I'll Take Romance...

In honor of Valentine's Day, I thought I'd share my five favorite things about the romance genre. Hope you enjoy!

5. Romance novels are hopeful. In a world swimming in cynicism, it's nice to lose myself in a dose of hope for a while.

4. They aren't all the same. Despite their reputation, there are as many different romance novels as there are happy couples in the world. Though the outcome is often similar, the journey is always as individual as the people (or characters) involved.

3. The characters! I love getting to know people like Sam Starrett, P.J Morgan, Tess Gannon, Ethan Crane, and the Bridgertons through the pages of a book. (Bonus points if you can identify the authors or books these characters are from.)

2. The settings. I can travel all over the world - and beyond - when I read a romance.

1. The stories. Whether it's contemporary, historical, paranormal, m/m, suspense, futuristic - there is a world of genres tucked inside the Romance label.

What's your favorite thing about romance? Let me know in the comments, and I'll choose one poster to win a Valentine's gift!

Nine Naughty Novelists Doing Good

Just a quick note to encourage you to drop by the Nine Naughty Novelists Blog this week and comment on our Mardi Gras post. Every comment increases our donation to the Red Cross Haiti relief fund by a dollar. So tell us what you think, and do a good deed at the same time!

Kate's New TV Crush - Dennis Grabosch and Igor Dolgatschew

I tried to choose just one TV crush for this post. Really, I did. But in the end, I couldn’t pick one of these two over the other. It was impossible, for several reasons.

1. The pairing. Dennis and Igor play Roman and Deniz (yes, yes, confusing at first, but you get over it quickly) on the German soap opera Alles Was Zӓhlt. Back in 2007, the characters became a couple, in what was widely considered one of the best pairings (and best coming-out storylines) around. Then, for some reason, Deniz was shoved back in the closet and dated women exclusively on the show. Fans were heartbroken. Even worse, they hardly got a chance to interact, with their storylines going in opposite directions. But last summer, their characters connected again, and they got back together. And, thankfully, the pairing was even stronger than ever.

2. The writing. DeRo 2.0, as the reunion is called in the fandom, was one of the most amazing pieces of TV writing I've ever seen. The writers managed to take two characters who had been badly damaged by the ending of their first romance and made a reunion not just believable but inevitable. The story played out over several months, taking the time to explore the reasons they didn't work out the first time, the growth in both characters, the pain and mistrust they needed to get past, and their new connection based on honesty, maturity, and true love (not just soap-styled lust masquerading as love). Threads from years-old storylines were woven in to make a tapestry that brought everything full circle. It was fabulous.

3. The acting. Since discovering AWZ, I've consistently maintained that Dennis Grabosch is one of the finest actors working today. I have yet to see a false note in any of his performances. They're always honest, subtle, and pitch-perfect. (Note to Hollywood – WHY haven't you snatched this man up yet? He speaks English, too, for heaven's sake!) But Igor's performance during this new reunion storyline absolutely astonished me. He managed to convince even the most diehard Deniz-haters that these two deserved to be together. Over the course of those months, he transformed a character that had previously been written as somewhat shallow and self-involved and made him sympathetic, mature, and a fit partner for Roman. And again, it was the subtlety of the work that stood out. It would have been so easy to project "lovesick" and "despondent" and "ecstatic" with overdone expressions and line readings. Instead, he stuck with the quiet moments that conveyed those same emotions but in a more honest, heartwrenching way.

For Example: Episode 772. This episode really highlights the talent these two actors bring to the table. But pay attention to the last minute and a half. When Roman stops Deniz from leaving, at the bar? The expression on Deniz's face is absolutely perfect for the moment. Not overblown, not "acting", but honest, heartbreaking, and beautiful.

4. The chemistry. Both characters have been paired with others on the show (Deniz more than Roman, which boggles the mind), but their chemistry with other partners is not even close to what they have together. It's off the charts. And that holds true whether their characters are in love, in hate, or in between. Even a glance between them during the Dark Years (yes, another fandom term - the time period after the break up and before they became friends again, let alone partners) was fraught with tension and sparks. It's that little extra something that takes the characters beyond a good pairing and lifts them head and shoulders above.

5. The shallow. Uhm, have you LOOKED at them? Rowr.

So it was impossible to narrow my TV crush down to just one guy. Sorry, Igor and Dennis, you'll just have to share.

For more on Igor, Dennis and AWZ:

Watch Eskimo Kiss Project on You Tube (episode clips subtitled in English)

Visit the RTL website

Dennis Grabosch's website

Igor Dolgatschew's website

Meet them in person at the Gays of our Lives event in NYC, March 26-28!

Book BIN Tuesday - Moon Craving

I've been hooked on Lucy Monroe's historical werewolves from the beginning, so you can guess how excited I am to see Moon Craving finally hit the shelves! Here's the deets:

If it were up to him, Talorc—laird of the Sinclair clan and leader of his werewolf pack— would never marry. But when the king orders that Talorc wed an Englishwoman, the lone wolf is shocked to find his mate in the strong-willed Abigail. And after an intensely climactic wedding night, the two fiercely independent souls sense an unbreakable bond…

Deaf since childhood, Abigail hopes to keep her affliction from Talorc as long as possible. And for his part, he has no intention of telling her about being a werewolf. But when Abigail learns that the husband she’s begun to love has deceived her, it will take all of his warrior’s strength—and his wolf’s cunning—to win his wife back. And Talorc will have to face his biggest challenge yet: the vulnerability of a man in love…

It sounds wonderful, don't you think? So why not run on out and Buy It Now?

Reflections on 2009 -Favorites

NOTE: This post was originally written on January 1. But thanks to the craziness that was my January, I never got around to posting it. Rather than toss it in the trash bin, though, I thought I'd brush it off, clean it up, and put it out there anyway. Hope you enjoy!

Hard to believe it's already 2010, isn't it? (Of course, I'll be writing 2009 on all my checks for at least the next three months, so I won't have to let go quite yet...) Just for fun, here are some of my favorite finds from last year. Note: I have small children, a husband, and a day job. Therefore, some of my "finds" may be somewhat out of date. I'm just going by when *I* discovered them, not actual release date.

FAVORITE MOVIE:

I saw only three movies in the theater this year, so I'm not the best judge of current movie brilliance. But of the three, my favorite by far was:


STAR TREK

A fast, funny, entertaining reboot of the Star Trek universe that managed to hold onto enough of what I loved the original for not to irritate me. Plus, Kirk 2.0 was awesome. (And I get to use this photo again! Score!)




Runner-Up:

SHELTER

Saw this one on video. A sweet, emotionally-charged m/m romance that doesn't end tragically.


FAVORITE TV SHOW: Again, this is based on very little actual watching-of-television. Most of my viewing was done on the computer or via DVD last year. However, I did have two faves. Number one, which won't be a surprise to anyone who reads this blog or follows me on Twitter:


ALLES WAS ZAEHLT

Okay, this may be cheating a bit because I actually don't watch it on TV - it's not on air in the US. Plus, it's in German, which is a little outside my skill set. But. BUT.


It's one of the most fabulous shows I've seen, ever, and I'm totally addicted to it and the YouTube channel that clips/subtitles/uploads it for non-German-speaking fans. The directing, the writing, the cinematography, the lighting, the music, the acting...all of it is just exceptional.

This may be relevant to Wednesday's post as well. Stop by and see. :)


Runner-Up:

TORCHWOOD

I dithered on this one a bit. I absolutely loved Torchwood up to Episode 4 of Children of Earth (Season 3). Then it completely gutted me and left me a bitter shell of my former fandom self. ;) But up to that point, it was a definite favorite this year, so I felt like I had to give credit where it was due. (I still haven't forgiven you, though, Russell T. Davies.)


FAVORITE SONG:

Unzertrennlich, by Revolverheld

I have become a huge fan of German pop music this year, thanks to my TV favorite. (Which is loads of fun, except when I can't buy the song because of geographical restrictions. Grrr.) This tune, which is actually a few years old, was used to great effect on AWZ, to the point that I still get shivers when I hear it.


Runner-Up:

What About Us?, by John Barrowman

I adore angsty love songs. This is a great one. (And in a little bit of irony, you can buy the first song on the US iTunes site, but this one isn't available in the US. I had to have a friend buy the CD when she was in Scotland last year.)

Also: Poor JB! He keeps landing in second place behind the Germans. Sorry about that!


FAVORITE BOOK:

Sorry, can't do it. Far too many to list. Though I wouldn't turn my nose up at any recommendations for this year. :)


FAVORITE NEW TOY:

Hands down, my iPhone. I'm addicted. I use it for everything from reading to keeping up with Facebook to Twittering to counting calories. Love, love, love it.


Runner-Up:

My Sony Reader. If I could make phone calls and play on Twitter with it, it could have been a contender for #1.


So there you have it, my completely random and over a month late recounting of my favorites of 2009. If you can remember that far back, let me know what made an impression on you! Or post your new favorites so far of 2010.

Book BIN Tuesday - No Prince Charming

Shiloh Walker has a new book! *bouncebouncebounce*


Her Happy-Ever-After has been a long time coming…

Elle spent years trying to get over her so-called Prince Charming, and she’s finally getting the hang of it. A Grimm—a guardian angel with unique gifts—she spends her nights trolling for demons and kicking ass, and lately, her days have been spent with her on-and-off-again lover, Ren, a fellow Grimm. But fate has other plans in store for Elle, plans that include Michael, the prince from her youth who broke her heart.

“What do you choose…live for her? Or would you rather die?” That was the choice Michael was given all those years ago. Although he knew she’d never forgive him, when Michael was given the chance to become a Grimm, he took it. Still, he isn’t so sure Elle needs him in her life. With a lover at her side and a mission before her, Elle looks like she’s doing just fine without him.
But the not-so-charming prince isn’t going to back off that easily…not if there’s a chance she might need him again. He’d do anything to save her. Kill for her, live for her, die for her…

Warning: This dark, twisted version of Cinderella involves demons, deceit, desire, and debauchery between a princess and two sexy guardian angels, both determined to win the fair Cinderella.

Sounds great, doesn't it? So why not head over to My Bookstore and More and Buy It Now?

Book BIN Tuesday - Primal Attraction

Primal Attraction

by

Sydney Somers

PRIMAL ATTRACTION

Pendragon Gargoyles Book 2

He’ll stop at nothing to claim her…if she doesn’t kill him first.

A lethal huntress, Sorcha lives to track and eliminate rogue immortals—until her latest assignment turns out to be a sexy, gargoyle shape-shifter. From the start she’s shaken by the lust his touch awakens inside her. Not only that, but the cat is convinced she’s his mate, and for the first time, she’s unable to kill her target.

Still mourning the loss of his mate, Cale is stunned to find Sorcha alive. Yet the woman he aches to possess doesn’t recognize him and is after the only thing that will save his brother—a mystical weapon that will lead to Excalibur.

Determined to protect his family and reclaim his mate, Cale ruthlessly takes advantage of Sorcha’s one weakness—her desire for him. Desire that could unlock their past…or cause him to lose her all over again.

*****

Sounds fabulous, doesn't it? So why not head over to My Bookstore and More and Buy It Now?

Entertainment Weekly - the sequel!

My issue of Entertainment Weekly finally showed up in the mail today, so I thought I'd post a scan of the letters page:

And here's the letter itself, AKA, I'm ready for my close up, Mr. DeMille...

And even though they trimmed it quite a bit, I think my message came through fairly well. Have a great weekend!

My 15 Minutes Start Now

I'm in Entertainment Weekly!

Okay, yes, it's a letter to the editor, but everyone's got to start somewhere, right?

I'll have the scan up later, but in the meantime, here's the letter they printed:

It's unfortunate that soaps are teetering on the on the brink just as they are becoming more poular overseas. Thanks to the internet, fans around the world are enjoying and discussing soap storylines, particularly those featuring gay couples such as Luke and Noah from ATWT and Kyle and Oliver on OLTL. Perhaps the powers that be should focus on finding a way to tap into that audience.

So how, exactly, did I end up in EW with a letter about international fans of gay storylines in US soaps? Uhm, that's a pretty good question.

A couple of weeks ago EW ran an article on soap operas, illustrated by a graphic of a cemetery, showing all the "deceased" soaps – and an open grave for One Life to Live, the soap widely assumed to be next on the chopping block.

I got a little peeved.

Like I said in the letter, there's an untapped viewer pool out there, and I so wish the powers that be would try to find a way to access it.

International fans.

It used to be that people could only watch soaps in their country of origin. German fans watched German soaps, US fans watched US soaps, UK viewers … okay, you get the picture. But now, thanks to the wonders of the internet, fans are being created all over the world.

And one of the biggest fandoms around for soaps is gay storylines. There's Kyle and Oliver Fish (Kish) on One Life to Live. Luke and Noah (Nuke) on As The World Turns. Both of these pairings are popular around the world, with fans connecting through the internet to watch, discuss, and enjoy the storylines. There was even a fan event held in France last year for Nuke fans (the actors even attended!).

Going the other direction, fans in the US watch German, Spanish, Welsh, even Dutch soaps that have been painstakingly clipped, translated, and uploaded onto the internet. In the fandom I've connected to, Alles Was Zaehlt, thousands of fans all over the world watch the uploaded videos on Eskimo Kiss Project, a joint venture of three women who live in Canada, the US and New Zealand. Conversations in the comments fly fast and furious after every episode, with people weighing in from around the globe.

So why don't these soap operas look beyond their borders to figure out how to tap into this enthusiastic fan base? If I lived in Germany, I could buy a subscription to the production company's website and watch the episodes a day early. But that option isn't available outside the country. Why not? (Again, my old nemesis geographical restrictions rears its ugly head.)

There's even a convention being held in New York City at the end of March, Gays of our Lives, which is bringing together actors from three different German soaps, plus several US soap actors.



People are flying into NY from all over the world to meet the actors – and each other. Wouldn't it be nice if the people in charge of the soap operas would think outside the box and find a way to access this fan base? Who knows, maybe it could be enough to save soaps after all.

Visit Maia on Nine Naughty Novelists

My buddy Maia Strong is guest blogging over on Nine Naughty Novelists today, talking about writing niches. It's a really interesting read. Stop by and see what she has to say!