Round up and Review

There’s a great discussion going on here at the ‘Romancing the Blog‘ blog about one of the reasons NY publishers have for being unwilling to risk publishing m/m romance. Namely the idea that the female reader needs a female heroine to identify with. Someone’s also raised the ‘well it won’t sell as romance, but if you package it as erotica it might’ point. That seems to me essentially wrongheaded, as I know a lot of people who would buy romance but wouldn’t go looking for it in erotica.

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The auction at , author of ‘Lieutenant Samuel Blackwood (deceased)’ over on her blog:

She’s also written a fantastic review of my book, ‘Captain’s Surrender’

Says Emma:
‘Beautifully written?’ Nonsense. It’s far better than ‘beautiful’; “Captain’s Surrender” is a great novel, one of the best I’ve read in a long time. Period. There are those wonderful characterisations of Joshua Andrews and Peter Kenyon, the authentic tone and description of the settings, transporting the reader right aboard a ship of the Royal Navy in the 18h century, all those lovingly added details that give the tale a true, authentic ring.
Those facts alone would have already been enough to draw my sleeve in for this book; but on top of that, Alex Beecroft is also one of the few authors who manage to write the reader right into the story. She makes her readers watchers, observers, analysts – she makes them care about her creations. At times this becomes almost uncomfortable; one feels like an intruder, a spy on the lives of Joshua and Peter. How can it be right for us to know their feelings if they are still in the dark? A brilliantly told story; gripping, upsetting, touching, captivating.
You know, I can’t help thinking she underestimates her ability as a reviewer! I’m not sure I can think of any way this could be better!
If you like the sound of ‘Captain’s Surrender’ after that, it’s available HERE in ebook or print from Linden Bay Romance, or HERE by ordering from Amazon.

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I’ve been doing no writing this week. I just couldn’t bring myself to. But I think I’ve figured out that the block was due to me being in the wrong PoV , so I’m in hopes of productivity next week 😉

And I saw Prince Caspian at the weekend. It was OK, I thought, but I loved the ‘magic’ parts of the book best, and they were very minimized in the film, in favour of an almost historical war movie feel. It was very minimal as far as the ‘sense of wonder’ went. Seriously, people, do try not to make every fantasy film out there look like the Battle of Helm’s Deep. I loved the walking trees though!