For Love and Money

I've often complained about books /reviewers/critics  who dismiss romance novels  in derogatory terms without ever opening a single  copy of one. So it was a great delight - and an early Christmas present to be sent a copy of a new academic book that  discusses the real nature and appeal of these novels - and is written by someone  who has read and studied many romances by many different authors in her research and preparation for this book.

I first met Laura Vivanco through the Teach Me Tonight site which always has fascinating discussions about the romance genre and you may remember that she ran an interview with me when I first had The Return of The Stranger published - discussing the way that I had worked on it with Wuthering Heights as my inspiration and the  changes, adaptations I had had to make in order to make that  classic  novel conform to the conventions of a short romance.

Now Laura has produced her own book, a study of the popular romances of Harlequin Mills and Boon  - and this time the observations and comments  in this study are based on sound opinions formed from extensive reading and knowledge of the romance novel form, its varying types. its history, and its  many authors.  

For Love and Money is a study of romance that challenges the stereotypical perception that Harlequin Mills & Boonromances are merely mass-produced commodities churned out in accordance with a strict and unchanging formula. Laura very kindly let me see a pre publication edition of this book and I found it absorbing and fascinating - with none of the teeth gritting fury that  critical works on romance so often induce. The novels are actually read as individual works, not  just pale copes of each other, each adding something  to the development of the genre that while it may move and change slowly and not very dramatically is constantly changign and adapting to the society and times in which it is written.

  And as Liz Fielding says, this is' an impressive study of the popular fiction of Harlequin  Mills & Boon that is a must read for any student of popular fiction and for those who write and love the genre.'

It was a fascinating read - and an interesti8ng opportunity for me to go back to my student days and look at the books from the 'other side' so to speak - that of studying them analytically rather than writing them creatively.

You can read more about For  Love and Money on on Liz Fielding's Blog  where Laura has given an interview  or on the Pink Heart Society site where she talks about 'Formulaic Cookie-Cutter Books' which - being Laura - she refutes that romance novels really are.

At last - a critical work on romance that I can recommend as a balanced, knowledgeable and informed read!

The Return of the Author

I'm back from Howarth after a wonderful weekend at the Bronte Festival of Women's Writing. In spite of the pouring rain - this was West Yorkshire after all! - we had a fabulous time -  exploring the fabulous little village,  going round the Bronte Parsonage itself - there is always something new to discover - or rediscover - and doing an interview with Radio Leeds,  then my workshop the my talk on writing Return of The Stranger and being inspired by  Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights.

(Incidentally, this seems to be a new vogue in publishing at the moment as Harper Collins has announced  a "major" new series, in which it will team modern authors with Austen's six novels, asking them to reimagine the books in a contemporary setting. The project is the latest addition to the current vogue for Austen remixes, which have ranged over recent years from the unexpected success of Seth Grahame-Smith's zombie mash-up Pride and Prejudice and Zombies to erotic fiction author Mitzi Szereto's X-rated Pride and Prejudice: Hidden Lusts.)

I'll write up a full report later - and fill you in on all that happened -  but for now I have to feed and appease the cats, offload the washing - and put my feet up before catching up on missed sleep! But if you want to know more about the reworking process, how I approached it and what I found challenging,  the Laura Vivanco did a great  - and details interview with me before the weekend -and she has posted it on the Teach Me Tonight site today.  Thank you Laura!

That should keep you busy till I can report fully!

Blog Tour Day 3

Another stop on my blog tour today - one of the ones that regular visitors here will know all about.

It's the third Friday in the month so that's the date for my regular Pink Heart Society blog, with A Date With Kate.  So please come by and visit.

What am I talking about today? Well, really it seems that at the moment therre is only one topic  that is filling so many people's thoughts - the Mills &  Boon New Voices contest. So I have some thoughts on that.

And because it's part of my Big Blog Tour this time, I have a special New Voices giveaway so anyone who comments will be in with a chance to win  - and the book I'm giving away this time is a signed copy of the 12 Point Guide To Writing Romance.   If you haven't yet submitted your new voice entry - or if you're working on the next stage of your story - or just wondering where to beging - then this is a prize for you. Come along and chat with me and your name will go into the draw.

And talking of New Voices - tomorrow I'm doing a New Voices Workshop in Haworth as part of the Bronte Society Festival of Women's Fiction  - so if you're coming, I'll see you there.

And in the afternoon I'll be giving a talk about writing The Return of The Stranger and the way that this mini-series The Powerful and the Pure was thought up - and how I used  Emily Bronte's wonderful novel to inspire me and help me create  this new novel that has been described like this:

Bestselling author Kate Walker's latest Harlequin Presents release will leave you spellbound! Packed full of intense, powerful emotions, a riveting plot and a dark, brooding passionate alpha hero, this book is not to be missed!

A report on the talk will appear on the site Teach Me Tonight - Musings on Romance  Fiction from An Academic Perspective - which is always an interesting place to visit with some  fascinating discussions. Laura Vivanco will be reporting on the talk  soon -  possibly Sunday - and I'll hope to join in the discussion when I get back from Haworth.

Meanwhile, don 't forget the Good Reads giveaway of 5 copies of The Return of The Stranger  (though with  coming up to 700 entries (!) the odds are lengthening . . .

See you on the Pink Hearts  . . . .