"You're Like The Sweetest Candy, Baby"

Every once in a while, someone in my household (usually my husband or son) will ask me this asinine question.....

"Why don't you get rid of the books in the basement?"

Ha! Never! I respond. One of the greatest parts of having a romantic fiction addiction is "The Re-Read." Yep. I go through crazy jags re-reading all of the Cynster books by Stephanie Laurens. All of the Dark series by Christine Feehan. All of Julie Garwood's historicals. All of Amanda Quick's historicals. Re-reading romance novels is emotionally satisfying. Returning to a book that you know makes you happy, fulfilled, inspired.

The "Re-Read" caters to my emotional state at the moment. Do I need a good laugh? I'll read an Amanda Quick. Do I need lush historical romance? I'll read Stephanie Laurens. Do I need an incredibly cheesy, over-the-top, alpha male-dominated contemporary that equates anal sex with true love and is peppered with lines like "You taste like the sweetest candy, baby"??

Well, then, I'll re-read Wild Card by Lora Leigh!

I know. I should be ashamed. This book is totally ridiculous. But for some God-awful reason, it is one of my favorite re-reads. The hero is a horny Neanderthal, the dialogue is the cheesiest stuff around, and the whole premise that bum lovin' is the ultimate form of intimacy (which is a theme oft repeated in Lora Leigh books) is just utterly, ridiculously insane.

And yet, I love re-reading this book.

What does that say about me? Welllllll......I think the reason this book is so appealing is that I love alpha males. And Noah, the military horndog hero, is alpha with a capital "A".....(for "ass"??...hee hee...just kidding about that).

So, go ahead and laugh at me. I can take it. I love re-reading this cheesy cheesefest, and I am not ashamed.

Much. :^)

Happy Reading,
Penelope

Tuesday Morning Updates: Alpha Men Gone Awry, Shopping In The Bargain Basement, and Zombies In Love

Happy Tuesday Morning!

Here are updates....

1.) I decided to start a "bearded hero" shelf at Goodreads! As I compiled my list, I realized that Lora Leigh's classic book Wild Card has a bearded hero. (The heroine keeps getting tell-tale beard burn! hee hee). Lora Leigh is a master at creating alpha heroes gone awry. And the women they love. And call "Baby".....way too many times. And then insist that the path to true love is "through the back door." I am laughing my way through the book! Baby!

2.) There is an interesting post and discussion going on at Bob Mayer's blog about pricing e-books. As I watch the pricing for books fall...from $18? for hard-covers, to $5-$8 for paperbacks, to under $5 for e-books, to $3, then $2, then $1, then .99, I wonder......how low will we go? .25? a nickel? a penny? There is no going backwards now. Readers will not accept $10 for a book price. We have created "monsters" of our own making....readers with the expectations that books aren't worth a buck.

I find this depressing as hell. Is there any other artist/inventor/film-maker, etc, who toils away for years and years, puts blood, sweat and tears into creating something, and the final product is worth....

99 freakin' cents. Not even a buck.

I don't think so.

Yeah, I know, if you sell a million copies (who's selling a million copies?), then suddenly your life's work has more value. But still.

For self-pubbers, this whole thing may be a gold-mine. But for those who choose traditional publishing paths, it's going to become a nightmare. There is simply no way the traditional publishing industry can support agents, editors, publishers, booksellers, and authors, with books that cost .99.

Good luck with that.

ETA: Gotta love Twitter. I just found my long-lost-twin-on-the-same-page-as-I-am-about-this-stuff...Andrew Shaffer. Here is a link to his blog post.... How Much Is Your Time Worth?

3.) I am fervently hoping and praying that the zombie/romance thing goes away soon. I cannot imagine a less complementary pairing of genres. For God's sake, there is nothing remotely romantic about body parts falling off and consuming human flesh. Who came up with this lam-o idea? Zombie romance, be gone!


Hope everyone is having a good start to the week. Happy March 1st! I am about to dive into another ARC by Meg Maguire. Yee haw!

Love yinz,
Penelope