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Yar! This be arr first entry to the Present Your Very Own Pirate Contest. What say ye? Is his shirt perfectly billowy? Is his beard scraggly enough for ye? Does he make ye want to cry out full rammin' speed ahead?
When Sasha first told me she was entering, I got really excited. Sasha's very clever with photoshop and editing programs. I think you'll find that she lives up to the hype. Just check out the goodies below!
Model: Kevin, who is really French. Designer:Sasha
Romance Novel Title: Luring the Rouge
Pirate's Tale:
Rouge is my own special 17th Century French pirate. He got his name from a woman who couldn't read English too well. She meant to call him a "Rogue" because he's a playfully mischievous scoundrel.
But looking at her French to English dictionary, she ended up with "Rouge," which suited him just fine because he makes all the wenches and ladies alike, blush!
Are ye hot and bothered? Aye, I not know about ye, but I'd be wanting to read this piratey novel! Great job, Sasha!
Ann Aguirre is holding a contest! For a chance to win one of twenty copies of What A Scoundrel Wants by Carrie Lofty, be sure to check out the widget below. A bonus prize of $50 Amazon dollars is going to one person if more than 100 entries are up and running. Be sure to join this is a lot easier to win than the lottery!
This is a call for submissions for the first edition of the Carnival of Trashy Romance Novels! I am very excited by this and hope to hear from the rest of you in the blogosphere.
Categories of Submission:
Include the following topics:
Book Reviews - submit any recent book review on any romance novel.
Get Into Bed With - this category is for author interviews and I hope to see many submissions!
Between the Sheets- is for authors and publishers to promote their blog posts.
Industry News - what's going on? Submit articles that talk about the romance industry.
Writing Tips - from authors or readers. What makes romance writing great?
Misc. - is up for anything that you have about romance that doesn't fit into one of the above categories.
Have category suggestions? Let me know! Leave a comment!
Visit the carnival home page for more information and to submit your articles!
Publishers Weekly recently published an article on clinch covers. Since I've been running a segment on locating the next Fabio of romance novel models, I was immediately drawn to read the post. I was certain heaving bosoms, flowing hair, and orgasmic looks would be disclosed. I was pretty much right. Overall the article was pretty savvy I thought.
Two romance bloggers were quoted in it, Sarah from Smart Bitch and Kate of Romancing the Blog. Both bring up some very valid points on clinch covers. While never officially polled by readers in general, Sarah is confident based on several posts on trashing silly looking covers that readers hate clinch covers. They are "a complete and total embarrassment for the reader." Nothing screams trashy romance novel in my opinion more than a couple embracing on the cover!
This is why paperback book covers were created - its not to protect the book, it's to protect your ahem... virtue from the immaturity of those around you. Who here has had someone take the book they were reading and start searching for the sex sections and read them out loud? I certainly have been a victim of this. The worst instance was with purple headed warriors and womb-brooms... no joke. I was mortified even as I made fun of the passages too along side the other mockers. Who couldn't make fun of purple headed warriors? Still, when this happens you pretty much want to curl up and hide because stuff like that just gives the genre a bad name.
However, it's not just romance novels that are defined by a clinch style cover. Kate from Romancing the Blog says, "A clinch identifies the genre in a way that leaves no question about what you're getting between the covers." Can you name some clinch cliches belonging to other genres? I can - unicorns and flowery fairies with wings or sorceresses with long flowing robes make up fantasy novels. Though I am sure nobody's picked up a fantasy and mocked the reader for it... maybe a paranormal like a later Anita Blake.
Where do you fall on clinch covers? Love? Hate? Both?
Nothing beats a lazy morning or evening, a good book in hand, and a bubble bath. Is there anything more delightful than this personal pampering treatment? I can’t think of anything unless it’s a good book, some tea and a rainy afternoon curled up somewhere under a blanket.
However this post isn’t strictly about personal pampering it’s about finding another Greek Adonis to grace the covers of our romance novels. Since this is Bond Week, I am electing Daniel Craig to our line of new Fabios. I am generally not attracted to blonds, but I have to admit his lines are very good… very very good.
For a twist on the female walking out of (ocean) water:
Can you see why he's a wonderful pick for James Bond and as the next Fabio? If you don't trust me yet, go see him at the start of the torture seen in Casino Royale- this man has absolutely the most wonderfully powerful thighs I have ever seen. Yowza! You could melt just looking at him.
Quantum of Solace is the second of five contracted Bond films Craig has signed on for. Critics claim that Craig is the first Bond to truly portray Bond's character as seen in Ian Flemming's novels. What say you? Do you agree with them?
Craig says this about his character James Bond: "Am I the good guy or just a bad guy who works for the good side? Bond’s role, after all, is that of an assassin when you come down to it. I have never played a role in which someone’s dark side shouldn't be explored."
Now let's play the trivia game! Below are some James Bond questions - do you know all the answers?
1. What year was Bond created?
a. 1950
b. 1951
c. 1952
d. 1953
2. Which author did not write a James Bond novel after Flemming's death?
a. Jonathon Cape
b. Kingsley Amis
c. John Pearson
d. Raymond Benson
3. Which of the following names did Flemming throw out as unsuitable names for Bond?
a. Peregrine and Sidney
b. Peregrine and Carruthers
c. Sidney and Carruthers
d. none of the above
4. Bond is said to be born in the Chinese year of:
a. dragon
b. rat
c. ox
d. snake
5. How many film adaptations are there of Bond?
a. 19
b. 20
c. 22
d. 25
Highlight for Answers:1. d 2. a 3. b 4. b 5. c
How did you do? Very good or kind of poorly?
So I think I might have lied at the beginning of this post... the truest way to pamper yourself is to wrap up in Daniel Craig. Haha. Or if that option isn't available go see him in Quantum of Solace in theaters.
I’ve spent the last couple of days reorganizing my space (which is small) for several new (to me) books were coming my way. I got a second bookshelf (surprise, surprise) and cleared out a corner for it. This took some ingenuity as this used to be my junk corner. The corner I knew would contain anything I couldn’t find because I thought I wouldn’t need to anytime soon. It’s the corner or the drawer or space that accumulates undesirables that can’t be thrown out for some reason or another.
It started with reprioritizing a lot of it and finding new homes for it all one piece at a time. I did throw away a lot of paper and the ilk. By throwaway I mean I stuck it in the pile of papery/cardboardy things that I take over to my library’s dumpster reserved for such purposes. It helps them make some money and its recycling so two points for me.
Next I did the sweeping and the dusting. Unpleasant tasks, yes, but ones that must get done. I broke a ceramic mug in the process. Whoops. The pieces were very sharp and had to be taken care of immediately. Luckily it wasn’t a mug I was particularly attached too.
Now I was ready. Boy was I unprepared! I was gaining a new collection of novels today. My new collection filled out eight office crates and contained romance (enough to fill two shelves triple stacked give or take) and crime/western (enough to fill three shelves in a similar fashion.) I still have a crate and a half with books. Part of the books had been mine to start but wouldn’t fit on the shelves and part of the new collection.
There are some whoppers in this batch. I have been caught giggling over titles and covers as I uncovered them. Several titles from Nora Roberts, Amanda Quick, Danielle Steel, LaVryle Spencer, Sandra Brown, and Julie Garwood. I’m so excited. I can’t wait. I finally own my own copies of The Bride and The Wedding. Woo!
Of course with the books being double stacked in front of each other and then stacked on top of twice it’ll be a wonder to find any of them. I do have a system, sorta anyway in place to get through them. It’s very simple really. Start with one, read it, review it, keep it/offer it on paperback swap. Not only will I be getting several hours of reading pleasure, I’ll get to organize again. Double the joy… hehe.
by Carrie Lofty, be sure to check out the widget below. A bonus prize of $50 Amazon dollars is going to one person if more than 100 entries are up and running. Be sure to join this is a lot easier to win than the lottery!
Publishers Weekly recently published an 
- this man has absolutely the most wonderfully powerful thighs I have ever seen. Yowza! You could melt just looking at him.
and 
. Woo!
