Hello and a
belated welcome to the new year on my blogger site. I’m finally getting back
into my writing groove after a holiday in the big smoke (Australian slang which means “city”). I needed that break away from
hot and dry country living. It was a pleasure to watch fish swim at the AQWA Aquarium
and see the humpback whale videos. I was in my own world as I wandered around
the streets of Fremantle admiring the Victorian-era architecture, and eating
lunch at a tea room that’s being part of the streetscape of the city for a long time. Catching
J.K Rowling’s “Fantastic Beasts” movie was an unplanned treat for my
imagination.
February is when I like to throw a spotlight on romance writing. I’ve messaged a
few Australia writers and during the month, I hope to bring you some news about
their latest stories. Later in the year, I’ll have some news about my own
romance stories. I plan to publish two more novellas in 2017.
The world of
romance books is a growing, world-wide, and billion dollar industry. There are
many different ways to write about a story about the obstacles faced by a couple who are
attracted to each other. Romance books give women want they want. A love story
with a happy ending. Happy afters make readers happy.
Romance books also provide an escape from the ordinary world of work and responsibilities (for me at least). They
feed women’s fantasies of physical attraction, romance, pleasure, sex and love
in a mostly positive, life-affirming way. What’s bad about that? Why do romance
books have a bad reputation as trash and cop flak for representing women’s
stories, mostly told by women?
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| source: www.picturequotes.com |
I can leave
the judgements behind and celebrate the variety of stories on offer to the
reader. It’s a feel-good experience.
 |
| source: www.picturequotes.com |
Often when I’m grappling with the words of a story, I become isolated and wrapped in my own little bubble. I forget that I’m not alone in the outback. I’m part of a global community. Romance writers are usually readers. Readers become writers. It’s a love story. In 2015, Emmy Award Winning director Laurie Kahn made a documentary about the American romance community called, “Love Between The Covers”. The documentary features interviews between authors and readers/fans. Here’s the video of the trailer for the documentary.
The documentary is available in North America as a DVD from iTunes, Amazon, Google Play, Netflix and others. For a full listing of DVD availability, visit the website, www.lovebetweenthecovers.com
Before I go, I’ll leave
you with some love quotes from the Persian poet, mystic, and scholar, Rumi. It’s
incredible that Rumi was born in 1207 and his work is still remembered today.
“Only
from the heart can you touch the sky.”
“Let
the beauty of what you love be what you do.”
“I am
yours. Don’t give myself back to me.”
Love the one you're with.
Love yourself.
Spread the love around.
Enjoy your weekend.
♥ Ashlyn
Love yourself.
Spread the love around.
Enjoy your weekend.
♥ Ashlyn
More Romance Posts
February
2018 is Romance Month
falling in love,
being in love,
love until the last breath.
Who would you like to cosy up to this Valentine’s Day?
Steamy
Romance Reads
Romance is in the news this month, and women who like sex and want to read about it are rocking the romance genre.
Don’t judge a lady’s taste by her age…
Choosing
Your Next Romance Read
“Romance has often been the only place in media where women can see themselves at the center of the story triumphing. … There’s a lot of power in happily ever after..."
Say, "I love you" in so many words.
Q: How to do you tell someone you love them?
A: In your own special way.
What if…
you can’t find the right words to voice your romantic feelings...
February 2016 - A Month of Romance
We live in fast changing times.
Romance is not what it used to be.
Personal relationships are changing too.
Remember the marriage market from Jane Austen’s regency world?...
Romance Readers, Writers and Books
Is romance missing from modern courtships between women and men?
Is hook-up culture partly to blame?...
Revolution in Romance Novels
This week I’m blogging about a Jezebel.com post that describes a revolution that occurred in romance novels over the last forty years. The liberation started with a single book in the 1970’s and continues to this day. “Bodice ripper”, is a scorned label for romance books, and back in the seventies, society and sexual mores were being challenged in the novels...
What is a Guilty Pleasure?
According to Wikipedia, “a guilty pleasure is something that one enjoys despite feeling that it is not generally held in high regard.”
A tsk-tsk,
or a tut-tut,
about that.
But you don’t have to tell anyone about your guilty pleasure, romance reads unless you want to...
Who knew Romance Books were Guilty Pleasures?
Amazon UK has released a list of best-selling e-books for the year. From The Telegraph news article, Mills & Boon romance books made the list as well as other genres.18 of the top 20 authors were women.
Razor on Romance Writers: These Broads have no time for nonsense.
Helen Razer from the Daily Review website, wrote an engaging article about irreverent Romance Writers who shamelessly go about their business, and have no time for nonsense...
Authors Who Write Romance and the Stigma They Experience.
Romance authors do (not always) write under pen-names for a variety of reasons. It's not a new trend. The use of pen-names by writers goes back to at least the 17th Century when they were used by a German poet, and a French theater-writer...
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
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