We asked Anna to come and blog about the genre of Romance and why she thinks it is so popular! So enjoy Anna's post and feel free to comment your views as well!
Hello, Aussie romance fans! Hello, Angus and Robertson Edwardstown!
Thank you so much for your ongoing and enthusiastic support for romance fiction, especially locally produced romance fiction!
My name is Anna Campbell. I’m an Aussie from Queensland and I write historical romance for Avon in America and HarperCollins Australia.
I was thinking the other day how far above our weight Aussie romance writers punch on the world stage. Throw in the fabulous New Zealanders like Nalini Singh, and the local contingent become a powerful force in the huge international romance market. People here are often astonished when I tell them how big romance is. I only have figures for America, but last year, romance was the bestselling genre there and sold a massive US$1.36 billion (figures courtesy of Romance Writers of America).
Occasionally I meet a misguided person who claims not to like romance (they have no idea what fun they’re missing!) and that puzzles me because it’s like saying you dislike food. The range of what is available in romance now is astonishing. There’s everything from a sheikh or a surgeon in a Mills and Boon through to vampires and shapeshifters in paranormal and urban fantasy, many of which are as hard-hitting as anything in the mainstream crime or suspense genres. Personally I like a duke or an earl – I’m just that kinda girl! There’s something magical about being swept away into the complex, glamorous world of historical romance.
This misguided person sometimes tries to tell me that romance is anti-feminist. This surprises me as romance is a multi-billion dollar industry largely run by women for women consumers and with a vast majority of women as the producers. That makes a feminist statement on its own, I would think! Just as the role of women has changed in the world, the role of the heroine has changed in romance – although as a long-term reader, the doormat heroine often referenced in romances of yesteryear has always struck me as a bit of a myth. I can’t think of a good romance novel where the heroine doesn’t undertake a journey to self-fulfilment in some way or other. Romance doesn’t have the profile in Australia that it does in America although a number of visionary bookshops including Angus and Robertson at Edwardstown are doing their best to change that.
Last week in particular, I was thinking about how we are raising the profile of Aussie romance writers. In next month’s Australian Women’s Weekly, there’s a big article by Tony Squires about romance writing in this country. Tony has interviewed a crowd of Australian writers, including me, about their work and career and the state of romance here. Then last week, I felt like a movie star when the Women’s Weekly flew me to Melbourne for a photo shoot including a professional stylist and make-up artist. I spent the day in a very chichi environment in North Fitzroy with local stars Stephanie Laurens and Keri Arthur, both of whom are multiple New York Times and USA Today bestsellers. The magazine will be out later in October so grab a copy to find out more about the Australian women who are making their mark in the international book market.
While I was there, I started to think about the many writers who could have also been included in the shoot (although I was very glad they picked me!). Australia is home to a plethora of wonderful Harlequin Mills and Boon authors who sell books in the millions. There are too many to list here, but some of my favourite local M&B writers include Annie West, Sharon Archer, Sarah Mayberry, Marion Lennox, Amy Andrews, Bronwyn Jameson, Trish Morey (a South Australian!) and Kelly Hunter. I could go on and on!
Then there are our fabulous historical writers! Stephanie Laurens has become a worldwide superstar with her passionate, exciting stories set in Regency England. Two more locals who write brilliant historical romance are Christine Wells and Anne Gracie. Or South Australian historical writer Elizabeth Rolls. Or for something a bit off the beaten track, Western Australian author Christina Phillips has made a splash with her debut novel set in Roman Britain, FORBIDDEN.
When it comes to the increasingly popular genre of paranormal and urban fantasy romance, try Tracey O’Hara or Erica Hayes or Denise Rossetti. If you fancy some romantic suspense, pick up books by local stars Bronwyn Parry or Helene Young. For feel-good contemporary romance, Kandy Shepherd writes lovely stories featuring eccentric pets along with her charming heroes and heroines.
Always a voracious reader, Anna Campbell decided when she was a child that she wanted to be a writer. Once she discovered the wonderful world of romance novels, she knew exactly what she wanted to write. Her first historical romance for Avon was the multi-award winning CLAIMING THE COURTESAN.
The variety of what Aussie authors are producing is mind-boggling. The go-to place for information about local authors is the Romance Writers of Australia website. Here’s a link to the author page: http://www.romanceaustralia.com/authors.html
So go on – buy Australian! Romance, that is!
Some relevant websites:
Christine Wells www.christine-wells.com
Sharon Archer www.sharon-archer.com
South Australian Romance Authors http://saromanceauthors.weebly.com/
Romance Writers of America http://www.rwanational.org/
I can fully support Anna's comments- Romance writers in Australia are really making their mark. I am constantly blown away by the amount of new releases coming through on the RWA website. I know that next year in particular there are a heap of fantastic rural romances due out. So many of my favourite authors releasing eagerly awaited sequels and next instalments! Can't wait! Keep up the good work Anna, and I can personally testify to this wonderful authors popularity, I saw the line up at her recent Australian Romance Readers Association book signing event!! Good job!
ReplyDeleteKarly.
Great post, Anna *waving* and how wonderful is Angus and Robertson for having such a talented Aussie author on their blog.
ReplyDeleteFully agree with everything you said. Romance is a huge business and growing stronger with every year.
Lover of Historical settings as well, I'm looking forward to your next release and all the other Aussie authors who write so fantastically.
Tam :)
If variety is the spice of life, then romance books are the must-have salt and pepper (along with a little of all the spices!) :) We are so blessed here in Australia (and New Zealand) to have such talent. My TBR To Be Read) pile is a mile high but that's OK.
ReplyDeleteLOVE your books Anna and all the authors you mentioned! Thanks Angus and Robertson Edwardstown for having the gorgeous Anna as your guest blogger!
Karly, thanks for swinging by. It's astonishing how many great Aussie romance authors are out there, isn't it? I felt awful that I didn't mention rural romance (and family sagas and contemporary women's fiction with romantic elements and young adult and... You can see my problem!). There's some amazing voices out there - Fleur MacDonald and Fiona Palmer spring to mind. And I believe you'll be joining the ranks of our rural romance writers next year! Congratulations!
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks, Tam! I'm really stoked that A&R in Edwardstown offered me the opportunity to talk about romance here too. Romance really doesn't get nearly enough local coverage considering how BIG it is! My next release is MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION in May next year. I love that title - it's SOOOO over the top!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna =) Edwardstown used to be my Angus and Robertson till we moved to the hills so I thought I better stop by and wave. Agree with everything you said and more. I think A&R need to have an Aussie Authors stand for the amount of books we produce! Speaking of books... When is your next one coming? Whats it called so I can keep my eye out...
ReplyDeleteGood to *see* you here,
Bron.
Hey, Serena, calling you gorgeous right back! Thanks for swinging by! I agree with you about the variety - I really only scratched the surface of what's available from Aussie authors. I could have gone on for paragraphs and paragraphs! And as you say, if we include the New Zealanders, the numbers of big name authors is fantastic!
ReplyDeleteHey, Bron! Actually I have a really soft spot for SA authors and bookstores. I had a wonderful time when I was the guest speaker this year at the SARA day of romance. And I was blown away at all the talent in your State! Next book is actually my take on a classic Regency romance (ooh, love my rakish hero, Nicholas Challoner, Marquess of Ranelaw!). It's called MIDNIGHT'S WILD PASSION and it's out next May.
ReplyDeleteYay! I suppose it's about time I bought one of your books instead of winning them ;)
ReplyDeleteWaving Hi to you Anna
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic post and boy do we have some fantastic authors here in Australia and I gotta say I have read just about everyone that you have mentioned as a reader I am in awe of the stories that you all write for us readers and keep then coming you can never have too many romance books to read. They always take me on wonderful adventures around the world back in time and into the future. I will be picking up the Womans Weekly when it is released I look forward to reading it and of course seeing you in March at the Australian Romance Readers Convention here in Sydney Whoo Hoo.
Thank you to Angus & Robertson Edwardstown for inviting you along today
Have Fun
Helen
Bron, you have had a good run, haven't you? ;-)
ReplyDeleteHelen, thanks so much for swinging by. Actually it gives me a chance to talk a little bit about the Australian Romance Readers Association (the website is included in the blog). It's $10 a year to join and it's fantastic value and you get the chance to hook up with romance readers all round the world (although obviously the majority are in Oz). They have a great newsletter and an email group and run signings and lunches in a lot of the major cities so people can hook up with others who share their passion for reading romance. Next March in Sydney, they're holding a convention at the Swiss Grand Resort and Spa at Bondi Beach. Dates are from 25th March to 27th March. Along with Nalini Singh and Cindy Gerard, a wonderful US romantic suspense author, I'm the keynote speaker. I can't wait. For more information, visit their events page: http://www.australianromancereaders.com.au/events.html
ReplyDeleteHi Anna! Wonderful post - full of great info and very articulate (hmmm... like someone I know? ;-)
ReplyDeleteYou make an important point about romance novels changing over time. Everything changes and develops - fashion, law, social mores, art, literature. So of course, the roles of heroes and heroines (and reader expectations due to social and environmental issues of the day), is going to change along with it.
And I love the way romances can create the first wave of cultural popularity - the first popular kick-ass vampire slayer was Anita Blake (back in 1992 thanks to Laurel K Hamilton)... long before Buffy!
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. And so true, there are so many great Aussie romance authors around, but your dear self is on the top of my list. It was lovely catching up with you at the SARA conference this year. I really enjoyed it.
Thank you Anna and thank you Angus and Robertson in Edwardstown for raising the profile of Aussie romance authors.
Regards
Margaret
Hi Anna, and hi to everyone at A&R Edwardstown! It's lovely to see homegrown romance celebrated with such enthusiasm.
ReplyDeleteI've always been amazed by the number of Aussie and New Zealand authors we have and the numbers seem to grow each year. Though I read books by authors all over the world I must say I'm often drawn to the work of local writers. Not quite sure why - but it means that, like Serena, my to be read list is a teetering pile at the moment. You can never have too many books to read!
I'll see you at the Aus Romance Readers Assn convention in Bondi. Should be fun!
Hi Anna, Edwardstown A&R & book lovers of all genres,
ReplyDeleteWhat a fantastic post, Anna, thank you for articulating so many points about romance writing and debunking some of the myths associated with the genre.
I'm only new to romance reading (discovered it in my thirties) - only been reading it for 10 years, unlike some people I know who seemed to have read them from the cradle! - and I can honestly say the variety of book within the genre is phenomenal. And the number of home-grown authors taking the romance market world-wide is growing!
I hope to see the romance genre take up a few shelves in the A&R chains in the near future.
Thanks again for a great post! :-)
Wonderful blog post, Anna!
ReplyDeleteIt's fantastic to see Angus & Robertson Edwardstown support romance, and particularly Australian romance. I sincerely wish that my local bookshops did the same - very few even have a dedicated romance section :(
Hi everyone!
ReplyDeleteYou all have some lovely things to say and we are glad your hear saying them. Thank you again to Anna for doing us a lovely blog!! Romance is one of our highest selling genres and we love to promote our Aussie Authors.
It is important to let the world know we are are here and we(Aussies)are awesome!!
Congratulations to the newly published Karlene Blakemore-Mowle, you may be getting an email from me at one stage to get you to do a blog post for us as well when your book comes out.
If anyone has trouble finding a book don't hesitate to give us a call, or make a comment on blog/email and we could either order it and post it to you or simply source it and give you the details for your local store to get in for you.
Thank you again you lovely people for reading Anna's Blog!
Anytime! and thank you for supporting romance writers- great job Angus and Robertson.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite romance authors--my AUTOBUYS--are all Aussies! Anna, I knew you were an Aussie, but I hadn't realized some of the others on your list were also from Australia and I'm a huge fan of their books as well. Your stuff is brilliant!
ReplyDeleteHi, Anna and all at A&R Edwardstown!
ReplyDeleteAnna, you're so right--there's a huge talent pool in Australia and New Zealand. I love that you've mentioned many authors here who are making waves in the romance world. And, if you'll let me continue the water theme, they're just the tip of the iceberg. Let's keep giving them some hometown support!
I'm looking forward to seeing the results of your chichi photo shoot, Anna! ;)
Great post Anna. There's a romance for everyone, no matter what your interests and the Downunder contingent writes some of the best of them!
ReplyDeleteHey, Paula, great to see you here!
ReplyDeleteActually Paula is another of those fantastic Aussie writers I missed out on being able to fit into the post. She writes wonderful passionate romance for Silhouette Desire and has been nominated for the Romantic Book of the Year Award.
Hey, thanks for saying those nice things, Paula. I really think romance doesn't deserve the kind of disdain it can strike in some quarters so it's a subject I tend to get passionate about! Like all genre fiction, it offers a contract to the reader (a happy ending). In a similar way, crime fiction promises the reader that justice will prevail in the end. Actually one of my favourite writers Jennifer Crusie says romance fiction offers the reader emotional justice and I think that's very profound.
Margaret, I love that A&R Edwardstown are giving romance this exposure! Thanks for swinging by and saying lovely things! Honestly sometimes I think there's something in the water down here - there are so many great writers!
ReplyDeleteAnnie, wasn't the last Australian Romance Reader Association convention fun? Everybody I know who was in Melbourne in 2009 for that event had a marvellous time! Thanks for swinging by - as you say, these days it's hard to keep up with the wonderful local writers. I ALWAYS read your books, though. You're one of my favourite writers.
ReplyDelete::blush:: Why thank you, Mizz Anna! And I just wanted to say thank you A&R for supporting this wonderful genre!
ReplyDeleteI love the way romantic fiction reflects the pop culture of the time. Heroes and heroines written today are quite different to those in the 70s and 80s. And not just the contemporary ones - historicals have gone through a big change. Remember those arrogant, ultra-alpha heroes, the passive heroines and all that forced seduction? It's an interesting indicator of reader's tastes and what will and will not be accepted today.
Hi Anna, Great post! And wow, I'm thrilled to learn that Angus and Robertson Edwardstown is so supportive of romance because it's literally around the corner from me! (Well, three corners, but creative licence and all that.) Yet, I don't think I've ever been there - I usually go to Marion, but now I'll know better.
ReplyDeleteHi Anna - good on you and A&R Edwardstown (just down the road from my old local) for waving the flag for fabulous romance, and doing it with such style, as usual! Like Kylie and Leah, I'd love to see my (and more) local book stores have a dedicated romance section. That way more readers who've never picked up a romance novel before would realise what incredible diversity there is on offer.
ReplyDeleteAnna, what a wonderful blog. You're always such an eloquent advocate for romance--you make excellent points. We do have a lot of talent here that goes (largely) undiscovered in our home country. Great to see bookstores like Angus & Robertson Edwardstown supporting local authors.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the lovely mention, too!
Hi Anna
ReplyDeleteWhat a great blog..... at least they can see how many romance readers there are.... I belong to ARRA and we have a lunch every 4 weeks in Sydney and generally land up at a book shop ..... they are a lovely group of ladies and make new comers welcome. I didn't realise there were so many Aussie authors til i joined ARRA
Hi Anna, it's great to see you back in Adelaide!!:-)) Or sort of, at least. Lovely of A&R Edwardstown to host a chat on romance - great blog and so true!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your fabulous books and thank you for the plug. Don't we have the best job?
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteLoved the blog and thanks for letting me know that the A&R Shop in Edwardstown caters so well for us romantics. I live in the Lower South East of South Australia and usually buy all my books from interstate, as the selection in this area is pretty ordinary. So now will have to check things out in Edwardstown.
I'm also an ARRA member, have been from the outset and had an absolute ball at the inaugral Conference in Melbourne in 2009.
I'm looking forward to catching up with people at the 2011 Conf in Bondi, so hopefully, I'll meet you there.
Hi Kylie! Thanks so much for saying you enjoyed the post. I enjoyed writing it! I read my first romance novel (a Mills and Boon) when I was eight - my mother gave it to me to shut me up! Ha ha! Been hooked on the genre ever since. What actually turned you onto the genre? Was it a particular book?
ReplyDeleteLeah, from what I can gather, bookshops that support romance end up gaining lots of sales. It's a statistical fact that romance readers never buy just ONE book - and they tend to buy regularly too. I know I do! Thanks for swinging by. And in case you guys didn't know, Leah is our most recent published author! She has just been accepted by Mills & Boon Medical! Congratulations, Leah!
ReplyDeleteHey, Tarran, the romance readers are out in force today! Huzzah! And they're all saying how wonderful Angus & Robertson Edwardstown is to support our genre! And how cool that you've invited Karly to blog. I'm fascinated by the whole rural romance phenomenon. I'd love to hear her thoughts on it when her book comes out.
ReplyDeleteHelly, isn't that brilliant about you loving Aussie writing so much? That's great! I didn't know that - a lot of my autobuys are Aussie too. I like the tone of a lot of the Aussie writers.
ReplyDeleteVanessa, the photo shoot was such an amazing experience! I had a ball. And seriously, I wish I had Kylie the makeup artist with me every time I went out - she did wonderful things with my unruly hair! Laughed at all your water imagery. Nobody could call you a drip, my friend!
ReplyDeleteKeziah, I 100% agree. That's why I find it odd when people claim to never read romance! It's hard to avoid reading it, frankly!
ReplyDeletePaula, I actually think romance is way ahead of a lot of other cultural expressions in terms of being in touch with the times!
ReplyDeleteClaire, naughty me! I meant to include you in the list of authors - you're a wonderful writer and you're a local girl as well! So glad we've turned you onto A&R Edwardstown!
ReplyDeleteClaire writes beautiful, deeply emotional romances for Mills & Boon - watch out for her stuff! It's great.
Bev, lovely to see you! I'd forgotten you lived near Adelaide but of course you did. I agree with you about a dedicated romance section - if shops get really serious, they can then divide up into genre which I know readers really like to see.
ReplyDeleteChristine, thanks so much for swinging by. I can't wait for your next book! I agree about the talent going largely unsung - honestly, Stephanie Laurens must be close to our bestselling author and yet you rarely hear about her.
ReplyDeleteBarb, I think ARRA is a fabulous organisation and it's just going from strength to strength. And I love that the girls get together for lunch on a regular basis. Lovely when a common interest leads to friendships! I'm hoping I get to see you at the Sydney conference!
ReplyDeleteTrish, I had a ball when I visited Adelaide. You know I did - I kept singing (yes, sad but true - you did NOT want to be there!). Was eyeing a case of Shaw and Smith sauvignon blanc today and thinking what a lovely day we had touring the vineyards in the Adelaide Hills. And you're most welcome for the plug - you know I'm a fan!
ReplyDeleteJust a plug for South Australian Romance Authors. They're a great bunch and really supportive so if anyone's interested in writing romance, I strongly recommend contacting them through their website (the addy is above). They meet at the Writers Centre in town.
ReplyDeleteChristine, I'm looking forward to meeting you in Bondi. And what a fabulous venue, right on the seafront there! Thanks so much for swinging by - hey, how cool that we've introduced you to a great new bookshop!
ReplyDeleteHey Anna! Great blog article! When you put these author names together like this, our DownUnder authors really cover a fabulous spectrum of the genre!
ReplyDeleteI loved the sound of your glam photo shoot - I can't wait to get a copy of that AWW!
Thanks for having the lovely Anna to visit on your blog, Angus and Robertson Edwardstown!
:)
Sharon
Sharon, thanks for swinging by! And congratulations on winning the Romantic Book of the Year Award recently! There's some seriously heavy hitters when you line everyone up, isn't there? It's great!
ReplyDeleteHey Anna, great post!
ReplyDeleteHad to come and say hello - A&R Edwardstown was a haunt of mine back when we used to live in nearby Clapham.
Good on you, and A&R, for flying the romance flag (I'd like to think it would be hot pink and studded with bling) so high. You've mentioned so many great Aussies authors. And we're getting better all the time!
E x
Anna, I discovered romance as a genre when I entered the Emma Darcy Award - joined RWA, and thought I'd better find out what romance writers wrote - I had NO idea!
ReplyDeleteMy first book was an Iris Johanson Silhouette Desire, and it had a hint of paranormal (the characters had special mind powers) and I was delighted to discover it just the sort of thing I liked to write (only more paranormal). LOL
The rest is history!!!
Anna - and Edwardstown A&R - great blog. WE do have such a wide range and varied list of talent and it keeps growing all the time. And in each year that goes by we seem to be increasing our presence on both the Australian and overseas markets. Aussies do rock - and so do you Ms Campbell.
ReplyDeleteAnna, what a fabulous post, thank you and A&R Edwardstown for giving the romance genre and our local authors such wonderful exposure. What a thrill to see my name up there with so many of my favourite authors!!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna and hi A&R Edwardstown,
ReplyDeleteWhat an inspiring post! I'm constantly amazed at how many Australian romance writers hit the best sellers lists in the US and yet are relatively unknown in Australia. Thank you, Anna, for listing so many Aussie romance writers (and a special thanks for including me in the list!)
Kudos to A&R Edwardstown for promoting romance--I hope I get a chance to visit you some day.
Hi Anna and Hello A&R Edwardstown.
ReplyDeleteA great post as always Anna.
And thank you to Angus and Robertson Edwardstown for promoting romance.
Suzanne :)
Hi Anna,
ReplyDeleteI find it funny that people look down their noses at the romance genre, yet I reckon romantic elements feature in around 99.9 per cent of novelz.
Nice of you to mention Bronwyn Parry's Dark Country, which I am now reading. And my hubby read it before me!
It is a romance, but it's also a cracking thriller set in outback Australia.
Best wishes,
Shayne
Hello Anna,
ReplyDeleteWonderful to see you enthusiastically plugging Aussie romance writers. I live in a small town where the old attitude still prevails - one (very nice) man looked at me as if I had two heads and said, 'You don't write those things, do you?' And I'm prepared to bet he's never read one.
But there are increasing numbers of men who do read romance, and voices like yours can only help bring over more men AND women to realise the genre is every bit as worthy of their time as other fiction.
Keep up the good plugs for all our sakes! And thank you.
Fantastic article, Anna. Nice to see Tony Squires in support of our genre.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait until the Women's Weekly comes out.
Big hearty thanks to Angus and Robertson for their support.
Sandii
Em, I think we should MAKE that flag fly! Read Romance and be Proud!!!! Great that you know and love the shop already! Thanks for swinging by!
ReplyDeleteKylie, there was something kinda destined about all that, wasn't there? So glad you found where you belonged!
ReplyDeleteHey, a rocker like you oughta know, Tracey! Congratulations on all your success! I love that Aussies are doing so well in romance writing!
ReplyDeleteChristina, I was absolutely riveted by FORBIDDEN. And it was such fun visiting such an exotic location with its gorgeous arrogant Romans and Druid magic. Fantastic stuff! Congratulations. Thanks for swinging by.
ReplyDeleteKandy, I love your books. They're real feel-good romance. I always close one of your stories with a big smile on my face. Thanks for swinging by!
ReplyDeleteSuzanne, great to see you here. I had great fun waving the Aussie flag for the day!
ReplyDeleteShayne, I haven't read DARK COUNTRY yet but I loved her first book AS DARKNESS FALLS. As you say a romance AND a cracking thriller! I've got DC - it's my reward for when I finish the current story. Thanks for swinging by. I agree that most books use a romance to build an emotional heart for a story.
ReplyDeleteMonya, sadly, you don't need to live in a small town to strike that kind of ignorance. Sigh. Oh, well, little by little we can change things. I think Aussie bookshops supporting romance goes a long way to redress the problem of uninformed prejudice against the genre. I actually have a small but enthusiastic group of male readers - I love it when they tell me they really like my heroes. You're never sure when you're writing in another gender whether you've got it right or not!
ReplyDeleteSandii, can't wait to see the article. Apparently the mag is out 27th October. Can you get a copy in America? If not I'll photocopy it and send it to you. Yeah, I really like Tony Squires's stuff. I remember when he wrote for the Sydney Morning Herald and I used to read him all the time.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog, Anna. Looking forward to the Women's Weekly!
ReplyDeleteHey, thanks for swinging by, Sandra! You're one of the New Zealand contingent I was talking about - honestly, you guys are fantastic!
ReplyDeleteGreat post Anna. I read romance all the time and I'm not ashamed!
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping that we in South Australia will get a dedicated romance bookstore one of these days!! I haven't been to the Edwardstown A&R though so maybe it will happen there in some fashion.
Hey, Kaetrin! I posted your prize book on Wednesday. Should turn up early next week - happy reading! Thanks for swinging by!
ReplyDeleteWow I never expected the amount of interest this blog has gotten. We have a large range of romance and we love to spread the love :D
ReplyDeleteThank you to everyone who has been saying nice things about our store! Definatly come in and say hi if you are in the area!!
I'm late to the party, but thanks, Anna, for a great blog post (and for mentioning my books!), and huge thanks to Edwardstown A&R for supporting the genre so strongly. So many bookstores don't make romance readers welcome, so it's fantastic to find another one which does! I'll be sure to come and visit if I can get to SA next year.
ReplyDeleteShayne, I'm glad you're enjoying Dark Country, and great to hear that your husband read it, too!
Anna, I have your latest on my TBR list, and it will be my reward for finishing writing my current book. Or perhaps for getting half-way through it - 'cos a writer needs to relax now and then, right??
It's been great, hasn't it, Tarran? I think you guys have made a lot of new friends! ;-)
ReplyDeleteBronwyn, isn't it great that there's another romance-friendly bookshop on the (Adelaide) block? Love it! And of course I mentioned you - you're a star! Hey, lovely you've got MY RECKLESS SURRENDER waiting for you. Much as I've got DARK COUNTRY waiting for me (by the way, I love your covers, especially DC!). I definitely vote for the halfway through solution. I'm only doing a long short story right now (one of the Mammoth anthologies again) so I won't have to wait TOO long for DC!
ReplyDeleteThanks to everyone who popped by to express your support for the romance genre! Romance rocks! And thanks to Angus & Robertson Edwardstown for inviting me to be their guest. I've had a ball!
ReplyDeleteHi Anna
ReplyDeleteGreat blog. Thanks Angus and Robertson for supporting romance. It's so exciting watching Aussies reach romance best seller lists on a world scale. So many wonderful writers and so many books to read. Thank goodness I just bought a kindle.
Cathleen Ross
Hi Cathleen! Thanks for swinging by! And for saying you liked the blog!
ReplyDeleteI am glad everyone has commented and has loved Annas Blog! Thank you all for visiting us :D
ReplyDelete