims to be English through and through, but always speaks with a French accent. Reader is given no clues why. Also, the style isn't as deep as it could be, with filter phrases distancing me. Also, don't really get a sense of the historical setting.

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Book: The Last Necromancer
Author: C.J. Archer
Finish or Forget: Finish! And went on to look for more in the series.
Why: The voice! It drew me in and didn't let go. Even the concept of the last necromancer in the world intrigued me enough to abandon my Kobo and secure this one for my Kindle app on my mobile phone. Normally I can't stand reading for too long on light-emitting screens, but this one tempted me. Style was smooth, details rich and the characters distinctive.
I wish Archer had a box set of this series. She's done box sets for her other series. But I wanted to indulge in this series now!

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Book: The Twenty-Sided Sorceress
Author: Annie Bellet
Finish or Forget: Finish
Why: Voice. I started reading this book because the title sounded so hokey. I honestly was expecting some shallow story about gamers who suddenly discover their AD&D actually casts real spells.
Glad I was wrong! The voice hooked me and made me read contemporary paranormal. The setup and the depth of the main character (who's got really big, nasty secrets) kept me until the end. Might be tempted to read more of the series.

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Book: The House of Closed Doors
Author: Jane Steen
Finish or Forget: Finish.
Why: This was more a historical novel, rather than anything fantasy-like. Maybe I found the genre refreshing enough to stick through to the end. I liked the main character Nell's journey and how she deals with some of the challenges that come her way. One slight downfall was that plot events felt a bit too idealistic. Personally, I enjoy idealistic, because for me, fiction is escapism. But sometimes, the idealism was a bit too convenient at times. Not sure if I'm ready for the next in the series. Maybe when I need a bit of optimism in my life. It's not frothy, but the heroine doesn't really end up in any dire situations that can't turn out all right in the end.

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Book: World Whisperer
Author: Rachel Devenish Ford
Finish or Forget: Forget. I persisted to chapter nine in hopes it would get better, but it didn't.
Why: The plot was so dull. Also, characters felt flat.  I'll forgive one or the other, but not both. While there were some interesting world-building elements, the strangeness of each element functioned in isolation and there was insufficient cause-and-effect to make for some really rich worldbuilding. Alas.

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Book:  Destiny Blues
Author: Sharon Joss
Finish or Forget: Finish.
Why: Because strong characters, interesting plot and voice will trump my meh attitude toward contemporary paranormal. The worldbuilding was well-thought-out in this one, offering the sort of complexity I like to see. I loved how Joss handled the supernatural Djemon et al.  Sucks to be Mattie, but can you blame her? 

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Book: The Smuggler's Gambit

Author: Sara Whitford

Finish or Forget: Forget. Couldn't even finish chapter one.

Why: It wasn't the voice. There was voice, but it didn't sing to me. Wasn't the setting. Plenty of that. Could have been the plot. I didn't get a sense of the direness of the plot. Yeah, Our Hero Adam gets abandoned to die by some smugglers. But otherwise, I couldn't get any sense of the plot. Maybe it was the characters. I simply didn't connect to them. Another big turnoff for me is when the MC gets bullied first thing. Francis Smythe bullies Adam in chapter one. Maybe I wasn't in the mood for this story. Might give this a try again. If plotty goodness picks up in the next chapter or so,  I might give it another chance. Normally I'm into historical stories about pirates and smugglers.

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Book: The Devil's Concubine

Author: Jill Braden

Finish or Forget: Finish, and am looking forward to the next book in the series.

Why: Boy, can Braden deliver! Her fantasy worldbuilding so redolent of Southeast Asia was so refreshing. Her characters were well-imagined and round. The plot satisfied my inner drama mama and the depth of the characters only made it better. I wanted to care about these characters. I loved that they had good sides and bad sides. 

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Book: Naheli's Sacrifice

Author: Rabea Scholz

Finish or Forget: Finish, though this kind of book isn't really my thing.

Why: I tend to find dystopias rather isolating and self-contained. They're often like little bubbles. This one felt like that. It was consistent within, but felt like the island on which it took place was completely isolated from the rest of the world. Might have come from the characters, that had their own sort of dysfunctionality. I did read this to the end, because the main character had her own conflicts, which propelled the story enough for me. Most of the other characters tended to appear rather flat, but Naheli had her own complexities. I like how she wavered between her determination to be the Sacrifice, and to not be the Sacrifice.

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Book: Mr Dracy to the Rescue

Author: Victoria Kincaid

Finish or Forget: Finish, but driven only by hope. Alas, they were a bit dashed.

Why: I'm a P&P sucker, so I'll read any of the public domain derivatives. This one, while having an excellent premise, failed to deliver on character development. Elizabeth Bennet accepts Mr Collins' proposal out of duty to her father and Mr Darcy realises he's obsessed with her after all. Unfortunately, that's about all the character development that happens. Darcy's obsession doesn't develop, wax or wane. Elizabeth puts up with Collins until he decides to break the engagement. I almost wanted her to gird up her loins and start slaying zombies, but nothing so exciting happens.

---

Book: Box set: The Dragon Blood Collection, books 1-3 (Blade's Edge, Death maker, Blood Charged)

Author: Lindsay Buroker

Finish or Forget: Finish and went looking for more. 

Why: Excellent blend of steampunk and magic. Aeroplanes! Dirigibles! Pirates! Betrayal! Complex characters, imaginative worldbuilding and an easy-to-read style that carries you along.

---

Book: Dragon Seed: The Story of China at War

Author: Pearl S Buck

Finish or Forget: Finished, but disappointed in this well-beloved author

Why: I first read The Good Earth as a child, I loved it. It was an interesting look into the peasant life of Pre-revolutionary China. As her books have appeared on my Kobo list, at really good prices, I've been buying and reading them up. Unfortunately, while this one started out as expected, the plot fizzled out toward's the end. I think she could have ditched the story of the daughter who went away, and just stayed with the main character.

---

Book: Twice a Rake

Author: Catherine Gayle

Finish or Forget: Finish

Why:  I'm a sucker for Regency Romance. I enjoy reading them, but I tend to forget about most of them after the final page. This one had an interesting enough plot with a heroine who writes scandalous fiction in her diary. Naturally, the diary gets lost, and wacky hijinks ensue. Worth reading once.

---

Book: To Wed the Widow

Author: Megan Bryce 

Finish or Forget: Forget. Got to chapter eleven, and couldn't stand the company of the characters any longer. 

Why: They felt too contemporary, like the popular kids in high school. Not my tribe. Didn't really want to know how their HEA turned out.

---

Book: Slave, Warrior, Queen (Of Crowns and Glory, Book 1)

Author: Morgan Rice

Finish or Forget: Forget. Chapter five, and I'm happy to abandon this.

Why:  The plot. It's like everything is hand-placed in front of Our Heroine Ceres so she can succeed. I don't get any sense of anything happening because of her own actions, nor did I get enough sense of the consequences for her choices. It's almost as if she's drunk too much felix felices. The other characters feel flat.

Thursday Interview: Rebecca Laffar-Smith

Y'all welcome Western Australian author Rebecca Laffar-Smith to Romance Spinners. Her official biography reads:

"An author; a publisher; a mother. Rebecca loves bringing the joy of reading to children, exploring magical words of wonder and darkness, and fairy tales of happily ever after romance. As you can imagine, that leaves her torn between her three passions. She writes science fiction and fantasy under the name Rebecca Laffar-Smith, romance under the name Serenity Bly, children's books under the name Bec J. Smith, and publishes books for children with language and literacy difficulties at Aulexic."

Today we're having a bit of a chat about the genres we like and the importance of reading for everyone. If you have a reluctant reader with literacy difficulties, consider having a look at her P.I. Penguin series.

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HWK: You're known for writing SFF but I hear you've got a secret soft spot for Romance. What is it about this genre that you like?
RLS: I've always been a devourer of romance. I'm a big fan of Mills & Boon and in my twenties I imagined joining the ranks to pen some of their Sweet, or Sexy, or Temptation lines. I love to read romance, when I'm experiencing a physical and emotional low due to my Bipolar, because they're written in a way that isn't too demanding for the reader. They're light but powerfully emotional and that sense that love conquers all is uplifting. It brightens the mood and sometimes I need that, especially because my SFF writing is usually pretty dark and emotionally fraught.

Having said that, the first attempts I made into writing Romance in my twenties were absolutely terrible. I probably didn't have enough emotional maturity or experience with love and loss and even heartbreak to be able to write a convincing happily ever after. My characters didn't have much life and body. Thankfully, the writing I've done over the years has helped significantly but I'm still only just exploring the genre again as a writer.

And to be honest, a lot of what I like about it as a writer is the strength of the market and the emotionally rewarding writing experience. When I'm writing SFF I find I get into the grit of what I'm working on. It can be emotionally draining, and I find myself dragged into the darkness with my characters. Writing Romance does the opposite, it pulls me up out of that hole and makes life a lot more fun and shiny. Obviously there are stages of the writing where I'm dealing with conflict, but there's always a sense of destiny in the story where I know things will turn out for the best in the end. When I'm writing SFF I don't have the confidence of that certainty.

And that same confidence and certainty is true for being able to find readers. The romance market is huge and ravenous. As a romance reader myself I know I can power through about four romances in the time it takes me to read one SFF. So I can go to market with a romance and be relatively confident it will find readers where are SFF is often a lot more hit and miss. I have to hope that my kind of SFF appeals within a niche of the SFF market and because it takes longer to write and requires more emotional and physical investment in its production it can feel good to break that up with the occasional romance where I know I'll find readers who love the story. Romance readers are a lot less critical in reviews so long as you satisfy the key emotions.

HWK: I also love Pride & Prejudice. You explore Elizabeth & Darcy's first married Christmas in your novella "Christmas at Rosings". What is it about the Darcy/de Bourgh family dynamics that caught your imagination?
RLS: Lady Catherine is a monster. As an antagonist she was an obvious choice, especially because Darcy's loyalty is something to really play upon. Of course he loves his aunt and he has been raised to respect, even admire her. Elizabeth's standing in that dynamic is shaky at best. She doesn't have the breeding to give her any sort of status in Lady Catherine's eyes and it's easy to let Darcy's past respect for his aunt clash with his still emerging loyalty to his new wife. Their relationship, having had a rocky beginning, is easily shaken by the foibles of their past.

I think that's very true of relationships. The things that tear couples apart or make it hard for them to come together in the beginning, will continue to rock the foundations of that relationship. They'll continue to be tested by them, and it takes work to strengthen the foundation to withstand that kind of ongoing turmoil. I liked the idea of building that stronger foundation with Darcy and Elizabeth because I always felt like they didn't have enough strength to keep their relationship together after the final declarations in Pride and Prejudice. 

HWK: You've got works in several genres. What makes you want to explore different ones instead of focusing on a single genre or age group?
RLS: Well, the children's books surprised me. I honestly never imagined myself a children's book author and it was only the homeschooling I was doing with my son that lead me down that path. Now I can't imagine not working in children's fiction but I'm still always drawn back to SFF which is my first passion. And somehow, even in my SFF there is a degree of Romance. I think love is such a central theme in life that we find it in every genre.

These days, because I'm working so much with my publishing house I don't have as much time to write as I need and I try to keep my focus to just those three genres, Children's, SFF, and Romance. As I said before, the SFF tends to be heavy writing so it's time consuming and emotionally taxing. I tend to think of Romance writing as a palate cleanser. It's a way to declutter those dark thoughts and emotions so that I can come back to the other work with a clearer head.

Of course, having said that, I can tend to have a short attention span and just love to flit from project to project. I let the ideas lead me and sometimes those ideas take me outside of what I've already done. I love to challenge myself to keep growing and developing as a writer so I'll throw myself down the rabbit holes of wild ideas and see where they take me. Thankfully, for now at least, they've gravitated around just three genres, but I'm not ruling out someday exploring crime, and I definitely know I have some non-fiction waiting in the wings, although I'm fairly confident that I won't go near thriller or literary fiction.

HWK: You've been doing a fair bit of work with Aulexic, an imprint that brings interest-appropriate books to readers with literary acquisition difficulties. How did you identify the hook (simple language, advanced ideas) as a successful gateway into reading for this particular literacy group?
RLS: I tend to focus on what has worked in my own experience and in the experiences of those I've talked to directly. It's not particularly scientific, although I have done a lot of research into the science of learning disabilities and language acquisition, I find anecdotal evidence tends to hold greater weight in that we can see it's effect directly on the people that matter. Especially in situations where the science doesn't hold up to what I've seen in the real world.

In this case, our family has first hand experience. I'm dyslexic, my mother is dyslexic, and my son is both dyslexic and autistic. So we're very familiar with language and literacy challenges. Aulexic began as a homeschool project to make books that would entice my son to want to read. He had become disenchanted with books when he was attending school. He had been forced to read boring school readers that had no story or substance but were a jumble of words on the page so he had begun to assume that all reading was pointless. We had to find a way to convince him that reading can be powerful and fun.

I knew that, as a dyslexic myself, the only time I read is when I'm absolutely interested in the material or I'm gaining a particular benefit from the information or communication. And I know a lot of non-dyslexic adults who are like that too. If it's not gripping our attention, we'll put it down and walk away. Today, children have even more choice when it comes to reading or not and we need books and resources that give them a reason to want to read.

Then, of course, we take the ideas of compelling, interesting, and story-rich concepts even further by incorporating aspects of layout and formatting that improve readability for all readers, but have shown particular improvement for dyslexics. And I like to incorporate a degree of reality, logic, and science in our books so that they'll appeal to autistic children as well.

HWK: A friend is visiting you next week and bringing a guest who's a scientist. However, they have warned you that their guest can be a talker. What kind of scientist do you hope they're not?
RLS: Wow, that's actually a hard question because I tend to be fascinated by everything. I could tell you I'd love to talk with people in genetics, space flight & astronomy, and psychology. I don't know that there is any particular science I wouldn't find interesting but I might not be too keen to spend an evening with someone who talked incessantly about bugs. Entomology, while interesting, can send shivers down my spine because I'm not a fan of insects.

In fact, I think I've found one I would like to avoid, a Melittologist! They study bees and I'm deathly allergic to bees. Just thinking about them gives me anxiety attacks so spending a whole evening talking about them would put me off my food and make for a very unpleasant evening. Although, even having said that, the insatiable curiosity of my brain wants to learn more so while it would be physically taxing because of my emotional response to the subject matter I think I'd still find the evening mentally stimulating and interesting.

HWK: Preach it! If you could convince the world of *anything*, what would it be?
RLS: Possibility is infinite.

These three words have such broad reaching implications in every area of our existence. I believe that the potential for every individual is limited only by their dreams. You can achieve anything you decide to set out to achieve. It will take hard work and patience, but if you truly believe in what you set out to do and continue working toward that goal, eventually you'll accomplish it.

That then of course extends to things like space flight, time travel, extraterrestrial life, genetics, metaphysics, longevity of life and health, even love. I believe anything and everything is possible. Scientifically it may require adjusting some of our commonly held beliefs or changing the rules, but we've been proving that even that is possible, especially when you consider the vastness of our universe. We've only just scratched the surface on what we think we know and we're having to adjust that view all the time.

So yes, I'm preaching, "Possibility is infinite."

HWK: Thank yo so much for joining us on Romance Spinners.

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Interested in Rebecca Laffar-Smith's books? Get your copy now:  Romance | Science Fiction/Fantasy | Children's

Why Romance?

Because!

Fellow Romance author Brighton Walsh was asked, "Why do you write Romance?"

This is her excellent answer.

For me, it's a message of optimism and hope for the human race. It's the promise of possibilities and success. It's the dream of the Happily Ever After (HEA).

That's why I read it, that's why I write it.

____________________________
Her Grace is a eternal idealist with escapist tendencies.

Interview - CJ Fosdick

As tomorrow we see the release of "Hot Stuff - A Candy Hearts Romance" out from The Wild Rose Press, we welcome author CJ Fosdick to Romance Spinners to chat about her book and the ideas which inspired this fun story.

How does a klutzy slogan writer from a quiet Wisconsin Village who’s pushing thirty expect to meet the man of her dreams? Living with a long-tailed cat, a grandmother who bakes giant Snickerdoodles, and an autistic brother who “collects” neighborhood lawn ornaments, Katie has her hands full…until she opens the door to a “hot” rookie cop investigating a not-so-petty theft. Is it a major crime or an arrest of the heart?

I love the double-meaning of the title. Grab your pre-order now:

TWRP | Amazon | Kobo

So, on to the interview:

HWK: I love your plot element of a brother who "collects" things. What was your inspiration for this element? 

CJF: I have a long-time friend who has an autistic child now living in a group home with other handicapped adults. When he was a child, he focused on “collections.” Their home was filled with a maze of candles in all colors and sizes. Though most of them were gifts, or bought by his parents, I think he had to be watched carefully to prevent “collecting” from other homes and stores wherever candles were displayed. Because of my friend and her severely Autistic son, I’ve learned a lot about the disease. Aspergers is a milder syndrome of Autism—and a perfect foil for Kate’s brother—who creates a scenario for his sister to meet the man of her dreams—a handsome rookie cop.

HWK:  How did Kate land her slogan-writing gig? 

CJF: She was once a Wild Rose Editor who was fond of snappy phrasing, but with a legendary sweet tooth, she thought writing slogans on candy hearts would give her a lifetime “fix” of the product. (She was offered a job by the head candy maker after winning a slogan contest.)

HWK: What is the strangest thing you've written? 

CJF:  A script in the words of a famous local deceased man in an annual “Walk Through the Cemetery Tour.” Actors who dressed the part memorized scripts written by local writers, and brought to life the contributions and characters of famous deceased at their gravesite.

HWK: You've written "Hot Stuff" with a decidedly humorous slant. How do you see humor beneficial to our society? 

CJF:  Easy Answer. With all the negativity -especially in this election year- I think I think finding humor in any situation may be the straw that readers will grasp. I took a reader poll last summer and found that women read (and buy) most books and they prefer romance AND mysteries equally. Reading something with a different setting, different voice and attitude is like armchair time travel. Escapism at its best. Women shoulder more responsibility today than in any other era. They have a career, a home to manage, children or grandchildren to raise, aging parents to care for and little time for romance outside of books. Little time even for reading romance. When they do, I think they identify with an intelligent but flawed and funny heroine. Who doesn’t need to see the lighter side of everything? Even the new Star Wars has elements of humor and irony.

I write feature articles for a local magazine called “On the Lighter Side,” and I never run out of real life scenarios that tickle the funny bone. There will always be some humor in my stories, along with a bucket of emotion and intrigue. The dark side is not my bag. Society needs to laugh more and lighten up.

HWK:  Due to bizarre circumstances involving a sinkhole, a mistaken identity and one ugly pet dog, you must change careers. What will your new career be? 

CJF:  A green spaceship from Mars lands in your back yard on Halloween, turning your garden into a sinkhole. The ship looks like a giant pickle covered with zits the size of softballs. A tall, one-eyed , big-eared Martian breaks out of his pickle, followed by a very ugly little creature with a big nose and a dragon tail. Together, they climb up cucumber and tomato vines to reach the lip of the sinkhole and spy you frozen in shock and covered in dust. You are dressed for Halloween as the Statue of Liberty in a Donald Trump wig with a flashlight torch. The alien blinks when you direct light into his big eye. His ugly pet trumpets a protest through his big nose, spewing a puddle of green slime. 

You are amazed to hear and understand their thought transfers. He calls you a beautiful worm. You always loved tall, steely men. Your heart beating in fear takes a leap of faith. As an eye, ear and nose doctor, you see the possibility of great medical strides. You invite them inside your modest farmhouse for spiked cider and Mars candy bars. The alien dog sidles up to your giant Schnauzer. They sniff each other’s behinds, then settle down together on the sofa, like old friends. The tall alien sidles up to you as well. With a face like Donald Trump, nobody has ever called you beautiful. Your heart trips. In the back of your mind, another possibility rises. You love science fiction. New career? How hard would it be to write a Space adventure? Maybe even a romance?

HWK:  Preach it! If you could convince the world of ANYTHING, what would it be? 

CJF:  Read more, text less, don’t be seduced by soft chairs parked in front of computer screens that lure you into the dark side of violent games, “FREE” beauty products, and fixed realities. Think OUTSIDE your own box. Spread kindness. Take a hike. Smell the flowers outside. Laugh at yourself. Get lost in entertaining reads that nourish your own imagination. Write slogans on candy hearts!

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Grab your preorder today for a fun read tomorrow:

TWRP | Amazon | Kobo

Interview - Peggy Jaeger

Today's Friday Interview is on a Sunday, just before the release of her fun Candy Hearts Romance story "3 Wishes".  Welcome to Romance Spinners, Peggy Jaeger.

"3 Wishes" is out tomorrow (8 Feb) from The Wild Rose Press. Grab a pre-order R I G H T  N O W! from your favourite ebook retailer:

The Wild Rose Press | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Valentine’s Day is chocolatier Chloe San Valentino’s favorite day of the year. Not only is it the busiest day in her candy shop, Caramelle de Chloe, but it’s also her birthday. Chloe’s got a birthday wish list for the perfect man she pulls out every year: he’d fall in love with her in a heartbeat, he’d be someone who cares about people, and he’d have one blue eye and one green eye, just like her. So far, Chloe’s fantasy man hasn’t materialized, despite the matchmaking efforts of her big, close-knit Italian family. But this year for her big 3-0 birthday, she just might get her three wishes.

What's not to love about this book? It's got chocolate. It's got luurve. It's got the HEA we all crave.

I had a delightful chat with Romance author Peggy Jaeger (who's written a few other nice books) about "3 Wishes" and the value of Romance in our world today.

HWK: Many Romance heroines tend to be on their own or only have a small family. You feature a wonderfully big Italian family for your heroine Chloe. What fun aspects does family dynamics add to your story?

PJ: This is a fabulous question. I lovelovelove big families because I am an only child. I always dreamed of having brothers, sisters, and cousins galore to help navigate me through life, provide information on what to expect, advice on how to solve problems, and basically just to have a related peer to play and live with. The San Valentino family is huge! Chloe has 4 older brothers and a younger sister, all of whom she adores. And her parents are all part of large families a well. The fun thing about writing this big family was discovering all their individual personalities and quirks and then melding them together as a cohesive unit. Of course the hard part was keeping all of them separate and individual, and not sounding or acting like the other! But this is the way I imagine a big, loud, and loving family is in real life.

HWK: I hear you. I've got thirty-six cousins myself.  What drew Chloe to the candy trade?

PJ: The family story goes that when Chloe was six, her Nonna Constanza was making Christmas cookies for the clan and Chloe wanted to help. At the time, she’d been watching television and a commercial for Hershey’s Kiss candy came on. Chloe asked Nonna if they could add a candy kiss to the cookie, Nonna said “Si!” and from then on, Chloe was fascinated by all things candy and chocolate related. By the time she was ten she was making her own chocolate candies using molds and recipes in her mama’s kitchen and giving them as presents to her friends and family. In college, she took business courses to help her understand how to run her own business. When she graduated, her Uncle Sonny gave her a $25,000 no-interest loan to open her own shop and she was able to repay him that first year. She’s never looked back and feels very blessed to be doing what she loves.

HWK: Ah, passion. Gotta love it. The contemporary world needs Romance stories. What values do you see Romance bringing to the world?

PJ: Another fabulous question. Love is the one universal emotion I believe all humans desire. To give love, to be loved, to share love. And romance is just a way of expressing that love. When I see a couple who have been married for 50+ years in church holding hands, that is romantic to me. When I see a new father feeding a baby so his wife can take a nap, that is romantic to me. Romance isn’t just candy and flowers ( although Chloe would say yes to the candy part of that equation!) The world today is filled with a great many negative emotions, feelings, and events. A little romance goes a long way to helping ease a burden, a sad heart, or even dry a tear. That’s why I think it is so important that we read romance, and live romantically. Romance, despite what the cruel media says, is not dead, nor a fairy tale. It is a living, breathing, fluid emotion.

HWK: I so completely agree with you. It makes the world a better place. As an author, why did you choose Romance?

PJ: I believe every person deserves a happily ever after ending in their life. You don’t need a billionaire, a castle, or to be as beautiful as Helen of Troy to find your one true soul mate and be happy. Love is work. Hard work. But when you find that one person who fulfills all your fantasies and desires, you will get your HEA.

HWK: Are there any other genres you love?

PJ: I love Regency Romances but I don’t write them. I live in the here and now and that’s what I’m comfortable writing. If I wrote a regency, I would have to learn all the little intricate things about the era so that I don’t make a mistake with the writing.  I’m too busy to learn, but never too busy to read.

HWK: Bless your furry little soul; I love Regency as well. Yeah, different rules, different times, different dynamics can make things interesting. Speaking of different dynamics... Local laws in your city change. Now everyone must own a pet. A random stranger on the street doesn't know what she should get?  What pet do you recommend and why?

PJ: This is probably one of the hardest questions I’ve been asked recently! Seriously. I love cats and dogs, and have had both. There’s nothing as rewarding as a dog who loves you unconditionally. Cats, because of their independence, may not be as physically loving as a dog, but there is nothing sweeter to me when I am writing than to have my kitty slumbering on the table next to my laptop, her little paws stretched out to me, indicating she is with me. Tough question. Can’t you get both??

HWK: Of course you can. One final, very important question: Preach it!  If you could convince the world of ANYTHING, what would it be?

PJ: Just this: God puts dreams in our hearts and we have a responsibility to make them come true. I was 54 years old when I got my first romance novel published, At a time when many people are looking to start winding down in their careers, I made a 180 degree shift and turn from my lifelong job of nursing and retired in April 2015 to write full time. I’d always had the dream in my heart to write romance, but life intervened. Marriage, child, job, family obligations came fast and frequent and I never had the time to devote to my writing. When my hours were downsized from my job due to an organizational shift in my clinic, I decided to start doing what I’d only dreamed of. Within 6 months I won a contest and another 2 months I had a publisher for my first novel. Since then I have had 3 books in a 6 book series published, along with a novella (3 Wishes!) coming out in 2016.

Never, ever, ever give up on a dream. You are never too old to see it come true. ‘Nuff said.

_________________________________

'Nuff said. Thank you for joining us at Romance Spinners.

"3 Wishes"- a Candy Hearts Romance by Peggy Jaeger, is out 8 Feb (tomorrow!!) from The Wild Rose Press. Also available where all good ebooks are sold.

If you haven't got your copy of "3 Wishes" yet, get one here:

The Wild Rose Press | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Interview - Annette Miller

We still have two weeks of Candy Hearts Romances to go. Today's interview is Annette Miller, whose book www.CUPID shares the same book birthday as mine.  Love paranormal romance? Hate bureaucracy? Give this a read.

Buy Links, because it's available right now:

TWRP | Amazon |  B&N | Kobo

Allison McCall, supervisor in the Romance and Proposal Department of Cupid Corp., firmly believes rules are meant to be followed, yet her own love life is unfulfilling.

Preston Carlyle, Allison’s former boyfriend and one of more creative agents, believes rules should be broken occasionally to give true love a chance. Only he’s having a hard time convincing Allison and Cupid his techniques are working.

From the disastrous paperwork and the frequency of Allison’s visits to Cupid’s office on Preston’s behalf, she fears her position and his job are in jeopardy. But when she finds out he’s requested a transfer to the Holiday Security Agency, Allison decides to prove she cares for him…even if it means breaking a few rules.

Of course, with a blurb like that, we had to cross-examine Annette to find out what make www.CUPID and the author tick:

HWK:  Even love is ruled by bureaucracy. What gave you the idea of incorporating Cupid for the guidance of romance? 

AM: Everyone always seems to have this preconceived notion of Cupid as a cute cherub with a bow and arrow or a mischievious imp. I guess I pictured him as more of a corporate man, treating love like a business because of a broken heart in his past. 

HWK:  Preston's not doing a very good job. How did Preston get promoted to the Romance & Proposal Department from Flowers & Poetry? 

AM: He pulled a few strings because the girl he loved in college is the head of that department. So, a little bit of this, a smattering of that, and there you go. Moved to the place you want to be. 

HWK:  You seem to enjoy inserting the fantastical into your stories. What is it about Fantasy that sings to your soul? 

AM: The world these days truly lives up to the phrase "harsh reality". Fantasy, and romance, give readers a softer place to live. Those worlds are usually saved, not by the big names, or prominent people, but by regular folks who know doing the right thing is hard, but worth it. And I like to think there are magical creatures watching over us. 

HWK:  Would today's society benefit from a real life Cupid Corp? 

AM: I think so. Sometimes people need that little voice in their ear or a gentle nudge in the right direction. 

HWK:  Due to a Very Sticky Situation, you must turn to a life of crime. What new criminal career would you choose? 

AM: Robbery. When I built enough capital, I'd become a megalomaniacal overlord of the planet. I like to dream big. 

HWK:  Preach it! If you could convince the world of ANYTHING, what would it be? 

AM: Don't let people you can't do something because "it's crazy" or "there's no money in it". Follow your heart and trust your instincts. You have them for a reason. Get rid of anyone who doesn't encourage and support you. It's your life. Grab it and run!

HWK:  Sounds great!

______________________________

Happy Book Birthday for yesterday.  www.CUPID is available right now for your reading pleasure:

TWRP | Amazon |  B&N | Kobo

Interview - Charlotte Copper

Today's Friday Interview is on a Sunday because tomorrow is the release day of Real Love - A Candy Hearts Romance. I'm really excited about this one because it's a Science Fiction Romance with candy hearts. I've got a soft spot for Science Fiction.

We welcome Canadian author Charlotte Copper to Romance Spinners for some fun.

As a young girl, Monda was placed into the tutelage of Mistress Teevac. Trained to use her empathic skills and educated in the ways to please a man, Monda is on her way to her new mate and master when her spaceship crashes. Rescued by a handsome space lieutenant, who literally makes her heart race, Monda’s eyes and heart are opened to new possibilities.

When Lieutenant Patrick Lancaster looks at the exotic Monda, he sees beautiful not alien. With an instinct to protect her and the desire to have her, he’d be honored to call her his own, but the starts have something else in mind. Or do they?

As this is out tomorrow, you can grab a pre-order today:  The Wild Rose Press | Amazon | Kobo

Let's have a chat with Charlotte:

HWK: I'm a sucker for Science Fiction. What made you consider an SF theme in connection with something as contemporary as candy hearts? (I love how Monda considers them 'candy prophecies'.)

CC: I had most of the story written, but I was having trouble pulling it all together and finishing it. When the call came out for the Candy Hearts series, I took another look at my WIP which at the time was called Purple Skies, and all the pieces just fit into place. As you say, I would never have thought to put something like candy hearts into the original story. I’m glad you think it worked, thanks.

HWK: Monda speaks English very well for an alien. Was this part of her general training or something specific? Does it have anything to do with her destined master and mate?

CC: Now, Heidi, you’re putting me on the spot for questions I was able to avoid in my book! In the simplest of views, I just thought of humans as having been scattered across the universe, and while that means they could have taken and/or developed any language, being English speaking myself, it just made it easiest. It was definitely something I took great leniency with. Had the story been longer, I was definitely considering the fact Monda had been trained in the “main” languages of the universe, but I felt my choice of English was rather biased since we have so many other ancient and beautiful languages here on Earth.

HWK: What kind of parallels do you see between Science Fiction's visionary nature and Romance's HEA (Happily Ever After)?

CC: I think it comes down to hope. Hope that we aren’t alone. Hope that there is a future beyond just what we can see. And I’d like to think (hope) that if aliens did come to earth, that they wouldn’t come to overthrow us, but that they’d come to learn and share and work together so that we all live happily ever after.

HWK: What values do stories with Happily Ever After offer to our society?

CC: I going to cheat on this one and say “see above”…hope.

HWK: You wake up one morning to discover that carbohydrates as a food source have disappeared. No more bread, rice, potatoes, corn, etc. How would this affect your diet?

If that means that Coke and chocolate now become food groups, then I’m all for it. Of course, I’d miss my morning Miniwheats.

HWK:  Preach it! If you could convince the world of ANYTHING, what would it be?

I’m assuming you mean besides the fact that Coke and chocolate should be food groups? People need to put aside their hatred, accept the fact that everyone is different, and embrace those differences. They say it takes a village to raise a child, I think it takes a child to raise a village. Our children are born without racial prejudices. If we saw the world through their eyes, we would be color blind to the world’s differences and we would have a future of friendships, everyone-in-the-class-is-invited birthday parties, and rainbows.

_____________________________

Haven't you scored your pre-order yet? Real Love is out tomorrow!  

The Wild Rose Press | Amazon | Kobo

 

Interview - April Hollingworth

Today's Friday Interview is happening on a Sunday because tomorrow's the release date for sweet Candy Hearts Romance story "Be Mine"! Out from The Wild Rose Press on 11 Jan 2016.

Pre-order this book R I G H T  N O W!! If you don't, you might make puppies cry.

buy links: TWRP | Amazon | Kobo | B&N

Romance Spinners welcomes April Hollingworth to our august pages for some fun and merriment and some Sweet Romance.

Beth has always loved Mark. He was the boy of her dreams even though she was nothing more than his little sister's best friend. Now he's back from the military and looking at her differently. Though that could be the plate of lasagna she dropped in his lap.

A series of mishaps gives Mark opportunity to spend time with her. He is sure that he is the man for her but experience has taught Beth not all men can be trusted. Can he convince her that he wants her to be his for Valentine's Day and ever after?

Doesn't that make your heart flutter?

HWK: In "Be Mine", Beth and Mark have known each other since they were young. Why has it taken them this long to realise their love?

AH: Beth always knew she loved Mark, but as Beth is his younger sister’s best friend he never really noticed her when they were growing up. Then he went away to college and straight into the army, and he didn’t see her again until he finally arrived home.

HWK: I love Sweet Romance. What aspects of Sweet allow you to explore Romance in "Be Mine" without the need for sexytimes?

AH: I love sweet romances too. With Mark and Beth they had heat and the blossoming romance igniting them together, so I felt if I was to write a sexy scene for them it would be purely for the sake of it, so no hanky-panky for them. They do show their passion for one another in other ways, during self-defence classes and etc by a look, touch and even teasing words.

HWK: I agree. Sometimes the subtlest of glances can say so much. How does writing Romance satisfy your soul?

AH: I feel happier in myself, as if by writing it I’m keeping a part of romance alive. Sounds strange I know. The way I think of it is like reading a fairy-tale, what I write brings me to a place where happily ever after will happen, even if the road is difficult and dangerous, it’s a guarantee at the end that love will triumph. Also I just adore romance.

HWK: What psychological benefits do readers gain from reading Romance novels?

AH: : I think as a reader and a writer of romance, I think psychologically reading romance has a calming effect. When I read romance books of heroines standing up for themselves and yet taking a chance on love, I know that’s what I want for myself and others too. Reading of a powerful man who becomes gentle for his woman is wonderful. It’s almost as if romance books are teaching us that we don’t have to settle, that we should take control of our lives and follow our dreams, after all our soul-mates our out there, but if you settle, you may never meet them.

HWK: A law is passed and mint flavour is banned from all toothpaste. What flavour do you suggest they replace it with?

AH: No mint flavour toothpaste, hmmm that’s a hard one. Okay raspberry flavour toothpaste. I love raspberries.

HWK: Preach it! If you could convince the world of ANYTHING, what would it be?

AH: Love unconditionally and follow your heart wherever it takes you. After all, life is an adventure so enjoy it.

___________________________________

"Be Mine" - A Candy Hearts Romance is out from The Wild Rose Press and you can preorder it wherever all good ebooks are sold. I recommend trying here:

TWRP | Amazon |  Kobo  | B&N

Candy Hearts Romance

We're gonna have a bit of fun here for the next several weeks as we celebrate the multiple releases of The Wild Rose Press's Candy Hearts Romance series.

Conversational candy hearts have been used for over a hundred years to communicate the sentiments of the heart, especially when real words fail. Every single one of the Candy Hearts Romance stories has a candy heart or two... or a thousand.

Ranging from sweet (like "Marry Me") to sensual to hotHOThot (18+), from Historical to Contemporary to Science Fiction, there's a Candy Hearts Romance for every taste. Isn't it all about the variety?

Romance Spinners will be featuring spotlights, highlights, recommendations, author interviews and more, all the way up to Valentine's Day. Look for the Candy Hearts tag for all these fun posts.

My Candy Hearts Romance "Marry Me" is out on 1 Feb. Get your preorder here:  TWRP | Amazon | B&N | Kobo

Are you on NetGalley? Snag an ARC from there in February and post an honest review on the review site of your choice.

Fret not if you think you'll get sick of candy hearts. I'll throw in a few TASE Days as well. After all I are serious cat.

__________________________________
Her Grace loves a good book. As if her TBR pile isn't big enough.

Wherein I write a guest post

I've got a guest post up at Tara Maya's blog BestFantasyNovel.com wherein I speak about why I love escapist fiction so much. (Spoilers: I used it to escape from the miseries of real life.)

Shameless plug: Tara Maya writes the kind of fiction (Fantasy Romance... or is that Romantic Fantasy) I love.  I'm totally digging her series The Unfinished Song.

Meanwhile, go read about

The Escapist Nature of Fantasy Romance 

Let me know if you have experienced the same desire to escape reality.

_______________________________

Her Grace believes everyone needs an Out.

A to Z Challenge: HEA (Happily Ever After)

One of the biggest reasons I love the Romance genre is because of the HEA (Happily Ever After).

I'm an optimist by nature, and an idealist. I love the concept that things will turn out all right in the end.

To be qualified as a Romance, a story must have an HEA or a Happily Ever After. This means Our Hero and Our Heroine get together and have their dreams come true.

Well, okay, within the story they do. We all know it doesn't work out like that in real life.

Boy, does it not work out like that in real life! Bah, humbug! If there is an HEA in reality, it's because the person or persons are actively working at it.

Life is a challenge. It is a test. We get all sorts of nasty stuff thrown at us during our time in Mortalilty. Life can really suck.

When life sucks, I love to escape into a book. When my life is miserable, the last thing I want to read is more misery.  (This is why I detest most "Literary" works. They're so depressing. But not Paolo Coehlo. He's a delightful bundle of joy that everyone should read.)

I read for escapism. When my life looks bleak, at least I can read a tale where someone else is having a better time in life.

Romance guarantees that. Sure, Our Hero and Our Heroine are also taking a rather painful road to get there, but They Get There, and that's what matters to me.

I wish I could go with them.
_____________________________
Her Grace shall always love Romance.

My Regency Romance with Magic: Her Endearing Young Charms

Another born-in-November NaNoNovel.

Miss Merribelle Hales spent years imbuing a silver locket with man-attracting charms. On her way to her first London Season, her locket is stolen--along with a kiss--by a highwayman. Her only clue to his identity: a pair of intense eyes. Without her best charm, how will she ever be able to compete on the Marriage Mart?

Lord Alexander Rochester has worries aplenty. His ailing father's contested estates are woefully in debt, so he must seek a wealthy wife. His courtship of Miss Hales goes terribly awry with a simple kiss that leads to his slapped face and an accusation of theft.

It's a case of mistaken identity. Alexander knows and fears the real culprit. He faces the loss of his father, his estate and the lady he loves at hands of the Handkiss Highwayman.

I love Our Heroine of this novel, the Honourable Miss Merrybelle Hales. She's got attitude and a few flaws. She's not afraid to speak her mind from time to time. Sometimes her sense of self-togetherness is threatened by fear, but very rarely does she give in to that fear.

Actually, I love several of the characters of this sweet little Regency Romance with Magic. Merrybelle's brother George is a standout. Some of his dialogue is among my favourite lines.

Lord Alexander, Our Hero, has a heavy weight on his shoulders, and it shows. Poor lad. He's a lot more fun when he's not being crushed by Hard Knocks.

I love how there's magic, but it doesn't totally dominate the worldbuilding. It sits on juuust this side of plausible.

After Of The Dark, this has to be my favourite novel.

______________________
Her Grace, of all the Romance genres, loves Regency Romance the best, possibly because of the presence of a comedy of manners.

Edited to add:  This novel is published. Please get it, read it and leave an honest review.

Amazon ebook | Amazon paperback | Smashwords | Kobo | B&N | iTunes | GoodReads

Have you read Kate Mayo's article "Dear Columnists, Romance Fiction is not Your Bitch"?  If not, go do so now. I'll wait.

...

Okay, welcome back.  Interesting, n'est ce pas?  Essentially, the article is about how Romance Fiction and Feminism can co-exist.

One line in particular struck me as most apt: "...there is no shame or stigma in enjoying a book in which a woman's happiness is the measure of its success."

Wow. How often do you hear that about anything else?  And isn't that a powerfully Feminist statement?

Now, I can understand how some schools of Feminist Thought (frex, much of Second Wave Feminisim) can wish to decry the thought that a woman can derive happiness from the romantic attentions of a man (after all, she should be responsible for her own happiness and not depend on a man, goes the line).

But the point of Romance Fiction is not that a woman can only be happy if she has a man in her life, but that a woman can derive happiness from a loving, supporting relationship with another human being.

(Feminism shoots itself in the foot if its promotion of woman is only at the price of denigrating man.  It really should be about promoting human beings regardless of gender, and that no one gender is less than another.)

Much fiction (with the exception of the literary classics you had to read in high school [Her Grace says with her tongue in her cheek]) is about humans seeking happiness.

Chick Lit covers the gamut from Women and Shoes, Women and Shopping to Women and Careers, Women and Family. 

Much contemporary literature serves with Self-Discovery and Self-Identity, especially with who and what the main character interacts with.  Eat, Pray, Love, anyone?

Take Sex and the City.  Was it really about four women seeking sex (and ultimately relationships with men), or was it about four friends on their journey to discover what friendship really means? 

So what if Romance's particular subject matter is about romantic love?  Does that make it anti-feminist?  

Absolutely not.  If it were about anti-feminism, the woman's feelings would not matter. Her goals, her desires, her dreams would be worth nothing.  She'd be nothing more than a convenient hole for some man to park his dick, and then forgotten, until it was dinner time.  As any Romance reader will tell you, that is soooo NOT how it happens in a Romance novel!

In a Romance novel, Our Heroine's dreams, her desires, her goals--everything she wishes for, hopes for--is The Most Important Thing.  By the end of the novel, Our Hero understands and respects that.

That is a positive feminist message.  That is why Romance Fiction and Feminism can exist side-by-side.

_____________________________
Her Grace's foremothers were feminists--college-attenders, political activists, pioneers, self-supporting, loving, hard-working, courageous women.
Also, she can't wait for you to read her novel "Her Endearing Young Charms", where, when it looks like Our Hero can't be there for her, she pulls up her socks and sets off to take care of matters on her own. Why should her happiness depend purely on the whims of someone else?

Thousand Hand Guan Yin

Romance and Beauty go together.  Or rather, I should say, you can find beauty in anything romantic.

Take a look at this beautiful Thousand Hand Guan Yin.  Is the beauty in their mastery of dance, or is the beauty in the fact that every single one of the dancers is deaf?  When I dance, I am very much reliant on the music. How much in awe am I over the accomplishment of these beautiful dancers.

_________________________
Her Grace loves to dance, though she is rarely this graceful when she does. Still, that never stops her. She dances any chance she gets.

Any Time But Now

I am not into contemporary romance.  It just doesn't sing for me.

I love historical romance. I love futuristic romance. I love otherworld romance. Anything, anytime, anywhere but here.

Maybe this is because I read for escapism.  Historical fantasy paints an idealised picture of romance in a different time period, safely glossing over the majority of social woes, disease, war and more. Futuristic and otherworld also aim for a more idealised portrayal of worlds that don't exist.  Worldbuilding in these categories can be done well enough for readers to suspend their disbelief.  Ignore the ubiquitous poverty and rampant chauvanism of Regency. Forget the disease and war-torn Mediaeval. Bypass burnt-out humanity in the future.  Get to the good stuff--love never dies.  We're all in it for the HEA.

With contempo, everything has to be as real as the author can make it. Anything that's not honest and real feels fake. You can't get away with tweaking the worldbuilding.  And I love me some good worldbuilding, larger-than-life.

Also, I think the dialogue may have something to do with it.  Contemporary dialogue simply isn't romantic enough for me.  "Hey, Baby," might be a commonly-used pickup line, but it doesn't do anything for me.  If anything, I find it a bit of a turn-off.

So give me romance in some setting other than the Here and Now. Take me to someplace I can never go. Thrill me. I live in the contemporary world every day. It can be a bit tedious at times and downright disappointing.

Sometimes I just wanna escape.

_____________________
Her Grace has always wanted to visit Narnia.  Ever notice how a wardrobe and a TARDIS are similar?

belated Happy Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day was quiet for me this year. I don't have a special someone at the moment, so no bouquets of roses, boxes of chocolates or nice dinners out. I did get a really nice card from my neighbour, who's become a good friend this past year. That was sweet. And I did get a couple of cute Valentine's emails from friends, so that was special. Oh, and my Mom called to wish me Happy Valentines. So all in all, I can't complain. I made myself a nice dinner and rented the movie "Whip It" (which sounds like a really dirty movie, but isn't...lol..honest) It's a cute film set in the world of women's roller derby and directed by Drew Barrymore. I totally enjoyed it.

I got thinking about my favourite Valentine's Day. It was many years ago when I was young and just launched into the working world. I had a lovely boyfriend at the time, who was quite romantic. We happened to work in the same place, and he arranged a scavenger hunt for me that lasted the whole day. It started with a china rose and a note left on my desk in the morning. It directed me at break time to a cupboard where I found a lovely original poem and another note for the next break in the day. It went like this all day long. I was in a state of anticipation all day and could hardly concentrate on my duties. I found a chocolate treat at one stop, and a gorgeous thoroughly romantic card at another. My final gift was given to me that evening when my boyfriend gave me a lovely necklace I still have to this day. Unfortunately the relationship didn't last, but the memories from that exciting day linger.

A spot of Romance for us all. You cannot go wrong with the beautiful Richard Armitage and his chocolate voice.



I think we shall write a love letter to him.