Off The Books
FEATURED ARTICLE: For Sexy Heroes with Hot Secrets, C.H. Admirand Rules!
June 16, 2011 | 
Author C.H. may be a Southern Belle who transplanted to New Jersey, but the way she writes cowboys, you would swear she had to have grown up on a ranch. Her sizzling new series, “The Secret Life of Cowboys,” starts off with an eye-pleasing bang.
Tyler Garahan is a hero willing to put “everything” on the line to save his family ranch. He spends his days roping cattle and his nights stripping at a ladies club. What he doesn’t count on is just how bare and vulnerable he becomes when he falls for Emily Langley, his new boss. For Emily, Tyler dances his way right into her heart, and she will do anything to help him. Together they burn up the pages with their passion.
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FEATURED ARTICLE: Mind Over Matter? Wade Rich Proves It’s Possible
What do Hitler and Disney have in common? Wade Rich, author of Fear vs. Faith, lives quietly in his corner of the world. He works as Vice President of Operations for a security company and has successfully self-published a book with the startling and unbelievably amazing premise that Adolf Hitler and Walt Disney had a lot in common.
What did I say?
“Promise Me” by Nancy G. Brinker
The Power of ONE!
Do you believe in it? Do you believe it is possible for one person to make a difference and change the world against overwhelming odds?
Nancy G. Brinker did just that with a whispered pledge to her beloved sister. “I promise, Suzy…Even if it takes the rest of my life”.
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I want to be a Bridgerton
If one were given the opportunity to step into the pages of a book and live inside the world of an author’s creation, then I would happily choose any one of the Bridgerton series novels by Julia Quinn.
This eight book series takes on a life of its own through the marvelous characters that live within, most notably of course, the Bridgerton siblings themselves Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory and Hiyacinth. Named alphabetically, this reader would have been very happy if Lady Violet, the family matriarch, had produced an Ichabod or Isabella as well, so that there might have been another story to tell.
A Readers Insights for Romance Authors
Teresa S.
While I would never presume to be anything, other than what I am—an avid reader of historical romantic fiction—I do have a few ideas, from personal experience concerning some things that will sometimes make a novel slightly less enjoyable than it could be. What I’m talking about is not novels that are poorly written, but some small things I’ve found in an otherwise great book that left me feeling a tiny bit unsatisfied overall.
In no particular order of importance…
Re-Defining the Romantic Hero
For too long your typical romance novel, whether set in the modern age or times long past, there was a generic formula to follow—noble hero meets and saves helpless female from whatever villains must undoubtedly mean her harm and in the end they waltz happily off into the sunset—the end. While there isn’t anything wrong, precisely with this formula and what damsel in distress does not dream of finding her knight in shining armor, but it doesn’t hurt to mix things up a little either. Some of the best recipes are created by taking a chance on adding something a little different to the usual blend with surprising results.
Anthologies are like a box of chocolates…
…You never know what you’re going to get.
Yes, I went full-on Gump there and borrowed a famous line, but it’s absolutely true when it comes to reading a great anthology novel. Like a decadent box of fine assorted chocolates, an anthology comes wrapped in a tempting package full of unexpected delights that you don’t fully appreciate until you take that first little bite.
As you probably already know, an anthology novel is a grouping of short stories by a variety of authors that usually encompass a specific theme or carry on a common thread. Chances are, that at least one or more of the contributing author’s names are already a familiar staple in your personal library, while the others represent authors you may or may not recognize as easily.
If you are like me, the prospect of popping an entire mystery chocolate into your mouth without first taking a sample bite is a bit of risky business. What if you prefer something juicy, like cherry or sensually smooth, like caramel and end up with a mouthful of shredded coconut bits stuck in your teeth? Anthologies represent that first tentative bite in the form of providing examples, through short stories, of how well the author’s distinctive taste will suit your personal palette.
The Healing Power of the Page
Most people think of romance novels as a bit of light reading while sitting on the beach or while snuggled up in a nice comfy chair. For others, it’s simply one of the many forms of entertainment they enjoy and sometimes take for granted. For me, these books are those things too, but they have come to mean something so much more.
In the short span of two years, I began to lose count of the number of friends and loved ones who were suddenly stripped away from my life and into the after life. The words cancer, heart attack, suicide and stroke were no longer just something they talked about in those annoying pharmaceutical commercials with a million side effects; they were real, painful and swarming around me. The most decisive blow to my psyche and soul was the passing of a man who had always been the cornerstone of my life and who from a child’s point of view was supposed to be immortal—my Dad.
On The Flip Slip – Anne Elizabeth – April 28, 2010
Author and RT Magazine columnist Anne Elizabeth takes our Flip Camera for a tour of her beautiful home.
