Showing off one of the smartest, savviest people in romance bookbuying today, Borders has announced a new online feature: True Romance with Sue Grimshaw. The first guest in the multimedia interview is author Lisa Jackson who talks about her latest book, Malice.
I’m curious why Jackson, who is no doubt a very skilled writer, is the featured guest for a romance column, since the book seems to be about a man caught up in the unfamiliar history of his first wife’s life and death. Is it a romance? No idea. But if Sue Grimshaw is recommending it, I’ll definitely pay attention.
I saw that in my email and wondered the same thing. I’ve not read Lisa Jackson but was under the impression that she was something along the lines of romantic suspense.
As you say, it’s an odd choice for their first pick for a romance buyers feature. Reading the blurb of Malice certainly makes it seem to be more suspense with (maybe) romantic elements rather then a romance or even a romantic suspense.
I’d love to know what the reasoning was behind this choice. Interview the interviewer anyone?
Definitely suspense with some romantic elements. Her publicist sent me a copy to drum up some PR and I paged through enough to see that it’s not what I would consider a romance. I didn’t read it because her stories are generally too violent for me, but we did add it to the library collection because we have a lot of readers who enjoy suspense.
I think they are trying to position it as romantic suspense for marketing purposes because of all the statistics that say romance readers buy more books, but IMHO anyone reading it on that basis will probably be disappointed.
I remembered tossing one of Lisa Jackson’s books to the side because she was one of those writers who came up with goofy serial killers. Clearly she is still at it. I noticed a reference in a review of Malice to “the Twenty-one killer, who strangles identical twins on their 21st birthday….”
Before this I thought Holly Lisle’s killer who made his victims pole dance was the most ridiculous one I had encountered.