“Aging Out” of Romances

Elizabeth Camden Ramblings about Romance 7 Comments

Is it possible to “Age Out” of romance novels?

I am now into my forties, yet at the beginning of my career as a novelist, I sometimes wondered if there would come a time when I would “age out” of romances….either as a reader or a writer.

I can comfortably answer that question with a resounding No!

And I am not alone. Industry statistics gathered by the Romance Writers of America indicate that the typical reader of romance novels are between 30-54 years old. And yet, the typical heroine of romance novels, both in mainstream and inspirational romance, is in her twenties. Do older women really want to continue reading about this age?

The answer is YES.    A few years ago, Harlequin (the industry giant and master at gauging reader demographics), tried to launch some series lines featuring significantly older heroines. It failed to perform anywhere close to industry standards. I asked some older women who read romance novels why they continue to read about the trials and tribulations of heroines in their twenties. Here are a smattering of responses:

• Books about women my age (60) seem to be “issue books” dealing with illness, aging, problematic adult children, or something equally bleak.
• I don’t want anything that reminds me of my day job. I like the freshness of women in the earlier years of their life learning to grapple with overwhelming emotions.
• “Hen Lit” doesn’t do it for me.

As I writer, I am interested in women as they struggle to define themselves. I want to capture them on that upward arc when they come into their own in terms of their convictions, their hopes for a career, and what they are looking for in a man. To write such a thing about a woman in her 40’s or older simply won’t work… she will come off as immature and not someone the reader will be engaged with.

There is a recent phenomenon known as the “Twilight Mom.” These are women who picked up the book that was all the rage among their high-school aged daughters and got hooked. Why? Because they liked the depiction of unabashed love and the turbulent emotions portrayed in the books. The age of the characters didn’t matter. I am hoping that many of those Twilight Moms eventually picked up other novels in the romance genre and found them equally appealing.

In any case…I can safely say I have no desire to move into “Hen Lit!”

(photo courtesy of Martin Playing with Pixels)

A Tweeting Pope?

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Yes, a Tweeting Pope!

I’ve never understood the point of Twitter, and haven’t dipped my toe into the water with it. I simply can’t imagine anyone is interested in what I had for lunch, and I am too long-winded to express myself cogently within 140 characters.

Imagine my surprise to see that the new Pope is an active Tweeter. Whether you are Catholic or not, the ability of this man to boil complicated topics down into message of startling simplicity is awe-inspiring.

Here is a sampling:

• Don’t be afraid to ask God for forgiveness. He never tires of forgiving us. God is pure mercy.

• True charity requires courage: let us overcome the fear of getting our hands dirty so as to help those in need.

• The secret of Christian living is love. Only love fills the empty spaces caused by evil.

• Christ is always faithful. Let us pray to be always faithful to him.

You can find more at his Twitter feed here: https://twitter.com/Pontifex

Why is this Guy so Hot?

Elizabeth Camden Ramblings about Romance 2 Comments

Why is this Guy so Hot?

He is Peter Dinklage, the actor who portrays Tyrion Lannister in the wildly popular Game of Thrones. He also stands only a little more than four feet tall, which makes him a highly unconventional hero who is making teenaged girls rapid heart palpitations all across the country.

The Game of Thrones is an epic fantasy in which several noble houses are battling for control of the Iron Throne, and Tyrion Lannister is the dwarf son of one of these noble houses. As a dwarf, he is not in contention for the throne, and is constantly underestimated.

The Game of Thrones is too gritty for me, and I haven’t been able to watch much of it, but the rest of my family is addicted. Whenever Tyrion Lannister is on the screen I am compelled to stop what I’m doing to watch. As someone who does her best to understand the appeal of romantic heroes, I have been trying to figure out the wild popularity of this character. The actor is not conventionally handsome, and in real life he would probably come up to my elbow. And yet….

Tyrion Lannister is an underdog, and yet he is not bitter. He uses his wit, intelligence, and basic human decency to overcome the odds that are stacked against him every hour of every day. In a brutal, turbulent world he is brave and heroic despite his physical limitations. He quietly runs rings around his enemies by outwitting them. His strength is in his mind, not his body. Tyrion Lannister simply has this amazing sense of valor and spirit that powers him through the calamities in his world. He is mesmerizing.

At this point in my writing career I don’t think I’m brave enough to create a hero with such a stark physical limitation, but he gives me lots of inspiration.

Bridget Jones: Say It Isn’t So!

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Bridget Jones: Say it Isn’t So!

For those who want no clue about the third installment of the Bridget Jones diaries, click away from the screen now. Although I’m afraid there will be no hiding this spoiler. Helen Fielding has been very upfront about it, and this news is burning up the web in England as shocked and outraged fans voice their opinions.

Really…. this is a spoiler, so look away now if you don’t want a major, big-time spoiling.

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

SPOILER ALERT

Mark Darcy is going to die in the third book of the trilogy, Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy.

You mean no more Colin Firth? How will I ever watch those two movies again with the same unabashed delight I’ve always had?

Helen Fielding said there was no way for her to write a third book if Mark was still in the picture. She writes that the bittersweet humor inherent in the books is rooted in Bridget’s obstacles and confusion as she moves through life. Here is a link with more info.

Grrrrrrr.

There is a reason I write romance novels, and a big one is that I can guarantee I will NEVER KILL OFF MY HERO. Never. Won’t do it. Carve it in stone, get it notarized, and take a photograph.

Helen Fielding is a very brave woman. Or a foolish one. Or both? Time will tell…..

You’ve Got to Love Mark Twain…..

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Mark Twain on Pride & Prejudice:

“I haven’t any right to criticize books, and I don’t do it except when I hate them. I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can’t conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.” Mark Twain.

For a list of other great quotes by Twain on writing and writers, see here.

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Who Reads Romance?

Elizabeth Camden The Book World Leave a Comment

Who Reads Romance these days?  A lot of people! 

I was very gratified to see the following statistics of what is selling this past year:

Romance :  1.438 Billion
Mystery/Suspense: 728 Million
Religious/ Inspirational: 717 Million
Sci Fi / Fantasy: 590 Million
Literary Fiction: 470 Million

(source: Simba Information, 2012)

I was pleased to see romance maintain its dominant position in the industry, but was especially pleased to see the strong showing of religion and inspirational titles.  Sales of this category are hard to track because so many titles are sold through churches or Christian bookstores, which are not generally tracked by the traditional measures in the book industry.

(Photo courtesy of Rachel Sian)

 

Into the Whirlwind

Elizabeth Camden Recommended Reading 2 Comments

Into the Whirlwind: A Novel of the Chicago Fire.

When I told my husband my plans for writing this book, he asked, “No offense, but why would anyone want to read a book about such a dreary topic?”

Dreary!  Not at all!  The race to rebuild Chicago in the months following the fire is one of the most dramatic stories in American history, but surprisingly, there are almost no adult novels about the fire.

There are few stories as dramatic as what happened to Chicago in 1871. In the space of a single day, one-third of the city was rendered homeless and 17,000 buildings were destroyed. In many ways Chicago has always been the quintessential American city, a combination of ethnic enclaves, rugged ambition, and raw, brash talent. I wanted to show all those qualities rise to the surface in the months following the fire.

I wanted to write a love story set against this dramatic backdrop. At its heart, it is about a man who has always adored a woman from afar, and sees the fire as the chance to finally swoop in and sweep her off her feet.

So….. without further ado, here is a short blurb about Into the Whirlwind:

Mollie Knox is a woman whose comfortable world is shattered the night she loses everything in the legendary Chicago fire of 1871. As she struggles in the aftermath of the fire, two powerful men vie for her affection. One has always loved her, but the other has the power to save her. Into the Whirlwind is a turbulent love story set amidst the rubble of Chicago as Mollie endures the challenge of survival and the triumph of rebuilding the city.

It is available everywhere, so snap it up while its hot!

The J.K. Rowling – Robert Galbraith Scandal

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The J.K. Rowling – Robert Galbraith Scandal

I have renewed admiration for J.K. Rowling after I learned of her recent flirtation with a guy named Robert Galbraith.

For those who have not heard of the incident, a detective novel called The Cuckoo’s Calling was released by purportedly “first-time author” Robert Galbraith in 2012. It received no special promotion or advertising from its publisher, few noteworthy reviews in famous outlets, and sold a paltry 1,500 copies. Although plans were announced for a follow-up to the novel, this book caused barely a ripple in the literary landscape.

Then came the rumors that Robert Galbraith was a pseudonym for J.K. Rowling.

Apparently, the wife of a lawyer for the publisher of the book had gotten wind of Galbraith’s identity and let the secret slip in a careless Twitter post. It was noted that Rowling and Galbraith shared the same agent and editor. Sales of The Cuckoo’s Calling sky-rocked 4,000 percent after J.K. Rowling admitted authorship, and the book remains at the top of all the best-seller charts.

Rowling claimed to be heart-broken about the public outing of her pseudonym. She was appalled that a woman she had never met felt free to blow her cover, especially after Rowling had been carefully guarding the secret from most of her friends and family. She stated she wanted to write a novel without the ghost of Harry Potter hovering over everyone’s perception of the book. “It has been wonderful to publish without hype or expectation and pure pleasure to get feedback under a different name,” she said about her fleeting months of anonymity before her cover was blown.

The obscurity she craved is gone, but I am fascinated by this story. As a new author who is struggling to get gain in a foothold in the publishing world, I truly admire Rowling for going back to the starting line and trying to see if she could make a name for herself without the advertising, excitement, and general hoopla that would automatically attach itself to any project released under her name.

I’m also secretly thrilled that even J.K. Rowling had such modest sales for her pseudonymous book. I expect it gives all struggling writers a bit of guilty pleasure. Writing a novel is hard. Getting attention, acclaim, and decent sales figures is harder, and it was nice to know that J.K. Rowling, if only for a fleeting moment, was among our ranks.