ELIZABETH DIE AND LEAVE US WITH NO MORE It seems like all the books were longer. I dont think writers necessarily use quantitative data when chasing trends either. Weve been internet friends for several years, so I send her emails once in a while, but havent had a reply since last autumn. "Deadline ho! (Not the ones here obviously). The articles are there, but the design isnt. Meredith Flores Duran (La toxica) See Photos. Welcome back. All great insights about casual shoppers picking up paperbacks at the store. Why has the dominant voice in HR become so modern? Im not a big fan of contemps, but its practically impossible to miss the fact that Lauren Blakely has a gazillion audiobooks out per month or that, from reading the synopses, theyre all pretty much the same book! And if lighter romances focus on sarcastic and fluffy heroines as youve noted, what is going on in our culture to make them suddenly popular and profitable? Still love them, but esp THATC. Third, you stated, 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. Like you, I am pleased there are more books centering female agency. But at the same time, I wouldnt necessarily regard traditional masculinity as a form of push back. It could very well be an act of nostalgia as you say, but it could also be because the women who write these stories simply prefer those types of characters. It seemed like I had waited years for Severines story when it finally came out. Have you considered submitting it to Carina Press? And I certainly wont pay that per installment on duos or trilogies with very short books each time. One main difference though is that they are based out London and that may mean that their view on what is historical is different than in North America. Just look at the top male movie stars from 20 years ago or 10 compared to now. From a business standpoint, it makes a lot of sense. I keep hoping against hope shell start writing again. Havent read any of her books, but I thought her story about why she quit writing for Harlequin, even though she enjoyed it, was interesting. Shes a better writer than this; and her fans deserve to have that quality back. Publishing a disproportionate number of Regencies probably keeps them afloat. as a wordsmith and a master at understanding the elements that connect complex, genuine, and lovable characters." Buried Under Romance Ive seen a lot of trends and authors come and go and my personal opinion is that lighter books- in historical romance, not necessarily in other genres like paranormal etc. I miss Linnea Sinclair. I too miss Anne Calhoun. She blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history (and for convincing her that princely love is no prize if it doesn't come with a happily-ever-after). Some authors though endure and write consisently well or even better as they age. One writer I miss is Lauren Blakely. Is that a 100% accurate assessment of whats popular? hill country elephant preserve promo code Games of Command was such a good book. There is the book that will be out in December and one more after that. Which is crazy when you think about it considering someone else is using their characters without permission in the first place. Maybe our other favorites will, at some point, reimerge! Sarah Addison Allens latest book was released five years ago, I know its not as much as other authors but. Pinegrove have announced a hiatus, as well as the departure of drummer and founding member Zack Levine - marking "the end of an era".. 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/. I think the great talent Barbara Metzger has/had is that she can make me laugh. I imagine that there are people in their teens or 20s who want deep, lyrical, meaty romances and people in their 70s or 80s who prefer fluffier wallpaper historicals. Theyd be impossible to keep up with. I wouldnt mind at all if Sherry Thomas wrote historical romances again either though, but I think if memory serves shes staying with the Charlotte Holmes series for at least another couple of years. I think the thing I miss the most isnt a particular author as much as its a type of historical romance. Im very interested to see what those publications you list above are reporting on regarding romance novels and reading. Laura Florand, especially since she took a hiatus (which I understand, life happens and is complicated, but I want to maaaaybe have a tentative year for that book) before the final book in her La vie en Roses series, which also has a twist Ive been wanting to read about for a while,now. I follow her Facebook page. Anne Calhoun and Jill Sorensonneither of whom has published anything new in several years and both of whom left secondary characters (who seemed to be getting set up for their own stories) hanging at the end of their last published books. It takes me out of the story. Good luck! 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. I am not trying to start a flame war but I can be blunt at times and after 20 years of this I have enough. She had a lot of life trials and serious depression. Im happy to keep trying out newish authors who are still full of creativity and whose style hasnt worn out its welcome for me. And what a waste of narrators! I miss Alice Clayton who wrote Wallbanger. When I read comments like this, Im immediately thinking of how different my own reading experiences must be to others. Some have switched into a different sub-genre that doesnt appeal, some keep writing but their writing has changed and it isnt clicking for me, and some I think the change is in me, where once the books hit the sweet spot, now might seem problematic or have deal breakers. Its my opinion based on what I have observed and read over the past 35 years or so of being a romance reader in one form or another. Profile. MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. Also, their blog, So You Think You Can Write, occasionally posts wish lists for submissions, which tend to skew in the direction you mentioned. Yes with the Julia Grey books! Its just hard to see them go and take their unfinished stories with them. So she is writing but in a different genre, at least for this one. It had been optioned by BBC as a series, but I dont think that ever happened. Right. 546 Followers, 183 Following, 168 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from Meredith Duran (@meredithduran) The RWA implosion back in January will almost assuredly spark scholarship on the state of diversity in the genre soon, if it hasnt yet. Not already mentioned: I havent tried Mia Vincy yet and I absolutely loved the Julie Anne Long historical I read so there are good alternatives out there, I only wish my type of HR ruled the roost. (Torie was a genealogist, and she had an entertaining supporting cast.). I dont think there is anything wrong with older or traditional sensibilities if it means wanting more depth in your stories and less ironic heroines. A Lady's Code of Misconduct by Meredith Duran - Google Play I didnt post often but I read a lot of the posts, and I clicked on your Amazon links whenever I bought a book to show my support. I try to make sure too that Im not generalizing about characters ages in fiction. 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. Im nodding my head at the notion that light-hearted, fluffy romances with one-dimensional characters are popular. Her other books include RITA award winner Fool Me Twice and her February 2017 release, A Lady's Code of Misconduct, which was called one of the best romances of the year by BookList and Amazon, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, the latter of which opined: This book weaves its spell so thoroughly that the most fortunate reader will be the one who has time to read the entire thing in one sitting. H. MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. While some of the writers I enjoyed are younger than I am, like Meredith Duran, I worry that that style is not current enough to attract a twenty something market. Meredith Duran is a USA Today bestselling novelist and RITA award winner. $2.99 $ 2. But that doesnt mean those authors have the same chance of being picked up by the casual Walmart shopper who still reads paperbacks and likes to grab a couple when they do their big grocery haul. And I distinctly remember reading one of their blog posts saying they can never get enough Regency. , The other thing that occurred as I studied was that I realized some of the authors I miss the most are ones who are still writing but are writing books that just dont work for me any more for a variety of reasons. Her books well very well, and narrators like to be associated with success just like most people do. Holy Roman Empire which is modern day Germany which can be tiggering to some people and the last thing I want to do is spend sereval hours day on social media defending myself because someone is pissed off I would rather have the marketing department of a publsiher deal with it. See Photos. Did Amazon have something to do with it? Their books typically incorporate a fair amount of historical research and a rich setting, as well as three-dimensional characters, and strong prose skills. Also Julie James . Now, the problem with this rule is that you will find a huge range of $2.99 stories anywhere between about 3,000 and 20,000 words. California Death Index, 1940-1997 FamilySearch :). I believe its Return To Christmas. Jael Wye (sfr, five years since a new release) 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. Just trim away all the fat and floweryness from your writing, and youll do fine. And how sad, yet understandable, if true. Im finding heroines today from a wide range of authors to be quite interesting and complex. Yes, the husband/wife from the trilogy. 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 am a quilter. Writing for audio might also be the reason we see shorter books these days with fewer supporting characters and less complicated plot lines. Yes, agree about Judith Duncan; I loved her books set in the Canadian wide open spaces. the ask@AAR: Are 50 Shades of Grey or Twilight dangerous? Im willing to wait. I agree with everything you have written here. It wasnt about Torie, and that makes me sad. I reread The Roselynde Chronicles occasionally. My favorite romance author is Judith Ivory and her style influenced some of my other favorites, like Sherry Thomas and Meredith Duran. I love the Charlotte Holmes books (Im reading the upcoming one now) but would also like to see some more HR from Ms. Thomas. Im glad to know Joanna Bourne is working on something new. And at a furious pace. Kindle Edition. This is a shame because I love mystery novels and Sherry Thomas. I dont believe in any hierarchy of quality in fiction, but I think each of the others above brought a literary sensibility to their work. BTW, I dont know what happened to the site, but its not rendering properly any more. He smiled. I hope shes doing ok. Meredith Duran Profiles | Facebook They are probably the ones who get loads of meaningless 5* reviews of 10 words or less. The flooding of the best seller lists has more to do with Amazons wonky algorithms than scam authors. Self-publishing too seems to help allow more authors to write the kinds of books they want. wont ever write again but that they are no longer the commanding presence they once were in the genre and that I am pleasantly surprised when I hear of a new book from them. I found it too slow moving. the ask@AAR: What's your favorite country to visit? Sure, they talk a great deal about diversity, originality, and whatnot, but their HR catalog tends to neatly fit the status quo- with some exceptions, of course. I suspect the many fans of the author and narrators, many of whom have never read/listened to m/m before will be squeeing to the hills. Patricia Rice doing contemporary books ugh, etc. But her writing has changed over the last couple of years; it lacks the heart and the charm of her earlier work. They just observe what is popular and try to emulate it. Total immersion, fascinating experiences and interesting points of view from our heroes and heroines, even amazing and difficult and heartrending Redemption of thorough villians-dang, may have to go start re-reading.. Id like to see Deanna Rayburn continue the Lady Julia Gray series! I think there would be a lot of problematic content for todays readers, however the wonderful writing & good stories/characters shine through. Anne Stuart published a time travel Christmas themed book just back in November 2019 so she is still working. Maybe that helped with the relative speed then (even though she was never the fastest writer) or she had some already written. Thankfully, self-publishing doesnt bear the stigma that it once did. Im curious to know more about why light fiction focusing on light-weighted female characters is a trend., Arent we all? Before moving to Heath's current city of Philadelphia, PA, Heath lived in Villanova PA.Heath also answers to Durrans Heath and Heath Durrams, and perhaps a couple of other names. Other lovely news: Wicked Becomes You has made both Jennie's and Janine's Top 10 lists for . Courtney Milans older books did for me. Meredith Duran OverDrive: ebooks, audiobooks, and more for libraries I just read a 500+ page romance in July from Mariana Zapata, but I know shes self-published. It seemed like a large number of historical romance authors started writing in genres like paranormal for example and in many cases it was not totally by choice. If a song doesnt get airplay or publicity or put on a soundtrack then most people wont know about it. See if your friends have read any of Meredith Duran's books. I am perhaps a little naive about the online community as I dont get involved with social media, e.g. I think all it takes is one person to successfully break out with something different to set off a new trend like 50 Shades, Twilight, Outlander and numerous other books that inspired whole genres. mon - fri 8.00 am - 4.00 pm #22 beetham gardens highway, port of spain, trinidad +1 868-625-9028 I think people are getting more skeptical of mainstream publishing somehow signifying a benchmark for quality. There isnt a single one of her books I havent enjoyed. The more than 6,000 square foot space includes two . Its self-published? People are finally realizing that self-published books and indie presses are not only respectable but often put out superior content to the Big 5. 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? Not a chicken/egg but a system of mutual back and forth influence, as it were. A 100-125k word book about the Holy Roman Empire sounds fascinating. They are legacies our real children and our childrens children can back, touch and feel and know us in a sense. } As I said (before I read your comments here) Im basing my observations on big publishers and the books getting the PR money and push. Thank you for the updates. In 2017, she mentioned on her social media that she was writing a new book The Return of Lady Anne but I havent seen an update since then. The only worry is that Harper Collins bought them out a couple of years ago and they own publish AVON the line that started the endless Regency trend in historical romance. However theres also room for variety were happy to publish stories from ancient Greece all the way through to World War II, though we have ceased publication of Westerns as of January 2019.. }); Available instantly. It often feels like a money grab on the part of these CR authors, and I resent that. However, I would like to know if she is on a permanent hiatus in relation to the IAD series or if she plans on actually release more books. I see a lot of authors will post what and who they are currently reading or their influences and I think its brave in this day and age as people can be quick to draw conclusions. Boconova, a Favorite Oakland Restaurant for Latin American Brunch, Just Kincaid who is also on hiatus for the past few years so I guess that could suggest that theres family stuff going on. How interesting, I did not know this. Loretta Chase is planning to write at least 1 more book in her current series. Then again, if we exclusively bucked the trends in favor of our own fantasies, wed be even poorer as a profession than we already are. Linnea Sinclair (sfr, I havent seen a new one in a decade) I loved her books. I think Sarah Addison Allen still writes but she has suffered some family losses. Longer doesnt always mean better or denser or more interesting or more critical, etc. (Not saying impossible, just impractical.). They often price their books at less than a buck a book and flood the best seller lists. Try not to be discouraged. // logged into Facebook user but not a GR app user; show FB button And nice to see another Paula Detmer Riggs fan. 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. Ho-hum. sort by * Note: these are all the books on Goodreads for this author. Many other I miss have been mentioned already. Now, either these authors have stopped writing in this genre, have retired altogether, or write at a much, much slower pace. Personally, I am not interested in her YA series. Index includes name, sex, date and place of birth, date and county of death, father's last name, and mother's maiden name. So, Im getting pickier, avoiding the Lauren Blakley-type writing, and doing a lot of relistening because Im not finding much that appeals. Sandra Antonelli, a romance author who is reviewed here, wrote her doctoral dissertation on ageism in romances and blogs about it frequently and has lots of great insight on the issue. Harlequin Historicals submission page on Submittable says this: Regency, Highlanders, Vikings, Medieval are most popular amongst our readers globally. If done correctly, it could be a wonderful period mystery series. I do agree that self publishing is churning out a lot of very different types of novels and trying out Kindle Unlimited over the past month has opened my eyes to so many more authors, novels and genres that werent on my radar before that large numbers of readers are consuming. 4.1 4.1 out of 5 stars (34) Kindle Edition. I know we will never agree on this point before Doomsday, but art can definitely exist for arts sake without an inherent agenda beyond pleasure. I have fond memories of Zemindar. julie James, I miss her contemporary romances. But I read the first book in Thomas series in spite of that and thought it was flat with a plot that didnt interest me. I even corresponded with her back in the day. Like that line in movie The Devil Wears Prada where Miranda lectures Annie and tells her shes wearing a particular shade of blue sweater because Miranda and a few select others made a decision years ago that that blue would be fashionable and promoted in magazines and high fashion until it trickled down to the level of the market where Annie bought it. 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. $j("#generalRegPrompt").hide(); The AAR Good Time Book Club: Fool Me Twice by Meredith Duran One more: Eve Dangerfield. I also miss Elizabeth Lowell, her westerns (both historical and modern day) were wonderful. Like others have mentioned, her books, along with Judith Ivory and Laura Kinsale, are so grown up, I suppose. I like fluff as much as the next person but there was never anything simple about my feelings reading Duke of Shadows, or The Prince of Midnight and I really miss that in most current HR releases. I miss Linnea Sinclair as well. Someone above said literary sensibility which is probably the better descriptor. I dislike her Charlotte Holmes series very much and I wish shed at least alternate between that and HR novels. I also agree that basing trends on what I choose to read or what attracts me is a very narrow lens. J.Quinn. This is fine and Im certain other readers have enjoyed it. The beauty of self publishing is that you can really find anything -and lots of it nowadays. Thank you for your kinds words! . My phone is being annoying.). The Disappearance of a Fave Author - any info. And thats a good thing. But I want to listen to novels, not plays. 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 . Sigh. And, even if books are shorter, I wouldnt necessarily agree that lack of depth is the result, as in a cause and effect relationship. Its mildly annoying but on a wider scale, when people dont distinguish or cant distinguish, bigger problems ensue in a society. Thats interesting about Avon. 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. Although I suspect narrators covet working for her because of her high profile in CR. I like Anne Calhouns books and often wonder if shell return. I make quilts because at some point during the process of stitching I know/realize this is the essence of what will be left of me for several generations. For the Charlotte Holmes series, I find that I enjoy the audiobooks so much better than actually reading them myself. I find a trend for me is when two or three books in a row arent working, and then I become reluctant to keep reading when the next new book arrives. Shes publishing regularly. Although I hadnt read the Desert Dog series by McKenna because I couldnt get into them. Calhouns radio silence is particularly troubling because she shut down all of her social media accounts and has been completely out of the Romancelandia loop. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. @meredithduran is on Instagram 546 people follow their account Im definitely with you on this issue. Much like music, the people who sign authors or artists determine the trends, although happily, with self publishing, there are more options. I dont even believe that women are beating up men in romances as a trend today, which was recently posited in a blog here. By which I mean, we cant just follow the story of the old woman who lived through Pearl Harbor into the 21st century. I think someone said Sorenson was publishing under another name, but I could never really verify if that were the case. She has one left to go in that series. 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 miss Liz Carlyle and Susan Carroll both of whom wrote meaty, complex books. Deborah Smith has written some books I loved (Gentle Rain and When Venus Fell are my absolute favorites!) I. Likewise, not sure if Patricia Wright is still alive. There are beloved authors from years ago who have switched genres or retired but I know those old favourite books would bore me now. Id love to ask a publisher about your theory. Bound by your touch (2009 edition) | Open Library The LaurasLaura Moore and Laura Florand. Do you know of any data or scholarship on this? The landscape was part of the story in many ways, so much so that I felt like I was right there, in the book. Youre definitely onto something when it comes to author mimicry and knockoffs. They seem to be! Im also grateful to my other favorite (veteran) authors who still write, despite whatever challenges they face: Meljean Brook aka Milla Vane, Loretta Chase, for example. They are still quite good. Im going to review it for AG, so well see. These new full cast recordings sound really odd, because while there are lots of voices, there are no sound effects! I received an email from her recently in which she shared that health issues were slowing her writing, but she has not stopped permanently.. And as others have said, there are some authors who are still writing but whose work isnt what it once was, and I miss them, too. I didnt know this. "How kind of you to confirm what I already know. Its always hard for me to decide when to break up with an author Ive followed for years. if (this.auth.status === "not_authorized") { They didnt mention click farms specifically, but that is yet another scam. }); As for the self-published authors, it can definitely get tricky. I dont blame you, but unless an author is self-published, they get zero say in the pricing. The reason I miss the still-writing authors more than those who arent writing at all is that I still get that excited feeling when I see a new book coming from an author I used to auto-buy. I can see it. I also miss Sherry Thomas writing historical romance. Thered probably be a lot more originality in writing if authors quit chasing after trends and just told the stories itching to burst out of their imaginations. Is Duranki on hiatus? : Duranki - Reddit Those kind of questions keep me up at night. I can wait it sucks, but I can, but it would be kind of her to inform the readers, whatever her decision is. I remember reading a gothic type romance with time travel elements back in the early 90s when I was much younger. I dont know if Valerie Fitzgerald is still alive. I also suspect the fact that the narrators have a long-running, frenemies bromance going on on Twitter has a lot to do with the reasoning behind this book. These two are Editors that were telling their authors how and what to write. Are readers suddenly not interested in reading complex books? Loved all their books. The Meljean revival has been wonderful and encouraging. Impenitent social media enthusiast. I miss Laura Kinsale, Erin Kellison, and Joanna Bourne. She had outlined the Spymaster books pretty thoroughly before she had even written them because she knew what was happening in Forbidden Rose etc before it was published. We have a national election headed our way in months. At this point it'll be six years ish since she's written anything and zero newsletter or publication announcements. Amazon.com: Meredith Duran: Kindle Store 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. Granted, most people have been really understanding about it, but a number of people outside of the field really dont get it. She has a stable of narrators that she rotates through her books, bringing in new ones on a regular basis. Martyns FB page says shes going to write childrens books next! Since 2007 no full length book like the ones I mentioned has been released. Many include authors interviewing other authors or fangirling including Bec McMaster interviewing Amanda Bouchet. Im finishing up the revisions on THE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY WORST MAN IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES and Im feeling delicious. Of course not. Its been several years since Ive read a book this long and I realize now I miss them! Its like the old joke, Theres lies. Also, I never realized there is a giant genre of Alien Barbarian romance. That occurred to me as well! I can observe it. (None of them have incited the sort of ire leveled at Patrick Rothfuss and George R. R. Martin, however.). 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. Nowadays my fav hr authors are Julie Anne Long and Mia Vincy. Sign Up. Her phrasing and word choices are amazing. And thats a huge problem although is sadly what a large part of the m/m audience seem to want. 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.