For Booksellers & Librarians:
Romance 101: The Nitty Gritty on the Romance Genre
Don't have anyone on staff who reads romance? Need to give
your staff members a crash course in the romance genre? Here's an outline of a
short workshop I give to introduce the romance genre to readers who are
unfamiliar with it! Email me to schedule a live workshop, tele-class or online
class.
Romance 101: The
Nitty-Gritty on the Romance Genre
I.
Romance:
A.
Bestselling segment of paperback fiction market in N. America
B.
A short history on romance novels
C.
Essential elements of romance novels
1.
A hero & heroine to fall in love
2.
Conflict that threatens to keep H & H apart
3.
The once in a lifetime love
4.
Happy Ever After (HEA)/Resolution
D.
Same story over and over again? No way!
E.
Critics claim...
II.
Romance Readers
A.
Demographics
B.
Why Romance?
III.
Sub-genres: Definition, authors, publishers
A.
Chick-Lit
B.
Erotic Romance
C.
Historical
D.
Inspirational
E.
Contemporary
F.
Paranormal
G.
Romantic Suspense
H.
Other
IV.
Links and Resources
Still need more?
Email me to request
my author cross-reference chart. This multi-sub-genre
gold mine is a reference system to assist your staff members unfamiliar with
the romance genre. If a customer comes in looking for a new author and can tell
your staff person their favorite romance author/s, they can make suggestions by
using the chart. Updated quarterly.
For Readers:
Where Readers & Writers Mix & Mingle:
Between Your
Sheets: For those with a passion for books
Romance
Junkies
The Romance
Studio
Fresh Fiction
Romance Readers' Hang-outs:
Armchair
Heroines: my blog with news, reviews, fun and games for the romance
reader
Coffee Time
Romance: Your one stop shop for books and authors on the web
The Romance
Reader: news, reviews and interviews
Have we got a story
for you: brought to you by Romance Writers of America
All About
Romance: the back fence for lovers of romance novels
Romantic
Times Book Reviews: the magazine for fiction lovers
Barnes
& Noble Studio: book trailers and interviews
Author Websites:
Lynda Hilburn
Renee Knowles
Elaine Levine
Melissa Mayhue
Robin D. Owens
Hooked on Historicals:
Unusual
Historicals: Not your mama's historicals!
Upcoming
Historicals: A listing of new historical releases with Amazon.com
links created and managed by Wendy, Superlibrarian
For Writers:
A Hodgepodge of Writing Tips:
The Passionate Pen:
packed full of helpful, enlightening information
Resources
from author Vicki M. Taylor
Tips
from author Jennifer Weiner
Fiction
Writers Mentor
Tips
from the "Writers At Play" gang
Articles and tons of tips
from Fiction Factor
Articles
and advice abound at Romance Writing Tips
All About Romance: a good
place to learn more about readers (some of this information is older, but
I think still relevant)
Romantic Times
Authors' Blogs
Armchair
Heroines
Authors
& Books
Five Scribes
No
Rest for the Querying
Romance
Roundtable
The Writing
Bug
Grammar, Mechanics & Style
Common
Errors in English: I visit this one a lot...or is that alot? I visit it
frequently!
Words
that are often confused: As in, I hear you can learn about
homophones here...
Inspiration and Motivation
Need
help getting started with writing? Check out this post on my blog, No Rest
for the Querying
Need
a little inspiration? A swift kick in the booty to get to writing? Try
this link
The Write Soul
by Chiron O'Keefe: always an inspiring and motivating post!
Marketing and Promotion
Check out my custom promotionals business: Two Ps
Tips from author
Cait London
Business
Plans for Writers
Image
Building Article by Renee Hagar
5
Steps to Networking Brilliantly by Renee Hagar
Target
audience stats from RWA (Romance Writers of America)
Want to make
a trailer/video for your book? Give this tutorial a try!
On the Path to Getting Published
Ready
to start looking for an agent? Check this site out!
Agent Nathan Bransford's Blog
Bookends Literary Agency's
Blog
Chuck Sambuchino's Blog:
Guide To Literary Agents
Duotrope's Digest: a
database of current markets
Pub
Rants: Agent Kristin Nelson's Blog
Publisher's Lunch:
Industry Information
Professional Writing Organizations
Colorado
Romance Writers
Northern Colorado Writers
Rocky Mountain Fiction
Writers
Romance
Writers of America
Reference & Research
Indispensible books on my reference shelf:
The Timetables Of History by Bernard Grun
The Timetables Of American History by Laurence Urdang
Panati's Extraordinary Origins of Everyday Things by
Charles Panati
The Complete Idiot's Guide To Writing A Novel by Tom
Monteleone
No Plot? No Problem by Chris Baty
On Writing Romance by Leigh Michaels
Goal, Motivation and Conflict by Debra Dixon
The Synonym Finder by J.J. Rodale
Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary (this is great for
historical writers because it has the dates words came into use)
Self-Care for the Writer
Take
a break - it could make or break your writing
Rest
and the Writer
