Category: Risky Regencies

Bookshelves

Updated on May 26, 2008 by Diane Gaston

Diane Report:

Number of pages written since past rant of two weeks ago: I have no idea
Daily average: I have no idea
Daily goal: totally not met
Number of pages to go: 139
New Daily Goal: 20 pages
New Deadline: June 16 (I broke down and asked for 2 more weeks)

Megan’s talk of organizing bookshelves got me to wishing for time to organize mine. I’m still in crazy mode of writing (see above) which automatically increases my desire to organize my bookshelves. I believe the urge will pass as soon as the book is turned in.

Speaking of bookshelves, I was in my local Borders Express recently and again got burned up. They shelve the Romance novels against the side wall, floor to ceiling. This makes it impossible for a woman of average height (me) to reach or even see the top shelves, and nearly as difficult to reach what is on the bottom. There is a stool nearby to climb on to reach the top shelf but even I am wary of falling. It is far easier to confine my search to books within easy reach.

This means, of course, that authors such as Gaelen Foley and Elizabeth Hoyt were unreachable and thus were less likely to sell.

When I first encountered this new shelving, the cashiers told me it was a corporate decision. Whoever made the decision certainly did not think it through that it was possibly not a good idea to make the best-selling genre hard to reach, especially when women are the most likely purchasers and most likely to be too short to reach the top shelves. “You can ask a cashier to help,” I was told, but when was the last time you saw cashiers wandering around the bookstore waiting to climb up on a stool for you? And would you be likely to ask them to browse the shelves for you? What’s more, some romance readers like to browse with a little more privacy, not out in plain view so everyone in the store can see you are looking at books with “man-titty” covers (as Janet would call them).

I can see it all now…the stores will sell fewer romance novels and will thereby convince the corporate decision-makers that romance novels are not selling as well as they used to. Then they will decrease the shelf space for romance novels and order fewer of them, thereby making the sales go down even more.

When I first saw this I asked the cashiers for a phone number to call to complain. They gave me a corporate number, they said, but it was a wrong phone number. This time I didn’t bother to ask because the unhappy-looking cashier who waited on me had been reading “Resumes for Dummies” and I supposed he didn’t want to hear me rant about romance novels.

Has anyone else encountered shelving like this? What do you think is most conducive to selling romance novels?
And (totally self-serving question) does shelving Harlequin Historicals in with the other Harlequin series books make it easier to find them or more difficult?

On this Memorial Day take a moment from your fun and remember all soldiers who dedicated their lives to their country — like my father!)

Waiting For Winners!

Updated on May 25, 2008 by Amanda McCabe/Laurel McKee

Alyssa, Debora Dennis, Crystalgb, Kathy, Santa, and Traveler, you have all won copies of Elizabeth Hoyt’s To Taste Temptation! Please email riskies@yahoo.com with your snail mail address to claim your prize…

True Love

Updated on May 24, 2008 by Amanda McCabe/Laurel McKee

This week seems to have been All About Love in my world! Love of all sorts. Love of the start of summer, of warm weather, sundresses, cookouts, hammocks, concerts in the park. Love of Starbucks Green Tea Frappucino, and re-reading old favorites (like I Capture the Castle and Middlemarch).

Love of weddings! My baby brother was married off last week to a woman who is kind, thoughtful, smart, and pretty, and their wedding was a joyful occasion. Laid-back and relaxed (after months of stressful planning, of course!), with lots of music, good food, and margaritas. Now I fear she is stuck with him, and the rest of us McCabes, forever! (I will post pictures next week…)

Love of a new perfume. Among the samples I ordered after reading Perfumes: The Guide was Guerlain’s Apres L’Ondee. It was described as having the delicate, tender scent of a garden after a rainstorm, and it does! It’s delicious, and actually smells good on me (a rarity). Love at first smell. Sadly, my new love us elusive. It’s no longer imported into the US, so when I go to Europe this fall I am tracking it down.

And love of writing! In the course of researching my latest Bath-set WIP, I found out you can actually get married at the Pump Room. How much fun would that be?? (As long as you didn’t make the guests toast with the water…)

You can also get married at the Brighton Pavilion. While I would wear a white muslin dress at the Pump Room, maybe with a little veiled bonnet, at the Pavilion I would go with something grander. Lace and velvet with a train, and a big tiara!

Or there is Hever Castle, family home of Anne Boleyn. The grand Tudor hall is available only in the winter months, so I can picture a white satin 1530s gown, with fur-lined sleeves and a pearl and crystal trim.

And last but not least, you can make a run for Gretna Green! Yes, you can actually elope (well, elope after considerable paperwork) over the border to an all-inclusive wedding chapel. I think they even have an anvil. Not sure what I would wear for this one, but it sure looks like fun!

What are you in love with this week? Which of these wedding choices would you go with?

Posted in Risky Regencies | Tagged Uncategorized | 19 Replies

Amy Pierpont Answers Your Questions!

Updated on May 21, 2008 by Amanda McCabe/Laurel McKee

(This is a continuation of Monday’s blog! You all asked so many great questions, and now we have your answers…)

What does Grand Publishing not want to see in a historical?

I’m a big advocate of never say never. Other than settings which have proven unsuccessful in the marketplace (England and Scotland are still the most popular settings), we’re open to all plot lines and characterizations. As long as there’s a strong love story with a dynamic hero and heroine, strong conflict and engaging drama, as well as strong secondary characters and intriguing secondary plots, we’re happy to take a look. The key to remember is to stay true to the heart of historical romance–an incredible love story set against a lush, fully-realized historical backdrop that makes readers feel as if they’ve stepped into another time and place.

What are some of the Romantic Suspense books that you have coming out soon? I really lean towards that genre in reading.

We’ve got an exciting array of Romantic Suspense writers on our list. Just out now is Karen Rose’s debut hardcover, SCREAM FOR ME, which is heart-stopping suspense at its finest! In June we’re publishing Susan Crandall’s chilling PITCH BLACK, which is guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you like military heroes, you’ll love our October release NO ESCAPE by Shannon Butcher and Marliss Melton’s TOO FAR GONE, which hits the shelves in November. And for readers who like a splash of paranormal with their suspense, we have Samantha Graves’s OUT OF SIGHT publishing in August, and Rita Herron’s INSATIABLE DESIRE in November.

I am a rabid reader of historical romances but am equally excited to read about your contemporaries and what you look for in one.

We’re looking for contemporaries that create a fully-fleshed out world inhabited by an extended cast of characters and a setting readers will want to return to time again. Meeting our hero and heroine’s family and friends, getting to know their town and their neighbors, really builds a sense of community in the stories, and it’s this sense of community that readers embrace. Heroes and heroines with challenges and conflicts that reflect readers’ own lives and fantasies is also something we look for.

I am curious. What is it about “voice” that speaks to you? What does it tell you about an author and the possibilities? And what sort of voice gets your attention?

To me a stellar voice is one that leaps from the page. From the first sentence, on the first page, I feel like I can hear the characters speaking to me, telling me their story, guiding me through their setting so that I feel as if I’m walking alongside them. Voice often goes hand in hand with a lyrical writing style–which equates to utilizing varied sentence structure in your writing, and striving for a story that sounds as good when read aloud as it does when read on the page. What voice tells me is that the writer fully knows their characters and setting, and although much hard work and time has gone into writing the story, the words flow effortlessly onto the page.

It sounds as if you are one of those fortu nate people who managed to find their dream job. Does it ever get tiresome or disenchanting? What do you do to recharge yourself when and if that happens?

I am indeed fortunate, and still pinch myself to think that I get paid for doing what I love–reading! In terms of recharging, it’s something everyone needs to do, I think, and I do it with…more books! I love to read narrative non-fiction and practical non-fiction like gardening and cookbooks. I catch up on the latest literary thriller or book club selection, peruse my dusty shelves of novels from the 50s, domestic dramas that hold a real nostalgic charm, dive into my ever growing stack of vintage crafting books, the list goes on and on!

I know I am asking way too many questions, but I am so excited that you are here!

Where do you think the trends in historical might go? Spy adventure novels? Comedy of errors novels? Historical with a touch of paranormal? I read voraciously to keep up with what is out there. I have noticed a number of novels where the hero and heroine leap into bed in the first chapter. “Hello, how are you? Shall we leap into bed? Oh yes, please. Jolly good show!” What is your take on that?

I really think there are no limits as to where historical romance can go–as long as the stories stay true to the traditional tenets of romance. As for the more “sensual” historicals, I feel they’ve been around forever (Skye O’Malley anyone??), and there will always be readers who are looking for a steamier read. What I look for in a steamier read is one in which the “steam” is organic to the story. It makes sense that the characters would choose the actions they take based on where they are in their character arc and what the plot commands. I don’t feel”steam” for “steam’s” sake is as effective.

I really enjoy paranormals and I hope this trend continues. I’m seeing a lot more historicals, too. Are there any subgenres that aren’t selling right now?

We do wonder where all the romantic comedy readers went off to. I suspect that many of them have been enjoying the tales told by trade paperback (formerly known as chick-lit!) writers. I’d like to think there’s enough call for both mass market romantic comedies and trade paperback tales, but at the moment that doesn’t seem to be the case.