Sarah MacLean's Blog, page 4
October 31, 2013
Let’s Talk About Foreplay!
You guys. I am SO. EXCITED. FOR. YOU.
On November 5th, Sophie Jordan’s Foreplay is released — this book has everything you’ve come to expect from a Sophie Jordan novel — a strong heroine, a smokin’ hot hero, and a love story that just won’t quit! But…it’s a contemporary novel! That’s right, Sophie has jumped into the contemporary (New Adult) pool, and this book makes a killer splash. It’s the first in a three-book series called The Ivy Chronicles, about three college roommates at an elite New England university who are exploring all the things that college girls should explore.
Foreplay (available in ebook for $3.79 right now — are you kidding me with that deal?) is the story of Pepper, who is hopelessly in love with her best friend’s brother, but who believes she needs a little more experience before she goes after him. So, to get that experience, she asks the local hot bartender Reece for help….and we all know what happens from there!
Check out this awesome trailer for the book…
And enjoy!
xxoo
October 18, 2013
Romance Novels and Naughty Bits
I’ve been quiet for the last two weeks, reader, despite being rather in a pique.
You see, two weeks ago, the New York Times Book Review published a “Sex Issue” which included, as far as I can tell, no reviews of romance novels or erotica. On top of it, the Book Review of Record interviewed 15 authors about writing sex scenes. Get this: Not one of those writers is a romance novelist.
The closest they got to a romance novelist was Jackie Collins.
I know. Right?
So, suffice to say, I was miffed. I emailed my husband. I texted Sophie Jordan. And I drank entirely too much caffeine. And then I sat down, channelled my grandfather, and crafted a strongly worded letter to the editors of the book review.
Because, while I tend to be irritated when people look down their nose at a genre I love, I get really annoyed when we don’t even get consulted on the thing we (arguably) do best and (definitely) do most — write the naughty bits. I couldn’t share the letter here until I knew whether or not it was going to be published by the Times, and yesterday, it was.
So, today, I’m sharing it with you. With a little side note:
Thank you. For reading romance and loving romance and respecting romance.
And for being generally awesome.
__
To the Editor:
I was dismayed to see that of the 15 authors asked to discuss writing about sex in the “Naughty Bits” roundup, none write romance novels — the genre best known for its naughty bits.
Romance holds a huge share of the consumer market, with more than $1.4 billion in sales in 2012, so the omission is surprising. The lack of romance authors is especially glaring when one considers that each week, the mass-market, e-book and combined best-seller lists compiled by The New York Times include dozens of books from this far-reaching genre: historical, contemporary, paranormal, erotic and new adult.
A romance novelist would have added a special perspective on the questions “Why is writing about sex so difficult?” and “What makes a good sex scene?” because writing about sex is a large part of what we do. And our readers — all 75 million of them — expect us to do it well.
Writing about sex is a challenge for the same reason sex is a challenge. Because it’s complicated. Because it doesn’t always make sense and it isn’t always perfect and it’s sometimes awful and it’s sometimes hilarious. But underneath all the clever wordplay, it’s about hope. Hope that someone will see us, and accept us, and perhaps — after all that — choose us. It’s the barest we will ever be. The barest a character will ever be. That’s why it’s difficult.
As for what makes a good sex scene, a romance novelist would have told you that when done well and with a skilled hand, the best sex scenes can at once arouse and empower. Sex on the page gives readers the freedom to explore their own sexuality, their own pleasures, their own identities. With hope. And without judgment.
I hope you will consider including the romance genre in your next “Sex Issue.”
SARAH MACLEAN
BROOKLYN
Romance Novels and Naughty Bits
I've been quiet for the last two weeks, reader, despite being rather in a pique.
You see, two weeks ago, the New York Times Book Review published a "Sex Issue" which included, as far as I can tell, no reviews of romance novels or erotica. On top of it, the Book Review of Record interviewed 15 authors about writing sex scenes. Get this: Not one of those writers is a romance novelist.
The closest they got to a romance novelist was Jackie Collins.
I know. Right?
So, suffice to say, I was miffed. I emailed my husband. I texted Sophie Jordan. And I drank entirely too much caffeine. And then I sat down, channelled my grandfather, and crafted a strongly worded letter to the editors of the book review.
Because, while I tend to be irritated when people look down their nose at a genre I love, I get really annoyed when we don't even get consulted on the thing we (arguably) do best and (definitely) do most -- write the naughty bits. I couldn't share the letter here until I knew whether or not it was going to be published by the Times, and yesterday, it was.
So, today, I'm sharing it with you. With a little side note:
Thank you. For reading romance and loving romance and respecting romance.
And for being generally awesome.
__
To the Editor:
I was dismayed to see that of the 15 authors asked to discuss writing about sex in the “Naughty Bits” roundup, none write romance novels — the genre best known for its naughty bits.
Romance holds a huge share of the consumer market, with more than $1.4 billion in sales in 2012*, so the omission is surprising. The lack of romance authors is especially glaring when one considers that each week, the mass-market, e-book and combined best-seller lists compiled by The New York Times include dozens of books from this far-reaching genre: historical, contemporary, paranormal, erotic and new adult.
A romance novelist would have added a special perspective on the questions “Why is writing about sex so difficult?” and “What makes a good sex scene?” because writing about sex is a large part of what we do. And our readers — all 75 million of them* — expect us to do it well.
Writing about sex is a challenge for the same reason sex is a challenge. Because it’s complicated. Because it doesn’t always make sense and it isn’t always perfect and it’s sometimes awful and it’s sometimes hilarious. But underneath all the clever wordplay, it’s about hope. Hope that someone will see us, and accept us, and perhaps — after all that — choose us. It’s the barest we will ever be. The barest a character will ever be. That’s why it’s difficult.
As for what makes a good sex scene, a romance novelist would have told you that when done well and with a skilled hand, the best sex scenes can at once arouse and empower. Sex on the page gives readers the freedom to explore their own sexuality, their own pleasures, their own identities. With hope. And without judgment.
I hope you will consider including the romance genre in your next “Sex Issue.”
SARAH MACLEAN
BROOKLYN
* All statistics in this letter are from Romance Writers of America.
September 4, 2013
Temple is coming! Temple is coming!
That’s as much of the first line as you’re getting before 11/26/13!
I am so excited today, because I finally finally have page proofs of No Good Duke Goes Unpunished in hand! Page proofs are a particular milestone, because they’re the first time I actually see what the book will look like when it’s all bound and beautiful. And boy is this book beautiful!
It also gives me a chance to share the first page of the book with you — well, sort of. As with all of my Scoundrels’ books, Temple’s story begins with his fall — the moment when he lost everything and became Temple. In his case, the moment when he became The Killer Duke.
For Temple, it happened in late November 1819, on the morning of his father’s wedding to the woman who was to have been Temple’s fourth stepmother. That’s all I’ll share of the story today…but I had to offer this pretty pretty picture, and the back cover copy of the book, below!
***
A Rogue Ruined…
He is the Killer Duke, accused of murdering Mara Lowe on the eve of her wedding. With no memory of that fateful night, Temple has reigned over the darkest of London’s corners for twelve years, wealthy and powerful, but beyond redemption. Until one night, Mara resurfaces, offering the one thing he’s dreamed of…absolution.
A Lady Returned…
Mara planned never to return to the world from which she’d run, but when her brother falls deep into debt at Temple’s exclusive casino, she has no choice but to offer Temple a trade that ends in her returning to society and proving to the world what only she knows…that he is no killer.
A Scandal Revealed…
It’s a fine trade, until Temple realizes that the lady–and her past–are more than they appear. It will take every bit of his strength to resist the pull of this mysterious, maddening woman who seems willing to risk everything for honor…and to keep from putting himself on the line for love.
***
NO GOOD DUKE GOES UNPUNISHED
The Third Rule of Scoundrels
Coming November 26, 2013
PreOrder Rogue from a store near you!
Indiebound
Signed copies can be shipped anywhere from WORD Bookstore in Brooklyn!
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
August 11, 2013
In Which Sarah Goes Goth…
In March of 2013, my dear friend and brilliant critique partner Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, came to New York City for the weekend. We holed ourselves up in my Brooklyn apartment, convinced Eric to take care of Baxter for a few days, and wrote the short story She, Doomed Girl for Harper Voyager’s anthology Dark Duets.
Now, Carrie writes dark horror (Forest is a post-apocalyptic zombie YA novel), and I write romance, which means she solves problems with killing, and I solve them with kissing. So, when we agreed to take this project on, we knew it might be a disaster. But here’s the thing.
It was awesome.
She, Doomed Girl, is a gothic retelling of the myth of Orpheus, who followed his love into hell to save her and return her to the living. Our version is set in a castle on a Scottish island in the North Sea, and it’s dark and romantic and emotional and ever so Bronte-esque.
We’re so proud to be a part of this wonderful anthology–alongside names like Charlaine Harris & Rachel Caine, Holly Black & Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan, Kevin J. Anderson & Sherrilyn Kenyon and more.
I realize that if you’re reading this, you’re probably more a romance reader than a horror reader…but I hope you’ll give Dark Duets a try. I was nervous, too. But I had a lot of fun crafting Owen & Emily — and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.
***
She, Doomed Girl
by Sarah MacLean & Carrie Ryan
DARK DUETS
All-New Tales of Horror and Dark Fantasy
Coming January 7, 2014
PreOrder Dark Duets from a store near you!
Indiebound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
In Which Sarah Goes Goth...
In March of 2013, my dear friend and brilliant critique partner Carrie Ryan, author of The Forest of Hands and Teeth series, came to New York City for the weekend. We holed ourselves up in my Brooklyn apartment, convinced Eric to take care of Baxter for a few days, and wrote the short story She, Doomed Girl for Harper Voyager's anthology Dark Duets.
Now, Carrie writes dark horror (Forest is a post-apocalyptic zombie YA novel), and I write romance, which means she solves problems with killing, and I solve them with kissing. So, when we agreed to take this project on, we knew it might be a disaster. But here's the thing.
It was awesome.
She, Doomed Girl, is a gothic retelling of the myth of Orpheus, who followed his love into hell to save her and return her to the living. Our version is set in a castle on a Scottish island in the North Sea, and it's dark and romantic and emotional and ever so Bronte-esque.
We're so proud to be a part of this wonderful anthology--alongside names like Charlaine Harris & Rachel Caine, Holly Black & Cassandra Clare & Sarah Rees Brennan, Kevin J. Anderson & Sherrilyn Kenyon and more.
I realize that if you're reading this, you're probably more a romance reader than a horror reader...but I hope you'll give Dark Duets a try. I was nervous, too. But I had a lot of fun crafting Owen & Emily -- and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do.
***
She, Doomed Girl
by Sarah MacLean & Carrie Ryan
DARK DUETS
All-New Tales of Horror and Dark Fantasy
Coming January 7, 2014
PreOrder Dark Duets from a store near you!
Indiebound
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
April 7, 2013
Mme. Hebert is a Star!
I’m taking a quick break from finishing Temple’s book to share this TOTALLY COOL thing!
As you know, Madame Hebert is the French genius-of-a-modiste who has dressed (at one point or another) every one of my heroines, and their sisters (and my heroes’ mistresses). Aside from having a special talent for dressing ladies of any size, shape or coloring, she’s also well respected by the gentlemen of the Fallen Angel, and…it seems…on Chase’s payroll.
Hebert may be famous in the the 1820s & 30s, but we never expected her to time-travel. However, in the May issue of Real Simple magazine, right there on the table of contents page, Hebert earned her 21st Century street cred. I was totally surprised.
She, needless to say, is thrilled. There is much waving of hands and French excitement. 
Mme. Hebert is a Star!
I'm taking a quick break from finishing Temple's book to share this TOTALLY COOL thing!
As you know, Madame Hebert is the French genius-of-a-modiste who has dressed (at one point or another) every one of my heroines, and their sisters (and my heroes' mistresses). Aside from having a special talent for dressing ladies of any size, shape or coloring, she's also well respected by the gentlemen of the Fallen Angel, and...it seems...on Chase's payroll.
Hebert may be famous in the the 1820s & 30s, but we never expected her to time-travel. However, in the May issue of Real Simple magazine, right there on the table of contents page, Hebert earned her 21st Century street cred. I was totally surprised.
She, needless to say, is thrilled. There is much waving of hands and French excitement. 
March 15, 2013
On Indie Bookstores & Romance Book Clubs
March’s WORDs of Love Packages!
As you know from my Read More Romance posts, I’m pretty much an obsessive romance recommender. I can’t help myself. It’s especially bad when I meet someone who has never read a romance novel or who has opinions about romance. You know the kind I mean. The kind that are wrong.
But either way, I can’t stop myself from talking about romance whenever I meet someone who’s interested in talking about it–which makes dinner parties at my house rather rousing and bizarre for newbies who start off simply trying to be polite and end up getting a dissertation on the rights of romance readers. But I’m a halfway decent cook, so it all works out in the end. :)
Three years ago, I started one of my pro-romance diatribes with the manager of my local indie bookseller, WORD in Greenpoint, Brooklyn. WORD is AWESOME. It’s a tiny, beautifully designed store that has a great event space and a tremendously well-curated cookbook section…
Wait.
First, a story:
***
Once upon a time, I wrote a book called . I was very excited about this book, because it was the first in a new series I proposed…the third series of my career — the one that is supposed to make it ok for me to officially call myself a writer in mixed company. I was also excited about this book because it was done. And writing it had been akin to labor. As in, laboring a child. Long, terrible, horrifyingly painful labor, that results in a 10lb baby. Or, in my case, Bourne. But we’ll leave it at that.
My brilliantly talented publicist at Avon Books set me up with a party in Rhode Island (my home state) on the day that A Rogue By Any Other Name was officially in the world, and I took the train north to that cupcake and champagne-laden party, filled with hometown friends and family and a fair amount of strangers. The party was held in an independent bookstore near my hometown that does not carry romance. It was fun. I talked for 20 minutes, took questions for another 40, and a good time was generally had by all. We sold 90 books in 2 hours (and only 2 of them to my mother!); I was thrilled.
Afterward, the manager of the bookstore approached and said, “That was great! We’d love to have you again…if you’d like to come back.”
Would I! “I’d love to. And in the meantime…would you like me to sign the leftover stock?” This is a thing that bookstores ask of us, typically, when we go to visit them. It basically means…we have some of your books on hand, and if given the choice, readers would rather have a signed book than an unsigned one, so would you sign what’s around so new readers can get signed books from us? Honestly? I asked knowing the answer. I’ve never had a bookseller say no to that question, and I’d just sold 90 books! Clearly, people in Rhode Island loved me!
“No,” she said, as I attempted to keep my jaw from dropping. “Our customers don’t read romance.”
I–
I can’t–
WHAT?! 90 Books! She’d been there! In fact, she was the one who told me we sold 90 books!
And yet…her customers…they don’t read romance?
Reader, I’m still bamboozled by this story. I might need to go take a walk before I continue………Ok. I’m back, and Baxter, at least, is happy.
Let’s get back to this “our customers don’t read romance,” insanity. Let’s leave aside the fact that romance holds the largest share of the US Consumer book market and that it’s a $1.4 billion dollar industry and that nearly 75 million people read a romance novel in 2008 (4 years before this conversation), and I’m guessing that at least one or two of those 75 million people live within walking distance of this bookstore.
I’d just filled the store with sixty or so people, who had bought 1.5 books each (I won’t lie–the cutting of books in half did concern me).
And this woman was clearly blind.
Except, it wasn’t blindness.
Blindness I could forgive.
This woman was snooty.
A Serious Book Cover (made for me by the lovely ladies who run the in-person WORDs of Love Book Club)
What she was saying wasn’t “My customers don’t read romance.” What she was saying was, “My customers are too smart for romance. My customers read SERIOUS BOOKS. Literary fiction and nonfiction and sometimes mystery, but that’s as downmarket as they’ll go.” But what I heard was, “I don’t want your kind in here. And you won’t convince me otherwise. Not even with 90 books in a night. Not even with everything you just said about feminism and history and legacy and Jane Austen. I barely accept Pride & Prejudice on my hallowed shelves.”
We’ve all had this moment, right? Any one of us who’s dared admit we read romance or, worse, dared read a romance in public has had this moment. The “oh, you read that” moment. The “Romance is trashy” moment. The “I’m judging your book (and you) by its cover” moment.)
And this is a big problem. Because when romance readers (who read on average somewhere between 12 and 15 books a month) feel like we’re not getting the love from our local indies, guess where we go? Big box stores. Online stores. Chains. And we love them for carrying the books we love. We feel validated when we have a section all to ourselves. Or a whole category that we can click through to our heart’s content. And when we have sub genres? And romance on the FIRST PAGE of the website? Stop it. It’s romance reader heaven.
But guess what? We’re secretly sad we don’t have our own little indie. We’re jealous of people in Houston because they have Katy Budget Books and of the ones in Lansing who have Schuler Books or the ones in Naperville who have Anderson’s. We are book lovers, and we want to go hang out with other book lovers. We love paper and ink and the sound of the cracking spine and the smell of the damn glue. We have hundreds of novels stuffed under our beds, and in our purses and (I’m not ashamed to admit) on our bathroom shelves. We are card carrying READERS, and we have the word counts to prove it. And we shouldn’t have to fight to prove to indies (the captial-B Bookstores of bookstores) that our books are worthy, because owners and operators of indies should see that we’re in the same club! I mean…all hail the printed word! And if there’s smooching, all the better! (Come on. Who doesn’t like smooching?)
Oh my gosh this post is getting long. I’m turning back. Returning to port. I swear.
***
All this is to say…
Boy do I love my local indie.
WORD Bookstore is tucked away on a near-waterfront street in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. They don’t have much space at all. It’s maybe 1000 square feet of space, but they have used the space in a remarkable way. They have events almost every night of the week — a fabulous children’s section, a brilliantly well-read staff, live music and awesome readings and even a “singles” board, where you can meet another local book lover and maybe get some smooching in (see how it all comes back to smooching)?
Oh, and get this…they carry romance.
They don’t have much space, so it’s not a huge romance section…but they carry the classics — the books that will gateway drug you into the genre (Susan Elizabeth Phillips & Lisa Kleypas & Loretta Chase & Jennifer Crusie & JR Ward) — and local authors (Eloisa James & Maya Rodale & yours truly) — and anything that’s got a bookseller in it (Kieran Kramer’s Cloudy With A Chance of Marriage is a favorite in there) — and anything that’s just plain good (Thea Harrison & Tessa Dare & Meredith Duran). And they’ll order you anything you like, and take recommendations for their own reading lists with pleasure.
Look what kind of book was the bestseller at WORD in January!
Oh, and they’ll take orders for signed copies of my books anytime–you order and I have an excuse to head to the bookstore to sign books “for business.” And to linger for pleasure. :)
The coolest thing?
We recently started a Romance of the Month Club. Every month, I choose six romances (two historicals, two contemporaries & two paranormals) all with a common theme — some of them are brand new and some of them are old-skool (Yes. With a K.). You get to pick the one you are most interested in, and it gets mailed to you with fun goodies. You also get access to a private Goodreads group where we chat once a month about the books and what you liked/disliked/wished there was more of…and you get to meet a few dozen other romance readers across the country who are all excited to read and talk romance.
This month includes:
Kristan Higgins’s My One and Only
Jayne Ann Krentz’s Sweet Starfire
Pamela Palmer’s Desire Untamed
Lorraine Heath’s Lord of Temptation
Jennifer McQuiston’s What Happens in Scotland
It gets even better if you’re in NYC, though…because some local customers of WORD, whom I did not know before the club began, have started an in person romance book club. They choose one of my picks, and then meet on the First Saturday of the month to discuss it. Last Month it was Elizabeth Hoyt’s The Raven Prince, and the discussion was fast and fascinating and fabulously brilliant. Next month, it’s Kristan Higgins’s My One and Only.
I’m so excited to share my favorite romances with readers through the club…but I think I’m even more excited to share my local bookstore. Join us!
**
But seriously. There have got to be more indies out there that embrace romance. Leave your favorite romance-loving indie in comments, and I’ll add it to this post!
Indies That Rock Romance:
* Anderson’s Bookshop, 123 West Jefferson, Naperville, IL
* Katy Budget Books, 2450 Fry Road, Houston, TX
* Posman Books, Grand Central Terminal, New York, NY
* Schuler Books & Music, 2820 Towne Center Boulevard, Lansing, MI
* WORD, 125 Franklin Street, Brooklyn, NY
March 5, 2013
Kate Noble on Tina Fey
Tina Fey is getting a lot of love this month from not only the blog, but also readers and others on Twitter who are following Girls Who Wear Glasses month. But I’m particularly happy to share today’s post from the fabulous Kate Noble, who lives in LA and who I like to think has a glamorous Tina Fey-esque life. Kate’s The Summer of You is one of my very favorite books, and I am so so excited for her next… Let It Be Me (out next month)!
And, of course, I’m always happy to give Tina (and Kate) more facetime on the blog!
Welcome Kate!
**
It is no exaggeration to say I want to be Tina Fey when I grow up. She is our generation’s Dorothy Parker. She successfully ran the writer’s room at Saturday Night Live before becoming the anchor of Weekend Update before leaving to run her own show *about* running a show wherein she played the lead, Liz Lemon. And winning a bunch of Emmys for it.
(Liz Lemon is my 2nd choice for who I want to be when I grow up, by the by.)
And she did it all in glasses. Not bothering to hide her four-eyed nature with contacts (like I do) or laser eye surgery, Tina Fey said, “nope. This is me. I’m gonna do my job and be awesome and not conform to your standards of what you think I should look like while I do it.”
She killed it hosting the Golden Globes with pal Amy Poehler. She is impassioned and articulate about what it is to be a modern woman – for proof, look no further than her “If I have one more gray-faced man in a two-dollar haircut tell me what rape is…” quote. On those occasions that existing words are inadequate, she makes the right ones up. (“Blergh”, anyone?) She’s a leader, a mom of two, and an exasperated professional.
Oh, and she’s funny. Like, for reals funny. Like, trying to choke down a special sandwich at the airport before going through security to run after the guy who could be the one, because She Can Have It All! funny.
If I seem to be fangirling, Tina Fey deserves it. And certainly some of her superpowers must be stored in her sleek glasses. They tell everyone to take her seriously, but lets them be surprised by her wicked sense of humor. She makes me feel that with focus, talent, a solid mid-western work ethic, and a sense of humor… I can achieve anything. I, too, can have it all.
**
And you deserve it all, Kate!
Your turn, reader…let’s talk about funny! What do you think is the funniest show on TV? For me, it was 30 Rock for a long time…and now I have to find something new!
One commenter (US Only) will win a copy of Kate’s If I Fall!
