Q. Do men ever write romance novels?
A. Well Harold Lowry has hidden behind a very gender-neutral name Leigh Greenwood and has 29 published novels because he heard women made good money writing historical romance. Tom E. Huff (aka Jennifer Wilde, Edwinna Marlowe) was in the vanguard of historical romance in the 1970s. Jim McBride, a maverick in the romance field, doesn’t really see himself as a romance author, although his second book, Horsethief Moon was reviewed by Romantic Times, which is a dead giveaway since they only do romance. Just last year I came across the works of three impressive African-American contemporary romance writers, Wayne Jordan, Devon Vaughn Archer and Dwayne S. Joseph. Men are entering the arena left and right, especially in the field of romantic erotica. James Miller and S.L. Carpenter, authors from Ellora’s Cave are men who have found a cozy niche in the field, along with J.W. McKenna and Chris Tanglen. Q. How has blogging made you a better writer? A. Well, I’m gaining so much knowledge researching the romance genre and learning from the RWA members that I know my writing is stronger today than it was earlier this year. Becoming a published writer is a dream I’ve had since my first literature class in college so blogging is a great way to stay on course and connect with awesome people so please keep the questions and messages coming. Q. Is writing a romance novel a full-time or part-time job? A. Writing a romance novel can be completed as a part-time or a full-time career. Every writer is different – and their financial needs and family obligations differ. If you have a job, I strongly recommend that you keep it while you get your romance career established. Luckily, writing romance can be done at your own pace. Q. What's the best advice you can give to an aspiring writer? A. Sit down and write. Don't talk about how much time you don't have to write. And learn your craft. Submerse yourself in writer organizations, classes and conferences and learn from everyone.
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The following article is just too good to not re-post. I love Stephanie's articles and you'll see why.
Romance novels 101: top 20 romance novelists today Examiner.com article - Written by Stephanie Giancola (See http://tinyurl.com/memxz9) For readers new to the genre, navigating their way around the aisles filled with thousands of romance novels and hundreds of best selling authors can be overwhelmng. Starting with the best of the best-selling authors today is one way to make some smart choices and be introduced to top notch entertainment in romance fiction. Here's a list of today's 20 best romance novelists according to sales, industry awards and long-standing careers (for a complete list of best sellers go to the RWA website): The Queen: Nora Roberts (pictured at right) is the number one romance writing diva on everyone's list with more number one novels than any other romance novelist, including this week's number one New York Times hardcover best seller, Black Hills. Ms. Roberts, aka NR to her fans, has won multiple RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America (RWA). The RWA in fact has an award called the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award given each year to an author with a significant career of more than 15 years who continues to contribute to the genre of romance fiction. With more than 200 titles to her credit, no one has contributed more than NR. She's written short contemporary category romances, single title contemporary romances, contemporary romance with paranormal elements and romantic suspense. Readers won't have trouble finding her books on the shelves in almost any store. The Queen's court: Jo Beverly - Bestselling five-time RITA award winning author of historical romances Suzanne Brockman - NYT bestselling RITA award winning author of romantic suspense including the current NYT bestseler Dark of Night Sandra Brown - #1 NYT bestselling author of romantic suspense including the upcoming release Smash Cut Catherine Coulter - #1 NYT bestselling author of historical romances and romantic suspense including Knockout, currently at #14 on the NYT hardcover list Christine Feehan - #1 NYT bestselling, multiple award winning author of paranormal romance including Hidden Currents, currently at #3 on the NYT paperback list Jennifer Green - 2009 Recipient of Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, contemporary romances Linda Howard - NYT Best selling author of romantic suspense including the current NYT bestseller, BurnBronwyn Jameson - Bestselling and award winning author of contemporary category (short) romances Lisa Kleypas - NYT best selling and RITA award winning author of historical and contemporary romances Jane Ann Krentz - NYT best selling author of contemporary, historical and paranormal romances Johanna Lindsey - Over 58 million copies of her historical romance novels sold world-wide, including A Rogue of My Own, an NYT bestseller currently on the shelf Debbie Macomber - #1 NYT bestselling, RITA award winning author of contemporary romances with more than 100 million copies in print including NYT bestseler Right Next Door Linda Lael Miller - NYT bestselling, RWA Lifetime Achievement Award winning author of historical, contemporary, paranormal, thriller and western romances Carla Neggers - 2009 RITA Finalist, current NYT Hardcover bestseller, The Mist, romantic suspense Diana Palmer - Bestselling author of more than 115 historical and contemporary romances Susan Elizabeth Philips (pictured at left) - #1 NYT bestselling, multi-RITA award winning, Lifetime Achievement award winning author of contemporary romances Mary Jo Putney - NYT bestselling, RITA award winning author of historical romances including current NYT bestseller Loving a Lost Lord Jodi Thomas - NYT bestselling, five-time RITA award winning author of historical romances Sherryl Woods - NYT bestselling author of over 100 novels, writes contemporary romances including the current NYT bestseller, Harbor Lights. E. Lynn Harris, an African-American writer who wrote about the lives of gay and bisexual black men, has died during a west coast book tour. He was 54.
In a statement to the AJC, Alison Rich, Doubleday executive director of publicity said: “We at Doubleday are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of E. Lynn Harris’ death at too young an age. His pioneering novels and powerful memoir about the black gay experience touched and inspired millions of lives, and he was a gifted storyteller whose books brought delight and encouragement to readers everywhere. Lynn was a warm and generous person, beloved by friends, fans, and booksellers alike, and we mourn his passing.” A cause of death was not immediately known. Further inquiries were directed to the Los Angeles coroner’s office. In January of this year, Harris began the book tour for his 12th best-seller “Basketball Jones” here in Atlanta with a signing at one of his favorite shops, Outwrite Books in Midtown. An inspirational success story, Harris worked for a decade as an IBM executive before taking up writing, selling the novel "Invisible Life" from his car as he visited salons and beauty parlors around Atlanta. He had unprecedented success for an openly gay black author and his strength as a romance writer led some to call him the "male Terry McMillan." He went on to mainstream success with works such as the novel "Love of My Own" and the memoir "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted." His writing fell into several genres, including gay and lesbian fiction, African American fiction and urban fiction. But he found success in showing readers a new side of African American life: the secret world of professional, bisexual black men living as heterosexuals. "He was a pioneering voice within the black LGBT community but also resonated with mainstream communities, regardless of race and sexual orientation," said Herndon Davis, a gay advocate and a diversity media consultant in Los Angeles. "Harris painted with eloquent prose and revealing accuracy the lives of African American men and the many complicated struggles they faced reconciling their sexuality and spirituality while rising above societal taboos within the black community.” His writings and spirits will be greatly missed. There are times when you wake up in the morning and it’s crystal clear what you need to do in your life. The excuses no longer add up and delusions you’ve casted over your mind fall away like a fallen curtain. That’s how I felt when I woke up. Last night I had a real epiphanic moment. A person’s actions will tell you all you need to know about the person. Either their words and actions will be in alignment or they will contradict. It’s really just that simple. There’s no need to vain ignorance or question your senses. You’re intelligent so never question that. Remember the universe will give you what you want. If you want drama and confusion you’ll get it. If you want purpose, focus and positive people around you it will happen only if you command it. So just grasp it and make the choice to close the door on the negativity in your life. Nurture the people that have no problem operating in your life in a manner that is conducive to the person you are becoming. Yesterday, I thought I was going to have a chance to touch base with someone that I thought was significant in my life. See, we scheduled time to catch up on the things going on in our lives and I was looking forward to re-connecting. When the meeting didn’t happen, I was disappointed because I had high hopes for the conversation. I thought I would walk away with a better understanding of dear friend in my life. But it just wasn’t mean to be. So I had two choices: to let this event ruin my already WONDERFUL day or just see the situation as it really was. I choose the latter. Re-connecting wasn’t a priority for my friend and that wasn’t my fault. It was just the truth! So I decided to accept it and move on. No hard feelings. The relationship wasn’t advantageous to my growth as a person and our declarations of affection (love you, love you more) were beginning to feel empty with each passing conversation. When I decided get over it and watch President Obama with my other friends last night I understood that meaning of changing your focus to positive situations and people. The energy was infectious. We discussed, laughed and debated over great food and mixed drinks. I really don’t think my mother’s generation watched a presidential news conference the way me and my friends did. We had it on the DVR so we could rewind the parts that made us cheer and pause the broadcast when someone had some color commentary that needed to be heard. At one point in the night someone asked me when the last time I talked to my dear friend was and I told him the truth, “We really haven’t connected in a long time.” It felt so good to speak the truth. Have a great summer, everyone. I know I definitely will. Remember that which doesn’t break us will make us stronger. (And yes, Christina Aguilera’s Fighter is blaring from the earbuds of my iPod as I typing this.) Man, I just love technology!! Change your mindset!! The universe is listening. Last year, former New York Post reporter Leonardo Blair was stopped, frisked and later jailed by New York City police after being accused of trying to steal his own car. Blair sued the department for racial profiling and later won a settlement. Now a strikingly similar incident has occurred involving Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who was recently mistaken for a burglar at his own home. Good news for eBook lovers. Barnes & Noble announced the launch "the world's largest eBookstore." The online bookstore boasts 700,000 titles counts about half a million books in the public domain that are available for free download via a partnership with Google. My dear Aunt Elise wanted me to pass along this video of the ' Negro National Anthem' originally screened at the historic African-American Church Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC on January 18th, 2009. Many of the esteemed individuals featured in this video in attendance and we presented with the ' Keepers of the Flame' award for the monumental contributions to social justice. This version of the song was performed by the Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir, conducted by Derrick James. The video was produced and donated by Ascender Communications, LLC (www.ascender-c.com) at the request of The Balm In Gilead, Inc. I saw a 60 Minutes piece on Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique in June. An American entrepreneur and Harvard graduate, Greg Carr is put 40 million into the park over the next 20 years. to promote tourist and help the Mozambique economy. Okay, we’re all interested in stories about our favorite novelist, right? Well I came across an article of surprising bestselling author stories complied by Ethan Tex of Mental_Floss. (See article at http://tinyurl.com/ml8vda) If you think your favorite writer always had a great voice or knew instinctively how to plot out their stories, you are very mistaken. Some authors had very interesting professions that added layers to their writing. Whitney Houston has a new inspirational ballad, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," in which first-verse downers such as "lost touch with my soul," "lost sight of my dream," and "I had no hope to hold onto". It was written my one of our musical, songwriting geniuses, Diane Warren. |
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