Category Archives: romance novels

Three Takes on the Marriage of Convenience

Posted on November 23, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I recently read, in succession, three new books by Mary Balogh, a perennial favorite of mine in historical romance. The three books about three sisters each featured a Marriage of Convenience plot, and each one approached that basic plot from … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, reading, romance novels | 4 Comments

My Top 16 Romance Novels

Posted on November 16, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I’m exactly one month late posting my sixteen favorite romance novels, but, well…here they are anyway, in random order. And it was really hard and made me very sad, but I did it for you. I limited myself to books … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, reading, recommendations, romance novels | 8 Comments

Georgette Heyer Recommendations

Posted on November 10, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Is anyone out there a Heyer Virgin? I suspect many of you aren’t, but just in case you’ve always been told you need to read some Georgette Heyer, but had no idea where to start, here’s a quick list to … Continue reading →

Posted in heyer, reading, recommendations, romance novels | 13 Comments

Werewolves All Over the World

Posted on November 5, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I think that the werewolves currently depicted in paranormal romance are, gradually, creating a new idea of what a werewolf in fiction ought to be – in other words, reader expectation is being affected by what mythological details writers choose … Continue reading →

Posted in paranormal, romance novels, werewolves | 5 Comments

Oral Tradition, Epithets, and J.D. Robb

Posted on November 4, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

In many romance novels, particularly those in series, the reader’s familiarity with the characters and setting can be reinforced by repeated use of the same descriptive phrases. I think this is similar to the technique of assigning epithets, often poetic, … Continue reading →

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Not a Marriage of Convenience

Posted on November 3, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Why, yes, I’m still thinking about marriage of convenience plots. I like them. I’m finding this pondering of sub-genre to be extremely intellectually pleasing. Also, it’s helping me whittle down my to-be-read pile. I recently read Come Fly With Me … Continue reading →

Posted in contemporary, genre, romance novels | 7 Comments

Wacky Story Elements and Laura Kinsale

Posted on October 28, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

So, there’s this novel, and it’s about a virgin who thinks she’s doomed to nymphomania and a ninja who used to be a child prostitute. Or in this one, the hero is afraid of heights, and the heroine has a … Continue reading →

Posted in kinsale, romance novels, writing craft | Comments Off on Wacky Story Elements and Laura Kinsale

The Intricacies of Marriages of Convenience

Posted on October 22, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

I may have mentioned once or twice (ahem) how much I love the “marriage of convenience” plot. I recently finished reading one of Mary Balogh’s recent novels, First Comes Marriage, which I really enjoyed, and which also got me thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in genre, historical fiction, romance novels, writing craft, writing process | 14 Comments

Robin Bradford Guest Post – Audiobook & E-book Pricing

Posted on October 8, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Please welcome my guest, Robin Bradford! # The price of sharing For years, there have been two markets for audiobooks. There was the retail market, which sold audiobooks at around $39.99/title. This was higher and lower, of course, depending on … Continue reading →

Posted in business of writing, guest, romance novels | 1 Comment

Nifty Stuff That Ought To Be In Romance Novels

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Victoria Janssen

Nifty Stuff That Ought To Be In Romance Novels Bored with billionaire heroes and heroines who own their own antique shops? Be bored no more! Include these elements in your romance, and watch it catch fire! (Keep extinguisher handy, and … Continue reading →

Posted in research, romance novels, writing process | 15 Comments