I remember reading a gothic type romance with time travel elements back in the early 90s when I was much younger. And I certainly wont pay that per installment on duos or trilogies with very short books each time. Just a small irritant: I have been looking at this book for a month or two, then apparently all of my GR friends read it at once, because there were updates everywhere. All interesting variables to think about, but such a study probably wouldnt be practical. The flooding of the best seller lists has more to do with Amazons wonky algorithms than scam authors. As for the self-published authors, it can definitely get tricky. There are wonderful books out there Getting Schooled by Emma Chase comes to mind as an example that have multiple characters of multiple ages, and both genders, flashbacks, several different settings, humor, drama, even pathos, that are utterly perfect as both audio and print books. Ive never read anything by this author either but am eager to start love the covers too! I looked everywhere for your first book. Heaven Sent, Marrying Stone, Simple Jess, Wild Oats, The Love Charm these were the books that made me realize hey, romance is wonderful. Ivory had such a unique voice and I havent found anyone like her. How much do publishers and editors shape public taste? Plus, I knew about the Egypt romances, Jeannie Lins work, etc. 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. Romance, YA, Fiction and Fantasy Novel Reviews, Nonsensical Rants, and My Own Writing Adventures. Their lyrical writing is full of sensual detail and they really linger over words. Many thanks to Meredith Duran for taking the time out of her busy schedule to answer a few questions. Was it a reaction to something the way that the pop music resurgence happened after grunge ruled the music charts? 2014 Isdronningen: Letsindighedens love 4. They need to make a living, but I expect a fair value for my money. For me, unless its an auto-buy writer, I just wont pay $11 for a short novel or novella. Its why I stopped bothering to write reviews there. Thanks for giving me some insight into how Audible works. Courtney Milan wrote a novella last year that I enjoyed and she just posted about a new novel coming out by this years end, and so shes still around. I just miss her amazing HRs so much..! 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. are being marketed more and given more of a PR push. But mostly its because my tastes keep changing. I learn something about writing each time I pick up one of their books. Thanks for the very informative interview and hope all goes well with the defense. She was the Pulitzer Prize-finalist TV critic for the San Francisco Examiner, and a founding staff member of Salon. Cant wait to get my little paws on this one. Amazing that I hadnt read anything of hers before. showBlogFormLink.click(); With Bound by Your Touch, I'm pretty sure that the keyword is faith - or, more accurately, whether or not to love someone is to have total faith in him or her. Im curious to know more about why light fiction focusing on light-weighted female characters is a trend. Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. #cnsf18. It demands and entails respect. ), https://allaboutromance.com/participant/dgrinnan/. But, clearly, this is your own voice and your own style and your own story. 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. Ive never liked Sherlock Holmes, I always thought he was a jerk. : Paul McCartney comparece ao lanamento da primeira coleo de utenslios domsticos de sua filha Heather, nos EUA. 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. are fine. It also occurs to me in this discussion that I distinguish between authors who have literally vanished and havent been seen in years and authors whose output has significantly diminished and who I tend to think now of as semi-retired. (Torie was a genealogist, and she had an entertaining supporting cast.). I think there would be a lot of problematic content for todays readers, however the wonderful writing & good stories/characters shine through. Although I hadnt read the Desert Dog series by McKenna because I couldnt get into them. Cole has been been writing a YA series. MEREDITH DURAN grew up enamored of British history. Im finishing up the revisions on THE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY WORST MAN IN ENGLAND, SCOTLAND AND WALES and Im feeling delicious. Patricia Rice doing contemporary books ugh, etc. I keep hoping for an early release. !" concerns from creatives. https://allaboutromance.com/participant/aar-guest-reviewer/, Id been toying for a while with writing the tale of a cynical Prince Charming who falls in love with the Ugly Duckling. But they arent facts. You mentioned in your last post that your word count would be about 100,000 125,000. Just because something isnt officially written down doesnt mean it isnt happening. I also would like to add that Im grateful for AAR and the people who commune here :). I am a big historical romance fan and your novels sound wonderful. Theres damn lies. And yet, when I first returned to romances over a decade ago after a long break, I found the genre at large teeming with light-hearted books with fairly one-dimensional characters. What romance author do you miss the most? 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. intelligent, complex, sexy, smart and really goodwho even remotely writes like her? Im curious. One perk about being waaaay behind is that theres a backlist to glom! 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 would love to read a great historical romance set in some time period other than the 19th century for a change! Some authors though endure and write consisently well or even better as they age. (No one is forcing this particular price point by decree, but a number of erotica authors have essentially made an unofficial pact to never charge less than $2.99 for smut lest customers start expecting $0.99 jollies that would only earn an author $0.35 per sale.) I didnt know this. I love Roberta Gellis. 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 . But still sad for me. Perhaps next you will introduce me to myself. the ask@AAR: What are the very best love scenes in romance? I really enjoyed The Duke of Shadows, so I will definitely be looking for this story. We have a national election headed our way in months. (What can I say? I just wanted to say that I loved The Duke of Shadows. Still didnt work for me.). But I want to listen to novels, not plays. You notice almost nobody ever threatens to boycott certain editors (who can typically remain anonymous) or the publishing houses that green lighted and/or encouraged the controversial work in the first place. Sometimes books between 3-5 hours are priced around $10. Meredith Duran is the best selling author of over a dozen historical romances. In each other, they come face to face, for the first time, with someone who sees them as they truly are. They are still quite good. A few caveats: Regretfully, you must have a U.S. mailing address to be eligible and if you review or write for another romance Website or blog, please dont enter. Amazon scam authors are those who crank out a book a month often price their books at less than a buck a book and flood the best seller lists., Heres where I have to disagree with you, Dabney, or at least offer my take on it. James, meanwhile, is thoroughly amused by how much the spinster intrigues him. var showBlogFormLink = document.getElementById('show_external_blog_form'); Historicals are great and this one sounds like a winner! Im so bedazzled at being associated with those authors that I am tempted to say the whole world looks golden right now! I also miss her. Clearly, you are a long-time romance fan. Id love to read some but I dont know of anyone doing research on this area. 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. I dislike her Charlotte Holmes series very much and I wish shed at least alternate between that and HR novels. Ugh I really hope this story structure goes out of style And while I dont have a distaste for time travel per se, I dont like when its clearly used as a way to make what should be a straight-up historical story relevant for a younger reader by throwing in a 21st century protagonist who doesnt really need to be there. Same here, for some reason I found it extremely difficult to get into Sherry Thomas Charlotte Holmes series. The same with books for many a reader. 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! I know Dangerfield wasnt to everyones taste (theres usually more than a little kink in all of her books), but I loved her combination of heat, heart, and humor. The RWA implosion back in January will almost assuredly spark scholarship on the state of diversity in the genre soon, if it hasnt yet. 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.. Its not that I think Joanna Bourne, Anne Stuart, Loretta Chase, etc. Sounds like a great book. The heroine has been raised to be very, very nice (so nice that shes strangling on it), but when a humiliating turn of events proves to her that nice isnt working anymore, she decides instead that shell learn how to be naughty. Following the publication of the CMA's recent influencer guidance on endorsements, We Are Social's General Counsel Darryl Taylor has shared a summary of what marketers need to Yes, I follow Stuart on social media. I have to put a weight on them to keep them closed.). Ive been saving it for a special occasion, I think. My observations have been based on the books that are getting the contracts and the big PR from established publishers. Ah, I didnt know that she was no longer writing. There are beloved authors from years ago who have switched genres or retired but I know those old favourite books would bore me now. I also believe she had a bout with cancer. Thats just a sin. is meredith duran still writing. Which is crazy when you think about it considering someone else is using their characters without permission in the first place. I look forward toreadingMerediths. I dont mind it in contemporary romance or even a time travel, but I really dislike 19th century bluestocking heroines that write like modern bloggers. I also miss authors like Nonnie St. George and Nita Abrams who seemed to come and go in a flash of brilliance. Im very interested to see what those publications you list above are reporting on regarding romance novels and reading. I love Duke of Shadows, and I cant wait toread the two (!!) At least now between blogs, twitter and other readers one can glean some kind of answer or update. What neither can predict is the strange empathy that springs up between them. And thats a whole other can of worms Im not going to open right now. 2019 En farlig handel: Letsindighedens love 3. As I pointed out above, Meredith Duran is younger than I am but her work reminds me and others of authors who were publishing at least 10 years earlier or more. 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! Cyber dating abuse represents a new form of dating violence that has been gaining worrying dimensions. There are definitely Amazon scams out there, including plagiarism as you mention. I believe its Return To Christmas. 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. I am unlikely to listen to this one though, even though I love both narrators, because Im not enjoying any of her work right now. MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. Someone above said literary sensibility which is probably the better descriptor. Harlequin Historicals submission page on Submittable says this: Regency, Highlanders, Vikings, Medieval are most popular amongst our readers globally. True, she didnt quit writing entirely, but shes definitely shifted her focus from romantic suspense to thrillers with some romantic elements (as opposed to central romance). However, I worried that her devotion risked coming off as obstinacy, or, worse yet, as stupidity.And my greatest nightmare is writing a TSTL heroine. Any other exciting settings coming up? Thank you for sharing this information :). 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. Congrats Meredith. And sometimes, an author just gets sick and tired of running on the treadmill- especially if she has been forced by multibook contracts or need of advances to crank out a book a month. Yes, the husband/wife from the trilogy. Im very excited to read this authors books! I would love to try a new author. facebook, twitter, etc. It often feels like a money grab on the part of these CR authors, and I resent that.. As the old Tootsie Roll commercials say, The world may never know. Its always hard for me to decide when to break up with an author Ive followed for years. It was not a bad book (I really dont think Kati is capable of writing a bad book), but there were certain word choices and the way dialogue was presented that I felt were definitely driven by the fact that the book would be HEARD before it would be READ. She was an author with so much promise and her disappearance still bothers me. I do like the Veronica Speedwell books but the Lady Julia series seems unfinished to me. On the flip side, new generations of writers emerge every year to follow in their footsteps. All great insights about casual shoppers picking up paperbacks at the store. At the very least, shed probably have to change the title. Is that a bug that can be fixed? These are four of my very favorite writers, all of whom wrote strong, intelligent, thoughtful characters and great romantic stories. I hope after reading this interview, you will be, too. Its mildly annoying but on a wider scale, when people dont distinguish or cant distinguish, bigger problems ensue in a society. Please enter me in the ARC contest. Sigh. Wow, what great recommendations for this book. Games of Command was such a good book. Hi Meredith, Ive also been waiting for your new book ever since The Duke of Shadows. Is it your perception that romance publishers are open to the idea that not all historicals must be in set in Regency England? A 100-125k word book about the Holy Roman Empire sounds fascinating. Via a conversational approach, each episode explores a timely topic related to the science of reading. Im nodding my head at the notion that light-hearted, fluffy romances with one-dimensional characters are popular. But it does provide a general depiction of current trends on a roughly hourly basis. That said, Im a fast reader, so I often look with jealousy over to the fantasy aisle, with their big fat tomes.Books that can double as doorstops!Books that would swallow me for days! Maybe its time for me to have Christmas in late July. Where are the next installments of the famous IAD series by Kresley Cole? They often price their books at less than a buck a book and flood the best seller lists. Yes, agree about Judith Duncan; I loved her books set in the Canadian wide open spaces. On the one hand, Meredith Duran's writing is stunning. I love reading historicals. Granted, most people have been really understanding about it, but a number of people outside of the field really dont get it. Just look at the top male movie stars from 20 years ago or 10 compared to now. I couldnt agree more. 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. I also miss Cecilia Grant, who hasnt shown up on Twitter for quite a while. The Duke of Shadows is one of my favorite re-reads and I have to say it did remind me of the meaty romances from a few years ago (I sure do miss those deep, detailed books). Written on Your Skin marks a shift in tonefrom spinster to femme fatale, and from reckless libertine to cool-tempered spy.The story opens in Hong Kong.Mina, who has mastered the art of hiding desperation behind batting lashes and a pretty smile, discovers that her stepfathers houseguest is not who he says he is.In fact, Phin Granville secretly works for the British government.Dragged against his will into an international game of espionage, he has long since given up on prospect of freedom. I still have that one on the old keeper shelf. How can the romance community be improved or changed for you? The book is just plain encouraging; sometimes its easy to think all the really good books have been written already, and theres nothing else out there.. Likewise, I try to be a critical reader myself and check my own biases if I find that Im making assumptions about groups, including based on age. Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. I relisten to the books periodically, I hope they come back someday. You arent pleased by certain narratives, so you dont have to read them. And thats a huge problem although is sadly what a large part of the m/m audience seem to want. I think something similar happened to Rett MacPherson with her Torie OShea mystery series and Ive only seen one novel that she self-published recently. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. And now Ive found Meredith Duran and SHE IS GONNA QUIT AND NOT TELL US STELLAS STORY!!! //