by hollandrae | Jun 1, 2020 | Characters, Heroines, Industry, Inspiration, Reading, Romance Novels, RWA, Uncategorized, Women, Women's Rights
I initially wrote this piece almost two years ago and, while a lot has changed in romance and in politics, far too much remains the same. I am no longer a member of the Romance Writers of America community, which saddens me deeply, but I am working to create more...
by hollandrae | Jan 22, 2020 | Characters, Heroines, Musings, My Books, Reading, Research, Romance Novels, RWA, Statistics, Women, Women's Rights
There are some pretty distinct rules that separate romance novels from every other genre, including genres with love stories. The most obvious of which is the HEA, The Happily Ever After, where the reader is left with a sense that, not only is everything okay right...
by hollandrae | Aug 14, 2019 | Characters, Industry, Inspiration, Musings, My Books, Regency, Romance Novels, RWA, Women, Women's Rights, Writing
My family thinks what I do is pretty cool. They’re supportive, proud, and genuinely interested in how stories get made, how they get sold, and what, exactly, I will be doing next. That doesn’t mean they always understand it, though. Last week, we went away with the...
by hollandrae | Aug 1, 2019 | Editing, Industry, Inspiration, Intersectional Feminism, My Books, Reading, Research, Romance Novels, RWA, Writing
As a general rule, writing is a solitary sport. We communicate with our editors via notes in the margins and chat with our reads on social media, but most of our days are spent scribbling alone, coming up with ideas in the quiet space of an afternoon when the cat is...
by hollandrae | Mar 28, 2019 | Characters, Feminism, Industry, Reading, Romance Novels, RWA, Women's Rights
We’re still here. A year after the RITA awards were acknowledged as problematic and promoting of a biased system, we are once again, as a romance industry, fighting for inclusivity and equal opportunities for all authors. Small victories for authors from historically...
by hollandrae | Sep 24, 2018 | Industry, Intersectional Feminism, Interview, My Books, Research, Romance Novels, RWA, Women, Women's Rights, Writing
Recently, I was given the remarkable opportunity to write about the romance writer, reader and industry. A culture snapshot, my editor explained, to give insight into what makes this genre so successful and beloved, despite generations of doubt, dismissal and outright...
