Win a Kindle!

The lovely ladies at Passionate Reads are running a Sizzling Summer contest. The prize--a spanking-new Kindle. (Speaking of spanking, next on my to-read list is Slave to Fashion, historical romantica by Debra Glass. Me-OW!)

Anyway, back to free Kindle: Visit the Passionate Reads site each day, find the icon and answer the question. And a new Kindle could be yours! It's that easy!

Also, if you leave a comment at the Passionate Reads site TODAY, you have a chance to win a free copy of one of my books--either Not Quite a Lady or The Antaren Affair. Good luck!

Reading Romance: The Iron Duke, by Meljean Brook

For those of you who are clueless, steampunk is a genre set in an alternate past, often with Victorian-era elements melded with industrial technology. Think airships, brass goggles, and the film Wild, Wild West. The Iron Dukeis steampunk romance with hot sex and more imagination than you'll find in most science fiction or fantasy novels. 

Together with Gail Carriger, Brook has set the standard for steampunk romance. This book has it all--tall, dark and handsome hero, smart heroine, and a world rich in detail and alternate history. Setting is industrial London, recently freed from the tyranny of the (Mongol) Horde. Citizens are 'infected' with nanoagents--which has some serious mind-control implications--and almost everyone has some cyborgian body technology. 

Brook wrecks havoc on British class conceits: her duke is a former pirate who was ennobled for destroying the basis of Horde power in England. Mina, the heroine, is daughter of an earl, but has the physical characteristics that mark her as half-Horde. Not Good. An unusual murder brings them together and from there the action is non-stop. 

The Iron Duke defies categorization (so thank heaven it got published--kudos to Brook's agent and editor). It's part adventure, murder mystery, romance, and alternate history with doses of speculative biology and political intrigue. The romance competes with the mystery/adventure plot and the technology, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Even so, the hero and heroine are on stage the entire time and their relationship provides much of the drama. The characters are completely original, while remaining believable. The sex scenes are steamy, explicit and wouldn't be out of place in an erotic romance. They're also very well written. 

[SPOILER] 
A couple of minor issues kept this book from being a five-star keeper: The duke behaves out of character when he kicks Mina off the Terror. I didn't buy it, and Mina wouldn't buy it either. Second quibble: Mina's mother fashions a clockwork heart in thirty seconds. Seriously? Without tools, time, or specs? [I suspect both of these scenes suffered from an editorial imperative to cut text. If so, that's too bad.] 

While the romance is satisfying, the real reward of this book is taking a detour into a strange world peopled with intriguing, complex characters and an array of technology that's so inventive and well-conceived that it's almost a character itself. 

You don't need to like steampunk to like The Iron Duke. (You don't even need to know what steampunk is.) You just need to have a willingness to go someplace that's completely alien yet eerily familiar.

Reading Romance: Bet Me, by Jennifer Crusie

Ebooks and audiobooks have expanded my reading horizons in ways that I never expected. Now that I can read samples and download audiobooks from the library onto my PC, I am willing to try all sorts of things that I'd never spend money on to try. (I'm cheap, and I don't take risks on unknown authors.)

I do a ton of contemporary quilting, and I like to listen to books while I do so. My library has a ton of romance audiobooks, but few of them are historicals. So I decided to give Jennifer Crusie a try. I know--how can I never have read Jennifer Crusie? Very simple: I don't like contemporaries. Or at least that's what I thought.

I cannot describe how much I enjoyed this book. It's spot on in so many ways--the heroine, Min, is plump, difficult, and independent. The beta hero is just . . . dreamy. Their interactions are funny and sweet and ring true in so many ways.

If I have any criticisms, it's that some of the secondary characters are one dimensional--the hero's mother, for example, is a stereotypical ice queen, while the heroine's is obsessed with her daughter's weight and getting her married off and not much else. Still, the dialogue and pace made up for these minor shortcomings. Like so many of Julia Quinn's characters, Crusie's are fundamentally decent. They're real people who are trying to do the right thing, survive heartache, and find love in the modern world. I can't believe it's taken me so long to discover Jennifer Crusie, but I'm glad that I finally did. I'll be buying her books from now on. And that might just mean that I now read [gasp] contemporaries.

Julia Spencer-Fleming's mystery series

I don't read a lot of contemporaries. Okay, I don't read any contemporary anything. If it isn't set in the past or the future, I tend to skip it. Not sure exactly why, except that I like stories that take me far away from the here and now. I also read very few mysteries, however this began to change when some really excellent character-driven mysteries began to appear and they were set in the past. I loved the medieval mystery series by Ariana Franklin (I'm still recovering from the fact that Ms Franklin's death left our hero in extremis). Then I discovered Deanna Raybourn's Victorian Lady Julia mysteries. I have the Regency-set What Angels Fear by C.S. Harris on my TBR pile and The Hanover Square Affair by Ashley Gardner loaded on my nook.

     All this leads me to my next point, which is that I've become a lot more adventurous in my reading since sample chapters are available for e-readers. Added to that is the fact that many older titles are available digitally for $5 or less. This means that a lot of readers, myself included, are exploring beyond their favorite genres and adding new books and new authors to their favorites.

     So, back to contemporaries. Not a fan. Add to that an infiedelity plot and I'm running in the other direction. Contemporaries get a lot of play at Dear Author, which I check out every day. The writing is good, there's always something new reviewed, and I sometimes find myself reading reviews and comments on contemporaries. Jane interviewed contemp mystery author Julia Spencer-Fleming (here's her website) a few weeks ago and I found the discussion really interesting, despite the fact that the title of the post included the words 'adulterer,' 'home wrecker,' and 'other woman.' Julia was giving away ARCs of her most recent book, One Was a Soldier, and I was sufficiently interested to toss my hat in the ring in the hopes of getting a copy. Well, I did. (Thank you, Jane and Julia!) Along with a lovely note from Julia herself.
     I hate starting in the middle of a series, so I tracked down the first book in this contemporary mystery series that involves infidelity, In the Bleak Midwinter, which I found at B&N for $2.99. Bottom line: I'm about half-way through and really enjoying it. Yes, it's a mystery, but it's very much a character-driven mystery with sympathetic principals and an excellent sense of place. I'll be posting a review soon.

The Amazing Lois McMaster Bujold on SFR

An amazing post by Lois McMaster Bujold on the relationship between SF and romance. I predict it will become a classic essay in the study of SFR. Thanks to Galaxy Express for the link.

And for extra-bonus amusement on this Wednesday, I include the cover of the forthcoming Love and Rockets anthology. Umm...what to say about this? I can appreciate the retro Barbarella-inspired concept, but this one should have been nixed in the mock-up stage. Nothing subtle about that phallic imagery. I was going to say 'symbolism,' but I think it's a bit too blatant to be a symbol.

I wish wish wish they'd assigned this to a designer who could take SFR seriously. I'm not suggesting it should be a clinch cover but, come on. Little green men? Really?

Lois M B wrote the introduction, which is almost enough to get me to buy the anthology despite the cover.

Book Covers: The Perfect Play, by Jaci Burton

Okay, I admit it. I'm a cover slut. This became undeniable when I got a look at The Perfect Play, by Jaci Burton (here's an excerpt). I don't read sports romances--they've just never appealed the same way that a pair of well-polished Hessians or the armor-plated chest of an alien mercenary does. And I rarely read contemporaries. But if any book (cover) could make me change my mind, it would have to be this one.

Meow!

As covers go, it's pretty much perfect. And that low-slung waistband is pure genius, IMHO. I realize that women, and some men, are drooling all over the interwebz about this cover, so I thought I'd track down the model and the cover artist. I don't think either models or artists are recognized enough in romance fiction. We certainly don't have any trouble complaining about bad covers, so let's give some well-deserved praise to those who are responsible for such good covers.

Just FYI, the model is Jed Hill who, according to his bio, played college ball for Penn State. Rita Frangie of Penguin is the cover designer (thanks to Jaci Burton, who responded super fast to my query on that).

Congrats, Jaci, on an amazing cover. We should all be so fortunate!

Review: My Lord and Spymaster, by Joanna Bourne

I've been saving this book. Whenever I'm taking a look at my shelves, wondering what to read next, I've paused, then passed it by. A Jo Bourne book is sort of like a piece of really good chocolate--you need to save it for when you really need it.

I eventually gave in, in part because there's a future book on the horizon. Granted, it's not for TEN MORE MONTHS (November 2011), which is a painfully long time to wait, especially since Black Hawk is Adrian's story. Anyway, back to the review...

Spymaster is, as you've probably guessed, about spies. Yay! Regency-era spies, which are the best kind. Some romance readers like space pirates (I'm not thinking of anyone in particular, mind you), some readers like Navy SEALS. I like spies. Clever, intriguing, good-with-their-hands spies. Who carry knives in their boots and pick locks and think of breaking and entering as a good evening's entertainment.

The Spymaster plot revolves around Jess Whitby, who is a shipping heiress and accounting genius with an interesting history, to put it mildly. Her father has been accused of espionage and she'll do whatever it takes to prove his innocence. She hires Doyle (from The Forbidden Rose) as a thug and attempts to entrap Our Hero, Sebastian. Killing and death ensue.

There is also a ferret.

He is not a particularly friendly ferret and he and Sebastian develop what proves to be a very stormy relationship. Just in case you're unfamiliar with ferret behavior and want to be assured of accuracy, let me tell you that Jo Bourne knows a thing or two about ferrets. She is also very good at depicting male attitudes toward the favored pets of females--a sort of amazement coupled with forbearance.

Just in case I haven't been clear--I loved this book. While my favorite of Jo Bourne's three spy romances remains The Spymaster's Lady, My Lord and Spymaster is a superb read. Pick it up if you like historicals, Regency-set or spy romance. You'll be counting the days until the next release, just like I am. For an excerpt of Spymaster, click here.

Review: Song of Scarabaeus, by Sara Creasy

Loved this book and can't wait for the next installment, Children of Scarabaeus, scheduled for release in March (you can read the first chapter here). While Song has created a buzz among SFR readers, it isn't really a romance, though there are certainly romantic elements. Creasy sets up readers in this first book for what promises to be a multi-book adventure in which the H/H's relationship develops gradually.

Finn, the hero, is the strong silent type--enigmatic and intriguing (he cover artist for the book did a great job with him). Finn and Edie, the heroine, are tied together by a "leash" that will cause Finn's head to explode if he gets too far from Edie. Amazing plot device--wish I'd thought of it.

This book will totally do it for you if you like SF with biotech elements and evolutionary biology. There are a couple of amazing chapters in which Finn and Edie try to survive on a planet gone adaptively haywire. I was totally glued to the pages and actually tried to read while getting dressed for work.

SFR readers should be sure to get in on what promises to be an amazing series. Though Edie isn't as kick-ass as Jax from Ann Aguirre's Grimspace, I suspect that Creasy is going to go places with her character and I definitely want to be along for the ride.

Books to Watch for

It's 4:30 PM, completely dark and we have several inches of snow. And I'm thinking about some of the incredible books coming out in the next few months that will help me get through the Alaska winter:

Children of Scarabaeus, by Sara Creasy (March 2011)
This is SFR and I'm hoping it's as good as her first book was, Song of Scarabaeus. If you're into SFR and haven't started this series yet, get going!

The Sentinel Mage, by Emily Gee (25 January 2011)
I'm a fan of Emily Gee's fantasy books. She's got a great imagination and creates sympathetic, believable characters. She's also an underappreciated author, IMHO.

Dangerous in Diamonds, by Madeline Hunter (26 April 2011)
Regency-set historical romance by an author who consistently writes great romance. This is Castleford's story, if you've been following the Blooms series. I can't wait to see Daphne bring him around to love. And sobriety, of course.

And a quick sample of my TBR pile:

Countess by Christmas, by Annie Burrows (new-to-me author)

First Lord's Fury, by Jim Butcher (superb fantasy)

Killbox, by Ann Aguirre (the continuing SFR saga of my favorite alien-ass-kicking heroine)

The Heir, by Grace Burrowes (another new-to-me historical romance author)

Win an e-reader!

Win a Nook!

The Passionate Reads website, which I'm a member of, is hosting a very exciting contest. The prize? A brand-spanking new Nook or Kindle e-reader!

The contest is a scavenger hunt. To get started, visit Passionate Reads.

Each day of the contest, readers have the opportunity to learn about a new-to-you author and collect points.

So get clicking and good luck!

New Review

Just when I think I've gotten all the reviews I'm gonna get, another one pops up. Thanks to Rebecca, a reader who recently emailed me, I found a new review of The Antaren Affair at Happily Ever After Reviews. Hunter made it a recommended read for those who like "hot, steamy science fiction romance." Thanks, Hunter!

Right now I'm reading Jess Granger's Beyond the Rain, which is SFR, and Anna Campbell's Regency-set historical Captive of Sin. Both are quite good so far.

I cannot wait until the semester is over so I can finish up Jholtan's story. It's been a rough few months at work--crazy busy with lots of committee work. So exciting. Not. Never figured I'd spend so much time in meetings when I decided to teach college. Sigh.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy holiday!

News!

Some very fun news to report: Heather Massey, who runs the smart and informative SFR site The Galaxy Express, will be using the cover of The Antaren Affair in her December LoveLetter Magazin column. How cool is that? Even though I don't read German--LoveLetter is published in Berlin--I'm all excited about the book getting some international exposure.

Haven't been writing much myself. Sigh. That whole earning-the-cat-food-money thing is demanding way too much time. We've hit the middle of the university semester and both students and professors are experiencing a bit of a slump. Add to that the fact that winter has finally arrived. And it's dark.

I'm hoping to carve out some time (heh heh) during Thanksgiving to work on The Vanoran Affair. I've left poor Jholt and Tesla in the lurch for way too long.

Review: Open Country, by Kaki Warner

I highly recommend this Western romance set in the late 1800s in the New Mexico Territory, even if you're not keen on Westerns. Open Country got such great reviews that I figured I'd give it a try, especially since the heroine is a nurse. (I love historical romances with a medical element to them.)

The heroine is in some serious danger and meets the hero following a train wreck in which he's badly injured. Both H/H are believable, well-written characters with major hurdles to face. Though I loved the way Hank and Molly interacted, some of the best scenes involve Hank's exchanges with his brother. Warner really gets the way brothers interact, alternating affectionate jabs with smart-ass comments. She has a gift for dialogue, something that contributes to the page-turning pace.

Though the H/H ruminate a bit--Warner makes them both sufficiently introspective to pack some real feeling into the story--she handles it with the ease of a pro, achieving that hard-to-find balance between thought and action.

As an example--Hank works out his indecision and frustration by cutting a stack of wood. You don't hear what's going on in his head. Instead, Warner does take you into the minds of characters watching from the window--their concern for Hank makes his distress palpable. You can almost hear that ax slamming into a log as Hank lets out his anger and gets his head on straight.

Even if you don't think you'd enjoy a Western, you might want to give Open Country a try. I plan to go back and read Pieces of Sky, the first book in the three-part series, as soon as I get the chance.

October Reading List

October is looking like a great month for books, so I thought I'd share my TBR list:

Scoundrel, by Zoe Archer (Victorian-set HR with magic and adventure)
(I reviewed the first book, Warrior, last month; Scoundrel has a great $5.59 ebook price)

Emily and the Dark Angel, by Jo Beverley (Regency trad rerelease)
The publisher has priced this ebook ridiculously high at $9.99 [snort of annoyance]

The Iron Duke, by Meljean Brook (steampunk romance)
This book has garnered a ton of ebuzz; I haven't read any steampunk, but this may be where I start.

Twice the Novice, by Debra Glass (historical erotic romance set in Bavaria)

Gambit, by Kim Knox (space opera romance--what's not to like? Plus, Carina Press is offering a big discount)

Trial by Desire, by Courtney Milan (Regency-set HR)
Incidentally, Courtney makes very clever comments at Dear Author, especially on legal issues

Dark Road to Darjeeling, by Deanna Raybourn (Victorian-set historical mystery with a dash of romance)

And coming later this year:

Marry Me, by Jo Goodman (coming in December; I'll read anything Jo Goodman writes, even Westerns)

The Admiral's Penniless Bride, by Carla Kelly (coming in January 2011, which is so far away!)

The Unmasking of a Lady, by Emily May (Regency coming in November; I've loved all of Emily May's Regencies, as well as her fantasies, written as Emily Gee)

Censorship Is Alive and Well in Texas

Young adult books have long been the target of aspiring censors, but "shattering the space-time continuum" to ban books before they've been published really takes mind-control to new lows. Chris Sims, of Comics Alliance, is the source of that great quote. He discusses an array of doubtlessly [cue heavy sarcasm] well-intentioned book bans from across the country, including a California school district attempt to . . . wait for it . . . ban the Merriam-Webster Dictionary.

I am not kidding. You'd think that if they were going to ban dictionaries, they'd start with the mother of them all, the Oxford English Dictionary. Let me assure you that, as an author of erotic romance, I can say from personal, uh, research, that the OED has some very naughty words in it. Regrettably, the accompanying etymology and  tenth-century literary examples tend to drain all prurience from said naughty words. But I digress . . .

Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy books were reportedly banned (again, even before the last one was published) for reasons of sexual content and "nudity." Now, just for the record, I consider nudity to be a visual kinda thing. So, all I can say is that Mead must be one helluva writer. And I hope she enjoys increased sales as a result of all this censorship nonsense.

Historicals Set in Germany

A couple of days ago I discussed Irene Goodman's contention that a 28K historical romance set in Germany won't sell. No matter what. Although I believe Goodman was referring to print pubs, I'd like to mention that Debra Glass, who writes historical ER, will be releasing Twice the Novice, which features a Bavarian count on October 15th.

Bavaria is in Germany.

Not sure of word count, but I suspect it's a novella, which means it runs less than 30K. Just saying' . . .

Since I'm on the subject of historical ER, I'll mention that I just read Debra's Alabama-set Civil War romance, Rebel Rose. I adore the cover. And the book's great, too, with a MeOW-worthy hero and a great sense of place. [Just FYI, Debra's an Ellora's Cave author. So am I, though I don't know her personally.]

I'm so glad that some of the best writers in the ER genre--Glass and Samantha Kane--write historicals.

Interview with Kaily Hart and the Writing Process

I just had the chance to talk about writing and publishing with Kaily Hart. Kaily is published with Ellora's Cave and her first pub, a contemporary quickie called Picture This, has been receiving great reviews. Way to go, Kaily!

I had a lot of fun answering Kaily's questions because she's as interested in the process of writing as I am. It's fascinating to discover just how many ways there are to write. Some writers start at the beginning and write through to the end. Some (like me) are all over the place. Some plot and outline. Some just sit down and let the characters and story take them for a ride.

I think it's important to realize that there's no one right way to write. (There is, however, a right way to spell and construct sentences!) Don't feel as though you have to outline if it's a struggle. And don't feel that you have to just sit down and "create" if you feel that you need to work out a plot first.

Do experiment. Give yourself the freedom to try new ways of getting words on a page. Don't be constrained by the way you were taught in a workshop or an English class. But don't mistake my advice as a recommendation to spell creatively or to make up your own grammar rules. I've had students tell me that their bad grammar was their personal writing style. That's utter nonsense. There's a difference between the writing process and the writing product. The way you write is up to you, but the prose product has to adhere to certain rules.

If you feel that such rules cramp your "style," then by all means, break them. Just don't expect anyone to read or publish what you write.

Redefining "Commercial" in Romance

I'm a member of RWA (Romance Writers of America) and I just got the September issue of the member newsletter, Romance Writers Report. There's an interesting article by Irene Goodman, a prominent agent, on "Common Mistakes by New Authors."

An entire section of the article is devoted to "Uncommercial Subjects," with Goodman advising aspiring authors to focus on subjects that are saleable. One line, in particular, caught my attention: "A 28,000-word historical romance set in Germany is not going to sell, no matter what" (p. 20).

I assume Goodman is referring to traditional tree-book publishing out of New York, because nowhere in her article does she even mention e-publishing, which is where a 28K historical romance set in Germany would not only get a read by an editor, but might very well sell.

E-publishing is redefining "commercial." Shorter length books set in time periods and locations that New York publishers spurn are being published successfully. For example, Carina Press recently released a historical romance set in Austria called Song of Seduction by Carrie Lofty. The same publisher has a  shorter M/M medieval romance and a book featuring a sixteenth-century Native heroine living in the Sonoran Desert.

While I can't comment on how well these books are selling, they are being published. By a division of Harlequin, no less. Goodman's essay indicates a lack of awareness of the rapidly shifting landscape of publishing that I find troublesome in an industry newsletter intended to represent "the voice of romance fiction."

Of course, Goodman is entitled to her opinion. As a very successful and respected agent, she's more than earned the right to comment on the industry. Nevertheless, I couldn't disagree with her more. And I hope aspiring authors won't be discouraged by her words, because I'm convinced that a well-written 28K historical romance set in Germany can sell.

Review: Warrior, by Zoe Archer

Me-OW!

Romance! A swoon-worthy hero! In Mongolia! With magic! And authentic cultural detail!

(Did I mention that this book takes place in Mongolia?)

Warrior is a Victorian-era romance with a big dose of magic and an even bigger dose of creativity. I'm not usually a fan of romance mixed with magic, unless it's set in a fantasy world. But Archer made me suspend my disbelief and enjoy every minute of it.

Being a shallow cover slut, I was initially drawn to the book by the amazing manly-man with the requisite firearm. The fact that it's set in Mongolia (a romance! set in Mongolia!) was extra-bonus goodness.

Happily, the setting is much more than window-dressing. Archer has done her homework and included convincing cultural detail in her story that goes far beyond "and, oh yes, this is romance set in an exotic locale." Even better, her Mongolian tribesmen function as real secondary characters, rather than as cardboard indigenous people with quaint customs.

This is true action-adventure romance. Our H/H are "on the road" (well, the steppe, and the Gobi Desert) throughout the entire book. The heroine is self-sufficient with nary a TSTL moment in some 300+ digital pages. The hero is deliciously jealous and protective, but never truly prevents the heroine from doing what she needs to do.

Plus, Warrior has one of the most delightful sex scenes (at an oasis no less!) that I've read in a long time.

I am looking forward to the next three books in the series and hope that Archer maintains the momentum she built with Warrior. As an archaeologist, I admit to a bit of trepidation concerning the second book, Scoundrel--the hero poses atop some Greek ruins with a shovel. I am crossing my fingers there's no looting by the good guys involved--that's worse than secret baby plots as far as I'm concerned. Book 3 is set in the wilds of Canada--yet another unusual locale for romance. And Book 4 features a hero of African descent.

Have I mentioned how proud I am be a romance reader?

Shameless Self-Promotion

Now this was a very pleasant surprise--a new review for Not Quite a Lady, which was released in April. Donna calls it a "must read for 2010." (Thanks Donna!)

The review is especially appreciated since Fall has arrived in Southeast Alaska--it's cool, rainy and all the birds are heading south. Plus, it's time for me to go back to the "real world" and start the fall semester.

In other good news, I had the chance to talk science fiction romance with the lovely ladies of the SFR Brigade who work tirelessly to promote the genre and its authors. I've read some great SFR lately, with Hope's Folly at the top of my recommended reads list. You can read my review at Goodreads.