Romance in the Media A-I

This page is for items which have appeared in the press or online news sources.

From this page you may return to the main Romance Scholarship page or go directly to

• Academics Who Write Romance
• Academic Online Essays (not published in academic journals or volumes)
• Autobiographies and Biographies of Romance Authors
• Bibliography
  • Bibliography A-C - the first part of our bibliography of academic articles and books about romance.
  • Bibliography D-G - the second part of our bibliography of academic articles and books about romance.
  • Bibliography H-L - the third part of our bibliography of academic articles and books about romance.
  • Bibliography M-O - the fourth part of our bibliography of academic articles and books about romance.
  • Bibliography P-S - the fifth part of our bibliography of academic articles and books about romance.
  • Bibliography T-Z - the final part of our bibliography of academic articles and books about romance.
• Bibliography of Scholarship in Languages Other than English.
• Dissertation Abstracts
• Guides to the Genre
• Romance Resources for Academics - lists romance-related resources which may be of interest to academics.
• Writers on Romance - lists items written about the genre by romance authors but not published in academic journals or books.

You may also continue to Romance in the Media J-Z.

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A

Alberge, Dalya, 2006. 'Romance loses allure after book lovers turn to crime', The Times, February 10, 2006.[1] 'Thrillers have beaten bodice-rippers as library favourites but a children’s writer reigns supreme'. [About the most-borrowed books in UK libraries.]

Alimurung, Gendy, 2009. 'Man on Man: The New Gay Romance ... ... written by and for straight women', LA Weekly, December 16, 2009 at 5:47pm. [Includes quotes from James Buchanan, Stephanie Vaughan, A.M. Riley, and Jet Mykles.][2]

Alter, Alexandra, 2011. 'How to Undress a Victorian Lady in Your Next Historical Romance: Authors Who Crave Verisimilitude Learn to Unlace a Corset in a Good Bodice Ripper', The Wall Street Journal, JULY 19, 2011. [3]

Anderson, Stephanie, 2011. 'National Library reveals romantic inclinations', The Canberra Times, 22 June 2011. [4] ["the National Library of Australia, [...] the intellectual centre of our nation's capital is home to more than 12,000 Mills and Boon novels."]

Anima, P., 2010. 'In full bloom', The Hindu, July 28, 2010. [5] ['Clare Somerville recounts Mills and Boon's journey of love']

Anonymous, 1983. 'Written Romance in the Stacks', New York Times, 30 March 1983. [6]

Anonymous, 200?. 'What Do Women Really Want?', Hir@gana Times, Japan - Behind the Scenes. [7] [About Harlequin in Japan]

Anonymous, 2001. 'What's in a Name?: Authors and publishers discuss the (often subtle) distinctions between romance and women's fiction', Publishers Weekly, 7/2/2001.[8]

Anonymous, 2002. 'Mills & boom boom', The Observer, Sunday December 15, 2002.[9] 'Every two seconds, somebody somewhere in the world buys a Mills & Boon title. Readers, it seems, can't get enough of romance, happy endings and, these days, rock-hard nipples, bondage sex and lesbian fantasies. Geraldine Bedell slips between the covers of modern romantic fiction to see for herself how the 94-year-old publishing house keeps it up'. [The article quotes from Radway (though it's spelled 'Rodway') and mentions differences between UK and US romance trends.]

Anonymous, 2003. 'M6 Toll built with pulped fiction', BBC News, Thursday, 18 December, 2003.[10] 'Old copies of Mills & Boon romantic novels are being used to help prolong the life of the UK's newest road. [...] Tarmac spokesman Brian Kent said the company was not suggesting there was anything wrong with Mills & Boon novels. "We want to reassure Mills & Boon readers that we're not just picking on their favourite books - other books are down there too."'

Anonymous, 2005. 'Mills & Boon gets a makeover', The Sydney Morning Herald, January 7, 2005.[11] On the launch of Harlequin's Bombshell series, feminism and romance's response to changes in society.

Anonymous, 2006. 'In The Mood For Love: The Rise of Romantic Fiction in the U.K.', The Book Standard, November 09, 2006.[12]

Anonymous, 2008. 'The power of love: 100 years of romantic fiction', The Independent, Saturday, 2 February 2008.[13]

Anonymous, 2010. 'Imran Khan becomes Mills & Boon hero', Indian Express, Fri Jun 11 2010.[14]

Anonymous (Associated Press), 2011. 'Writer Nora Roberts Gives $100K to Md. College'. ABC News, May 31, 2011.[15] ['Nora Roberts' foundation is giving $100,000 to a college in Maryland [McDaniel] and the school says it will offer an academic minor in romance literature and start a writing course in the genre.']

Anonymous (BBC), 2013. 'Romantic novelist Ida Pollock dies, aged 105", BBC, 6 December 2013.[16]

Anonymous (Yahoo), 2014. 'Torstar to Sell Harlequin to News Corp: Harlequin will become a division of HarperCollins Publishers, a News Corp Subsidiary', 2 May 2014. [17]

August, Melissa, 2005. 'Sheikhs and the Serious Blogger: This summer, romance novels turn to the desert — and bloggers are riveted', Time, Monday, Aug. 22, 2005.[18]

B

Bantick, Christopher, 2004. 'A quiver through the bookshelves', theage.com.au, February 13, 2004, [19]. ['As novels, they're steamy, sexy and sizzling. Romance fiction is booming in Australia. Christopher Bantick reports on the people who put the passion into prose.']

Barber, John, 2009. 'Harlequin's manly masterpieces', The Globe and Mail, Tuesday, Jun. 02, 2009. [20] ["A New York exhibition of more than 100 Harlequin book covers acts as a barometer of social change, says its Toronto-based curator. And some ‘are truly outstanding artworks in and of themselves'."]

Barber, John, 2011. 'Romancing the tablet: How Harlequin is revolutionizing the e-book market', The Globe and Mail, Saturday, May. 14, 2011.[21]

Barry, Ellen, 1996. 'Tall, dark, and gender-neutral: The men of category romance', Boston Phoenix, October 24 - 31, 1996. [22]

Barry, Ellen, 1996. 'How to become a romance novelist', Boston Phoenix, October 24 - 31, 1996. [23]

Baverstock, Alison, 2004. 'Supermarket sex: It's a bestseller: Forget fainting females: would-be writers of romantic fiction should make their heroines feisty and their plots taut', The Times, August 11, 2004. [24]

Bearden Henderson, Nancy, 1998. 'Publishers Need More Romance - Novels That Is', Chicago Tribune, 16 June 1998.[25]

Bellafante, Ginia, 2006. 'A Romance Novelist’s Heroines Prefer Love Over Money', The New York Times, August 23, 2006. [26] [This is about Nora Roberts]

Benson, Heidi, 2008. 'Romance-writing hopefuls discuss craft in S.F.', San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, August 18, 2008. [27] [Re the 2008 RWA (Romance Writers of America) Conference.]

Berlatsky, Noah, 2014. 'I’m a guy who loves romance novels — and Jennifer Weiner is right about reviews: Romance is the hardest genre to read, and not because of the stigma. It's because critics don't take it seriously,' Salon, 22 April 2014.[28]

Black, Claire, 2008. 'Mills and Boom,' Scotsman 04 November 2008. [29] ["Seeking respite from the cursed credit crisis, Claire Black dives into the pool of romance that is Mills & Boon, and discovers that millions of others are doing the same."]

Blake, Catherine S., 2003. 'Mormon romance novels seduce book buyers', Casper Star Tribune, March 08, 2003.[30]

Blakeley, Rhys, 2008. 'Mills & Boon starts a local love affair with India', The Times, January 24, 2008.[31]

Blundell, Graeme, 2009. 'A popular misconception: Some romance novels have a very tough edge', The Australian, September 12, 2009. [32]

Bond, Gwenda, 2009. 'Romancing the Recession: Historicals and contemporaries, alive and well; even the undead are well', Publishers Weekly, 11/16/2009 2:00:00 AM. [33]

Bosman, Julie, 2010. 'Lusty Tales and Hot Sales: Romance E-Books Thrive', New York Times, December 8, 2010. [34]

Boswell, Frederica, 2011. "South Africa discovers the joy of romantic novels," Focus On Africa, BBC, 30 January 2011. [35]

Bray, Rosemary L., 1982. "Love for Sale: The new and lucrative ethnic romance book market is a mixed blessing for black writers and editors." Black Enterprise, December 1982. 71-76.[36]

Brennan, Samantha, 1985. "Welcome to the Fantasy World of Harlequin Romances." The Meliorist 19 (March 8, 1985), Supplement -- page 09.[37]

Brown, Janelle, 1999. 'Forbidden Romance?', Salon, Sept. 29, 1999.[38] [This item is about romance and epublishing.]

Brumback, Kate, 2006. 'Romance Writers Changing Plots', Washington Post, Friday, July 28, 2006. [39][Report on the 2006 RWA Conference in Atlanta and current trends. Another version of the same article is available here ]

Buonfiglio, Michelle, 2006. 'Desire Surges For Romance Novels: Genre Has 64 Million Readers, Still Growing', WNBC.com, October 6, 2006. [40] [This includes quotations from academics Eric Selinger and Bill Gleason]

C-D

Cadwalladr, Carole, 2011. 'Nora Roberts: The woman who rewrote the rules of romantic fiction', The Observer, Sunday 20 November 2011. [41]

Casey, Patricia, 2010. 'Mind & Meaning: Why Mills & Boon still make the ladies swoon', The Independent, Monday April 05 2010. [42]

Castilla, Amelia, 2007. 'Reportaje: El éxito de la novela romántica: Enganchadas al final feliz', El País, 28/07/2007. [Romance publishing on the increase in Spain][43]

Cavanagh, Michael, 2015. 'Rural romance writing gets the capital all steamed up', ABC, 10 March 2015. [Report on the Australian Romance Readers Association conference] [44]

Chant, Ian, 2013. 'Popular Romance Project Connects Readers, Writers, Scholars, and Libraries', Library Journal, September 26, 2013. [45]

Charles, Ron, 2008. 'Heating Up the Stacks', Washington Post, October 1, 2008. [46] Winner of the 2009 RWA Veritas Award.

Charles, Ron, 2009. 'Romance Novels Still Fighting for Respect', The Washington Post, July 22, 2009. [47] [About the 2009 RWA conference and winning the 2009 Veritas Award.]

Clews, Mary-Louise, 2009. 'Romance with a modern twist', Marketing Week, 15-Jan-09.[48] ["Late last year publisher Harlequin Mills & Boon appointed agency St Luke's to develop new advertising for the romance brand, which will coincide with new-look front covers (MW December 18, 2008). And earlier this month, it struck a licensing deal with the Rugby Football Union to publish a series of books around the Six Nations tournament next month."]

Comrie, Susan, 2009. 'Are SA men suckers for a good love story?', IOL.co.za, March 09 2009 at 09:19AM. [49]. ["The biggest growth in the romance market is from the developing world. In India, 20 percent of romance readers are men and, although exact statistics don't exist for South Africa, CNA estimates that South African men make up a similar slice of their English and Afrikaans romance novel buyers."]

Connell, Claudia, 2011. 'The Blue Rinse and Bodice Rippers: In twin-sets and pearls meet the ladies behind Britain's steamiest novels', Daily Mail, 21st May 2011.[50]

Coquillat, Michelle, 1998. 'L’amour en mille recettes: Romans roses pour femmes modernes', Le Monde diplomatique, Septembre 1998. [51]

Costanza, Justine Ashley. 'Why Do Modern Women Love Romance Novels? Call It The 'Fifty Shades of Grey' Syndrome', International Business Times, June 30, 2012 2:29 PM EDT.[52]

Craig, Amanda, 2006. 'The Language of Love', The Telegraph, 13 February 2006.[53] 'Literary snobs have always been rude about romantic fiction, but the genre is one of the oldest and most distinguished in literature and the writing has never been more interesting, says Amanda Craig.'

Cripps, Charlotte, 2008. 'Mills & Boon - a literary love affair', The Independent, Thursday, 29 May 2008. [54] ['Love them or loathe them, a Mills & Boon book is sold in the UK every three seconds. As over a century of publishing is celebrated in a new exhibition about the publisher, Charlotte Cripps looks back at a literary love affair' - with link to over 50 Mills & Boon covers, spanning the century of the company's existence.]

Crutcher, Paige.2013. "Having It Both Ways." Publishers Weekly 260.45: 38.

Cummins, Daisy and Julie Bindel, 2007. 'Mills & Boon: 100 years of heaven or hell?', The Guardian, Wednesday December 5, 2007. [55] ['Mills & Boon enjoys a huge readership, but has attracted furious critics during its 10 decades in business. Daisy Cummins explains why she is proud to write for the company, while Julie Bindel just wishes the books would go away'.]

Cuthbert, Kate, 2006. 'In Love With Love', The Courier Mail, April 22, 2006.[56] 'Erotica may be the new buzzword in women's publishing but romance novels have been breaking sexual barriers from the start.'

Danford, Natalie, 2005. 'Isn't It Romantic?: From vampires to clinch-free covers— booksellers speak out on what's hot and what's not', Publishers Weekly, 11/15/2004.[57]

Danford, Natalie, 2005. 'Embraced by Romance', Publishers Weekly, 11/21/2005.[58] "RWA's strength is that it's got unpublished members. That's where all the juice comes from."

Danford, Natalie, Lucinda Dyer, Karen Holt and Judith Rosen, 2003. 'Toujours l'Amour: Publishers are seeking to increase readership by diversifying subgenres and adding new category niches', Publishers Weekly, 12/1/2003.[59]

Dang, Dan Thanh, 2006. 'Spicing it up: The once formulaic romance novel, in which all the action happened in sidelong glances and behind closed doors, has gone explicit in new and racier books by old stalwarts like Harlequin', Baltimore Sun, June 21, 2006. [60]

Datta, Sravasti, 2012. 'Love in the time of reality', The Hindu, January 23, 2012. [61] [Re Mills & Boon in India.]

Daum, Meghan, 2009. 'The recession heats up romance novels: In a down economy, sales of bodice-rippers are growing. Escapism is part of the allure, but there's more to the story', Los Angeles Times, April 4, 2009. [62]

Deahl, Rachel. 2013. ' "Robyn Carr: Growing a Midlist Author."' Publishers Weekly 260, no. 14: 10-11.

Dissanayake, Samanthi, 2008. 'All because the lady loves a foreign accent', BBC News, Thursday, 14 August 2008. [63] ["In its 100 years of publishing, the exotic alpha male has been a staple of the Mills and Boon romance." - focus on sheiks, other foreign heroes including, possibly, princes from India.]

Doctor, Vikram, 2008. 'Mills & Boon creates brand in India without distribution', The Economic Times, 14 Jan, 2008. [64]

Doherty, Donna, 2010. 'They’re teaching a romance novel course at Yale, but it’s not what you think', New Haven Register, Sunday, January 24, 2010. [65]

Donahue, Deirdre, 2009. 'Scholarly writers empower the romance genre', USA Today, 7/10/200. [66]

Donahue, Deirdre, 2010. 'Romance novels set in Amish country pick up the pace', USA Today, 9 August 2010.[67]

Donahue, Deirdre, 2011. 'Romance writers are feeling royally inspired', USA Today, 18 April 2011. [68]

Donthi, Praveen, 2008. 'Mills and Boons makes a touchdown on Indian shores', Hindustan Times, Saturday, January 05, 2008. [69] After 'exporting to India for the last 30 years, M&B now has an office in Mumbai. Its Mumbai office set up in India in August, M&B will now print in India.'

Donahue, Deirdre, 2009. 'Scholarly writers empower the romance genre', USA Today, 7 July 2009. [70]. [The same article can be found at a slightly different url, with a somewhat different title: 'Hipsters lust for romance: Scholarly writers empower women in derided genre'.]

Duttagupta, Ishani & Malini Goyal, 2013. 'Harlequin India bets big: Indian writers give Mills & Boon brand a fresh lease of life', The Economic Times, 8 December 2013.[71]

Dyer, Lucinda, 2005. 'Romance: In Its Own Time', Publishers Weekly, 6/13/2005.[72] 'When it comes to attracting readers, corset-wearing heiresses are finding it harder to compete with stiletto-heeled executives. So-called "historicals," once the dominant subgenre of romance books, are losing out to contemporary novels.'

Dyer, Lucinda, 2008. 'The Forever Clinch: Arms full of passion, never out of date', Publishers Weekly, 11/17/2008. [73] ['For decades, the romance novel has been defined by the “clinch” (think handsome hero; his brawny arms around a bountifully buxom damsel) on its cover. But with the success of subgenres like paranormal and an up-and-coming generation of young readers, has the classic clinch become passé?']

E-F

Edoro, Ainehi, 2015. 'The six hottest African romance novels for 2015: Brittle Paper picks six stories from a new romance publisher that it believes is set to get the continent’s hearts racing this year', The Guardian, Friday 16 January 2015. [74] [About Ankara Press]

Elsner, Alan, 2009. 'How Romance Novels Take the Romance out of Romance', Huffington Post, December 2, 2009 07:13 PM. [75]

Eng, Dinah, 2004. 'Strong, sexy women save the day, get their man', USA Today, 10/25/2004.[76] 'Enter the kick-butt heroines.'

English, Shirley, 2005. 'Devil in a Kilt may be ravishing the US, but the reality leaves Scots women cold', The Times, April 02, 2005.[77]

Epstein, Angela, 2007. 'Help! I'm addicted to Mills and Boon', Daily Mail, 27th September 2007. [78]

Faircloth, Kelly, 2015. "How Harlequin Became the Most Famous Name in Romance." Jezebel. 19 March 2015. [79]

Farquharson, Kenny, 2006. 'The write way to fall in love: Ever wondered how to create the perfect alpha male? Enrol on a course in Mills & Boon romantic fiction writing and you’ll soon find out', The Sunday Times, May 14, 2006. [80]

Feeney, Katherine, 2012. 'Are Romance Novels as Bad for Relationships as Porn?', The Age, 29 August 2012. [81]

Feldhahn, Shaunti & Diane Glass, 2007. 'Harm in reading romance novels?', The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 27 June 2007. [82]

Fitzgerald, Sara, 2006. 'Romance, Writ Large', The Washington Post, Sunday, April 30, 2006.[83] 'A Tried-and-True Genre Of Novels Expands, And Business Is Booming.'

Fletcher Stack, Peggy, 2011. 'Romance novels may lead to better sex for Mormon women', The Salt Lake Tribune, Aug 05 2011. [84]

Flood, Alison, 2009. 'Mills & Boon whisper sweet nothings in cauliflower ears', The Guardian, Tuesday 6 January 2009. [85] ["Mills & Boon has linked up with the Rugby Football Union to create a series of rugby themed romance novels"]

Flood, Alison, 2009. 'Mills and Boon put mystery back into romance with retro-themed covers', The Guardian, Friday 31 July 2009. [86] ["Clinch between hero and heroine was 'putting the happy ending on the cover' says publisher, which will pay homage to classic 1970s designs in planned rebrand"]

Flood, Alison, 2010. 'An insider's guide to writing for Mills & Boon: Three of the publisher's most successful authors sweep Alison Flood off her feet for an impassioned journey through the tempestuous challenges of writing romance', The Guardian, Monday 15 February 2010. [87]

Flood, Alison, 2010. 'Mills & Boon goes behind National Trust's bedroom doors for racy novels: Romantic publisher to launch a series of raunchy historical books set in stately homes', The Guardian, Monday 3 May 2010. [88]

Flood, Alison, 2011. 'Amazon embraces romantic books publishing.' The Guardian, Thursday 5 May 2011. [89]

Flood, Alison, 2011. 'Fans dismiss claim romantic novels 'unbalance' readers: Psychologist ridiculed for arguing that romantic fiction harms women's minds.' The Guardian, Wednesday 1 June 2011.[90]

Flood, Alison, 2012. 'Ban on same-sex stories in romance competition causes outcry: Romance Writers Ink's 'More than Magic' contest accepts vampires and werewolves but not gay and lesbian tales.' The Guardian, Wednesday 8 February 2012. [91]

G-I

Ghosh, Palash, 2013. 'Damsels In Distress: Why Do So Many Contemporary Women Read Old-Fashioned Romance Novels?', International Business Times, December 17 2013. [92]

Gillmor, Alison, 2009. 'Love for sale: Harlequin romance: still feeling randy 60 years later', CBCnews.ca, Friday, February 27, 2009. [93]

Gold, Laurie. 2012. "One Foot on the Floor." Publishers Weekly 259, no. 46: 32.

Gold, Laurie. 2011. "Romancing the Reader." Publishers Weekly 258, no. 46: 20.

Gold, Tanya, 2009. 'Confessions of a secret Mills & Boon junkie', The Guardian, Friday 11 September 2009. [94]

Goodwin, Daisy, 2006. 'Confessions of a heroine addict', The Sunday Times, September 17, 2006.[95]

Gracen, Julia, 1999. 'Dangerous LOVE: The murder of a romance novelist by her dashing but abusive husband has fans asking tough questions', Salon, June 17, 1999.[96]

Gracen, Julia, 1999. 'Too darn hot', Salon, Oct. 5, 1999.[97] 'Romance fans clash over a new breed of explicit, kinky love story.'

Gracie, Anne, 2015. 'Opinion: Romance rethlink', Good Reading, Jul 2015: 26-28.[98]

Greenfield, Jeremy, 2014. 'Love Affair With Digital Over For Romance Publisher Harlequin?', Forbes, 6 March 2014.[99]

Grigsby Bates, Karen, 2009. 'Trailblazing Romance Writer Remembered', NPR, June 2, 2009. [100] ["under the pen name Rosalind Welles, journalist Elsie Washington published Entwined Destinies. The book is widely considered the first contemporary black romance"]

Grimaldi, Christine, 2015. '“Happily Ever After” for African-American Romance Novelists', The Rumpus, August 18th, 2015.[101]

Grossman, Lev and Andrea Sachs, 2003. "Rewriting the Romance: Bodice Rippers Are More Popular Than Ever, and Julia Quinn Is Taking Them into the Postfeminist Future." TIME, Monday, Feb. 03, 2003. Pdf available from Quinn's website. The article is also available (with a slightly truncated title) from TIME's website. Reprinted in Profiles of Popular Culture: A Reader. Ed. Ray B. Browne. Madison, Wisconsin: University of Wisconsin Press, 2005. 301-303. Excerpt

Gulab, Kushalrani, 2011. 'Love among the sceptics'. Hindustan Times New Delhi, March 26, 2011.[102] [Includes quite a bit of information about Mills & Boon in India.]

Hale, Beth, 2008. 'Mills & Boon to publish novels in Polish to cash in on Eastern European immigration'. Daily Mail, 28th January 2008. [103]

Harris, Misty, 2009. 'Bodice rippers enjoying recession-busting sales: Publisher'. Canada.com, March 31, 2009. [104] [Includes long segment from romance scholar Eric Selinger ]

Harrison, Linda and Mark Blunden, 2011. 'Royal romance is a real Boon for writers', London Evening Standard, 21 Apr 2011.[105] [Mills & Boon and the Royal Wedding.]

Hawtree, Christopher, 2000. 'Obituary: Alan Boon', The Guardian, Friday August 11, 2000.[106] 'The man who made a million bosoms heave with passion'.

Hazelwood, Glenn A., 2008. 'Romance Novels: The Forlorn Collectibles', Biblio Unbound, February, 2008 : Vol VIII.[107] [On romance novels as collectors' items.]

Healy, Michelle, 2011. 'Romance by the book: Never judge by the cover', USA Today, 9 February 2011. [108] [About heroines and their beauty - quotes from Maya Rodale, Nalini Singh and Beverly Jenkins.]

Heller, Karen, 2015. 'Heaving bosoms and joyous endings conquer Capitol Hill', The Washington Post, 13 Feb. 2015. [109] [Article reports on "the first conference on the literature of love at the Library of Congress"]

Hesse, Monica, 2009. 'When Romance Writers Gather, The Plot Quickens', The Washington Post, Saturday, July 18, 2009. [110] [Description of the Romance Writers of America annual conference 2009]

Hobbs, Belinda, 'What Do Women Really Want?', Hir@gana Times, Japan-Behind the Scenes, not dated. [111]

Howard, Jennifer, 2013. 'Plot Twist: Scholars Get Serious About Romance Novels', The Chronicle of Higher Education 12 August 2013.[112] [Article behind a paywall.]

Huguenin, Patrick, 2009. 'African-American romance writers come into their own', NY Daily News, Saturday, May 23rd 2009.[113]

Iannacci, Elio, 2011. 'What women want: Gay male romance novels', The Globe and Mail, Friday, Feb. 11, 2011. [114] [Contains quotes from Heidi Cullinan, Erastes, and Alex Beecroft.]

Continue to Romance in the Media J-Z