New Serial Romance

So the news is out! My new serial romance, The 11th Commandment, will be published exclusively in InD'tale Magazine. And here's the cover I created to go with it: 

Lovely, yes? This cover was a wonderful thing to work on while neck-deep in writing this serial. Yes, I'm still writing it, but Part I is done and set to appear in the upcoming issue of the magazine. Part II is well on its way.

Now, you'd probably like a bit of a blurb for this serial, right? I don't blame you. ☺ How does this sound:

Lady Katherine never learned the fine art of hiding one's indiscretions. Thus her one mistake became Society's biggest scandal. Can she overcome the shame and learn to love again? 

I'm told the cliffhanger at the end of Part I leaves the reader salivating for more. I hope this is the case since that's the whole point of a serial. 

If you want to follow Katherine's adventures in love, make sure you subscribe to InD'tale Magazine BEFORE the July issue's release. You won't want to miss a single installment! 

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Creed ~ Beautiful

An ACTUAL Page View Milestone

I just broke 20,000 views on this blog (or so blogger informs me).


WOO-HOO! 


So here it is again, my lovely readers. The giant THANK YOU. ☺

♥Happy reading, writing, and blogging!!♥

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Santana feat Rob Thomas ~ Smooth

♥Romance Opinions ♥ Romance: Selling Point or Turn Off?

Several months ago I asked a question on facebook that got me thinking (as if I wasn't already thinking to have asked the Q in the first place). Here is my exact post: 

"{I'm gonna ask this here, since my friends list is made up of all types of friends, not just people who know me for my writing.} Hubby says I'm doing myself a disservice by calling my books romances. What do you think? Do you immediately lose interest when the term "romance" (in reference to a book) is mentioned? Why or why not?"

The responses I got were varied and interesting ... and perhaps something I already knew. However, they still made me think. 

For example, one person mentioned that 80% of book sales are romances. True, and when looked at that way, it's hard to think calling my books romances would be a disservice. 

However, more than one (women, mind you) mentioned that they avoid the romance sections in stores and libraries. Whether it was the assumption the books contain graphic sex or unrealistic plots, the reaction was the same: Complete avoidance. 

One admitted that if we weren't published with the same company, she never would have picked up one of my books. But she did and loved them because "they are SO much more than romance." 

Which is exactly why my husband says I'm doing myself a disservice. In addition, he says calling them romances misleads romance fans into expecting a typical romance and they may not like finding out otherwise.

When I asked the question again, later, a discussion ensued in regard to the definition of historical fiction (HF) vs. literary fiction (LF). It was determined then that my books do not qualify as HF since HF typically focuses around a specific historical event or person. LF seems to be more character-driven, in-depth, psychological offerings. It appears that, in the broadest sense, my books are literary fiction with a historical setting.

I seem to have stumbled into my own genre. And that makes marketing a nearly impossible task. Books are required to be listed as something in all the retail stores. I figured "clean historical romance" or "clean Regency romance" best describes my books even though not everyone agrees with the "clean" assessment...but that's another post entirely. ☺

What are your thoughts on this subject? Is the word "romance" a turn off? Why or why not? 

There's a jukebox in my head. It's currently playing
♫♪ Faye Wong ~ Eyes On Me