Have you heard about Kindle’s Matchbooks?

Elizabeth Camden The Book World 2 Comments

Kindle Matchbooks on the way!

I am beyond thrilled by the recent announcement that those of us who purchased print copies of books from Amazon from 1995 to the present can buy steeply discounted e-book versions of the same titles beginning in October.

Ever since becoming addicted to my Kindle I have bemoaned my inability to read the hundreds (thousands?) of print copies of books I’ve got cramming my bookshelves, mounded in corners, piled on desks, and stuffed under my bed. I simply could not bring myself to buy an e-version of a book when I had a perfectly good print copy just a few feet away.

That ends in October! Publishers who participate in the program will be offering e-books at 2.99, 1.99, .99, or FREE! It will be fairly easy to log into your amazon account and scan to see which books you purchased through amazon that are edible for the steep discounts.

More information here.

Why are Love Stories and Disasters Natural Partners?

Elizabeth Camden Ramblings about Romance Leave a Comment

Why do we Love Disasters?

The two most successful movies of the 20th century both featured a love story set against the backdrop of a disaster. Titanic and Gone with the Wind both showcase the drama and intensity that comes from those crisis moments when life is on the line.

What makes this work? For me, I like to see how people respond in a crisis. Some people will draw on every bit of mental and physical fortitude to emerge as a hero, while others will revert to cowardly, selfish behavior. And you don’t really know who will emerge as a hero until their life is on the line.

Take Rhett Butler. He is a scoundrel throughout most of Gone with the Wind, but at a few key moments, he lays his life on the line to do the right thing, all because he wants to be a better man. Jack Dawson is a different kind of hero in Titanic. He’s a nice kid, but has been wandering aimlessly through his life. During the crucial moments as the ship goes down, this carefree kid emerges as a man of stunning heroism. I wasn’t all that taken with his character until the end of the movie when he hauls Rose up onto that floating door and orders her to survive…even when he knows he is doomed, he digs down deep and summons up that immense, golden streak of heroism that makes him an unforgettable character.

Into the Whirlwind deals with the Chicago fire of 1871. I put my two romantic leads onto the streets of downtown Chicago as the buildings burn and collapse around them. As in real life, there were plenty of people who panicked and acted selfishly….while others risked their lives to lead children to safety, shield women with their bodies, battled flames to haul out survivors. The fire was a crucible that tested them all.

I had a ball writing Into the Whirlwind, and hope to do another disaster story someday. The drama and intensity of a disaster is simply too much of a lure to resist!

Last Night’s Book Banter

Elizabeth Camden Musings on Life Leave a Comment

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the chat with me last night at the Bethany House party! As promised, there is a little something for the following folks:

Pauline Cotton Osborne
Jessica White
Jan Duffy
Megan Wilson
Jennifer Miles
Kathy Faberge
Nancy Juedes

If your name is on the list, please contact Noelle with your snail mail adress at noelle.buss@bethanyhouse.com

Thanks again!

The Evolution of Romance Novel Covers

Elizabeth Camden The Book World 3 Comments

The Evolution of Romance Covers. Few things have come so far, so fast!

Let’s take a peek at some of the covers that have graced NYT bestselling books from the 1980s (on the left), and the current versions of the same book on the right.

Oh….. the horror!

These books are all from the mainstream romance market, so although they have some graphic love scenes, but the books contain much more emotional depth, character development, and downright good story-telling than the original covers would suggest. Was I the only girl who was horribly embarrassed to approach the counter at the checkout line with these books in tow?

What accounts for such atrocious covers?

Some people in the business speculate it was because the salesmen who marketed the books to retail stores (and yes, in the 1980s they were mostly men) insisted that such books sold better because women needed help identifying a romance novel on the racks. Hmmmm….even when I was a teenager I could read the back blurb and figure that one out! I was also intensely loyal to my favorite authors, and bought the books despite the covers, not because of them.

The pretty landscapes and evocative covers of today’s book market still clues in most readers that this will be a romance book.

Now, let us speak of one of the worst tragedies in book cover publishing history. Yes, it’s Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale. This is perhaps one of the most moving romance novels ever written. Twenty years after publication, it still makes the Top Ten List of romances ever written. And yet… brace yourself for the original cover:

I am deeply grateful for the evolution in marketing romance novels, as I work very hard to write moving, emotionally uplifting and insightful novels… and I would have been heart-broken to get stuck with an 80s-style cover. I give daily thanks that my publisher, Bethany House, has such a fantastic team of in-house designers.

Who has Captured your Moral Imagination?

Elizabeth Camden Musings on Life 3 Comments

Who has captured your Moral Imagination?

I was thrilled by the success of the Lord of the Rings trilogy a few years ago. It wasn’t until recently that I realized how blessed I was to be exposed to Tolkien’s writings during the formative years of my adolescence. I devoured the tales of heroism, camaraderie, and refusal to give up in the face of overwhelming odds.

I grew up in a house that was filled with books. Mostly good ones, but I smuggled in my fair share of romance novels, comic books, and thrillers.

All of those books…even the seemingly frivolous romance novels and comic books… had a common theme. Hard work and perseverance were honored. On the rare occasion when a character acted dishonorably, there were consequences. Those books captured my imagination and inspired me to plow through a difficult adolescence where books were my primary means of escape.

I’m afraid that isn’t the case in so much of the culture that has seized modern imagination. I work on a college campus and am stunned at how the Kardashians seemed to have captured the imagination of otherwise intelligent young people. Here we have a family whose daughter vaulted to fame for releasing a sex tape. In the following years they have glorified conspicuous consumption, tacky bling, and out-of-wedlock births. They have no apparent ambition, accomplishments, or aspirations beyond the next party. And yet these are the women who set the standard for many of our young people today.

Aristotle once said “give me the storytellers, and I will control the government within a generation.”

Who is writing our national story? Who is capturing our imagination, helping set our aspirations? We need more Tim Tebows. More Captain Chesley “Sully” Sullenbergers. More Tolkiens. I don’t believe our books and movies need to be overtly religious (Tolkien’s fiction never was, although he was a devout Catholic.) Most good novels have a sound moral foundation. Readers want to see decent people triumph and the vain, lazy, and immoral fall by the wayside. I’m not sure why popular culture seems to be the opposite of what is routinely celebrated in novels.

As I prepare to teach a load of brand new students arriving on campus this year, I’ll try to plant this seed. “Who owns your moral imagination???”

Choose wisely, grasshopper…

Thanks Bane!

Elizabeth Camden Against the Tide 1 Comment

Thanks Bane!

Awards season for the book world has recently wrapped up, and Against the Tide fared very well! I am thrilled to announce it has won the following awards:

* The Rita award from the Romance Writers of America
* The Christy Award for Historical Romance
* The Daphne Du Maurier award for Inspirational Mystery/Suspense

I have no doubt the success of Against the Tide was carried entirely by the character of Bane. I loved writing about the lethally dangerous but charming spy with his cold, angelic good looks.

I was tickled when I noticed some bloggers posting pictures of what they imagined Bane looked like. Here are a handful of pictures I saw on the web that other bloggers posted for their “fantasy casting” of who they think Bane looks like:

All worthy candidates! For the record, the guy in the tux, second from the left, is Alexander Skarsgard…the guy who was MY version of Bane.

It’s Here!

Elizabeth Camden Writing Life 1 Comment

Into the Whirlwind is now available!

I’m thrilled to finally see it in stores, and should be available at all your favorite online and brick & mortar bookstores.

The advance word has been good. Publisher’s Weekly said it is “an emotion-filled romance to warm the soul.”

I’m really proud of this book. Although I put my characters through the wringer in this one, I hope readers have a wonderful, exhilarating time reading about a determined woman overcome the battles thrown in her path by the fire.

While I don’t think any of us would want to personally endure a catastrophe like the Chicago fire, this book will explore a love story that blends rich historical detail and characters who face the crisis with intelligence and an optimistic attitude.

My favorite novels make the reader feel like they’ve just made friends with a bunch of captivating people and are sorry to finish the last page. I hope this novel captures that quality.

What’s Romantic in a Guy?

Elizabeth Camden All about Me! 9 Comments

Today is my anniversary. Now, my husband and I may be the least romantic couple on the planet. Need proof?   I have a cz engagement ring (honest…I asked for it. I wanted a down payment for a house more than a sparkly ring).    Our weekly “date night” is a Saturday morning breakfast at McDonalds….because we are both too zonked to go out on Friday night.

Here’s the thing. I’m no princess, but Bill loves me anyway. Here are the things that Bill does for me that make me feel like the most cherished woman on the planet:

· He picks out my clothes for me. I was born without a fashion gene, and I’d rather sit in a dentist’s chair rather than go shopping…. But Bill picks out clothes that will look good on me, and waits outside the dressing room to lend me advice. Really, I could not be seen in public without his advice.

· Whenever he borrows my car, it is returned with a full tank of gas. Always.

· He helps me write my books. Whenever I need to know how a man would act, or I’ve written myself into a corner and need an ingenious solution….Bill comes to the rescue. I can’t tell you how many hours we have hashed through half-written scenes and brainstormed solutions.

· He makes me laugh every single day. Without fail, even on the snarly, bickering days when I’m not a whole lot of fun to be around… he can always make me laugh.

Happy Anniversary, Bill!   Saying ‘yes’ was the smartest thing I ever did….

Drawing Inspiration from Fiction

Elizabeth Camden Recommended Reading 2 Comments

Can you be inspired by a novel?

People read fiction for numerous reasons: escapism, to learn more about an era or topic, to be thrilled by a dramatic story. All perfectly valid motivations, but one of the reasons I love to read novels is to draw inspiration from the characters.

Which sounds completely insane…I mean, Frodo and Sam never existed, so how on earth can they inspire me to keep trudging forward even when my body, soul, and mind are running on empty?

They just do.

One of the things I aimed for when I wrote Into the Whirlwind (due out August 1) was to create those kind of inspiring characters who tough it out through the worst of circumstances. The book is set during and immediately after the Great Fire of Chicago in 1871. As in any crisis, the fire brought out the best and worst in people. Mollie thinks of the months following the fire as a “wonderful, terrible time.” I am not the first person to suggest it is the hardest things in life that make us great, but I wanted this to be a major theme of the novel.

I explore the exhilaration that comes from surviving a crisis, and then Mollie’s triumph in remaking her life into something even better than it was before. This is an uplifting novel about the power of community and the bonds that can be formed during a shared crisis.

Some of the other novels I’ve loved because of watching the inspiring characters battle the odds are Redeeming Love (Francine Rivers) The Bronze Horseman (Paullina Simons) and Pillars of the Earth (Ken Follett). What about you? Any novels you’d care to recommend that puts a character through the wringer but still gives you that thrilling jolt of inspiration?