March 16th, 2010 — Reader Highlights
Keira: Which do you like more: finishing a book or starting a new one?
Heidenkind: Probably finishing a book, because I like to think about what to read next.
Keira: Which historical romances do you prefer more and why: Classical Novels or Current Regency Based Novels?
Heidenkind: Contemporary novels set in the Regency era tend to be an easier read, so I'd have to go with those.
Keira: Jane Eyre is one of your top favorite novels. What are some other ones you consider too good to miss?
Heidenkind: The Age of Innocence
, The Silver Metal Lover
, The Ivy Tree
, The Queen of Attolia
, Archangel
, and Captives of the Night
, just to name a few.
Keira: Which author occupies the most space on your bookshelf? Why do you love him/her?
Heidenkind: Well, that depends... by "my" bookshelf, do I include my mom's books, too? 
It's close race between Mary Stewart, Lisa Kleypas, and Christina Dodd. I love Dodd because she writes the kind of books where you can become totally immersed in the story; Kleypas is great because her romances are very intense, emotional, sexy, and intelligent all at the same time; and I grew up reading Stewart, so her books are my comfort reads.
Keira: What is your favorite and/or least favorite plot, character type, or literary device?
Heidenkind: I really hate it when the h/h instantaneously start lusting after one another. It tends to lead to my second-least-favorite device, where there heroine refuses to acknowledge she's attracted to hero for no reason other than to drag the book out.
Keira: How do you define love?
Heidenkind: Love is what knits us together despite logic, annoyance, money, reason, intellect, anger, proximity--it just is. I always think of a quote from The Butcher's Wife
: "Love is the leap that cannot be denied." I'm not sure if that's true, but I think leaping is a big part of it. Also that quote is very poetic. 
Keira: You began Heidenkind’s Hideaway in 2009. What is your favorite aspect of blogging and what are some of your favorite posts that you’ve written?
Heidenkind: I love being able to discuss books with other readers, and the whole book blogging community is just full of wonderful people. That's probably my favorite aspect of it, although I do really enjoy being able to dissect a book and why it worked for me and why it didn't.
Most of my favorite posts are the ones no one read. Haha! There was a post I did last May called An Immortal Soul that analyzed a random comment on the TV show The Mentalist--I really liked that one, because that's pretty much exactly how my mind works on a day-to-day basis. I think Drood is one of better reviews I've written. There's also a post called Reading By Type where I talk about how nearly every main character in books is a reader. I didn't even realize how true that was until after I had written the post--now I can't escape it!
Keira: What tips would you give to readers who want to read more books?
Heidenkind: Ask Meghan from Medieval Bookworm, that would be my tip. 
I'm honestly a pretty slow reader. I suppose I would say turn off the TV, computer, stereo, and just concentrate on the book for a while; and if you're not liking it, stop reading it. But then I would have to follow my own advice.
Keira: For you which character makes or breaks a romance novel: the hero or the heroine?
Heidenkind: It could go either way--but at least one of them better be interesting, or the story won't be going anywhere.
Keira: As an art historian does the cover of a book sway you toward impulse purchases? What do you like/hate about the current cover trends?
Heidenkind: Hmm, interesting question. I admit I've bought books just because their covers were beautiful, and YA is definitely where it's at in cover design right now. I like going to that section of the bookstore just to look at the covers (that might also be why I subscribe to a lot of YA blogs...). The only trend I don't like is "Twilightizing" the covers of classic novels like Wuthering Heights. Not because I don't like Twilight, but because: 1. I hate same-y covers; and 2. I think good novels like that deserve more original cover design because they can, and should, stand on their own merits as great novels. I have also bought books just because they have a painting I like as the cover--like Swan Witch. I think I bought that book twice, actually.
Keira: Is there anything you’d like to share or talk about that I missed?
Heidenkind: I recently (like last week) changed the name of my blog to Truth, Beauty, Freedom, and Books--I think that reflects the whole feel of the blog better.
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March 5th, 2010 — Author Interviews, P-R
I’d like us to extend a warm welcome to a Kensington Zebra debut author. Her name is Erica Ridley. Welcome Erica, to Love Romance Passion! We respect every author’s privacy and try our best not to intrude in their private lives. That being said, when did you have your first romantic kiss? I’m kidding, of course! Actually, here’s what I’d really like to know:
Susan: You became a reader at a fairly early age, age three to be exact; what do you like to read?
Erica: In those days, fairy tales. These days, romance! (The more things change, the more they stay the same... LOL.) Actually, I'm a huge fan of genre fiction in general, including mysteries and thrillers and just about anything that packs a punch. But my very favorite is definitely romance, primarily historicals, paranormal, romantic suspense, and contemporary romantic comedies.
Susan: What is it about Regency-set historical romances that appeals to you?
Erica: Oooh, everything! I love the clearly defined roles, the equally defined rules, and the characters who do their best to bend and break them. I love the fashion, the witty banter, the glamorous lives of the ton, and the not-so-glamorous lives of everyone else. In fact, some of my favorite stories involve just such class differences. I also really like the complete lack of modern technology--it opens up the door to so many plot twists that simply wouldn't work in a contemporary story!
Susan: What states and countries have you visited?
Erica: So far (because it's my goal to explore as many as possible!) I've been lucky enough to visit Austria, Belgium, Canada, Costa Rica, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, Mexico, Morocco, Netherlands (Holland), Poland, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. I've visited exactly half of the continental US (namely: AZ, CA, DE, DC, FL, GA, IL, IN, KY, MD, MA, MI, NV, NJ, NM, NY, NC, OH, OR, PA, TN, TX, VA, WA, and WI) and I hope to some day have visited all 50 of our states!
Susan: Do your travels inspire you to write?
Erica: Well... on the one hand, my travels inspire me to procrastinate. I absolutely adore exploring new places, particularly when if the language and/or culture is different from my own. On the other hand, I've stumbled across the best surprises while traveling. Tours of historical houses, museums with period furniture or costumes, libraries of old texts. And every time I do, my head overflows with story ideas, and I definitely long to sit down and write!
Susan: In your novel Too Wicked To Kiss, you introduce us to one H-O-T hero named Gavin Lioncroft. Does Gavin know the effect he has on women?
Erica: Mmmm, Gavin Lioncroft...! When he was younger, it's safe to say he was pretty arrogant about his effect on women. But after being away from Society for so long, he no longer takes that for granted. If anything, he's now suspicious that those who try to engage him are concealing ulterior motives... and he's almost always right.
Susan: (Blushing) Does he know the effect he had on me?
Erica: He may not, but Evangeline sure does, and she's giving you the hairy eyeball right now...
Susan: The sequel for Too Wicked To Kiss is Too Sinful To Deny. Will it be another whodunit mystery romance?
Erica: There's definitely a murder to be solved (the hero's primary goal is avenging his brother's death) but it's less of a whodunit-style mystery. It is definitely full of Gothic romance goodness, however!
Susan: Shameless self-promotion here. What would you like to say to readers who haven’t read your novels?
Erica: I would like to say... it's release week! What are you waiting for? LOL. Actually, I'd like to say that I try to write sensual, suspenseful, atmospheric love stories, and I hope you enjoy Too Wicked To Kiss!
Thank you Erica, for spending the day with us here at Love Romance Passion. Please feel free to visit us anytime!
Buy: Too Wicked To Kiss
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November 28th, 2009 — Between the Sheets, Erotica
Welcome to the second article under Between the Sheets. Here we get to focus on going beyond the printed page to learn more about the industry, the parts usually forgotten by the time the product hits the shelves. Today’s special guest is Olivia Roland, narrator of Land of Falling Stars
. Please join me in welcoming her!
Q. -- How did you get started in book narration?
A.-- I started as a stage actor and learned of an opportunity recording books for the blind from a fellow actor.
Q.-- What's the audition process like for audio books?
A.-- You're asked to read segments from different genres (fiction, non-fiction) and submit a recording and will often do an audition to show your reading skills.
Q.-- Were you required to do anything special for the audition because it was an erotica novel?
A.-- No. We submitted material from a novel with a similar feel.
Q.-- What's your favorite part about narrating?
A.-- I love being able to use all the ranges of my voice, and to be able to put my training with languages and dialects and acting to great use.
Q.-- Did you feel strange narrating erotica at first?
A.-- I've recorded romance novels and historical romances for over a decade and they have many explicit sex scenes, so I was accustomed to some of the material when I began to read for Ravenous Romance.
Q.-- What other voice acting have you done?
A.-- I've recorded hundreds of commercials for radio and television, industrials and training videos. I have also recorded several PBS specials and have been nominated for two Heartland Emmy Nominations for Best Narration.
Q.-- And finally, why should people listen to audio books?
A.-- Audio books are magical to me because you get the advantage of hearing them read by an actor, but at the same time you create all the images and imagine all the people in your mind's eye all on your own.
You get the best of two worlds: an actor's voice and interpretation and your own power of creativity and imagination as you hear a writer's words. It's the best kind of escape, anywhere you choose to have it!
Thank you Olivia! It's been so good to talk with you. I couldn't agree more with why people should listen to audio books. They are definitely magical.
Photo Credits: bondiben
Originally posted 2009-03-25 05:33:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter
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October 12th, 2009 — About
@bookbinge: Dear Authors: I haven't met a man alive who thinks of nipples as "berries", ripe, pink, succulent or otherwise. Very distracting to read.
I saw this in my Twitter stream and decided to share my thoughts about it in far more than 140 characters.
Does it really matter what men think? Or more accurately, how they word things?
It’s not really men that read romance or write it. Sure, their numbers have raised in both aspects, but the person most likely reading a romance is a woman.
A sex scene is designed to reflect feminine tastes. It is meant to give us what we want and is written the way we would word things.
Ripe berries is of course a metaphor for erect tits. Both have their place. The first in mainstream romance, the second in erotica romance.
I suspect ripe berries and the like are found as they are in historical romances and in several contemporaries because they give the story a romantic slant. We get erect tits in real life, why do we want it in every one of our books?
In normal situations we’d slap a guy for saying or even thinking of our tits (unless it’s our intention to show them off). It’s crude and rude. Ripe berries is poetic and if you forgive the pun, sweeter. In a way it shows respect and manners, two things all heroes must show.
When it comes to the male pov in romance, it is supplanted in some ways by the feminine gaze. These ways are shown by word choices, actions, and expressed feelings. We are reading our fantasies, where do men fit in?
Well… that’s a bit obvious. Ahem. Evil grin.
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Photo Credits: http://weheartit.com/
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