News and Musings

– The big news around the web this week has been the launch of Carina Press. They launched Monday and their books are now available in a number of places, including at their own site, where they’re offering a 20% discount. I bought a couple of the new releases this Monday, and compared to what I’ve encountered elsewhere, their site was very user-friendly. I’ve looked over their list of upcoming books through August, and we’re in for some treats – including reprints of some Hope Tarr historicals I’d almost given up on finding at the UBS!

I’ve read one of the Carina June titles for which a review will be coming soon, and I’m partway into another. So far I’m liking what I see. Given that this imprint has been marketing itself as a place for stories that may be a little bit outside the mainstream, I’m curious to see what they will be publishing in future. In the past, some authors such as Carla Kelly have commented on our message boards about historical romance ideas that they have wanted to pursue outside of their usual Regency/Victorian England settings but that their print publishers do not support. I’d love to see some of these ideas find a home at Carina; I’d certainly read them!

– For those going to RWA or just interested in the conference, the list of workshops is up. Some of these look really interesting. I know I want to hear Linda Howard speak. She’s a good speaker and her topic, The 12 Steps of Intimacy, sounds like it could be a good one. And I definitely want to catch “Beyond Britain: Writing, Selling and Promoting Unusual Historicals” as well as some of the publisher spotlights. I went to several of the spotlights last year, and found them informative in terms of what the publishers see as developing trends. Last year was my first trip to RWA, and I’m very excited about going again this year. I learned a lot, and I really enjoyed getting to meet wonderful people there.

– For those who like to take digs at the Harlequin Presents/M&B Modern Heat titles (yes, I’ll raise my hand this one), it looks like they may be changing the way they title their books – at least in the UK Modern Heat line. Since many of these tend to become HP books in the United States, I’m hoping that new titling will find its way over the this country as well. I’m starting to have trouble keeping all my billionaire’s mistress titles straight! I haven’t seen an official confirmation from Harlequin, but Modern Heat/Presents author Kimberly Lang commented on it over at Monkey Bear Reviews earlier this week.

– I started reading romance in earnest when I was in college, so I came in at the tail end of this mystical Golden Age of 1990s romance that others mention online from time to time. I also took a break of several years while I was in law school trying to figure out how to balance school with other hobbies such as eating and sleeping. This means that I have lots of good out of print romances to catch up on reading. Many of the really good ones can be hard to find in used bookstores, so I’m glad to see some publishers starting to reissue books in digital form.

Many of you are already aware that Harlequin started reissuing backlist titles, and it announced yesterday that more have been added to the list. Harlequin has been taking suggestions for books to add to the backlist, so if you have a favorite you don’t see in their ebook store, email your suggestions to them!

Avon is also reissuing a number of backlist titles for its authors. Books from Sandra Hill, Marjorie M. Liu, Lynsay Sands, Katie McAllister and Christine Feehan went on sale on June 8, and more will be coming throughout June and July. You can find more information, including a searchable list of books here.

Happy reading!

– Lynn Spencer