Jane Litte's Blog, page 929

REVIEW: The Man Behind the Scars by Caitlin Crews

Dear Ms. Crews:

I am a big fan of your Harlequin Presents and I feel like you exploit the category length and the fantasy feel of the stories in the best way. This latest effort, however, spent so much time in the head space of one character that I felt disconnected with the hero. The rushed ending didn’t help.

[image error]When we first meet Angel Tilson, she’s not terribly likeable. She has skated by on her looks, believing that those alone would support her but when her mother incurs a $50,000 credit car...

Friday News: Jane’s New Contributions to BNReview; Amazon sales up, profit down

This is a video of a number of authors on the subject of sex in books: Erica Jong on writing about sex as a way of finding answers, Lawrence Block on the definition of erotica, Patricia Gaffney on historical romances, Suzanne Forster on the importance of sexual tension, and Eileen Goudge on the eighty-year-old woman who told her, “If I can’t do it, I want to read about it.”

Jane’s New Gig – A couple of month’s ago I was invited to contribute to bnreview.com. This is BN’s review/literary webzin...

Friday Film Review: Walk, Don’t Run

Walk, Don’t Run (1966)

Genre: Romantic Comedy

Grade: C+

My quest for Summer Olympic themed movies turned up three that I decided to review. There are lots of Winter Games but surprisingly few about the Summer ones. Oh, well. Honestly, were it not for the fact that I needed another to round out the Friday slots during these Summer Games (Hi, London!) I probably wouldn’t have done this one but beggars can’t choose so here goes.

Netflix has a nice, compact synopsis –

“When an English businessman (C...

Pimp My Ride – Delay

We were supposed to post the winner of this contest earlier this week. Unfortunately Ms. Stacey is having internet troubles but hopefully we can work something out so that the winner is posted tomorrow or Saturday.

Daily Deals: Mystery, Historical Romance, OOP Backlist, and Urban Fantasy

[image error]Two for Joy: A John, the Lord Chamberlain Mystery by Mary Reed Eric Mayer. $2.99.

This line caught my eye “Reed and Mayer combine the scholarship of Steven Saylor with the humor of Lindsey Davis.” Jayne is a big fan of Lindsey Davis and I wondered if this would interest her. Mary Reed and Eric Mayer are a husband and wife writing team. This book is number 2 in the series. Strangely it looks like the first one is being re-released and is not currently available at BN but it is .99 c at Amazon...

REVIEW: Home by Nightfall by Alexis Harrington

“In 1918, Susannah Braddock is devastated by the news that her beloved husband, Riley, has been killed in battle in France. Heartbroken, she turns to Tanner Grenfell for support. Though technically the Braddocks’ hired hand, Tanner has been helping Susannah run the family horse farm since Riley shipped out, and he has become a true and trusted friend. As time passes and Susannah’s grief begins to ebb, her friendship with Tanner deepens into love. They marry, committing their lives to running...

Debut Print Book: Hearts of Darkness by Kira Brady

I’ve had some concerns by readers who are primarily print readers that the coverage at Dear Author has been too focused on ebooks. When I asked the readers what they were interested in seeing, they responded that they would like to know more about print debut authors. We developed a little questionnaire and every Wednesday at 10:00 AM CST (as long as we have content) we’ll post the questionnaire answers along with links to the author’s site and a buy link to her book. I hope this helps people...

REVIEW: Slave & Need (Finding Anna series, Books 1 & 2) by Sherri Hayes

Dear Ms. Hayes,

I requested your books because they are published by the same publishing house that first published Fifty Shades of Grey, and I was interested to read another of their authors, even though Fifty Shades really didn’t work for me. I guess I was missing something because I hadn’t grasped that The Writer’s Coffee Shop Publishing House only publishes fan fiction, and that is the case here as well. Your stories are Twific, or, loosely based on the characters from the Twilight series....

Thursday News: It’s all vertical

[image error]

Image via Big Stock Photo

I’ve collated four interrelated stories for you as a snapshot of where entertainment / publishing may be going. The Macmillan one I’ve shared before but it bears repeating in this context. The companies are trying to create vertical silos of intellectual property. Instead of buying 50 Shades or Life of Pi from someone else or instead of selling the film rights to someone else, these conglomerates want to cradle to grave each piece of intellectual property. Only the bi...

Daily Deals: Countess on sale; Jacquie D’Alessandro discounted; Queen Victoria kills demons; Sexual awakening for women

[image error] Secrets of a Proper Countess by Lecia Cornwall. $.99.

We’ve had Dukes, Earls, Brides, and people surrendering on sale. It’s time for the cheap Countesses.

From Jacket Copy:

Some secrets we take to the grave. Others we just take to bed . . .

Lady Isobel Maitland cannot afford to be caught doing anything even remotely scandalous, or she risks losing everything she holds dear. But one night, in a dark garden at a masquerade ball, Isobel gives in to temptation and lets an innocent flirtation with...