Category Archives: genre

Genre is the Highest Form of Literature

Posted on September 1, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I think genre fiction is the highest form of literature. I really do. If “highest” means most important to humanity. How’s that for a sweeping claim? Romance, fantasy, mystery, and science fiction. Those are the highest literature out there.For one … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, reading | 4 Comments

The Journal of Popular Romance Studies, First issue!

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

The Journal of Popular Romance Studies has published its first issue! If only this journal had been around when I was in graduate school…but no, then I never would have gotten around to writing novels.So far, I’ve read A Little … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, reading, romance novels | 2 Comments

Fanfiction and Feedback

Posted on July 12, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve been meaning to post about fanfiction for a while, not really in connection with recent online discussions of literary fanfiction. Instead I want to talk about one particular reason why people write fanfiction. They write fanfiction for feedback, and … Continue reading →

Posted in fanfiction, genre | 6 Comments

Marriage of Convenience or Not?

Posted on June 10, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

My current novel is not a Marriage of Convenience. I’d been thinking it was. In my mind, for many months, I’ve been calling it “The Werewolf Marriage of Convenience.” Alas, I was wrong. My desperate desire to write a Marriage … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, romance novels, writing process | 3 Comments

Reading our Grandmothers

Posted on May 12, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Jessica of Read React Review, one of my favorite blogs, recently mentioned that she had never read Jane Eyre and had decided to do so. I and several others volunteered to read or reread it along with her. I’ll be … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, reading, romance novels, writing | 3 Comments

Making the Paranormal Real: Boundaries and Consequences

Posted on May 11, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

This post was originally written for Midnight Moon Cafe.I was a reader and writer of science fiction and fantasy long before I read romance, and in many ways my reading tastes still reflect that early influence. I tend to favor … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, paranormal, writing craft | 4 Comments

History as Fantasy

Posted on April 12, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

In many ways, writing historical fiction is like writing fantasy. And reading historical fiction is like reading fantasy. In one genre, you have to look up a lot of tiny details to make the reader accept that the world they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, reading, sf/f | 4 Comments

Romance Series-Itis

Posted on April 1, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Series-itis: there’s entirely too much wordcount devoted to reminding us what happened to the hero when he was a minor character in a previous book, and setting up various other characters for their roles in future books, not to mention … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, reading, romance novels | Comments Off on Romance Series-Itis

Where Are the Older Heroines?

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Where are the older heroines in romance novels? Not there. Not often. Not that I’ve seen. And by older I only mean, like, getting close to forty. It seems to be okay for romance heroes to be forty or above … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, romance novels | 21 Comments

Why Not Twentieth Century Historicals?

Posted on March 19, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Why are so few (print) romance novels set in the twentieth century? If you go to a bookstore and look at the section labelled “Romance,” certain things are there and certain things are not. With the exception of occasional outliers … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, romance novels | 20 Comments