Where are the next installments of the famous IAD series by Kresley Cole? 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. The landscape was part of the story in many ways, so much so that I felt like I was right there, in the book. This seemed both a sad and very intriguing comment. the ask@AAR: Should older romances (and books in general) be redone? But having been brought up with older parents I enjoyed the more traditional aspects of the heroine and still enjoyed many books originally published in the 60s or 70s where the heroines were pursuing adventures in their stockings and skirt suits when any modern heroine would be grubbing around in jeans. Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. I know Dangerfield wasnt to everyones taste (theres usually more than a little kink in all of her books), but I loved her combination of heat, heart, and humor. Meredith Duran is a USA Today bestselling novelist and RITA award winner. Heres an interesting article about some other scams including suspiciously prolific authors and book-stuffing: https://justpublishingadvice.com/kindle-scams-are-still-making-easy-money/. Sigh. Ive been saving it for a special occasion, I think. Meredith Duran. Any other exciting settings coming up? Many include authors interviewing other authors or fangirling including Bec McMaster interviewing Amanda Bouchet. Jael Wye (sfr, five years since a new release) Same here, for some reason I found it extremely difficult to get into Sherry Thomas Charlotte Holmes series. }); Still Casting Shadows B. Clay Shannon 2006-05 Breaking with the traditionally white-centric and politician-, military leader-, business magnate-dominated . Did Amazon have something to do with it? But, I could be wrong. 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. I wrote Meredith Duran an embarrassingly gushy fan letter, probably years ago (I'm a run-out-on-release-day-and-buy-it sort of fan). why are intercalated discs not in skeletal muscles; ignore him when he treats you badly; what do you need for a smog check nevada That it exists at all can be blamed on Lydia. ghurt110 AT bellsouth DOT net. So this isnt a blanket condemnation by any means, but its an issue for romance listeners to be aware of I think. As I pointed out above, Meredith Duran is younger than I am but her work reminds me and others of authors who were publishing at least 10 years earlier or more. I really wish Cecilia Grant had written more romance novels. To enter for your chance to win, simply comment to this post by 11:59 p.m. eastern time on Thursday, June 11th. With Bound by Your Touch, Im pretty sure that the keyword is faith or, more accurately, whether or not to love someone is to have total faith in him or her. Blast from the past. Well, at least they are trying to do something different. Yes, you have a point there. I actually won a Susan Cliff book a couple of years back! Im becoming disillusioned with the romance novels being published today. Id call it a variation of the young person interviews old person rather than letting the old person tell her own story trope. I hear that the pusbliers what diversity if they want that they want that to take place need to allow the longer books because you can do things like have diverse settings more context to explain things and to explore issues that can come up and to have more interesting stories with richer storytelling in general. Shes amazing. I love Roberta Gellis. She is the author of twelve novels, all published by Pocket Books. 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. I loved her humor. From there, sections written in his POV flowed like water. But those are just some personal observations. I love the exotic setting of Written on Your Skin.. The new books sound wonderful as well! I also agree that basing trends on what I choose to read or what attracts me is a very narrow lens. Simple Jess for example would probably spark an outcry. The sample size would be phenomenal, but how would the researcher corral and classify the information? 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? This is last major publisher that does Medieval and they just had a Biltz for just Medieval, Viking and Highlander stores so it seems like they are really trying to expand in that direction. And, in the meantime, Ill console myself with all the wonderful contemporaries that have come out recently and hunt down every obscure, out-of-print historical I can get my hands on. 2010 That Scandalous Summer. Her debut, The Duke of Shadows, has been translated into thirteen languages and was ranked among the top 100 romances of all time by NPR and All About Romance. Im going to have to get more bookshelves I think. Cranking out a book a month is hardly unusual on KDP, especially in certain genres like self-help, erotica, and even romance. Always at the center of the crowd, widely adored despite his own best efforts to scandalize, he can do as he pleases and face no consequences for it. I love her writing and have bought the Spymaster series on audio. I miss Linnea Sinclair. They didnt work for me in either format, which is a shame. Ugh I really hope this story structure goes out of style And while I dont have a distaste for time travel per se, I dont like when its clearly used as a way to make what should be a straight-up historical story relevant for a younger reader by throwing in a 21st century protagonist who doesnt really need to be there. Its pretty different from Bound by Your Touch, but Sanburne makes an appearance in it. But it does provide a general depiction of current trends on a roughly hourly basis. Since 2007 no full length book like the ones I mentioned has been released. If you are a member, the books on Audible are nearly always the same price regardless of length, which depends on your membership level. I will try it again, however. It often feels like a money grab on the part of these CR authors, and I resent that. 2012 A Lady's Lesson in Scandal. I miss Lynn Viehl, too. 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. Some books are less, and they do have a program like KU that you can subscribe to for an extra monthly fee and you can borrow up to 10 books at any one time. 2015 Audiobooks. Its a bit of the chicken and the egg in my mind. This button displays the currently selected search type. 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. (I did try to read it again a couple of years later, but nope. You arent pleased by certain narratives, so you dont have to read them. I dislike her Charlotte Holmes series very much and I wish shed at least alternate between that and HR novels. featured a 2009 interview with historical romance author Meredith Duran. I think Ive read one or two books by each and have been meaning to explore their backlist. There is no need to dumb things down for the audio audience; we can keep up just fine. Romance, YA, Fiction and Fantasy Novel Reviews, Nonsensical Rants, and My Own Writing Adventures. It's possible that no one writes him better than Meredith Duran, whose books are as dark and dangerous as the heroes they feature' The Washington Post 'Meredith Duran unceasingly delights . It seem like most historicals are set in Faux Regency/Victorian England with usually with hero who is either angry or has emotional problems and is Duke in most cases with a heroine who either a pargon of virture or is so modern that is jarring and all they seem to do is agrue, make love, agrue more, deal with his emotional issues and figure that they suddenly love each other and that the end. I think the great talent Barbara Metzger has/had is that she can make me laugh. Cant wait to read these new books! I also miss Cara McKenna and Charlotte Stein. I get a quick flash of it, and then it reverts to scripts and gobbledegook. I also miss Sherry Thomas writing historical romance. Martyns FB page says shes going to write childrens books next! I rememberthat there was even a category line that was 85k, I think it was Harlequin SuperRomance, and even the Trad. She was an auto-buy for years! Shes on Twitter and never mentions writing. 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. Her website had an under construction notice the last time I tried to access it. They often price their books at less than a buck a book and flood the best seller lists. I havent noticed anything in recent years by either. Hi Meredith! Of course not. Helpful. Meredith Duran is the author of ten previous novels, including The Duke of Shadows (winner of the Gather.com First Chapters Romance Writing Competition); Wicked Becomes You (included on the Woman's World List of Best Beach Reads for Summer 2010), and the USA TODAY bestseller and RITA Award Winner Fool Me Twice. And thats a whole other can of worms Im not going to open right now. Ruthie Knox went into publishing I believe, Brainmill Press? the ask@AAR: What are the very best love scenes in romance? In each other, they come face to face, for the first time, with someone who sees them as they truly are. Still, I had my finger crossed when I read Lady Be Good and, luckily, I wasn't disappointed.. London, 1882. Listening to characters supposedly conversing in a pub or bar without hearing background chatter or clinking glasses its just plain weird!! By rejecting non-essential cookies, Reddit may still use certain cookies to ensure the proper functionality of our platform. First, I think skepticism and concrete data seeking are healthy behaviors, but I dont discount the power of observation. There is one author, Ruby Dixon who has a very funny and original style who appears to have kicked it all off with her Ice Planet Barbarian books and about 5000 imitators who have copied her poorly yet Amazon keeps recommending them. I can only speak to my experience with my editor at Pocket. I think Sarah Addison Allen still writes but she has suffered some family losses. I meant it more in the sense of trends. And what a waste of narrators! It is so wonderful. Do you know of any data or scholarship on this? My phone is being annoying.). I think beyond even feminist activism behind trends is just the coming of age of more young women who have been raised in a different time and expect different things from their heroes. 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. Im intrigued with where shes going with this character. Youre definitely onto something when it comes to author mimicry and knockoffs. I miss LaVyrle Spencer and Muriel Jensen and, although I think shes still writing but never fast enough, Kathleen Gilles Seidel. Over the years, AAR has had many a guest reviewer. If our president states that the virus will magically go away not based on any scientific evidence but just his opinion and belief, can Americans unravel that notion critically and understand that theres a difference between evidence-based reasoning and personal observation/opinion? Im very interested to see what those publications you list above are reporting on regarding romance novels and reading. And, even if books are shorter, I wouldnt necessarily agree that lack of depth is the result, as in a cause and effect relationship. Ever hopeful, he decides to explore the question by pursuing her. Try not to be discouraged. Did publishers study what was selling well in their lines and decide it was the most profitable? My favorite book thus far from 2020 is from Sarah Hogle, who I recently learned is in her twenties, and yet her book displayed far-reaching wisdom about what it takes to make relationships work. Still love them, but esp THATC. A few are able to work at that pace while retaining quality, but most arent. And I read Patricia Wrights books. Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. Im willing to wait. J.Quinn. And, as she so often and sternly tells herself, she values mind over matter.Pretty looks and popularity hold no meaning for her. Thanks for making the reading so special. Her debut, The Duke of Shadows, has been translated into thirteen languages and was ranked among the top 100 romances of all time by NPR and All About Romance. I must say I miss Laura Kinsale- though her missing status isnt so recentI understand that her research, writing and resolutions all took much out of her-but WOW, so did they take much out of me, as the reader. Alas, Lydia Boyce has no interest in being charmed. Its been great finding new historical authors to add to my favorite list the past two years. Youre right to be wary of claims without concrete evidence, Blackjack, but publishing and other forms of pop culture can be difficult to measure objectively. The most important character in Taylor Jenkins Reid 's novel Daisy Jones & The Six? : Paul McCartney comparece ao lanamento da primeira coleo de utenslios domsticos de sua filha Heather, nos EUA. I am really looking forward to Meredith Durans new books especially as several AAR staff have good things to say about them. But I think it says something that Harlequin no longer accepts submissions for their lackluster line Dare, which never allowed erotic content despite advertising itself as Harlequins hottest line yet. Were they ever in large numbers? Was it a reaction to something the way that the pop music resurgence happened after grunge ruled the music charts? Writing snarky humor that is actually funny is a gift and a lot of the copycats think that merely making the heroine swear a lot or be sarcastic in situations that might get them killed substitutes for clever writing. I am trying to be part of the solution. Good for you. I listened to audios for both just in the last year. That has been the case for certain authors or series for me. The Duke of Shadows is one of my favorite re-reads and I have to say it did remind me of the meaty romances from a few years ago (I sure do miss those deep, detailed books). Now that Ive put this all down, it feels depressing. Loved Duke of Shadows and would love a chance to win this. (Granted, your average erotica short is 5,000 words, but KDP still considers a short story a book.). The more books the better! Someone believes something is a trend without evidence and voila, its a trend. Devastated by the idea that Meredith Duran is done writing. Anne Mallory, Liz Carlyle, Julie James, Courtney Milan, and Joanna Bourne all havent published anything recently much to their fans dismay. Somehow, though, the books do manage to acquire themes. Whether the decision was based on sales (or lack thereof) or the desire for the Next Big Thing, Im sorry I no longer get to read some of these favorites. ELIZABETH DIE AND LEAVE US WITH NO MORE He smiled. The heroine has been raised to be very, very nice (so nice that shes strangling on it), but when a humiliating turn of events proves to her that nice isnt working anymore, she decides instead that shell learn how to be naughty. Looking forward to what sounds like an incredibly good book and a new-to-me author. What resulted was Bound by Your Touch. You mentioned in your last post that your word count would be about 100,000 125,000. Speaking as a reader, now yes, Ive been a very happy camper recently. Ill have to dig it out now I know shes Jill Sorenson. On the one hand, Meredith Duran's writing is stunning. Every day, I hear about AI-generated art, writing, search, etc., and the "They took our jobs! Since Regency is not a favorite historical period of mine, I tend to see it everywhere as in, Ugh, another Regency?. I believe that publishers must think peoples attention spans are shorter and also that they can get as much money for a book thats thousands of words less than they used to be. I read about half of book 2 with much the same reaction and I quit at that point. Judith James reissued expanded version of her Restoration trilogy on Kindle and theyre great but her website is now defunct. James Durham, Viscount Sanburne, seems to live in a golden world. Why has the dominant voice in HR become so modern? I may take a few of these recommendations. Again. Although I suspect narrators covet working for her because of her high profile in CR. Nina Bangs (pnr, a few years) I. The hero is one of the sexiest and most seductive Ive ever come across and the heroine forthright, likable, sympathetic, and believably damaged. 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? One perk about being waaaay behind is that theres a backlist to glom! When we first meet James, hes quite cynical; he believes the concept of faith is intrinsically flawed, implying as it does that ignorance is a virtue. 2013 At Your Pleasure. Id love to read some but I dont know of anyone doing research on this area. Cant wait to get my little paws on this one. I hope they finally get their story because I found them interesting. James, meanwhile, is thoroughly amused by how much the spinster intrigues him. But they arent facts. The same way I have noticed an over abundance of fluffy mystery series in the mystery section that are based around crafts, benign witchcraft or catering, bakeries and other cozy small businesses. 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. We all do it. Even though I absolutely adored the last Meredith Duran book I read, my experience with her writing has been pretty erratic to date. I used to look more at e-publisher but many of largest romance geared ones have gone out of bussiness and what is in the bookstores are a sea of ballgowns and simple plots that I can predict what is going to happen before I even open the book and it drives me crazy because I want to read a book and it seems that I can not get one that I can sink my teeth into. Its been several years since Ive read a book this long and I realize now I miss them! I find hard data very hard to come by on sales figures just through my internet searches. What romance author do you miss the most? Crazy for publishers to expect and crazy for the authors who manage it. Whether or not this signals a shift in the industry, I dont know. @ Lynne Connolly: I just cant cope with the romance community as it is right now, and historical romance sales have gone right down since the Amazon scam authors moved in. This seemed both a sad and very intriguing comment. I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the interview, Sandy, and your Nardi comparison as well (Im really grateful theres no vomit in BBYT, since I had a tough time getting over that in Bliss). The covers not bad either :) Congratulations and thanks! Have you considered submitting it to Carina Press? These two are Editors that were telling their authors how and what to write. My own reading selections belie that notion. Through AARs reviews and words of mouth from the people here, Ive discovered wonderful new-to-me authors to fill the HR void. the characters acted very oddly, and she still hasn't grasped the clarity of writing that I normally expect. Not already mentioned: Ugh I really hope this story structure goes out of style And while I dont have a distaste for time travel per se, I dont like when its clearly used as a way to make what should be a straight-up historical story relevant for a younger reader by throwing in a 21st century protagonist who doesnt really need to be there. James was always clear to me. 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? Meredith Duran is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thirteen novels. Plots that have kept fans on their toes, wondering what this sly author has in store for them next! 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. As the old Tootsie Roll commercials say, The world may never know. They left more, however, a sense that Id not just skimmed a time period-or even a mental, sexual, or political one, but delved into and EXPERIENCED something that usually wasnt even on my radar.and then it was! Sarah Addison Allens latest book was released five years ago, I know its not as much as other authors but. Im so looking forward to Bound By Your Touch and Written on Your Skinalong with anything you happen to publish. At thirteen years old, she made a list of life goals that included writing romance novels, trying sushi, and going to London to see Holbein's portrait of Anne Boleyn. Lydia thinks not.She believes that having faith in someone is part and parcel of loving that person.In her view, if you break faith with someone, you cannot claim to love him. (What can I say? I have always loved books with a military setting and Emma Drummond was excellent and she set them in places many of us know little about. Many thanks to Meredith Duran for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions. At thirteen years old, she made a list of life goals that included writing romance novels, trying sushi, and going to London to see Holbein's portrait of Anne Boleyn. This theme wasnt crafted with conscious intention. And thats totally fine, but there arent authors who have replaced the type of writing they represent. I would love to read this book. No. intelligent, complex, sexy, smart and really goodwho even remotely writes like her? Im always grateful that I find new authors every year. Thats not meant, by the way, to be an exhaustive list, just ones that I personally know are well read and followed. Historicals are great and this one sounds like a winner! It seems the stories have gotten simpler and a lot less complex and interesting. Cole has been been writing a YA series. I am unlikely to listen to this one though, even though I love both narrators, because Im not enjoying any of her work right now. Are readers suddenly not interested in reading complex books? Journal of Popular Romance Studies, Journal of Popular Culture, and The Social Science Journal routinely publish data and scholarship on the romance genre with peer-reviewed research on trends if you are interested in reading this type of writing. He moves on from his maudlin reflection very quickly, because he generally tries to take nothing very seriously, least of all himself. Longer doesnt always mean better or denser or more interesting or more critical, etc. Therefore, this study aims to analyze the relationship between cyber dating abuse and self-esteem, to understand the influence of sociodemographic variables (gender, age) and recreational time online on cyber dating abuse among Portuguese higher education students. As I contemplated who I missed I did a little noodling into my own reading past with the happy result that I found some authors who I hadnt checked on in a while who do have new books. Meredith L Duran, age 45 I dont even believe that women are beating up men in romances as a trend today, which was recently posited in a blog here. There are too many variables to make that claim, not to mention Amazon isnt the only game out there (believe it or not). The entire time I was reading Bringing Down the Duke, I kept thinking, Yeah, this is exactly what I want more of in historical romance! but ultimately, that story hit me more in the head than the heart so Im excited to try the second book in the series. Die-hard erotica short story authors can easily pump out one, two, or even three stories per week a speed I have trouble keeping up with. Thats interesting about Avon. And although Ruthie Knox was never in my Pantheon of favorite writers, Ive enjoyed a number of her books and I dont think shes published anything in a while either. if (this.auth.status === "not_authorized") { I do like the Veronica Speedwell books but the Lady Julia series seems unfinished to me. And their system definitely favors books less than a week old, which encourages more book churning. Shes publishing regularly. Hi Meredith, Shes a better writer than this; and her fans deserve to have that quality back. Those are the ones that end up on the shelves at Target and Walmart, Costco, CVS and other places where people will grab a paperback. When a certain fraudulent antiquity sets these two onto a collision course, Lydia is horrified to discover that she might be wrong about herself, because Jamesflashy and bottomless as a butterflyis nevertheless frighteningly attractive to her. This theme wasn't crafted with conscious intention. I suppose I just dont frame my preferences in historical romance through the lens of age. And thats a good thing. Another historical! This is a shame because I love mystery novels and Sherry Thomas. Deborah Smith has written some books I loved (Gentle Rain and When Venus Fell are my absolute favorites!) Also, when I was briefly toying with the idea of a book that would consist of an around-the-world chase, she was all for that, and I dont recall England being anywhere on the couples itinerary. Second, you are correct that self-published books are not necessarily getting shorter and shorter. Self-publishing too seems to help allow more authors to write the kinds of books they want. I have to be careful though not to push this trend notion too far in my own mind because 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. Okay, Ill shut up now, but I cant wait for the rest of the world to read these books. I havent tried a Meredith Duran novel yet, but it sounds interesting. Im happy to keep trying out newish authors who are still full of creativity and whose style hasnt worn out its welcome for me. Also Julie James . The 31-year-old model and author wore a backless top shaped like an anthurium, paired . Still, going to make my way into another Duran book next. She had a lot of life trials and serious depression. So, there you go. So, over time, Ive gotten the impression that Harlequin is afraid to tarnish their somewhat wholesome image in the world of romance whereas Avon could afford to take more chances. I think I looked recently and her author website had vanished. 38985 books suggested | I don't feel so good.. Its all likely but it is still speculation on my part. Yes with the Julia Grey books! Im a massive Drummond fan too. A self-publisher getting into a brick and mortar store would be extremely rare, which means non-internet shoppers have a limited selection of popular tropes, themes, and so forth. And then theres statistics. There definitely needs to be a balance between quantitative data and common sense. } else { Im a fan of dense, richly textured, emotionally complex stories, so the past couple of years have introduced a whole host of new authors to my auto-buy list. Val Roberts (sfr, only a year since a new release) So great to meet you! Cant wait to read both books. (Not saying impossible, just impractical.). At the same time, the plots are both slow and dense. 2019 En farlig handel: Letsindighedens love 3. I found heroines from over a decade ago to be sorely lacking. Why not create her own heroine, or choose a character from another famous book or series that hasnt been copied so often. Cant stand them. Mia Vincys books would fit well today, and perhaps Evie Dunmore, though Ive only read one of her books to date. (Not the ones here obviously). facebook, twitter, etc. showBlogFormLink.click(); If done correctly, it could be a wonderful period mystery series. Several of you commented how much you miss her work and shared your hopes that shell return to writing romance. How can the romance community be improved or changed for you? And another fan of Zemindar! I found myself skipping too many parts or throwing them in irritation. Wow, what great recommendations for this book. Heres what I say: I devoured this novel in a kind of giddy frenzy. Plus, they have some queer romances which the Harlequin category romances do not. I have reservations I wont go into here, and quite honestly, think LB is simply jumping on a band wagon. Meredith Duran is an English author of romance and historical fiction books. Quilting when a person has such God-given writing skill its just sad.I miss you already Meredith and Im only 2/3s through your repertoire.