Last weekend I was a guest at BayCon 2014.  BayCon is a mid-sized science fiction and fantasy convention in the Bay Area.  This was an impeccably well-run convention, and it left me with a lot to think about in terms community, and of the roles fiction can play in inspiring and liberating the reader or viewer.  Also, there were light saber battles, so that was cool! Carrie and a young Jedi warrior BayCon came at … Continue reading Community, Hope, and Liberation: Fandom and Fiction as Activism →

I recently received a letter from Sue, who was looking for an author whose books she loved:  I am trying to find out what in the world happened to Christi Phillips, author of The Rosetti Letter and The Devlin Diary. I enjoyed these books and want to find out how everything works out for the current day heroine. Last note on Amazon was that she was publishing the third book (set in France) in 2011. … Continue reading What Ever Happened to: Christi Phillips →

We just talked about book budgeting, so now, let's talk about what we're reading and tempt everyone around us with more book purchases! Makes total sense, right?  Right now, I'm reading Big Sky Country by Linda Lael Miller, thanks to the sale last weekend and the continued sale this week (eek!). I don't know why I haven't read Miller before, but so far, I'm enjoying it, particularly because she sets up the conflicts and the characters … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? April Edition →

In recent discussions, especially in the comments for some of the Books on Sale posts, a few of you have mentioned your book budgets. Sometimes it's howls of agony that the monthly budget has been exceeded by yet another tempting $1.99 deal – I feel your pain, as I'm equally susceptible.  But a few have mentioned interesting solutions, such as Tam and Dora on 11 April. Dora mentioned how tempting some of the sales are, … Continue reading Book Budgeting →

The first romantic suspense book I ever read was Mirror Image by Sandra Brown. It was full-on crazysauce, and I’ve never turned back. I still read Sandra Brown, although her books have gotten decidedly less nuts over the years. While on vacation recently I read Charade (1994) followed immediately by Tough Customer (2010) and it showed me how much Brown has changed as a writer, and also the ways she’s stayed consistent for her readers. … Continue reading Old Skool vs New Skool Sandra Brown →

When I learned today that Television Without Pity will be shutting down April 4 I felt a big “Dude that sucks” level of let down. The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. This is not to say that TWoP disappearing affects me personally – as it does those who worked for the site and those who freelanced for it (who were left out of the article announcing the shutdown)(which… UGH).    And … Continue reading Television Without Pity: The Snark is Dead. Long Live the Snark. →

This assembly of letters is about Facebook, which has very little to do with romance novels. In fact, my feelings about Facebook are kind of the opposite of a romance novel. My feelings about Facebook would probably be best summed up in a completely different book: Jodyne Speyer's Dump 'Em. (I did a book event years ago with Jodyne, and the two of us, with me talking about happy ever after and her talking about … Continue reading So, Facebook →

It's time! Hide your wallet and your giftcards, because it's the most excellent comment thread wherein I ask what you're reading, and we start giving recommendations and mini reviews and then BAM. The most expensive book order happens. Or the librarian is all, “No, you cannot borrow the hand truck to wheel in your Inter Library Loan request list.”  Right now, I'm reading some contemporary. I read Carolina Home by Virginia Kantra on vacation ( A … Continue reading Whatcha Reading? March Madness Edition →