What’s So Wrong About Romance? by Joan Reeves

Why do some people feel compelled to judge a person based on reading choice?

We who write and read romance are, sadly, accustomed to having our intelligence, maturity, and even our grasp on reality questioned because of what we read and/or write.

We are told we write about unrealistic people in unrealistic situations—as if writing about a man and woman seeking love in a committed relationship was something that happens only in an alternate reality, in other words, in science fiction.

If that were true, then there would be no long-term happy marriages. I have one of those. Thirty-six years and counting. Just about all my friends—especially those who write—have that kind of relationship too.

Snobbery Rears Its Ugly Head

For many years, reading romance in the summer—the eagerly embraced guilty pleasure of beach reads—seemed to be accepted by those who looked down on the romance genre albeit with condescending amusement. Not any more.

Lately, I’ve perused several websites that define the beach read as a trashy, throw-away novel, frequently of the romance genre, that people take to the beach.

Isn’t it heartwarming to read that the books we love to read and write are considered throw-away trash?

In a New York Times article, Elizabeth Strout discussed the beach read. The one part of the article, which reported the summer reading of several literary authors, with which I completely agree, was what Sandra Cisneros said: "I never feel guilty about reading any kind of book. Books are medicine, each one a specific prescription for whatever ails us."

What Do You Think?

The name of this website is Smart Girls Read Romance. I'm proud of that name not only because I proposed the name to the other founding members of the blog but also because I believe those words. Smart women know that true love can be had in this crazy world. We know it's not easy. We know it requires work and commitment, and we are willing to make that investment in a relationship.

We like to read romance, not because it's fantasy, but because we believe in the power of love, and in a book—particularly a romance novel—we know that wrongs will be righted, good will prevail over evil, love will prevail against all odds. We know that's different from real life precisely because we are smart women in touch with reality.

We are not hopeless romantics but hopeful romantics. Always hopeful that love will prevail in this crazy, war-racked world of ours where there's so much hate that fills the headlines.

Bottom Line

Never be ashamed of your reading taste. Love is empowering. At the end of life, love is the only thing that remains. I've sat a death vigil, and I know that in that last breath of life, the dying person wants only to whisper words of love to those who remain.

Post Script


I celebrate Beach Reads that are romance because they're entertaining and affirming of love, life, and relationships. Here's Hit The Beach, my video book trailer spotlighting 4 romances designed to make you laugh and feel good.

To be entered to win a copy of one of each of the books shown in the video, leave a LIKE and a comment: LIKE on the YouTube page for the Hit The Beach video and comment here on this post with your Smashwords Registered Email (written out, NOT as a hot link). The contest closes July 22, at 4 pm, when a winner will be randomly chosen. The winner will be notified no later than July 26 by email (sorry for the delay but I have a surgery scheduled).

More About Joan

(Joan Reeves writes Sassy, Sexy Contemporary Romance. Her books are available at all major ebook sellers with audio editions available at Amazon, Audible.com, and iTunes. Joan publishes Writing Hacks, a free newsletter for writers, and I LUV Books, a free newsletter for readers. Find Joan online: Blog, Website, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube. Always remember Joan’s Motto: It’s never too late to live happily ever after!)

Cowboy in the Making by Paty Jager

Austin on Jammer

My grandson Austin(a cowboy name isn't it) is eight. He has a ready smile, big blue eyes, and a loving attitude. Until you rile him. Then he can get spittin' mad.

He wanted to go horse back riding. He picked out the tallest, longest-legged mare we have. She's always proved a gentle soul and the two of them bonded. He can't reach all the way up on her back to give her a good brushing but he can sure croon to her. "That's my baby." "You're a good girl."

Most kids are scared to sit way up in the air on Jammer's back. Not Austin. With some help he climbed up on Jammer and was grinning like he'd been handed a bouquet of lollipops.

I taught him how to stop her, turn her, and all around make her mind. Of the three grandchildren riding that day, Austin was the only one who wasn't intimidated by the horse. He pulled her around and made her mind without a squeal or a complaint. Being a long-legged Tennessee Walker Jammer and Austin were always way ahead of the rest of us I'd holler, "Turn her in a circle," and they make two or three wide circles until we caught up.

After the ride, Austin insisted on unsaddling and taking her hackamore off. He managed to unfasten the cinch but I had to pull the saddle down, but he took it from me and waddled to the tack room with it. Just like any good cowboy he took care of his horse and again crooned what a good baby she was.

As we walked back from the pasture after letting the horses loose, he said, "Jammer and me get along good. She's my baby and I love her."  Then he grinned, whooped, and headed for the bike.

I couldn't be prouder of the way he treated the horse, enjoyed the ride, and took pride in the job he did. He has all the qualities I like to put into a cowboy/hero in my books.

www.patyjager.net
Writing into the Sunset
 

FOR LOVE OR MONEY?

By

Kathy Shaw

          I have a decision to make and would like your help. Or maybe I just need a sounding board. So, whether you’re a reader or a writer, all comments would be greatly appreciated.

          In the past, New York Publishing Houses would tell you to write the book of your heart and they would buy it. I did and they published it. We were both happy campers.

          And then my eyes were opened to the lucrative world of Indie-publishing. Needless to say, I jumped in with both feet. Career-wise that was the best decision I’ve ever made.

          Now here comes the big decision I spoke of earlier.

          I’m not being told I need to write the book of my heart to be published. Now I can write and publish anything I want.

          Currently, I want to write the second book of my Darla Bodecker mystery series. The first was BLONDIE AND THE HIT MAN and featured Darla as a sassy, sexy, smart private eye. Darla, the character, is relentless. She talks to me in the shower. She talks to me while I’m driving. She even talks to me when I’m writing something other than her story. Like now.

Hush, Darla. I’m busy!

          Unfortunately, no one told me that mysteries, in general, don’t sell as well as romances. Mysteries sell—just not in the volume of romances.

          Don’t get me wrong, I love to write romances too. I just don’t currently have a romance story burning to be told.

Again, shut up, Darla. I know you already have a story.

          To complicate the situation, I’m one of those ill-fated authors that can’t turn off the inner editor, which translates into being a very slow writer.

          So I guess this all boils down to: Do I write Darla’s second story, get her off my back but only make about half the money I would for the same time spent? Or do I learn to ignore Darla’s bellyaching and write a book that will put twice as much money in the bank?

          What would you do?

AUTHORS ASK "WHAT IF?"

By Mary Adair

I have been asked where I get Ideas for my stories. My answer is everywhere I look. And of course the two most important words to an author, “What if”.

My husband and I took a trip to Heavener Runestone Park in Heavener, Oklahoma. It was a warm, overcast, misty sort of day. As we walked along the path that leads downward into a world of trees, large boulders, waterfalls and small ponds. I was entering a world long past. It was beautiful.

I wondered if it looked just this way when the Native Americans lived and thrived in that very spot several hundred years earlier. I wondered what if… during a hunt, they camped in one of the shallow caves created by the rocky overhanging ledges and just above them crept warriors from an opposing tribe?

We soon made our way to the carvings. They were protected by heavy glass, but were easily visible. I wondered how the area looked when the Vikings wandered through these woods and asked myself why they would trek downward rather than stay on higher ground.

What if…they were avoiding detection? Why did they carve into the side of the huge boulder? What if… It were actually a code? What if…the carvings were not made by Vikings? What if…they were travelers from a galaxy far, far, away? Better yet, what if… they were time travelers?   

I thoroughly enjoyed that trip. After we left the park we went to a small café in town. We walked toward the back and my dear husband, knowing I love to sit where I can watch everyone and everything around me, pulled out the chair with its back to the wall.  

While carrying on a delightful conversation with my husband I observed a darling little girl dressed up as a ballerina. Would she grow up to be a famous ballerina and travel the world over? What if…her mother was a world famous ballerina and wanted her daughter to follow in her footsteps? What if…the little girl hated to dance and wanted to be an astronaut instead?

A cute couple came through the door, I would say in their early twenties. They were holding hands. He was strutting like he had something to be proud of, she was flushed and looking at him adoringly. Were they newlyweds? Were they on their first date? Were they eloping? What if…he was already married and she didn’t know? What if…she is a serial killer and is playing to his ego till she could get him where she wanted him? 

I find that coming up with ideas for a story is not hard. Turning that idea into a full story can be tricky, but oh so much fun!

HEART ATTACK, DROWNED, PRESUMED DEAD?

By Sandra Nachlinger, Guest Author

One of the most time-consuming (and interesting) things about writing a book is the research that goes into it. When writing BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY, hero Derek White's wife disappeared and he eventually had her declared legally dead. But I wondered . . . exactly how does that work? Hello, Google! It turns out that laws vary from state to state. Generally, several criteria are used to determine if someone is presumed dead.

Missing from their home for a certain period of time (Typically seven years)
Unexplained and continuous absence
No communication from the person
There has been a diligent but unsuccessful search for the person

Since BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY takes place in Texas, I researched laws for that state and did my best to accurately reflect what I found. Of course, if the "deceased" person returns, that brings up another set of problems to look into!

In my first book, I.O.U. SEX, co-authored with Sandra Allen, we researched drowning. What happens when someone drowns in a swimming pool? Do they turn blue? Do they sink or float? What about if they have a heart attack and then drown? Exactly what do the paramedics do when they arrive on the scene? We discovered the details through an interview with a paramedic and through online searches, and we incorporated our findings into the story.

The last thing any author wants is for a reader to put down her book because of a factual error. So although research is time-consuming and takes away from writing those delicious love scenes, it's essential for believability and realism. I just hope the FBI never has a reason to confiscate my computer and look into my Google searches! What would the agents think about my fixation with drowning, heart attacks, and missing persons?

BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY Blurb:

     When Elly moves to Shannon Ridge, Texas, she expects to fill her days helping her grandmother—doling out medications and running errands. Still smarting from her fiancé’s  betrayal, the last thing she needs or wants is a man, especially a good lookin’ one. She’s been down that road before.

     Derek White’s wife left him without a word, and he’s reluctant to make the same mistake twice. But Granny Macauley’s granddaughter sure is tempting. He still doesn’t understand why Jeanette left him, so how can he explain that to another woman? And can he be sure he’s legally free?

     Granny says some things come along only once and you have to grab them while you can. But when Derek’s past threatens and Elly’s ex-fiancé reappears, she must decide—give her former love a second chance or gamble on a man whose history may ruin everything.

BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY and I.O.U. SEX are available in paperback and ebook formats from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and other online booksellers.

BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY: http://www.amazon.com/Bluebonnets-Elly-Sandra-Nachlinger-ebook/dp/B00I86E3F6/

I.O.U. SEX Blurb:

When June, Kiki, and Peggy graduated from high school, all three were virgins. After all, they were GOOD girls. Years later, they read June’s diary from their senior year and joke about the sexual frustration they caused their steady boyfriends back then. That’s when Kiki says, “When you think about it, and I’m only trying to be fair, we owe those guys sex.” With bawdy jabs and tipsy laughter, they vow to track down their old boyfriends. Will their sexual IOUs be paid in full? Or is this just another one of Kiki's crazy ideas?

I.O.U. SEX:  http://www.amazon.com/I-O-U-Sex-ebook/dp/B004CFAPA4/

 

Sandra Nachlinger, Author

      Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Sandy has been writing one thing or another since childhood. She still has diaries from her school days, one of which inspired her first book I.O.U. SEX, co-authored with Sandra Allen.

      Besides Dallas, Sandy has lived in Irving and Beaumont, Texas; Miami, Florida; and now Washington State. During her years in the work force, she was employed by a “wildcatter” oilman (a real-life J. R. Ewing); a plastic bag factory; a NASCAR race track; a CPA firm; an electric utility; and a bunch of other less interesting places. Her stories have appeared in Woman’s World magazine, Sasee magazine, and local publications. People tell her she still has her Texas accent, but she thinks they’re the ones who talk funny.

      When not writing, Sandy likes to quilt, read, sew, garden, take photos, lunch with friends, and (like Granny in her most recent book, BLUEBONNETS FOR ELLY) spend as much time as possible with her granddaughter. She also enjoys eavesdropping on conversations at restaurants, parks, and other public places, so be careful what you say around her. It may end up in her next book!

Blog/Website: http://SandraNachlinger.blogspot.com

Freedom to read what you choose! #amreading by @JacquieRogers

by Jacquie Rogers

Facebook | Pickle Barrel Gazette

Happy Independence Day to all our U.S. readers!  And don't forget July 1 was Canada Day, too.  So we're all celebrating this week.

On behalf of all the Smart Girls Read Romance contributors, thank you to all those who are serving or who have served in the armed forces!

But what's this got to do with the
Freedom to read?

So you frown and say, "Of course I can read what I want.  I've always read what I wanted to."  

Well, you can.  Now.

Up until a few years ago, a hundred or so people decided what everyone in North America would read.  If your tastes ran more to the eclectic, such as genre blends and the like (you like mystery mixed with ghosts, romance, and humor?  Ann Charles says yes!), then you'd have been out of luck.  Not so today.  

What if you prefer a genre that isn't popular?  Three years ago you'd have been hard pressed to find many Westerns or Western Historical Romance because the large publishers weren't buying them.  Not only that, they dumped the authors who were already writing for them.  Now, there are enough releases in these two genres to keep even the most voracious reader satisfied.  And guess what?  Readers want them!

Just yesterday, Caroline Clemmon's The Most Unsuitable Wife was #10 in all of Amazon, and #1 in the Western and Western Historical Romance genres.  Hmmm, it sounds to me like people are reading that genre!  (Congratulations, Caroline!)

Go to any online store, whether Amazon, Smashwords, Barnes & Noble, Kobo, Apple, or many others, and you'll find a variety of books and authors that you've never had access to before, and at a lower price, too.  What's not to like?  There's never been a better time to be a reader.

Like free books?  Join a Facebook author event--they're held all the time--and you're likely to win a book.  Commenting on blogs will get you more free books.  And besides, you'll find loads of bargain books, too.

Lots of authors offer the first book in a series for the low, low price of 99¢.  I do.  My Hearts of Owyhee series is set in a location that most people have never heard of--Owyhee County, Idaho.  Currently, four books are available and I'm writing the fifth one now.  But you can buy the first one, Much Ado About Marshals, for only 99¢.  Yes, it took me a year to write.  Yes, the cover and editing cost money.  But I think it's a good low-risk opportunity to see if readers enjoy my kind of stories, the way I tell them.

Five years ago, a 99¢ book was unheard of--or if you did come across one, you'd assume it was low quality.  Not so in 2014.  The rest of my books are $2.99, which is also less expensive than most books five years ago.

That means not only do we have the choice of what to read, we can read more!  Sounds like heaven to me.  Might even have time to get a manicure.

Yes, it took me a while to figure out how to work in the picture of those terrific nails, but I just had to do it. :grin:

Have a happy and safe holiday!

♥ Hearts of Owyhee ♥

Much Ado About Marshals

Much Ado About Madams

Much Ado About Mavericks

Much Ado About Miners

I'M HAVING A SALE!

By Caroline Clemmons

Yes, a sale! And the e-book on sale is one of my most popular.

Years ago, I remembered a short anecdote my sweet grandmother told me about a girl from her small Tennessee village. The girl quit school because of bullying from many students. No, bullying is not new. Anyway, that short tale formed the kernel of Pearl Parker's character in THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE, my first Kincaid novel.

Pearl is one of my favorite characters and one of my strongest heroines. She has overcome terrible events in her life and is fighting others when she meets Drake Kincaid. His parents' will specified that if her wasn't married by his thirtieth birthday, the ranch he has worked years for would go to his mother's worthless brother. His anger at the stipulation causes him to vow to find the most unsuitable wife he can, hence the title.

Texan Drake and his cousin Lex are on a trip east to buy horses. On the way, they stop in Tennessee to pay their regards to their grandfather's friend, who is sheriff of the tiny village near which Pearl lives. I'll bet you can figure out what happens, right? But there are so many events and obstacles before Pearl and Drake find their happily-ever-after.

On sale for 99 cents for an e-download
This is my all-time favorite book  cover

NOW TO THE SALE:  Coming out in today's issue of BookBub is the fact that THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE is on sale for 99 cents. This book that took months of sweat, planning, and diligence is on sale for the paltry sum of less than a dollar..

Don't be confused by the beautiful cover Kim Killion designed. This is the third cover this book has had. You may have read the book when it had one of the ugly covers. I love this design and have no intention of ever changing the cover again.

If you or your friends haven't yet read THE MOST UNSUITABLE WIFE, now is the time to grab your e-copy and start reading. To help you find this bargain, here are the buy links:

Amazon                      Kobo                      Nook                      Smashwords