Erections, as written by women

As varied as the romance genre is, there are a couple things most romance novels have in common. 1. They are mostly written and read by women. 2. There is usually some description of arousal, both female and male. Reading over and over how women describe the sensations men experience has made me wonder whether… Continue reading Erections, as written by women

Little man’s complex: short stories that pack a powerful punch

This is cross-posted at The Season. I love short stories. I studied them in college and some of my all-time favorite authors (like Flannery O’Connor and Angela Carter) wrote brilliant short stories. I’ve never been a big fan of romance short stories, though—until recently. Last year I won a copy of Jeannie Lin’s The Taming… Continue reading Little man’s complex: short stories that pack a powerful punch

Confessions of a feminist romance novelist

Tomorrow is the 100th International Women’s Day, and I’d like to talk about something that’s been on my mind for a while – the way novels written by, for, and about women are often dismissed as being harmful, demeaning or stupid. The first female brain surgeon I ever came across was the heroine of a… Continue reading Confessions of a feminist romance novelist

Scarred heroes in contemporary romance

This is cross-posted at The Season where Bev is giving away a copy of Deirdre Martin’s Icebreaker to one commenter. The last week of December, I celebrated my final few days of holiday by dipping into the pile of books I’d bought myself for Christmas. Completely unintentionally, the two books I read were both contemporaries… Continue reading Scarred heroes in contemporary romance