Visiting Imaginary Places
I remember the first time I read Jane Eyre and entered Rochester’s house, Thornfield Hall. Coming from a middle-class family in Nebraska, the middle of the United States, I was enthralled with walking into the drawing…
Women Writing M/M Romance
I interviewed three groups of m/m romance authors at the Romantic Times convention in May, asking the authors primarily the same questions. I let the discussions go in any direction the authors wanted with the idea…
From Inside the Reviewer’s Studio
One of the things I like best about reviewing for AAR is the fact that I’m encouraged to select books to review rather than being assigned what to read. Of course, this freedom promotes good, rather…
Pat Henshaw | Publishing | RT
Surviving the Convention
Even though I’ve been to BEA (Book Expo America) quite a few times, I wasn’t prepared for the RT convention this year. Although they both revolve around books and finding the right book for the right…
RT 2014 Day One
First of all, if you don’t know what RT is, don’t worry. I didn’t know what it was until I’d been reviewing for several years. Basically, the romance community has two big conferences a year: Romantic…
AAR Blythe | AAR Jenna | Dabney AAR | Lee AAR | Maggie AAR | Mary AAR | Melanie AAR | Pat Henshaw
Roses are red, violets are blue. Like love poems? Here a few.
Before romance novels there were love poems. Sometimes sweet, sometimes tender, sometimes raunchy but always intimate and direct. Most love poems are from the author to a specific lover, a genuine communication that wasn’t necessarily intended…
Alexandra AAR | Caz AAR | Dabney AAR | Heather AAR | Lynn AAR | Maggie AAR | Melanie AAR | Pat Henshaw | Rike AAR
We pick the “Buried Treasures” of 2013
In 2013, self-publishing was mainstream, social media allowed authors more specific ways to publicize their work, and everyone had a strongly held opinion about what constituted a great romance novel. This environment makes the idea of…
AAR Blythe | AAR Jenna | Alexandra AAR | All About Romance | Anne Marble | Caroline AAR | Caz AAR | Cindy AAR | Dabney AAR | Haley AAR | Heather S. AAR | Jean AAR | Lea Hensley | Lee AAR | LinnieGayl AAR | Maggie AAR | Mary AAR | Melanie AAR | Pat Henshaw | Rike AAR
The results of the AAR Top Ten Lists are in and the winner is….
Back in April, we began, on each Tuesday, publishing a reviewer’s Top Ten list. There were no rules other than the books be in the romance genre. Over the next five months, we published twenty-three lists….
AAR Staff Top Ten Favorites – Pat's Picks
Coming up with a list of my top romances is not romantic at all. In fact, it can be downright unromantic as I found out the first year I tried to compile a list of my…
Reading Is Dangerous!
My early recollections of the dangers of reading center around sunburn. I would lie out on a beach towel in the backyard and get so engrossed in Nancy Drew or some other thrilling story that I…