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 | May 29, 2019 | Characters, Industry, Inspiration, Musings, Romance Novels, Statistics, Women's Rights
One of the most common themes that comes up when discussing romance novels is the idea of the ‘unrealistic expectation’ regarding men, relationships and sexual prowess. Romance novels create a utopian relationship, critics often squawk. There aren’t any real men like...
by hollandrae | Aug 20, 2018 | Art, Characters, Industry, Inspiration, Musings, Research, Romance Novels, RWA, Statistics, Women, Women's Rights
Busting the Myths and Misconceptions Around Fiction’s Most Valuable Genre The romance genre is not new. Since the age of Austen and Bronte, romance has reigned, from the quiet, brown paper bag covers, to the shelves of the grocery store, from the bodice rippers...
by hollandrae | Jul 2, 2018 | Characters, Heroines, Industry, Inspiration, My Books, Romance Novels, Statistics, Women, Women's Rights, Writing
The romance novel genre gets a bad rap. It always has. From the very beginning, stories about women, both in the domestic sphere and the professional world, that didn’t adhere to the strictures of a patriarchal status quo were rejected as lesser than, fluff...
by hollandrae | Jun 11, 2018 | Characters, Industry, Inspiration, Research, Romance Novels, RWA, Statistics, Women, Women's Rights, Writing
I have been professionally writing romance novels for about four and half years. In that time, I’ve come to appreciate romance as not only a feminist genre, but the feminist genre, complete with women in positions of power, healthy, supportive female friendships and a...
by hollandrae | May 14, 2018 | Characters, Editing, Heroines, Humor, Industry, Research, Romance Novels, Statistics, Writing
When it comes to titles, I am all or none. Some days, the blessed title deities generously bequeath the perfect name for my current work in progress, simply out of the kindness of their hearts. Other days, the well runs dry, the ground cracks below my feet, and I beg...
