What Makes a Special Setting Special?
My favorite of all the Special Title Lists is the Special Settings List. I can’t begin to say how many times I’ve scoured through that list looking for books to read in different exotic locales, paying…
Susan Elizabeth Phillips Booksigning and July/August Events
This is the one I’ve been waiting for! Despite living in Chicago for a good part of my adult life, I never managed to make it out to Naperville (far western suburb) to attend one of…
In Search of a Good Laugh
If an author’s book makes me laugh, then there is a 99.9% chance that I am going to love the book because I love to laugh. I seek out books or movies that have a good…
Careers With Staying Power
Reading Maggie’s blog about the unique backgrounds of individuals now writing romance novels caused me to think about writing as a career and how some authors are able to make a success of it for years…
Before They Were Authors
The recent Labor Day weekend had friends and I discussing the changing job market. Many of us had launched into second (and even third) career paths, something that certainly wasn’t expected when we initially graduated from…
This is Dedicated to the One I Love…
Long before the Internet with authors’ webpages, blogs, Facebook, and Twitter, I knew quite a bit about the authors whose books I read. I knew the names of their best friends, husbands, and children. I was…
The Seducer and the Seduced
As a genre, romances have largely moved beyond the “bodice ripper” forced seduction-style stories (despite lingering stereotypes). They still pop up from time to time, but generally now the “she said no, but I know she…
Authors | Characters | Heroes | Heroines | Historicals | Reading | Romance | Romance reading
Stuart’s Coat, Sara’s Spectacles, and Jessica’s Glove
I’ve been thinking lately about what is it about some writers that make their books magical for readers in ways that others aren’t. First, a confession: I read contemporary romance, romantic suspense, and paranormals, but historical…
Books with Buzz: Susan Elizabeth Phillips Interview and Giveaway (Contest Closed)
It’s been far too long since Susan Elizabeth Phillips graced the pages of AAR and I couldn’t be happier to report that, at last, she’s back. One of the most beloved writers of contemporary romance, SEP…
Characters | Heather AAR | Heroines | Historicals | Reading | Romance | Romance reading
The Pregnant Heroine
As so many of us have blogged about our reading preferences lately, I began thinking about my own romance likes and dislikes. As I’ve gotten older or simply have read more, I’ve noticed differences in my…