Just wanted to say, I love those titles, especially Written on Your Skin. In some cases its because they use up their best ideas on their early books and the quality then declines, or I discover them when they already have a backlist which I cherrypick for my favourite tropes without feeling the need to read everything theyve written. Im always grateful that I find new authors every year. I enjoyed Duke of Shadows and the far-flung setting in India. Do you know of any data or scholarship on this? I suspect the many fans of the author and narrators, many of whom have never read/listened to m/m before will be squeeing to the hills. Maybe that helped with the relative speed then (even though she was never the fastest writer) or she had some already written. Is too much to ask that I can a book that I want to read and yes even write because I am trying to be a part of the solution. I have not read Ms Duran yet. Who would you cite as the authors who inspired you? I know we will never agree on this point before Doomsday, but art can definitely exist for arts sake without an inherent agenda beyond pleasure. I hope she keeps writing though. Theres one Ancient Egypt romance recently published and a couple of bootleg era 1920s America. I like fluff as much as the next person but there was never anything simple about my feelings reading Duke of Shadows, or The Prince of Midnight and I really miss that in most current HR releases. Emily Ratajkowski has worn an experimental top shaped like a plant to the Loewe show at Paris Fashion Week. Third, you stated, I suspect theres lots of push back out there dark romances, nostalgia for traditional masculinity, etc., all from books I avoid when reading for pleasure. Like you, I am pleased there are more books centering female agency. But at the same time, I wouldnt necessarily regard traditional masculinity as a form of push back. It could very well be an act of nostalgia as you say, but it could also be because the women who write these stories simply prefer those types of characters. This is probably the last Duran book I'll buy, even if the glowing reviews . I havent had this joy to read you. And how sad, yet understandable, if true. Im finishing up the revisions on THE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY WORST MAN IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES and Im feeling delicious. But the roles they play have begun to suffocate them. I found myself skipping too many parts or throwing them in irritation. Id really like to know what it is that you find hard to cope with and also what the Amazon scam authors are as I havent a clue what this means. Im becoming disillusioned with the romance novels being published today. https://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/05/harlequin-fail.html, https://justpublishingadvice.com/kindle-scams-are-still-making-easy-money/. Judith Ivory and Cecilia Grant are authors I love and miss greatly. This is not the only example. It features my favorite combination of heroine and hero: The somewhat stuffy stick in the mud and the charming, dissolute rake who is unerringly gifted at de-stuffing. Jill Sorenson now writes as Jill Cliff. I can see it. It sounds interesting and different. Meredith Duran. I meant it more in the sense of trends. Nina Bangs (pnr, a few years) Heres what Blythe had to say: For me, its all about the hero he was completely delicious. I think this may draw me back in! Apr 22, 2018. But to his surprise, he cant quite give up on the will to survive. The latter is not really one of my favorites, I only really liked The Music of the Night but I thought she had a potential that never quite materialized. (Would you be insulted if I told you I thought James was a bit Nardi-esque only without the vomit?) Leave me out of the drawing, since Ive already read and loved both Bound by Your Touch and Written on Your Skin. They just observe what is popular and try to emulate it. I was thrilled to see the news of Loretta Chases next book but at the same time, Im nostalgic for a year (like the early 2010s) when Duran, Grant, Thomas, and Chase each had a book coming out & they were the commanding presence in historical romance. Well at least they are trying to do something different. Meredith's passionate and well-drawn characters are original and always exciting to read. But publishing eventually wore her down, as it does a lot of people. I would love to read a great historical romance set in some time period other than the 19th century for a change! I voted for it in several categories in the latest AAR best books poll. Im audio only now, so I have no objection to the audio experience, obviously. An example of a well-written opening line I liked was, Some parties who disliked him much buried Maury in quicklime. From what others here have commented about what publishers are pushing for lately and how the word count of books are in general diminishing, it seems lots of other people have noticed significant changes in the market. Her other books include RITA award winner Fool Me Twice and her February 2017 release, A Lady's Code of Misconduct, which was called one of the best romances of the year by BookList and Amazon, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, the latter of which opined: This book weaves its spell so thoroughly that the most fortunate reader will be the one who has time to read the entire thing in one sitting. H. MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. QUITTING WHEN A PERSON HAS SUCH, I so miss Duran. I would like to win this. I wanted to read those old opinions, see if something changed or stuck our. Her first m/m romance is out in a couple of weeks with two powerhouse and incredibly popular narrators but it sounds like its the same old plot. But it certainly makes for steam and fireworks! My observations have been based on the books that are getting the contracts and the big PR from established publishers. To make a foolish example, if there is a pothole on my street thats clearly visible, I dont need to wait for an official report from the Department of Transportation to tell me the hole is actually there. So many series would abruptly stop or authors would just disappear off of the shelves with no explanation. As you mention, Im a relative newcomer to the publishing scene, so I have very little inside information. I thought I would post this here as a number of authors mentioned below including Anne Stuart and Jennifer Crusie are included in these interviews The Australian Romance Readers Association on YouTube have a ton of new interviews with so many favorite authors Including Nalini Singh, Amanda Bouchet, Jayne Anne Kremtz, SEP, Anne Stuart, Jennifer Crusie, Suzanne Brockmann and more. Many include authors interviewing other authors or fangirling including Bec McMaster interviewing Amanda Bouchet. At the same time, researchers argue that . Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. What resulted was. I hope shes well, but its been several years since shes published and I no longer get newslettersso its not looking good. I miss HR author Adele Ashworth. Im not saying listening to a book is an inferior experience to reading it, but I do think there are different elements at play for a listener versus a reader. Hopefully, the authors who have stopped writing will return or new authors will appear on the scene to fill this void. At the same time, I might not think about age too much when I read because I would consider myself in an in-between age range where I feel like I can relate to both younger and older protagonists/authors. She has a book out by the end of the year, but I just have the sense that it might be her final one, or that her output is going to drastically subside. She has such a distinct voice and style that I am trying to imagine it in a Medieval. I havent been reading romance long enough to miss a particular author, but I can definitely understand why a number of them disappear. The covers not bad either :) Congratulations and thanks! Shes publishing regularly. Jael Wye (sfr, five years since a new release) Why has the dominant voice in HR become so modern? Im going to review it for AG, so well see. Pamela Morsi is a good example. Another pet peeve of mine is when an author feels the need to make a historical story more relevant by employing that wonky dual perspectives trope between old person reflecting on life and young person reporting about it. } else { I love her writing and have bought the Spymaster series on audio. She is not a fast writer but her books are well worth waiting for! But if you look at the length of traditionally published books over time, there is a definite word count slash. Cant wait to get my little paws on this one. Meredith Duran returns with another witty, humorous and smart romance in this Rules for th Your Wicked Heart (Rules for the Reckless, #0.5) by Meredith Duran | Goodreads Jump to ratings and reviews And as others have said, there are some authors who are still writing but whose work isnt what it once was, and I miss them, too. 1,2 These episodic cycles of breathing disruption cause acute and chronic physiological stressors. Wow. I thought her earlier books especially (Ride with Me and About Last Night) were very romantic and also original in their approach. Ill add them to my TBLtL! I wouldnt mind at all if Sherry Thomas wrote historical romances again either though, but I think if memory serves shes staying with the Charlotte Holmes series for at least another couple of years. However, I worried that her devotion risked coming off as obstinacy, or, worse yet, as stupidity.And my greatest nightmare is writing a TSTL heroine. I miss Judith Duncan the most, closely followed by Paula Detmer Riggs, Helen Bianchin, and Laura Moore. Meanwhile, we have to have alternative chapters that focus on Miss Bubbly-Wannabe-Journalist because shes in the 21st century and therefore the young reader can. I get a quick flash of it, and then it reverts to scripts and gobbledegook. Julia Spencer-Fleming is whom I miss. Try not to be discouraged. T.Dare.L.Kleypas. Every time I search I only can find polls or best books lists which arent the same thing. Shes also intentionally writing for the audio market, so her books are heavy on dialogue and less on narrative passages. and our The reason I miss the still-writing authors more than those who arent writing at all is that I still get that excited feeling when I see a new book coming from an author I used to auto-buy. the characters acted very oddly, and she still hasn't grasped the clarity of writing that I normally expect. Hi Meredith, Ive also been waiting for your new book ever since The Duke of Shadows. For me culture is dialectic in that ideologies and belief systems give rise to cultural products and customs, which then influence culture in return. Why not create her own heroine, or choose a character from another famous book or series that hasnt been copied so often. Ill be honest once again. Clearly shes quite supportive of risk-takingThe Duke of Shadows was far bloodier, not to mention considerably farther-flung, than most historicals. Sherry Thomas is one of the best romance writers out there right now, and she has such an original voice. In addition to the authors already mentioned, I miss Ruthie Knox. I also would like to add that Im grateful for AAR and the people who commune here :). img.scaleToMaxWidth(385); I really wish she would return to writing historical romances, I adore her books in that genre, and have re-read them so many times. But I do think that this debate underpins the basic conflict between the hero and heroine, and I hope it comes through, if only because Lydia might seem awfully stubborn if you dont take her conviction seriously. Granted, most people have been really understanding about it, but a number of people outside of the field really dont get it. The society beauty who saved his life. From exotic sandstone palaces. Im getting worried that Loretta Chase might be nearing retirement. Shes amazing. Now, the problem with this rule is that you will find a huge range of $2.99 stories anywhere between about 3,000 and 20,000 words. I stopped reading historicals a few years ago because I couldnt get into them anymore. Also Julie James . I lovedDuke Of Shadows and today is my birthday, so winning would be an great present! You see, James was the anchor of this book. Fingers crossed: this sounds really good! Reply . She actually wrote on her blog the other day that she doesnt think she is a romance writer anymore. For many years the books that make the big cardboard displays at stores or that RWA and other groups often touted as the best books are not the ones I read (in general). Fool Me Twice. From a business perspective, thats totally understandable. The Investiture Controversy would be an amazing setting and I wish you great luck with your story. ), MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. Kimberly Raye (4 years) But her writing has changed over the last couple of years; it lacks the heart and the charm of her earlier work. And their system definitely favors books less than a week old, which encourages more book churning. Hannah Howell NOT finishing her Wherelock series with a story on Mordred. Among self-published erotica authors, the standard is $2.99 for a short up to novella length. Quentin Crisp, who had a rapier wit, used to answer audience questions on the spot, one of which was, What advice do you have for aspiring writers? and he replied, NEVER READ! After the audience laughed a while, he said something like, The reason you never want to read as an author is because then you start trying to sound like other people rather than just writing what you want to say. While Im sure there are some scammers in the bunch, a number of these authors are legit powerhouses who can work at a punishing pace while chasing after dollars and cents. Since 2007 no full length book like the ones I mentioned has been released. Elizabeth Hoyt hasnt written much in a long time and based on reviews of her last book, I havent started her new series. I suppose I just dont frame my preferences in historical romance through the lens of age. It's the music - and any devotee of the book, a fictional oral history of a Seventies rock band, will have strong feelings about exactly how it should sound. The author gets all the blame, none of the credit, and the publishing house can look virtuous by dropping the author like a hot potato when internet riots break out. : 11 de janeiro No American Music Awards, Billy Joel recebe o Prmio Especial de Mrito por suas "inspiradas habilidades de composio" e . Im very excited to read this authors books! I think that some authors no longer write romance because their Muse has abandoned them or now speaks to them in a different voice/different genre, but I also think some of them simply could no longer get their books published. All this to say, I think my concerns about Lydia shaped the development of the novel, since the conflict between James and Lydia ultimately boils down to the one question that I, as the author, kept asking about her: is there a limit to what you owe to those whom you love? And at a furious pace. Some have switched into a different sub-genre that doesnt appeal, some keep writing but their writing has changed and it isnt clicking for me, and some I think the change is in me, where once the books hit the sweet spot, now might seem problematic or have deal breakers. I wonder, am I too old for the current style or do I have older sensibilities? Just because something isnt officially written down doesnt mean it isnt happening. So detailed and slow. I think there would be a lot of problematic content for todays readers, however the wonderful writing & good stories/characters shine through. Joanna Bourne is not a young girl and tends to write about quite young heroines, but their voices are anything but immature so its not about the age of the protagonist either. She wrote a couple of SF romances that I loved and it seemed she planned for more that universe that just never materialized. I dont mind it in contemporary romance or even a time travel, but I really dislike 19th century bluestocking heroines that write like modern bloggers.. Heaven Sent, Marrying Stone, Simple Jess, Wild Oats, The Love Charm these were the books that made me realize hey, romance is wonderful. (None of them have incited the sort of ire leveled at Patrick Rothfuss and George R. R. Martin, however.). Error rating book. Wednesdays column featured a 2009 interview with historical romance author Meredith Duran. So hopefully well have more from her. For credit unions, social media presents a unique opportunity to interact with members beyond b Sometimes success brings a whole new batch of troubles, and any artistic decision you make can affect the income of hundreds or thousands of people. As for Rachelwell, youll just have to wait for her upcoming review. For more information, please see our So discouragedI very read comments below.I miss writers, too. I miss Lynn Viehl. I loved her Russian novels. I hope that the influnce of Harlequin Historicals rubs off on to the AVON books and not the other way around because I really would hate to see them turn into Regency only publisher. I also object to shorter books or books that are broken into installments. I miss Laura Kinsale, Erin Kellison, and Joanna Bourne. So, confession behind me, lets get started with the official Books with Buzz Opening Question: Could you tell us a bit about Bound by Your Touch? I miss historical romances where the protagonists are truly complex or deeply flawed, the premise isnt afraid to stretch the genres boundaries, and the details are thoroughly grounded in the historical setting. Mi cuenta; Carrito; Finalizar compra It seems that these days most single titles are arround 80k and that means that you can not do as much with the plot as you used be able to do. If we don't know the name of the reviewer, we've placed their reviews under this generic name. Jacquie DAlessandro (8 years) And I read Patricia Wrights books. A business can only take so many chances at once. Elsewhere in the comments of this post, Piper mentioned that Duran, Kinsale and Ivorys books feel grown up and I took that to mean that the stories and writing are matured, rather than the authors were a particular age or they were writing for a specific audience age. Im finding heroines today from a wide range of authors to be quite interesting and complex. Historicals are great and this one sounds like a winner! but for several years she has only been publishing short stories and smaller books part of series. Harlequin Historicals submission page on Submittable says this: Regency, Highlanders, Vikings, Medieval are most popular amongst our readers globally. But, I could be wrong. Thered probably be a lot more originality in writing if authors quit chasing after trends and just told the stories itching to burst out of their imaginations. Still, I had my finger crossed when I read Lady Be Good and, luckily, I wasn't disappointed.. London, 1882. The book sounds like a great historical read. Unlike the Big 5, KDP books go online at a rapid fire pace. Someone already mentioned her but Ill second Suzanne Brockmann. 2019 En farlig handel: Letsindighedens love 3. Meredith Duran is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thirteen novels. And if lighter romances focus on sarcastic and fluffy heroines as youve noted, what is going on in our culture to make them suddenly popular and profitable? Burnout is a very real thing, as is disillusionment. Thank you for bringing up how authors are often forced to alter characters, major plot points, and word counts in order to fit into an industry standard box rather than telling the best possible original story. Bound by Your Touch sounds great! https://allaboutromance.com/participant/aar-guest-reviewer/, Id been toying for a while with writing the tale of a cynical Prince Charming who falls in love with the Ugly Duckling. Read book one and thought it was fine. Cyber dating abuse represents a new form of dating violence that has been gaining worrying dimensions. MEREDITH DURAN grew up enamored of British history. Well, at least they are trying to do something different. Yes, you have a point there. So, there you go. The articles are there, but the design isnt. I think I can make a coherent argument for why new feminist activism is producing books that focus on toxic masculinity and issues around consent over the past few years, and I think I can make an argument for why diversity is a force in the romance genre today. Yes, agree about Judith Duncan; I loved her books set in the Canadian wide open spaces. Im planning to read her upcoming book. Heres hoping. How can the romance community be improved or changed for you? I dont think writers necessarily use quantitative data when chasing trends either. When you're back on the market and ready to fall in love with a new romance, who are the best matchmakers you can find? These two are Editors that were telling their authors how and what to write. I have a book that I have started that is set in the Holy Roman Empire during investiture controversy of the late 11th century and I is complicated and I can try to fit into 80k but it would be better to allow the room to write the story a long as I think it needs, I think is might be between 100-125k, and I just want to know if itRead more . Case in point, Ive hit the Top 100 list in certain niches for several hours just because someone bought one copy and borrowed a few pages of a book I published the day before. As a concluding point about romance trends, I think measurements would prove extremely difficult if self-published and indie works are included in studies. You're a doctoral student in anthropology! . Just looking at the first 10 pages of their most recent HR releases, I see a ton of Regency, titled heroes and/or heroines, some Vikings and Medieval, and a smattering of Victorian. I dont even believe that women are beating up men in romances as a trend today, which was recently posited in a blog here. Before Amazon separated Top 100 sales lists from Top 100 free books, the system was even crazier. Jika diperluas, akan tampil daftar opsi pencarian yang akan mengganti input pencarian agar sesuai dengan pilihan saat ini. Why do some authors, actors, musicians, artists, and so forth become more popular and well-known than others, even if their work is of a demonstrably lower quality than some of their struggling contemporaries? Book Overview In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of an aristocrat torn between two worlds, an heiress who dares to risk everything.and the love born in fire and darkness that nearly destroys them. Impenitent social media enthusiast. I suspect theres lots of push back out there dark romances, nostalgia for traditional masculinity, etc., all from books I avoid when reading for pleasure. Like you, I am pleased there are more books centering female agency. But at the same time, I wouldnt necessarily regard traditional masculinity as a form of push back. It could very well be an act of nostalgia as you say, but it could also be because the women who write these stories simply prefer those types of characters. And thats a good thing. Eileen Wilks (her Lupi books are UF rather than romance, but its been a couple years). There is no need to dumb things down for the audio audience; we can keep up just fine. But mostly its because my tastes keep changing. I am not angry with the authors because they are not the reason this has happened and I am angry at the editors and publishers who have decided that this is what sells without asking what readers really want because if they did it might suprise them. 2012 Luck Be a Lady. I will definitely need to read this book. At the very least, shed probably have to change the title. Still didnt work for me.). But it does provide a general depiction of current trends on a roughly hourly basis. Did Amazon have something to do with it? Not the authors fault. I miss historical romances where the protagonists are truly complex or deeply flawed, the premise isnt afraid to stretch the genres boundaries, and the details are thoroughly grounded in the historical setting. Calhouns radio silence is particularly troubling because she shut down all of her social media accounts and has been completely out of the Romancelandia loop. I am a fan of the Charlotte Holmes series and Ive found Thomass feminist interpretation of the iconic detective to be unique and a welcome addition to the canon. Im very interested to see what those publications you list above are reporting on regarding romance novels and reading. All interesting variables to think about, but such a study probably wouldnt be practical. Thats why it feels like a money-grab; some writers seem to crank these things out with little finesse, or they divide up a book (sections are often published within 2 weeks of one another) just to make money. The woman in it goes back to the 1940s. Meanwhile, we have to have alternative chapters that focus on Miss Bubbly-Wannabe-Journalist because shes in the 21st century and therefore the young reader can relate. Covering theory, applications, and research, this comprehensive book has become the gold standard of health behavior texts. Listening to characters supposedly conversing in a pub or bar without hearing background chatter or clinking glasses its just plain weird!! BTW, I dont know what happened to the site, but its not rendering properly any more. I dont know if Stein ever announced shed stopped writing, but as far as I can tell her last published work was a short story in the 2018 Christmas Anthology, REINDEER GAMES. Right. Now, as I said, none of this was planned; it emerged organically, in the process of trying to figure out Lydia. The RWA implosion back in January will almost assuredly spark scholarship on the state of diversity in the genre soon, if it hasnt yet.