Romance in the Media A-I

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

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A

Anonymous, 200?. 'What Do Women Really Want?', Hir@gana Times, Japan - Behind the Scenes. [1] [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.[2]

Anonymous, 2002. 'Mills & boom boom', The Observer, Sunday December 15, 2002.[3] '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.[4] '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.[5] 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.[6]

Anonymous, 2008. 'The power of love: 100 years of romantic fiction', The Independent, Saturday, 2 February 2008.[7]

Alberge, Dalya, 2006. 'Romance loses allure after book lovers turn to crime', The Times, February 10, 2006.[8] 'Thrillers have beaten bodice-rippers as library favourites but a children’s writer reigns supreme'. [About the most-borrowed books in UK libraries.]

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.[9]

B

Bantick, Christopher, 2004. 'A quiver through the bookshelves', theage.com.au, February 13, 2004, [10]. ['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.']

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. [11]

Bellafante, Ginia, 2006. 'A Romance Novelist’s Heroines Prefer Love Over Money', The New York Times, August 23, 2006. [12] [This is about Nora Roberts]

Benson, Heidi, 2008. 'Romance-writing hopefuls discuss craft in S.F.', San Francisco Chronicle, Monday, August 18, 2008. [13] [Re the 2008 RWA (Romance Writers of America) Conference.]

Black, Claire, 2008. 'Mills and Boom,' Scotsman 04 November 2008. [14] ["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.[15]

Blakeley, Rhys, 2008. 'Mills & Boon starts a local love affair with India', The Times, January 24, 2008.[16]

Brown, Janelle, 1999. 'Forbidden Romance?', Salon, Sept. 29, 1999.[17] [This item is about romance and epublishing.]

Brumback, Kate, 2006. 'Romance Writers Changing Plots', Washington Post, Friday, July 28, 2006. [18][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. [19] [This includes quotations from academics Eric Selinger and Bill Gleason]

C-D

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][20]

Clews, Mary-Louise, 2009. 'Romance with a modern twist', Marketing Week, 15-Jan-09.[21] ["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. [22]. ["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."]

Coquillat, Michelle, 1998. 'L’amour en mille recettes: Romans roses pour femmes modernes', Le Monde diplomatique, Septembre 1998. [23]

Craig, Amanda, 2006. 'The Language of Love', The Telegraph, 13 February 2006.[24] '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. [25] ['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.]

Cummins, Daisy and Julie Bindel, 2007. 'Mills & Boon: 100 years of heaven or hell?', The Guardian, Wednesday December 5, 2007. [26] ['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.[27] '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.[28]

Danford, Natalie, 2005. 'Embraced by Romance', Publishers Weekly, 11/21/2005.[29] "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.[30]

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. [31]

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. [32]

Dissanayake, Samanthi, 2008. 'All because the lady loves a foreign accent', BBC News, Thursday, 14 August 2008. [33] ["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. [34]

Donthi, Praveen, 2008. 'Mills and Boons makes a touchdown on Indian shores', Hindustan Times, Saturday, January 05, 2008. [35] 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.'

Dyer, Lucinda, 2005. 'Romance: In Its Own Time', Publishers Weekly, 6/13/2005.[36] '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. [37] ['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

Eng, Dinah, 2004. 'Strong, sexy women save the day, get their man', USA Today, 10/25/2004.[38] '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.[39]

Epstein, Angela, 2007. 'Help! I'm addicted to Mills and Boon', Daily Mail, 27th September 2007. [40]

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. [41]

Feldhahn, Shaunti & Diane Glass, 2007. 'Harm in reading romance novels?', The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 27 June 2007. [42]

Fitzgerald, Sara, 2006. 'Romance, Writ Large', The Washington Post, Sunday, April 30, 2006.[43] 'A Tried-and-True Genre Of Novels Expands, And Business Is Booming.'

Flood, Alison, 2009. 'Mills & Boon whisper sweet nothings in cauliflower ears', The Guardian, Tuesday 6 January 2009. [44] ["Mills & Boon has linked up with the Rugby Football Union to create a series of rugby themed romance novels"]

G-H

Gillmor, Alison, 2009. 'Love for sale: Harlequin romance: still feeling randy 60 years later', CBCnews.ca, Friday, February 27, 2009. [45]

Goodwin, Daisy, 2006. 'Confessions of a heroine addict', The Sunday Times, September 17, 2006.[46]

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.[47]

Gracen, Julia, 1999. 'Too darn hot', Salon, Oct. 5, 1999.[48] 'Romance fans clash over a new breed of explicit, kinky love story.'

Grigsby Bates, Karen, 2009. 'Trailblazing Romance Writer Remembered', NPR, June 2, 2009. [49] ["under the pen name Rosalind Welles, journalist Elsie Washington published Entwined Destinies. The book is widely considered the first contemporary black romance"]

Hale, Beth, 2008. 'Mills & Boon to publish novels in Polish to cash in on Eastern European immigration'. Daily Mail, 28th January 2008. [50]

Harris, Misty, 2009. 'Bodice rippers enjoying recession-busting sales: Publisher'. Canada.com, March 31, 2009. [51] [Includes long segment from romance scholar Eric Selinger ]

Hawtree, Christopher, 2000. 'Obituary: Alan Boon', The Guardian, Friday August 11, 2000.[52] '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.[53] [On romance novels as collectors' items.]

Hobbs, Belinda, 'What Do Women Really Want?', Hir@gana Times, Japan-Behind the Scenes, not dated. [54]

J-K

Jones, Tracy, 1997. 'Get your bodice-ripping hands off my genre!'. Salon, Oct. 7, 1997. ['There hasn't been a heaving bosom in a decent romance novel for years - but there has been plenty of guilt-free, female-friendly sex. Maybe that's why men keep bashing romances.'] [55]

Karras, Christy, 2007. 'Pursuit of happy endings: Romance writers finding release in popular form', Salt Lake Tribune, 02/12/2007. [56]

Katsoulis, Melissa, 2008. 'Melissa Katsoulis learns to write a Mills & Boon novel', The Times, January 25, 2008.[57]

Kean, Danuta, 2005. 'Let's hear it for romance', The Guardian, Thursday April 14, 2005.[58] 'Danuta Kean on the real, shameful reasons we're so snooty about romantic fiction.'

Kennedy, Maev, 2000. 'An era swoons away as Mills and Boon goes photographic', The Guardian, Thursday July 13, 2000.[59] 'The most shattering literary news of the new millennium broke yesterday, the announcement that Mills and Boon is to abandon its cover drawings in favour of "modern imagery which shows empowered women" - ie, cover photographs.'

Kirkham, Chris, 2006. 'Passion Deep in the Heart of the Metro: Romance Novel Fans React to Slight', Washington Post, Tuesday, October 10, 2006. [60]

L

Lee, Felicia R., 2008. 'A Romance Novelist Is Accused of Copying', The New York Times, January 12, 2008. [61] ["Who says romance novel fans care only about ripped bodices and manly men?" - a report into Cassie Edwards's alleged plagiarism.]

M-N

Marantz Cohen, Paula, 2007. 'At first suspicious, but now appreciative of NR', The Philadelphia Inquirer, Sun, Apr. 15, 2007. [62] In which Nora Roberts is compared to Anthony Trollope.

Marvin, Elizabeth, 2008. 'Under Covers: How I overcame my secret addiction to steamy romance novels', Today's Christian Woman, January/February 2008, Vol. 30, No. 1, Page 42.[63]

McGuire, Jennifer, 2007. 'Blame it on Harlequin; They brainwashed us into holding out for dark, autocratic men', The Sun Times, Tuesday, June 05, 2007. [64]

Memmott, Carol, 2006. ‘Romance novels for women get frankly sexual’, USA Today, 20 February 2006.[65]

Mehegan, David, 2004. 'The new romantics: A local couple are passionate about publishing love stories for gay men', The Boston Globe, May 22, 2004.[66]

Miller, Brian, 2007. 'A Billion-Dollar Romance Novel Industry, And Its Lonely Black Author: The Fabio business finds itself short on diversity', Seattle Weekly, November 7, 2007.[67] [About 'race' and ethnic origins of authors within the romance industry, with special focus on African-American romance.]

Miller, Jen A., 2009. 'Writing romances, without the cliches', The Inquirer, Wed, Feb. 11, 2009. [68]

Montagne, Renée, 2002. 'Romance Novel Cover Stories: Cover Art Reflects Shifting Tastes, Mores over the Decades', NPR, Feb. 14, 2002.[69]

Morris, Catherine Avril, 2003. 'The latest in lusty lit: They don't rip bodices like they used to', Metro Times, 1/15/2003. [Mostly a Harlequin Temptation reader, she explains that 'the term "bodice ripper." Coined by the media and still used — by the media — to describe any and all romance novels [...] has been both outmoded and out of favor for decades'].[70]

Morris, Sophie, 2008. 'Romance inc.: Why the love industry flourishes', The Independent, Tuesday, 23 September 2008. [Without our insatiable appetite for romantic love, a large part of the mainstream economy would bump and grind to a halt. Luckily, finds Sophie Morris, the downturn hasn't affected the love industry yet.] [71]

Moser, Margaret, 2000. 'Looking for Love in All the Right Places: New Writers of the Purple Prose', The Austin Chronicle.[72] [The item focuses on the 'Romantic Times magazine's 18th annual Booklovers Convention', and the cover models but also includes other issues.]

Nahrung, Jason, 2007. 'Undead breathe new life', The Courier Mail, January 16, 2007. [73] 'A QUICK look at the new releases section at Rosemary's Romance Books in Brisbane's CBD and one thing is quickly apparent: vampires are hot. Real hot.'

Nagraj, Anuradha, 1998. 'Mills & Boons: 100 yrs, still on top', Indian Express, Thursday, October 29, 1998. [74]

O-P

O'Connor, Joanne, 2004. 'Just lie back and think of Tom Selleck...', The Observer, Sunday April 18 2004. [75] 'A blush rising to her cheeks, Joanne O'Connor learns the art of romantic fiction on a Mills & Boon writing holiday in Scotland'.

Omer, Sevil, 2006. 'Hot, waterproof romance novels beckon bathers', Reno Gazette-Journal, 2/24/2006.[76]

Pacio, Nerissa, 2006. 'Sex between the commas: Authors Turn up Heat in Women's Romance Novels', San Jose Mercury News, Sun, Mar. 19, 2006.[77]

Park, Michael Y., 2002. 'Reading True Romance', Fox News, August 28, 2002.[78]

Pavao, Kate, 2003. 'Out of the Closet: Now more than ever, gay and lesbian characters are prominently featured in YA fiction', Publishers Weekly, 12/1/2003.[79] [These books are perhaps not marketed as 'romance' but one of the readers quoted in the piece says that 'above all these are passionate love stories, which are just so appealing and heartening for an adult reader'.]

Peck, Tom & Sophie Mills, 2008. 'Sex sells: Mills & Boon marks centenary with move to hardcore erotica', The Independent, Monday, 8 September 2008. [80]

R

Reardon, Patrick T., 2006. 'The mystery of sheik romance novels', Chicago Tribune, April 24, 2006.[81]

Reed, J.D., 1981. 'From Bedroom to Boardroom', Time, April 13, 1981. [82]

Subhead: "Romance novels court changing fancies and adorable profits" matches the generally condescending tone of the article

Regis, Pamela, 2004. 'Romance: Bestselling popular novelists keep it all in the family', Washington Post, Sunday, October 24, 2004; Page BW13. [83].

Rendell, Joanne, 2009. 'Heaving Bosoms: A Tonic for the Recession?', The Huffington Post, April 30, 2009. [84] [Is an overview of the conference held at Princeton from 23-24 April 2009 on the topic of 'Love as the Practice of Freedom? Romance Fiction and American Culture'.]

Rettig, Hillary, 2009. 'The Eroticization of Equality and Social Justice', The Huffington Post, May 11, 2009. [85] [Rettig's thoughts on the genre as inspired by the conference held at Princeton from 23-24 April 2009 on the topic of 'Love as the Practice of Freedom? Romance Fiction and American Culture'.]

Reynolds, Diane, 2006. 'Revealing the history of Romance novels', Carroll County Times, Wednesday, June 14, 2006. [86] [This is mostly an summary of comments by Pamela Regis]

Rich, Motoko, 2009. 'Recession Fuels Readers’ Escapist Urges', The New York Times, April 7, 2009. [87]

Rosen, Judith, 2004. 'What They Do for Love: Agents discuss their multi-faceted roles in bringing romance into print', Publishers Weekly, 11/15/2004.[88] [At the foot of the article several prominent romance authors, including Connie Brockway, Susan Wiggs, Eloisa James, Mary Balogh and Jo Beverley, talk about the writers and stories which gave them inspiration, most often Heyer but also Holt, Cinderella and others.

S-T

Sabadus, Aura, 2006. 'Authors put the case for romance', The Scotsman, Sat 19 Aug 2006.[89]

Sandler, Lauren, 2001. 'Throbbing hearts and thumping Bibles', Salon, July 12, 2001.[90] 'Christian authors are staking their claim on pop culture's steamiest preserve: Romance novels.'

Scappatura, Angela, 2009. 'The MAG: Cover story - Unrealistic Expectations about Romance', The Sudbury Star, February 7 2009. [91] [Includes a lot of quotes and some reading recommendations from Sarah Wendell of romance blog Smart Bitches, Trashy Books.]

Segal, Francesca, 2008. 'Who said romance was dead?', The Observer, Sunday January 27, 2008.[92] [A report on Mills & Boon in its centenary year.]

Stenhouse, David, 2005. 'America is turned on by kilt-ripping yarns: Sales of Scottish romance novels are rocketing in the US, where readers lust for a Highland fling', The Sunday Times, March 27, 2005.[93]

Sujan, Dheera, 2007. 'In love with the romance novel', Radio Netherlands, 13-02-2007. [94]

Sweney, Mark, 2009. 'Mills & Boon ads woo younger readers', The Guardian, Wednesday 17 December 2008. [95] ["Ad agency St Luke's is set to redesign Mills & Boon covers."]

Tellez, Roseanne, 2006. 'Romance Novels Turn Up The Heat In Sex Sellers', cbs2chicago.com.[96]

Treble, Patricia, 2007. 'Harlequin thinks unsexy thoughts: Impotence is just the start: the new romance novels put the 'fun' back in sexual dysfunction', Macleans, September 24, 2007.[97]

U-Z

Urbina, Ian, 2006. 'That Which Simmers Is Not to Be Dissed', The New York Times, October 10, 2006. 'Plato’s “Republic” or bodice ripper? A Washington subway advertisement compares the two, and has irked fans of romance novels'. [98]

Weber, Bruce, 1999. 'Romance Novelists: Profits Without Honor', The New York Times, August 3, 1999. [99]

Weldon, Fay, 2008. 'I still hide the cover when I read a Mills & Boon', The Telegraph, 20/01/2008. [100]

Weldon, Fay, 2008. 'Mills & Boon exhibition And Then He Kissed Me shows how women yearn for the dark stranger', The Times, June 4, 2008. [101]

Williams, Fred O., 2007. 'Harlequin makes Depew the capital of romance novels: Each year it ships 140 million books across North America', The Buffalo News, Business Today, Wednesday, March 28, 2007. [102]

Williams, Zoe, 2005. ‘Get Real’, The Guardian, G2 section, Thursday 11 August 2005.[103] 'Mills & Boon is to get a makeover, ditching the requisite fairytale ending. Surely that's missing the point, says Zoe Williams.'

Wiser, Paige, 2006. 'Romance reigns on the love bus', Chicago Sun-Times, August 23, 2006.[104]

Witchel, Alex, 2005. 'A New Romance', The New York Times, June 12, 2005.[105] 'Say amen, Dorothy. This Oz is the brave new world of the gay male romance novel.'

Wolff, Isabel, 2004. 'In defence of romance', The Guardian, Tuesday March 2, 2004.[106] 'Isabel Wolff is proud to be part of the romantic fiction tradition that includes the Brontës, Tolstoy and Austen.'

Wyatt, Edward, 2004. ' "Sorry, Harlequin," She Sighed Tenderly, "I'm Reading Something Else"', The New York Times, August 17, 2004.[107]

Zaitchik, Alexander, 2003. ‘The Romance Writers of America convention is just super’, New York Press, Vol 16: 30, 22 July 2003.[108]