Romance in the 90s

[Note: this post is not about sex for nonagenarians. If that’s the sort of thing you’re looking for, try Google.] For most of the 1990s, I was in junior high and high school. Being an independent, intelligent girl (read: a chubby girl with braces and a feathered mullet courtesy of Super Cuts), Barnes & Noble… Continue reading Romance in the 90s

Making your writing stand out in a crowd

When does your writing fit a genre, and when does it just pander to the lowest expectations of that genre’s readers? I’ve written before about the importance of using interesting language and avoiding clichés. What happens, though, if you overdo one of those things for the sake of the other? One of the most difficult… Continue reading Making your writing stand out in a crowd

How to transcend a genre

Last night I came home from work, collapsed on the couch (it’s tough sitting at a computer all day long) and cracked open a book. Hubby came into the living room and asked, “Why do you write romance?” So much for a Friday night of mindless vegging. Knowing my husband’s prejudices against romance novels, I… Continue reading How to transcend a genre

Why does everyone have to write a book?

I tried to join the Romantic Novelists’ Association’s New Writers Scheme last week. For those of you in the US, the RNA‘s a British association for romance writers, although a lot of their authors seem to write more chick-lit than what American readers would consider romance. I hadn’t heard from them (not surprising, since you… Continue reading Why does everyone have to write a book?