Category Archives: reading

Staying on Top of Blog Reading

Posted on October 21, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I could easily spend hours every day reading other people’s blog posts. Plus, I’m always finding new blogs, often through interesting links I’m given on Twitter or LiveJournal. After a long weekend, where I may or may not have gone … Continue reading →

Posted in reading | 4 Comments

Kindle-cising

Posted on October 12, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Sometimes I read while I’m exercising. Usually, it’s an article or newsletter I’ve printed out, so I can discard the pages into recycling when I’m done. Occasionally, I read a magazine, particularly thin ones like the SFWA Bulletin, because they’re … Continue reading →

Posted in promo, reading | 6 Comments

Heroine Doe

Posted on September 30, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

What do you look for in a romance heroine? Or the heroine of a space opera, or of a quest fantasy? What kind of heroine always makes you want to read further?Does she need to be an orphan, or have … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, reading, romance novels | 8 Comments

How Many Sex Scenes?

Posted on September 22, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I recently read a contemporay romance and got into a brief discussion about the sex scenes.I’d been perfectly comfortable with the amount of sex that was shown. The story focused on the two characters’ relationship issues and issues that were … Continue reading →

Posted in erotica, reading, romance novels | 13 Comments

Recent Steampunk

Posted on September 7, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Today, some recent steampunk novels.Caveat – I have not yet read any of these books, but I’ve been collecting them for my To Be Read pile. Suggestions welcome if you have them! Please refrain from spoilers in the comments. The … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, recommendations, sf/f, steampunk | 2 Comments

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

IASPR Call for Proposals

Posted on August 18, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

Just in case anyone out there is interested! A Call For Proposals for The Third Annual International Conference on Popular Romance: Can’t Buy Me Love?Sex, Money, Power, and RomanceNew York CityJune 26-28, 2011The International Association for the Study of Popular … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, romance novels | Comments Off on IASPR Call for Proposals

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

Trusting Authorial Voices

Posted on August 9, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

I’ve recently been thinking about novel beginnings, and how it’s common (and good) advice to start with big obvious conflict. However, I don’t think that it’s always necessary to do that. More importantly, I’ve been thinking about why that is … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, writing craft | 2 Comments

Top 5 Marriage of Convenience Novels

Posted on July 29, 2010 by Victoria Janssen

This post was originally written for Monkey Bear Reviews. # My Five Favorite Marriage of Convenience Novels It was really difficult to make this list! The “marriage of convenience” is one of my favorite romance novel plots. I made the … Continue reading →

Posted in reading, romance novels | 4 Comments