Bitchin' Blog Posts
: Bitchery
May 25, 2011 | Wednesday | 54 Comments
Violet has a dilemma, and she needs your help. *** I have a problem that I hope the Bitchery can help me with. (Perhaps some of you have the self-same problem?) I call it the “What to read? What to read? The May 31st dilemma.” May 31st is coming, which ordinarily wouldn’t mean much. Just another day. But it’s a Tuesday this year, which means it’s a book release day. Again, ordinarily it mightn’t mean much. Maybe something interesting is being released, maybe something not. But this year, I have a problem. Two books that I really, really, really want…
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May 15, 2011 | Sunday | 6 Comments
I’ve received a number of queries this week asking if I knew the new pen name or the current status of an author whose books were very much enjoyed. I figured if anyone knows, it’s the Bitchery, so today I’m going to run a few “What Ever Happened To?” queries. The first comes from author Alexis Harrington: Back in the early ‘90s, before vampire books REALLY took off, there was a series written by an author using the name Lori Herter. These were great books, most especially the first one, OBSESSION. Three others followed and then it seemed that the…
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May 12, 2011 | Thursday | 36 Comments
Elizabeth has a HaBO request that’s full of bull: I have a request that I hope the bitchery can help with. I’m trying to find the name of a Harlequin contemporary romance that I remember from sometime in the early- to mid-1980s. At the outset of the book, the heroine’s husband has been killed by being gored by a bull. She is trying to save the company he ran. His brother arrives on the scene, and begins a corporate war to wrest the company away from her. During the course of the book, the two become more attracted to each…
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May 10, 2011 | Tuesday | 8 Comments
I answered over 100 email messages asking for an address to mail much-needed items down to Alabama. Individuals, church groups, writer’s critique groups, and a playdate group all found items to go shopping and to give gently used items - to paraphrase one email: “Help! I am buried in tampons and need an address to ship all these boxes.” Here’s a picture of what your generosity looks like - and this is ONE DAY’s worth of mail drop deliveries. This volunteer told me she’d already taken a load of boxes over to her local church relief distribution center in rural…
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March 28, 2011 | Monday | 46 Comments
A few links! Because it’s been awhile and my inbox is full of awesome. First, in case you were under a large rock or on vacation like I was, the RITAs and Golden Hearts were announced - and Twitter pretty much exploded about it, too. What do you think? Have you read any of them? I’m pondering reading at least one from every category and challenging myself to get them all done (and reviewed) by the date of the RITA ceremony. Anyone want to take the RITA challenge with me? Over on the Carina Press blog, Angela James has big…
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February 07, 2011 | Monday | 151 Comments
The Jasper Fforde Thursday Next series is one of the book series that I learned about from the Bitchery, one that I keep meaning to start reading already. Now that there’s another installment coming out 8 March, I think it’s time for me to get on with it already. I definitely have a habit of waiting to start a series until there’s at least a few books for me to read in a row - I did that with Julia Spencer-Fleming and with Ilona Andrews’ books as well. And then, when I know there’s a new one, I can go…
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February 01, 2011 | Tuesday | 8 Comments
Thank you to everyone who entered our Sixth Anniversary giveaway - I loved reading all your answers as to why you love romances. It was a total celebration in the comments - thank you!! And special thanks to Kate who sent me an email with a gift: Okay, I know you know Maureen Johnson, and perhaps you are aware of her proud tradition of #crapfts? In honor of your sixth anniversary, I have crapfted you a (virtual) present: It depicts, as you can see (well, maybe you can), a heroine with flowing golden tresses and huge blue eyes and a…
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January 05, 2011 | Wednesday | 34 Comments
This is another I Read This To Push It On The Unsuspecting Bitchery. It’s older, and not totally a romance, but it is a favorite of mine. It takes place in Feudal Japan, and is a version of the story of the 47 Samurai. I remember someone in the comments of… something… asking if both characters in Impulsive were Asian, and that’s it’s rare to get both main characters to be a minority. So here we are (although I planned to do this one long before that conversation even happened). Cat is the daughter of a daimyo and…
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December 21, 2010 | Tuesday | 152 Comments
We had a discussion of heroes - now I have to ask: who are your favorite romance heroines? I have to say, romance heroines are fascinating creatures. As Lisa Kleypas said in an interview for the Bosoms, she’s often a creature of moderation - not too tall, not too loud, not too big, not too small. There’s a bit less wiggle room (no pun intended) with the heroine in some sub genres. In other sub genres, like urban fantasy, she can be as Cranky Sue as she wants to be, ferocious and pissed off, uncomfortable and strong. When I think…
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November 05, 2010 | Friday | 1 Comments
Wow. Nearly 350 comments in 24 hours. Someone wants some Gaiman Gabaldon Liu Butcher Beverly Putney Carey magic, and they wants it NOW. First, a note to clarify: I was being facetious in my entry about this contest. Of course I’ve heard of Neil Gaiman, Diana Gabaldon and Marjorie M. Liu. They’re only some seriously successful and frequently awesomepants writers. I was totally kidding, so please do not fear for my brain’s ability to familiarize itself with fiction. Now! I’ve combined the email entries with the blog comment entries and run the whole thing through a random selectinator. The winner,…
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November 03, 2010 | Wednesday | 334 Comments
In the mail this week, I received a finished copy of Songs of Love and Death, an anthology of new fiction from romance, science fiction and fantasy authors you’ve probably never heard of, like Neil Gaiman, Marjorie M. Liu, Diana Gabaldon, Jim Butcher, Jo Beverly, Mary Jo Putney, Jacqueline Carey and some other people. Gosh, it’s amazing how people with no track record of really honking excellent fiction get to assemble into an anthology AND get really slurpy-good cover art, isn’t it? Outrageous when that happens. Anyway, because (a) I have an ARC and (b) I’m not done with it…
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November 01, 2010 | Monday | 11 Comments
I mentioned it in the Book Club Chat last week, but it’s time for the official announcement, with links and merriment and all kinds of shenanigans (which is my new favorite word). The next Sizzling Book Club Selection is: Trust Me On This, by Jennifer Crusie. Check out the description: Dennie Banks is an investigative reporter chasing down the biggest story of her career. Alec Prentice is a government agent working undercover to catch an elusive grifter. When they meet by accident, it’s a case of mistaken identities at first sight. What they don’t mistake is the instant attraction they…
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October 14, 2010 | Thursday | 62 Comments
Alert Reader N. answered the call for any examples of What Not To Write with an email message that made my jaw drop. As part of a regular feature here at the Hot Pink Palace of Bitchery (where the drinks are free and the man titty shelters us from the harsh rays of the sun), we’re taking a look at descriptions, both sexual and non-sexual that yanked us out of the storyline. Some of these examples, such as the comparison of a woman’s hey-nanner-nanner to a horse’s mouth, evoked some irritated responses that the passage in question (the words, not…
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October 04, 2010 | Monday | 81 Comments
Yesterday, Hubby and I went shopping for warmer clothes for all of us, and there, on the northernmost wall of the store it was… Christmas. Trees and garlands and sparkly stuff and holiday frames and all kinds of stuff, all on sale. YOU GUYS. IT IS NOT EVEN HALLOWEEN. (Also: we are not Christian and therefore do not celebrate Christmas but that’s beside the point). Did that stop me from looking at the items on sale and finding some very excellent gifts for people for the holidays? Of course not. (We celebrate Hanukkah - the most excellent holiday ever because…
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September 29, 2010 | Wednesday | 93 Comments
This was in my inbox. I laughed so hard I couldn’t breathe. Enjoy. I’ve recently started to pick up on some rather….er…...interesting turns of phrase by certain authors and thought I’d share one with The Bitchery. So after checking out both Smart Bitches and Dear Author for some new reading material, I thought I’d try some Lisa Marie Rice. So far ok. Not great, but a good way to distract myself while laying in the physio’s office with a bajillion acupuncture needles stuck in my ass and lower back. I guess that would be ass-upuncture. Anyhow, I’m reading Woman on…
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