Hi friends!
Welcome to Read-A-Romance Month 2016!
If you’re a new visitor to RARM, I hope you’ll come back every day in August to read all the wonderful pro-romance posts this year. Check out the full calendar here. You can also find links to the last three years’ posts from the boxes in the sidebar, and if you’d like, you can follow RARM on Facebook. Enjoy August!
#LoveRomance
Buy Romance A Drink
I #loveromance, and I expect every person in the world to love this genre too.
[Manage expectations, Cole.] Okay, let’s try this:
I want everyone in the world who might love the romance genre to give it a chance.
Unfortunately, so many readers never will because of preconceived notions. Before you picked up your first romance novel, did you have them?
I did.
Then one day, when I was between science fiction and horror novels and desperate for something new to read, I stumbled upon A Rose in Winter, by Kathleen Woodiwiss.
At the risk of sounding dramatic—actually, let’s assume that risk because this is really freaking dramatic—the entire course of my life changed.
I often think with a shudder, What if I’d never picked up that book?
And that makes me wonder how many folks right now are missing out on their own life – changing 
romance novel. How many would become avid readers or booksellers or librarians or writers or genre advocates?
How many would simply become . . . happier?
Over the sixteen years I’ve been writing romance, I’ve come across a number of genre detractors. Early in my career, I would go toe-to-toe with them. Eventually, I gave up trying to change minds, but these days, I’ve got a new outlook. . . .
Imagine if the romance genre were a person.
Wouldn’t you feel bad for her?
Romance is intelligent, but those detractors consider her brainless. Though she’s strong and capable, they call her weak and incompetent. She empowers, but she’s viewed as a bad influence. She gets passed over for promotions and awards, even though the decision makers refuse to look at her work.
Romance’s critics claim her statements all sound alike—but they never listen to a word she says.
From now on, I’m going to stick up for Romance at every opportunity. I’m going to buy Romance a drink, because, damn, she’s had a hard slog. I’m going to tell her it’s getting better, little by little.
I’m going to defend Romance as loyally as I would any of my friends—because I love the hell out of that 
remarkable woman.
Kresley recommends:
Authors I can’t recommend enough:
Christina Lauren christinalaurenbooks.com (at Amazon)
Gena Showalter genashowalter.com (at Amazon)
PC & Kristin Cast pccastauthor.com (at Amazon)
Roxanne St. Claire roxannestclaire.com (at Amazon)
Louisa Edwards louisaedwards.com (at Amazon)
Truly fantastic writers of exceptional books!
Questions for the Author:
Tell us about a moment in your life when you felt romance surrounding you.
I felt romance surrounding me while my husband Swede and I were working on my first self-published title, The Player. He stepped up to the plate and took care of everything—formatting, cover, uploads, etc.—allowing me to write without interruptions. Which is knightly behavior in my mind. I legit sighed over him.
Then came the moment when I held The Player in my hands for the first time. Right as I was about to peek inside, Swede told me, “I put a surprise for you in the published book.”
Record-needle scratch. Oh. *#&@.
Pardon? [Choking] S-surprise?? [Must to vomit now] Copies had already shipped, yet he’d gone behind the scenes and added something to a book I had relentlessly micro-edited and polished.
With shaking hands, I opened the cover. . . .
I burst out laughing. On the Valkyrie Press title page, he’d added location names, all from my Immortals After Dark series—three of which are fictional demon and vampire settings.
In my mind, his little addition was a playful wink and an adorably sexy grin. [another legit sigh]
Tell us about someone special in your life (other than your partner) with whom you share romance.
I shared romance with every author on the Belles-on-Wheels book tour in May 2014. Two thousand miles, a bus-load of women, seven cities, five jam-packed days. We lived books. We laughed. We visited with readers and bloggers and booksellers who loved romance. Now we all share those wonderful memories.
Who is your (or a) favorite romantic couple?
In books? I’m going to go old school and say Lizzie and Darcy, with their sublime push/pull.
Tell us about your dream date.
Swede and I have just finished our latest deadlines and get to breathe a bit. We grab the mutts and head to the beach for an afternoon. As the sun goes down, we eat boiled shrimp and laugh as the dogs chase waves.
Kelsey is generously giving away a $50 B&N, Amazon, BAM, Kobo, or iTunes gift card for one US winner. Signed copies of all three books in the Game Makers Series for one international winner.
To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below or on the *Facebook post you’ll find here (or both – Share the Love!) ;o) by 11:59 pm PST Sept 7, 2016. Good luck! *****International friends, please be sure to leave your country in your comment so that we know you’re international. xo
(*You don’t have to like the FB page, but we do recommend it. It’s easier to contact you if you win. Also consider joining the Read-A-Romance Book Club page, where we discuss romance of all kinds and will have drawings and events throughout the year.)
#LoveRomance #HappyReading
Kresley Cole is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Immortals After Dark paranormal series, the young adult Arcana Chronicles series, the erotic Game Makers series, and five award-winning historical romances.
Learn more:
KresleyCole.com | Facebook | Twitter @kresleycole
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*Please note that the Amazon button, most cover images and many text links connect to a Read-A-Romance Month affiliate portal. Thanks so much for your help & support!
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