Entries Tagged 'About' ↓
July 2nd, 2009 — About, Guest Blogger, Jane Austen
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Sasha has written a very eloquent response to a guy’s guest post: The Darcy Syndrome at her blog.
Dear women who adore the Fitzwilliam & all things a la Austen,
I love him, you love him and any self-respectable woman would. No, we are not crazy, we just happen to have standards. Standards that mean we won’t settle and believe we are worth something in this world.
That is what Darcy represents — the brighter side; greener pastures and all that jazz.
I refuse to settle for anything less than Mr. Darcy.
Sincerely,
A ’girl’ xx.
July 1st, 2009 — About, Guest Blogger, Jane Austen, Paranormal
Hello ladies, I know we all obsess over Mr. Darcy but what do guys think of that? I was trying to explain myself to a friend of mine and we got into a debate, where admittedly I was losing (at least from his standpoint). What can I say? I was not on the debate team in high school. In the end, I thought his impression of Darcy was really interesting and I asked him to share his view point with us here in hopes some of you could counter his argument. Heated arguments and debates welcome… no flames, please!
The Darcy Syndrome
(AKA – you women are nuts)
So, I was asked to supply a man’s take on romance to this website. Here it goes, you women are crazy. Not all of you, just the ones who actually look for guys like this, and you let this be your idea of what romance should be. Well, that’s like me looking at an airbrushed playboy centerfold and expecting women to be D cups and enjoy football – it’s not going to happen. Mr. Darcy doesn’t exist, that’s right Virginia, there’s also no Santa Claus.
The way I’ve had it explained to me, is a “Darcy”, is that guy who’s emotionally closed off, snobbish, and generally a prick. But he “changes” or reveals his “true self” (one second while I wait for my contemptuous snicker to subside), due to the love of a good woman. This is why we know Jane Austin and not Steve Austin wrote this book, guys like that don’t exist. If a guy comes of like a prick, he’s a prick. You think you’re going to be good for him? Help him? Reveal that better man? There’s no man underneath ladies, there isn’t even an underneath, and we have no hidden layers, we simply are who we are. The crazy thing is, many of the girls I know who are like this get turned off by a guy who is just simply nice, and not an asshat. They’d rather change a guy into that, than just pick that guy.
Now it’s gotten so bad that you’ve made paranormal romance the next evolution the Darcy. You have to invent imaginary creatures just to cobble together a man that meets your unrealistic expectations – vampires with souls
? Vegetarian vampires? What’s next? Werewolves with French accents, Armani suits, and are ever so gentle?
Well, as a reformed “nice guy” a.k.a. the doormat you always complain about your Darcys to, I’ll step up and say it – men don’t suck. They don’t suck for the same reason I’m not talking about all women, it’s you – you unmitigated bundles of confusion, your decision making skills concerning men suck. And if you think that’s bad, imagine the guys who have to put up with this garbage. You know what this psychosis is going to do to the few good men out there? It’s going to turn them into me.
Just think about that.
The place confusion ends, the unabridged truth, what you should know about men but won’t ask.
Sincerely,
-A guy
June 25th, 2009 — About
It has come to my attention that some readers of Love Romance Passion are unaware of certain features here. In case you also were unawares, I have compiled and shared them below.
Book Reviews:
You have the standard book reviews, but did you know that Love Romance Passion provides a space for guest reviews and advance review copies? You can submit your book reviews directly to me or through the submission form. Authors and publicists promoting review copies can email me at reviewromancenovel@yahoo.com with an inquiry. Learn more about review requests and Love Romance Passion’s policies under advertising.
Movie Reviews:
Occasionally, I review movies. I tend to share the newest viewings, which can mean current theatrical releases. Just as I can’t read all the romance books out there, I can’t watch all the romantic movies. Readers are welcome to share their movie opinions through the submission form outlined earlier.
Interviews:
There are several types of interviews at Love Romance Passion. The first is the author interview, which you see the most of around here. Another form of the author interview is the Kiss and Tell blog series. Any romance or erotica author may submit an article to it by emailing me. Lastly there are the Between the Sheets interviews with professionals related to the romance industry, but aren’t necessarily authors. So far Love Romance Passion has featured model and audio book narrator interviews; we would love to have you too!
Guest Bloggers
Many guest bloggers here at Love Romance Passion are authors. I love having them here and I hope you do as well. I am always looking for guest bloggers, and you don’t have to be an author to contribute.
Carnivals:
Carnivals are a newer feature. They come out every Sunday. I have three in rotation right now to which bloggers can submit related articles. They are: love of movies, author love , and romancing the novel.
Reader Highlights:
A brand new feature that does exactly what it says, highlight readers who’ve made an impression on the blog: on the stage and behind the curtain.
Forum:
Love Romance Passion also has a forum for readers, authors, and bloggers. This tucked away feature deserves some attention! You can register here.
Book Store:
This is an ebay run book store that helps readers find romance books in print and audio format. It’s also a great way to contribute a little towards the running of this site.
LRP’s Best:
LRP’s Best is where I pull from regular circulation, the blog posts I find most interesting and fun to share with new comers and regulars.
On Youtube:
Love Romance Passion’s Youtube channel is under construction. I soon hope to use this feature to share with everyone videos from guest bloggers, authors, readers, and more. If you make a video and want it to appear on LRP’s channel upload file to http://www.mediafire.com/ and email me the link.
On Twitter:
I am on twitter. I share links to contests and articles I am reading and enjoying from other blogs. You can find me at reviewromance.
On Facebook:
Love Romance Passion is on Facebook twice. First as a hobby group and second as a Network blog.
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June 18th, 2009 — About
Before I begin, thanks Susan for your 5 tells - they’re hilarious!
Now, when it comes to our favorite literature is it possible to ever read too much of it? What are some of the tells of overindulgence in romance? Let’s take a look!
You Know You Read Too Much Romance When…
- Most of your email is author newsletters telling you about latest releases, contests, and book signings.
- You insist on bringing a chaperone on romantic dates; even though you’re 25 years old.
- You own a digital copy of every print romance book on your favorite’s shelf.
- Your favorite’s shelf is now the entire bookcase and the area in front of it on the floor.
- You have a plot trope, character type, or preference you are too embarrassed to share with other romance readers.
- Your bookshelves are classified first by subgenre, then by author.
- After kissing each other breathless, you accidentally say, “Please Lord Mark take me now to your bedchamber.”
- He says, “I know-I know you can’t spend the night with me because your aunt Lady Marie will start the rumor-mill.”
- Your fictional boyfriend is Mr. Darcy, Mr. Thornton, or another romantic alpha hero.
- You once had to question where the hymen was located, because most romance novels have the hero penetrate it somewhere inside the vagina instead of at the opening.
- You clip the covers off your romances and make a mantitty wallpaper collage.
- The name Vladimir de Laaf, the Duke of Longwood, sounds like a valid name for a man and Lady Saramia, the Widow of Evesham, makes for an equally good heroine name.
- In your mind, being unwed and over twenty is a crime.
- When making love-you find yourself moaning, “Oh yes, all the way to the hilt!”
- You’re actually disappointed he showed up in his Lexus….where’s the black stallion?
- You own or are following every romance blog you encounter or have written blog posts for them.
- If the first thing you can find in your purse is your latest romance read.
- You’ve attended more than five romance conventions just because. Jane Austen and Regency period conventions count, even if they aren’t about books at all, because the subgenres are prominent.
- You can spot a secret baby within a 100 yards.
- If you ever daydreamed about being a heroine in one.
Bonus 21: If you’re like me than you’ve come to the conclusion, there’s never too romance in your life!
Photo Credits: rtbookreviews
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June 15th, 2009 — About, Children, Secret Baby
Offspring in romance is one of those things that really get readers up in arms. We either love them or hate them. Few ride the middle and think they’re okay if the story warrants their appearance.
In general I hate them. No, seriously, I do, despite that I’ve given a few of them 5 Stars. I think they detract and the author spends more time focusing on the newcomer’s relationship to them, on their relationship with their parent, or just on them in general than on the romance.
Below are some polls to get your take on the little hellions.
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What’s your favorite story with children central to the romance? My top two are:
Charming the Prince. For a long time it was my #1 on my favorites shelf. There’s a parcel of brats in this one - nearly a dozen!
Smooth Talking Stranger. Can’t tell you how much I loved that one and the hero and heroine would never have met if it wasn’t for the baby involved.
Photo Credits: creativesam
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June 11th, 2009 — About, Covers
The romance novel industry has been designing covers for a very long time. We’ve seen swooning couples, floating heads, headless bodies, photoshop overlays of couples and scenery, women in fancy dresses, and plain fancy font covers with inserts. The current trends of floating heads and headless bodies are an interesting oxymoronic mix.
On the last, I asked on Twitter about the headless body phenomenon known as mantitty.
The tweet read:
Why do romance novel covers crop mid-head or at the neck? Seriously, my art professors would kill me for those design decisions.
I was taught when drawing the human body you never cut off at a joint. Ever. It makes the body look truncated, misshapen, and distorted. If you’re going to crop a body you crop mid bone section - mid thighs, mid arms, etc.
Two responses to my tweet were:
@qc2: ’cause the models are butterfaces.
@amhartnett: easier than finding models who match the entire look of char.? Let’s the reader fill in blank face with their imagination?
Both responses point to the model as being a bad representative for the male lead. With all the models out there, there should be one that can represent the hero accurately enough.
The first response begs the question of what is handsome. Considering all the notions of beauty out there, one face might very well attract and repel the same amount of readers.
My guess is publishers are catering to the mass of readers instead of creating a cover that accurately represents the novel. I mean how offensive can a hot, finely honed male body be? Forget that 99.98% are hairless for those that love chest hair.
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June 6th, 2009 — About, Vampire, Werewolf
I bet that headline caught your attention! This post started innocently enough in the comments of The Smell of a Hero.
Susan said:
In my world everyone’s fang obsessed (lol) I’d say werewolves would also use fangs since wolves have large canines. (No claws) he-he.
I said:
They do have large canines. I think that should be a post - comparison of vampire and werewolf canines: Does Size Matter?
Susan goes on to note in an email:
…vampire fangs are thinner, when I think werewolves I think thicker (cough, cough).
Oh dear! What have we started? The battle between vampires and werewolves has begun. Will paranormal ever be the same? Probably, but let’s pretend otherwise…
Does size matter in paranormal?
When we think of heroes in paranormal romances we know a few basic facts. Nearly always, the hero is the alpha male whether it is in a vampire kiss or of a werewolf pack. Usually, the heroine is kick-ass. Additionally, she is also somehow forbidden to the hero. Rarely do we see a heroine go for the beta or lesser male in a paranormal. So that brings us to the question does size matter? I say it does.
In two book series that I’ve read, the vampire has won the girl in the end. The first is in the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter Series
where Jean-Claude muscles out Richard Zeeman. Granted, the series evolves and Zeeman comes back into the picture, along with a few dozen other men. The second is The Twilight Saga
with Bella clinging to Edward Cullen and choosing him over Jacob Black.
With the second series we’ll never know the characters respective sizes, but in Hamilton’s world alpha lycanthropes are so far very well endowed and have the added benefit of being able to control that part of their anatomy… ie make it even bigger. I imagine using that ability might be used in male to male posturing, as for lovemaking… a girl can only hold so much.
But back to the canines, and not err… other equipment. Which species of nighttime heroes has the bigger bite (allure)?
Vampire heroes are elegant, sophisticated, and mysterious. Their beauty is just one of their allures. Do not for one moment think their charming façade equates to being a pansy. Oh no, vampire heroes are known for their volatile mood swings, strength, and deadly control.
Werewolf heroes are overtly masculine, muscled, and alpha. Their outer strength is coupled with inner sensitivity. They are the leaders for their packs and must take care of every member. It is a task that burdens them heavily at times, especially when youngsters are determined to run a foul.
If you had to turn…who would you choose to turn you?
Answer the poll below and leave a comment!
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The rest is as they say is all in the fang.
Photo Credits: Hare Guizer
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May 30th, 2009 — About
He’s musky, woodsy, and oftentimes earthy, but overall a hero’s scent is akin to sandalwood. Why is that? A curious reader wants to know!
Sandalwood: semiparasitic fragrant yellowish woods used often for their essential oils.
I researched sandalwood to figure out its appeal. I found that it’s been used in incense and perfumes for over 4,000 years. It is said the best sandalwood smell comes from a mature tree as opposed to a young tree.
But what does it smell like?
Sandalwood as a note is a striking wood base. It has a bright and fresh edge with few natural analogues. In most perfumes and scents I find it very strong. It permeates a small space easily and can be very heady despite the crisp edge. For me, the scent of sandalwood lingers, smelling like a memory after a time.
Sandalwood Today:
Most of the sandal forests are gone, having been depleted over the years to meet up with demand. Part of the problem is how it is harvested. They pull up the whole tree instead of just hacking at the base because the natural essential oil is so expensive.
Can you imagine how lucrative growing sandal trees must be?
Nowadays true sandal trees are heavily monitored, though poachers are still a problem, and trees within the same family are being used instead and labeled sandalwood.
Application:
Taking what we know of sandalwood and applying it to the genre we can deduce that it represents many characteristics for a discerning writer.
First and foremost sandalwood represents the earth. A sandalwood scented hero is a man of dirt and woods; he is robust, practical, and worldly. In a word sandalwood is manliness.
Secondly, sandalwood represents wealth, luxury, and status because it is scarce, expensive, and refined. A hero smelling of sandalwood is a rare specimen of finest quality.
Lastly, sandalwood scented heroes are in dire need of a helmet and a spear to ward off the ladies eager to sink their claws into him. His first two qualities alone will make him the sexiest man on the block and being so intensely desired requires a protector… a job the heroine is more than willing to fulfill.
Fragrances with Sandalwood (likely chemically produced versus naturally produced): Perfume Search.
Photo Credits: nicholaslaughlin
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May 27th, 2009 — About, Cecilia Tan, Erotica, Guest Blogger
Today’s article is by erotic romance author Cecilia Tan. Please join me in extending a warm welcome to her here at Love Romance Passion.
Our tale begins in 1970, which is the year some point to as the beginning of the modern romance genre, with the arrival of the manuscript The Flame and the Flower by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss on the desk of editor Nancy Coffey at Avon. The book would be a huge bestseller, kicking off a new era of romance publishing, and Woodiwiss was the first of the “Avon Ladies.” In that year, the average age at which American women married was 20.6 years old.
But 1987 that average was up to 23.3 years old, and according to the US Census Bureau, by 2003 it was 25.1 years, where it remains today.
Meanwhile, the percentage of female teenagers becoming sexually active rose from 30% to 40% between 1982 and 1988, and now, 20 years later, the rate of high school students who have had intercourse is close to 50%. (They don’t count it as “sex” unless you have intercourse, you know.) In short, that means a lot of young American women, who used to go into their marriages with no sexual experience, now tend to have a significant amount of time as sexually active people before they marry–most as much as a decade.
Not only that, but as the generations have progressed from the swingin’ seventies to today, the kinds of sex that women are having has proliferated. The likelihood that they have experience with spanking, bondage, multiple partners, bisexuality, and other things that would have once been considered outre is now quite high as well, with 48% of people currently in their 20s reporting they have at least “experimented” with these activities.
Is it any wonder, then, that romance novels have changed, too?
This doesn’t mean that every romance reader wants in her life–or in her fiction–non-stop sex, kinky sex, or partner swapping. But the “bodice rippers” that were a staple of past generations are now often seen as either laughable or even anti-woman by modern readers, and the breathless euphemisms that used to be standard in the genre come off as quaint or unintentionally funny. The back cover copy on Woodiwiss’s “Flame…” speaks of “…the Carolina plantation where Brandon finally probes the depths of Heather’s full womanhood!”
We might make fun of the old style of marketing, but there is no denying that whatever language is used, romances have always been about passion as well as love. And just as fewer and fewer women would find a chaste kiss to be satisfying after a romantic dinner out, and now they want the same desires reflected in their favorite fiction.
But what distinguishes erotic romance from “erotica”(a broad term in itself)? Is erotic romance just a hybrid between romance and erotic fiction? In actuality, it’s the strength of the romance genre that allows so much flexibility in what we can call “romance” these days. The two unchanging aspects are the focus on love and the core relationship, and the happy/emotionally satisfying ending. That leaves a lot of room to have different historical settings, mystery subplots, fantastical aspects. As Beatrice Small wrote in a 2007 essay on the history of the genre, “[In the 1970s] romance [grew into] a billion dollar baby for publishing. It was a two-headed baby to begin with: Historicals and Category. But then as women’s palates grew more sophisticated, baby grew more heads. Historical and Category were joined by Western, Thriller, Paranormal, Glitz, Chick-Lit, Christian, Contemporary, and OHMYSTARS! Erotic, just to name a few. And the Historical sub-genre had sub-sub-genres. Regency. Georgian. Medieval. [and so on.]”
In other words, romance is a great-looking model on which you can put any kind of outfit, whether a medieval ball gown or six-inch spike heels and a leather corset.
For me, it isn’t the amount of sex in a book, nor how graphic it is, that makes a book “erotica” and not romance. I am one of those women for whom love and sex go hand in hand in my real life. I wouldn’t dream of spending my life with someone if I didn’t know we were compatible in bed. In a love story, especially a contemporary one, I feel like I need to see some erotic interaction between the characters in order to believe that their love is real and can work. In historicals I find Unresolved Sexual Tension more believable than in stories set in the modern day, but what I am still seeking is the ultimate release of that tension. I love writers who can wind the ratchet tighter and tighter, but just like someone who is great at teasing in bed, I want them to eventually deliver me that mind-shattering release.
More sex scenes do not necessarily make a “hotter” book, the way more salt and pepper doesn’t automatically make a meal taste better. What is most arousing is when the sex is convincing, when it makes sense with the characters and when it follows a logical progression through their emotional lives.
There are plenty of books of erotica out there. I know, because I’ve written them. Many of them are collections of short stories, because erotica can so often be about the fling, the one-night stand, the exploration of a character’s sexual growth, but doesn’t necessarily have to be about love. Short stories are flings, but novels are relationships. And just as I found I need to see some sexual interaction between characters for me to believe they are falling in love, I also have to see them falling in love in order to believe that they are going to keep having sex for the space of an entire novel! If they aren’t, if the plot is not a love story but just an vehicle to get us from one sex scene to another, inventive and arousing as the scenes may be, I’d classify a book as erotica, and not erotic romance.
When I sat down to write my book MIND GAMES
, which I’d classify as an erotic paranormal suspense romance, I had already come up with the characters many years before. I’d originally envisioned Wren and Derek as an established couple, and I was trying to write them in a kind of detective/spy scenario where their partnership and relationship were already long since established. But that idea never really firmed up. I kept asking myself how they had come to be a couple, and how did they find out that sex enhanced her psychic abilities? Ultimately I realized I couldn’t write what happens in their future until I wrote their love story and answered those questions.
It was an incredible experience writing them falling in love. After over a decade of writing and publishing dozens of erotic short stories, in places like Ms. Magazine, Best American Erotica, and Nerve, having the room to follow the characters from their initial meeting and spark of attraction, right through to their eventual emotional break-throughs, felt like a decadent luxury to me. I really was able to focus on the emotions, not just on Wren’s attraction and feelings of arousal, but also her conflicted feelings, her fears, her past wounds, and her determination to make this time different from the failed relationships of the past.
Now that I think about it, I did the exact same thing in my second romance novel, THE HOT STREAK. If anything, THE HOT STREAK concentrates even more on the relationship because there is no mystery sub-plot. All the “action” revolves around our heroine falling in love with a baseball player and learning to negotiate the ups and downs of being a “major league girlfriend.” It’s a much more light-hearted book than MIND GAMES, but again there’s that theme of her not yet having found Mr. Right, and then all the doors it opens in her heart and her life when she finally meets him.
Ultimately, this is why erotic romance is still romance, because although we want him in bed, we still want Mr. Right. It’s just romance created to satisfy the women like me who aren’t satisfied by a story that doesn’t meet their own sexual reality, and those are the women I set out to please, too. And I’m sure as the needs and lives of women continue to change in the 21st century, the heroines and stories we find in romances will change to meet them.
–
Cecilia Tan is the author of the erotic romances MIND GAMES, THE HOT STREAK, and the forthcoming MAGIC UNIVERSITY series, as well as numerous books of erotica and baseball nonfiction. Read sample chapters more at http://www.ceciliatan.com/.
References:
“More Girls Are Sexually Active, Study Finds,” by Felicity Barrington, New York Times, November 10, 1990 (http://www.nytimes.com/1990/11/10/us/more-girls-are-sexually-active-study-finds.html)
“Facts on American Teens’ Sexual and Reproductive Health,” Alan Guttmacher Institute, September 2006 (http://www.guttmacher.org/pubs/fb_ATSRH.html)
“Most Americans Have Had Premarital Sex,” By Sharon Jayson, USA TODAY, December 19, 2006, (http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2006-12-19-premarital-sex_x.htm)
America transformed: sixty years of revolutionary change, 1941-2001, by Richard M. Abrams, Cambridge University Press, 2001
“A Brief History of the Romance Genre,” by Beatrice Small, Shorelines newsletter, August 19, 2007 (http://www.authorscene.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=60)
Photo Credits: Wiros, Oneras [what about peace?]
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May 23rd, 2009 — About
The last two times I wrote, I talked about reducing your TBR pile through monetary and organizational methods. This time I’m going to share with you tips on how to get through your pile by answering the following question: How can you read more books?
Check out these reading methods below:
1. Books in multiple places.
This goes against the organizational methods mentioned earlier, but more books in more places where you sit down and relax can be very helpful in encouraging you to read them. So go ahead, put some by your bedside table, next to the couch, by your bathtub, etc.
2. Read more than one book at a time.
Combine this tip and tip #1 and now you’re cooking… er reading. Your mind can keep track of more than one story, you can follow multiple books and not get lost. Go ahead and try this on for size and see how you do. Chances are you’ll get through a bunch more books because you won’t be locked into any one particular story.
3. Conversely, read only one book at a time.
If you’re someone who is easily distracted this might be the method for you. Reading a book at a time allows you to focus more and pay attention to all the things you love.
4. Schedule reading.
By setting a time to sit down and read you’re making a plan. You will read a whole lot more by doing this. Make it a daily habit or schedule it when you know you won’t be interrupted by every day demands like dinner and phone calls.
5. Read for an hour before bed.
It’s a great way to relax and it’s similar to #4. You are guaranteeing a time to read for yourself, which allows you to focus on your reading and your day to day business.
6. Read for an hour after waking up.
Wake up an hour earlier and get to reading. Allow yourself the luxury of not being in a hurry to get ready for the day. I personally like to combine #5 and #6. It’s amazing how many books you can get through by doing both.
7. Listen to audio.
See if you can get some of your reading in audio format instead of the standard print. This way you can hear a book while running, walking, driving to work, at the gym, and more. Listening to books is a fabulous way to get through your reading.
8. Quit reading bad books.
This is why you use blogs and other review sources. We read the bad books so you don’t have to do so. Put down the read that’s killing you to get through. You’re not obligated to finish a book ever. Pass it on to a friend, donate it to the library, swap it at Paperback Swap, whatever you feel like doing to get it out of your sight.
9. Carry a book with you everywhere.
Not everybody has a whole lot of time that they can put aside to read. By carrying a book with you if there’s ever a down time you can whip it out and read a few pages.
10. Turn off the TV.
Really, you can use that time spent watching shows to read more. Don’t want to miss your shows? Record them and watch them later minus commercials or better still watch your shows online later at Hulu or the network website.
11. Read sitting up and with a good light.
If you read sitting up and with good lighting you’re not likely to fall asleep in the middle of a paragraph and snooze your way through your reading time.
12. Keep background noise to a minimum.
Lots of noise equals lots of distraction which you can’t have if you’re going to get through that TBR pile! Plus it’s considerably less annoying than listening to commercials on the radio or on TV.
13. Skim / Scan.
Yes, I know it’s your pleasure reading and you want to squeeze every minute of out the experience, but not everything needs to be read. If you can’t follow through with #8 at least this method helps you slog through the book faster.
14. Speed read.
I read pretty fast, I could read faster if I learned how to speed read. I hear you can read faster and still retain all the information from the book without any problem with some practice. What better practice material than your pleasure reading? A faster reading speed might be just the ticket to get through that towering pile.
15. Shut off wi-fi when reading ebooks.
Most ebook readers are still using laptops and desktop computers. Shut down your internet connection before you open a book and this will let you focus on reading instead of your email and instant messages.
16. Stop rereading!
I don’t mean rereading a book you’ve read before, though that certainly won’t help you get through your TBR pile. I mean stop rereading the same text over and over again. You’re either doing it unconsciously (which means pay attention and stop) or consciously by going backwards to find out what you missed/forgot or by trying to find out where you were in the book. Stop it now! Use a bookmark and pencil lightly where you left off between reading sessions and erase on opening. As for missing something, trust me, authors will reveal it again so keep reading further. You might just find out that the next paragraph jogs your memory anyway and you’ve read more instead of less.
How’s that for a fairly exhaustive and in depth list? Do you have anything you can add? If so leave a comment and share with others!
Photo Credits: Betsssssy
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May 19th, 2009 — About
Last time I gave you 4 Monetary Tips to Reduce your TBR pile. This post is going to give you some ideas on how organizing your TBR pile can motivate you to get through it.
1. Start a Spreadsheet.
Enter all the books from your current to be read pile and then all the books you’ve read that you have on your bookshelf. Before selecting any new books for your collection double check your spreadsheet to make sure there are no repeats.
2. Group by Common Denominator.
Put your organizational skills to work and group your TBR pile into smaller piles. Sort your books by a common denominator such as subgenre, author, size, year, or similar titling. Do it however it pleases you best and make it a goal to read one book each month from your new smaller piles. By getting your TBR pile manageable, you are not faced with the daunting task of choosing a book to read or the prospect of a book avalanche.
3. Challenge Yourself.
Did you know that supposedly the average romance novel reader can read 10-40 books in a month? This statistic is pulled from the Romantic Times advertising page. With that in mind and knowing that some people work best with goals, I challenge readers to reading the mean - 20 books - with sub goal of reaching as close to 40 books as possible this month. Here’s a game to get you started (and remember only choose books from your TBR pile!):
- Books 1-5 by authors you’ve never read before.
- Books 6-10 by your favorite authors.
- Books 11-15 in a genre or sub-genre you’ve never tried.
- Books 16-20 in your favorite genre or sub-genre.
Repeat for books 20-40 if you get that far. Do this challenge with a buddy and now you’re accountable to someone other than yourself. Get together once a week and go for coffee. Talk about the books you read and if you’re on target to the goal you could even swap a few and read for next month.
4. Purge: Be Ruthless.
Yes, I know, it’s a sad thing to even contemplate, but it’s for your own good. Go through the pile and anything you bought more than six months ago seriously consider removing, permanently. If you weren’t inspired to pick it up and read it six months after purchasing the book, chances are you’ll never get to it. Donate the books to your local library and get a receipt for tax purposes or use the books as swapping material on Paperback Swap.
5. The 3 Strike System.
Start a 3 Strike System. If you pick a book up and decide not to read it mark the side of the book (not the spine, the pages) with a pencil. When a book gets its third strike, remove it from your TBR pile. This system can be modified to 4 or 5 or 6 strikes, but be consistent and don’t waver once you get to the last strike. The book might have sounded good to you when you first got it, but it’s not calling to you anymore. Pass it on.
*This idea originally came from Willa in the Paperback Swap TBR Reduction Thread.
6. Keep it Simple. Start Slow.
Make the goal easy. Did you put last week’s purchases on the floor because there was no space? Read enough from your pile to move those babies off the floor and onto the shelf.
Are your books in six locations? Pick a location and read them. All of them. That’s one less location to trip over your books and a simple goal that allows you to focus on your reading instead of your buying.
7. Share Your Reduction Tip!
Now it’s your turn to talk about your TBR pile and what you do to keep it under control. Leave a comment in the form below!
Photo Credits: bitmask
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May 16th, 2009 — About
Chances are you have one, and your friend, and your other friend, and of course I have one. They sneak up on you. When you first start reading, there might be one to three books in the pile and you read them and go out and get new books. Somewhere along the way they developed a mind of their own and have overtaken a whole place in your house: a table, a chair, the floor, a shelf, your car’s backseat, on top of your toilet, etc. Will they ever go away or are we doomed to keep them forever? Here are some ideas I’ve come up with for reducing your TBR pile while also reducing your new book strain on your wallet. Read on and be sure to tell me what you think!
1. Book Budget -
With a book budget set in place and coincidentally in stone, you’re limited to the amount of new books you can purchase. Make sure you put less toward it than you think you need (this is the reduction part!)
Here’s a good equation for set up:
Take the low end price per book ($6 for mass paperback, $14 for trade paperback, $25 for hardback) and times it by (the average number of books you read in a month - 2 books).
How do you book budget? Share your tips with readers, leave a comment!
2. Library -
Like PBS new books are usually on a waitlist. Put your name on it and read your TBR pile while waiting for the library to call you. When they call, go check it out and read it. The idea of forced waiting will help you reduce your pile and by not seeing the book physically sitting there begging to be read, you’re not thinking about it. Additionally, nobody can add it to your pile count either and that includes you!
3. Paperback Swap -
Paperback Swap is trading website for used books. Get new-to-you books while helping with your TBR pile by setting up an account. You get 2 free books by listing 10 of your own for trade. See, I’m nice, this isn’t so painful; I’m letting you get two books!
Now to reduce your pile only “purchase” books when you get credits from sending out your old books. This will drastically reduce your new books, unless you cheat and become a mega-swapper with 50+ novels on your trade bookshelf.
Also many of the new releases are on waitlist and by waiting for them to come to you instead of buying them right away you can enjoy them without feeling TBR pile guilt.
4. TBR Buddy-
Get a TBR pile buddy. Between the two of you select books you want to purchase using tip #1. With two of you buying only half of your list (and later swapping books between you as you finish them) you can enjoy your whole list with less financial strain or guilt tripping. As I said before, your pile can’t guilt trip you if the books aren’t there. It’s a twist on that age old adage of if you can’t see it, it can’t see you.
Photo Credits: kencf0618
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May 15th, 2009 — About, Contemporary, Stephenie Meyer, United States of America, Vampire, Werewolf, Young Adult
Boy Type: Aloof Artist
Edward Cullen is the gorgeous aloof boy who sits with a select group of people at lunch. He keeps to himself and has a fantastic brooding expression that simply makes the girls drool. He’s into music: listening to it, playing it, and creating it. On top of all that he’s a vampire and that gives him the bad boy edge. Can we say swoon?
- Jacob Black
Boy Type: Mr. Fix-It
Jacob Black is the ultimate handyman. The place you’re likely to find him is the family garage as he loves cars and spends all his time, efforts, and money fixing them up. In fact, Bella’s truck is just one of his pet projects. Jacob is good at fixing more than just cars– he can fix problems and people too. Must be his warm and fuzzy nature. His friendship with Bella is what brings her out of the dark in New Moon.
Boy Type: Guy Next Door
Mike Newton is the boy next door. His life is pretty easy. He has good friends, a good family, a good entry level job, and good looks. He can be pretty bright too and make smart observations. He wishes Bella would give him the time of day. He’s persistent to a point and yields defeat when it’s apparent things won’t be changing.
Boy Type: Sweet Nerd
Eric Yorkie is on the school newspaper, part of the yearbook staff, and on prom committee. He’s active and smartly dressed, a little dorky, but that’s all part of his charm. He’s not used to asking girls out and misses his chance more than once. Perhaps all he needs is a little nerd girl loving!
Boy Type: Popular Jock
Tyler Crowley is the popular jock. He’s definitely into something athletic like basketball or football. Like Mike Newton, it’s not hard for him to find a date, unless it’s expecting that date to be Bella. Tyler is a flirt and very outgoing. If it isn’t his muscles flashing, it’s his shiny car as it comes toward you.
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May 12th, 2009 — About
5 Reasons why the unenlightened think we love romance novels:
10. We’re bored and have nothing better to do. This explains why a good portion of us read in lines, just before the lights go off in a theater, between meetings, before class, and during our commute… because we have time to spare.
09. We don’t have to think when we read romance! Great! Let’s leave our brains at home because everybody knows romance novels are right up there with gossip, soap operas, and fashion and celebrity magazines.
08. Secretly, we love the trashy cover art. Clinches and clutches and heaving bosoms really appeal to us. Who doesn’t love toting embarrassingly bulging mantitty in her purse?
07. We love romance because it’s petticoat porn. (What and men don’t like watching poorly filmed flicks off the internet? At least ours is intellectual- it’s literature!)
06. Better yet, on top of loving it for porn we also love it because we have no sex life. This is our only way to experience sex… ie vicariously through fictional characters. Right… as if any woman couldn’t go into any bar and ask any man if he wanted to go home with her and he wouldn’t say yes.
Now for 5 real reasons to love romance novels:
05. Truly, we love romance because it’s emotional porn. Two hanky reads anyone? Passes out tissues.
04. Happily Ever Afters. We love a great ending and knowing that no matter how many troubles and problems seem to mount up eventually they’re solved and go away.
03. Variety. There’s a romance out there for everyone. Many of us develop preferences and seek out stories that cater to them.
02. The heroine. She’s everything we want to be or admire in others with the exception of the Too Stupid to Live Heroines.
And the number one reason women love romance novels is:
01. The hero… because we can fall a little bit in love with him every time we open a book to read.
Photo Credits: left-hand, jonrawlinson
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May 11th, 2009 — About, Kiss and Tell
Kiss and Tell is going to be the start of a new series of posts here at Love Romance Passion. The idea came to me last night when I was talking with my fellow romance novel reading friend about how heroes in romance despite having less wiggle room in appearance/wealth/status than their heroines, they are surprisingly unique across authors and within the writing of a particular author. We got to wondering if this was because the women writing them put pieces of their own real life hero into the fictional model. Did the author ever write a story basing a hero entirely on her own flesh and blood one? And perhaps he’s never consciously influenced the heroes in the stories, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a hero in his own right.
Authors Answer This: In the end what makes him, your husband (or boyfriend), your hero?
Male writers are welcome to tune in by answering what makes their wife or girlfriend their heroine. Similarly writers with same sex partners are invited to share as well. Just switch out any references below to the appropriate gender/status.
Why Participate?
You mean you might need other reasons than a chance to tell all how wonderful your partner is? If you write a byline to go with your article to introduce yourself, you can include any and as many links as you want to direct readers on where to find you. That’s some pretty good PR right there because LRP has a solid Google PR.
How to Participate:
Participation in this series is pretty basic and virtually painless (unless of course you insult your lover in some grievous fashion, then I’m sure it’ll be pretty painful. But as that is nearly impossible to do you should be fine. Grin.)
Post details: Include photo of husband to go alongside article. Photo could also be of you and your husband or one of the whole family. There is a 250 word minimum. No maximum as we’d love for you to share your courting anecdotes, happily ever after tales, gossip and dirt. Feel free to include any links to blogs and websites to feature alongside your submission.
Video details: Potentially less time spent on this than writing a post, and you can tell a lot in a very short period of time. Please make your video between 2 minutes and 5 minutes in length and under 100 MB. We’ll host you on YouTube at Love Romance Passion’s channel and share the video with blog readers. Twice the exposure!
Email article and photos to Keira at reviewromancenovel[at]yahoo[dot]com.
Photo Credits: 1, 2
Originally posted 2009-01-11 13:22:15. Republished by Old Post Promoter
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