More than the happily ever after
Romances are often derided—might even say most often derided—for their “formula.” For most critics, “formula” in romance comes down to the necessity of the happy ending (HEA=Happy Ever After). If all...
View ArticlePamela as precedent
Shelved in my study, in a single bookcase, is the history of the American romance novel. I love the history of literature—watching the growth and branching of genres across the centuries. Lately I’ve...
View ArticleOn the threshold
I am fascinated by that period in a romance novel when it looks like the wished-for union cannot possibly happen. The publishing industry calls this the “dark moment.” Literary critic Northrop Frye,...
View ArticleFifty shades of genre
The market popularity of the Fifty Shades trilogy is undeniable. Starting life as Twilight fan fiction and published as original fiction after some slight alterations, the trilogy has by turns...
View ArticleLearning to write romance
Over the years when I have told someone that I study the romance novel, a reaction I have gotten more than once is, “I’ve thought about writing a romance novel.” And more than one speaker has added,...
View ArticleBond in love
In the 2006 adaptation of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, a young, hotheaded, non-womanizing James Bond falls in love with the lady-like accountant Vesper Lynd. Icy, intelligent, and beautiful, Vesper...
View ArticleMore than the happily ever after
Romances are often derided—might even say most often derided—for their “formula.” For most critics, “formula” in romance comes down to the necessity of the happy ending (HEA=Happy Ever After). If all...
View ArticleLearning to write romance
Over the years when I have told someone that I study the romance novel, a reaction I have gotten more than once is, “I’ve thought about writing a romance novel.” And more than one speaker has added,...
View ArticleIt’s a process
Pam Regis, author of A Natural History of the Romance Novel, jumpstarted an online writing romance course. What prompted her to create the course? How is author Jennifer Crusie involved? Regis shared...
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