As a corollary, I want to collect the recommendations from the conversation below about STDs in romance, and compile a list of romances that feature heroes or heroines with major health issues. In the comments, Darlene Marshall recommended, “a Harlequin Super Romance called A Man Like Mac by Fay Robinson. The hero is a paraplegic and in a wheelchair. The novel deals sensitively with sexuality, incontinence, self esteem and other issues related to the hero … Continue reading GS vs. STA: Major Health Issues in Romance→
Used to be that few if any historical romances were set in France, particularly prior to the Revolution. I remember an article from the RWR a few years back titled along the lines of, “What’s Wrong with France?” If I recall correctly (and I likely don’t) the article talked about taking risks that could pay off – no one wrote about sports figures as heroes until Susan Elizabeth Phillips came along, so who knows if … Continue reading Taboos, Heroes, Heroines, and “Social Diseases”→
Enjoy your weekend. Hope it includes fun and frisky activities! This week’s video? It’s so not worksafe so it’s below the fold, baby, yeah. Bitchery reader Sherri sent me this link, and I haven’t stopped giggling about it. It’d old – I think the original news is from 2005, but hey, it’s new to me! I haven’t smelled the actual fragrance, but one site says it smells like cigars and scotch. Ha! I might have … Continue reading Friday Videos→
Madeleine L’Engle has passed away at the age of 88. (Hat tip: Lucinda for the article). One of my favorite quotes on being a grown-up comes from L’Engle, and I’ve seen it reproduced so many times, including in this week’s pages of my agenda: When we were children, we used to think that when we were grown-up we would no longer be vulnerable. But to grow up is to accept vulnerability… To be alive is … Continue reading Madeleine L’Engle: 1918-2007→
Congrats and felicitations to Holly! She has correctly guessed this week’s Lonely Heart – Jude Frances Murray from Nora Roberts’ Jewels of the Sun. Kneel, Holly, and arise a member of the peerage with your new, spiffy Smart Bitch Title®. Be sure to use it when trying to score a table at the hot new seafood restaurant.
You ready? It’s that time again – Friday contests, and Friday videos, too. Gotta love the start of the weekend. You know the drill – first to come up with the title of the book, the name of the author and the name of the heroine wins a Smart Bitch Title®. Bam! Right in the Kisser! Bookish, curious and restrained psychologist seeks wind-swept romantic man to sweep me off my feet and reveal my adventurous, … Continue reading Guess that Lonely Heart→
One of the sites I check daily, right after my Gmail and Woot, is MacZot.com, which has daily deals on Mac apps. Todays deal: 47% off Librarian Pro, which tracks your book inventory. This software is available for Mac and PC, according to the listing today. Neat, and I love the shushing icon, but do I need this? Do I need any book inventory software? Honestly, with the number of books coming in and out … Continue reading Bookish Software→
We’ve had a few varying discussions about who reads – from who reads romance to who reads more fiction to who reads more in general and is reading going the way of the Dodo bird? Add to the list of “The world is coming to an end and reading decline is the shifty canary!” articles: NPR’s report on why women read more than men. The article starts off talking about gender, moves into neurons, then … Continue reading Who Reads, What Gender Reads, and Is the World Coming to an End?→
We’ve discussed many, many romance covers, and last year we held a contest to challenge the Bitchery to come up with a better cover than, well, many of the ones we’ve snarked! We provide the copy, and y’all design the covers. Last year’s contest yielded some beautiful covers, and the winner of the Amateur division ended up freelancing for a few presses when her cover won the contest. We can’t promise job offers for all … Continue reading The Big Kahuna, Part II: Cover Controversy Gone Wild!→
Colette Gale’s Unmasqued is a retelling of the story of The Phantom of the Opera which adds erotic sexual scenes, a good dose of BDSM, and a whole new ending. The dedication reads, “To all the women who thought Christine should have stayed with the Phantom.” My reaction: this is a seriously dark, kinky, sex-driven story, and while I never read or saw Phantom, I can see how Gale had ample room to play with … Continue reading Unmasqued: An Erotic Novel of The Phantom of the Opera→
A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, SB Sarah sent “The Shomi Ladies” a bunch of interview questions, but then there was intergalactic warfare, promotional tours, alien intrigue, and a lot of travel and gestation. Somewhere between the 600+ comment thread and today, the debate on costumes and the varying ways to promote authors as representatives of their work became less heated and more calm. So, hello, here we go, it’s a … Continue reading Smart Bitch Interview: Marianne Mancusi and Liz Maverick→
