Jane Litte's Blog, page 988

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News

Great real life romance stories include:

A)  Herbert Carter and Mildred Hemmons via CNN.  Two people who typified the Tuskagee Airmen experience.  Brave trailblazers.  Mildred was the better pilot but not allowed to fly during the war.  The two carried out their courtship in the air:

Seeing each other in flight created a bond. When they flew together, it was as if they were holding hands in midair. At the end of their aerial encounter, he'd peel away, only to circle back. He'd sneak up...

An Example Why One Shouldn't Learn From Fiction

A couple of months ago at a news site for mixed race readers, one commenter self-identified as an "Asian Cajun", which got me remembering my journey of assumptions and corrections years ago as a romance reader.

At the time a few years ago, a huge number of "Cajun romances" – contemporary and historical – pretty much dominated the genre. In spite of this, I still didn't understand exactly what 'Cajun' was.

Believe me, I tried when I investigated. I only had vague impressions. Such as "It was...

REVIEW: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Dear Ms Kinsella,

I'm sitting here shaking my head at the fact that I've some how, some way managed to have not read any of your books. Up til now that is. And this one I read with no blurb to lure me or lead me on. Just your rep and the fact that – as mentioned in the first sentence – yours is a name missing on my "I've tried this author" list. After finishing "I've Got Your Number," I agree with your publisher that I lost myself in the story and – throwing this bit in myself – didn't want i...

February Recommend Reads

We didn't post any January Recommended Reads because we only really had one and that was Cecilia Grant's A Lady Awakened. February isn't as bare, but it isn't as robust as previous months either:

Historical:

The Garden Intrigue by Lauren Willig, recommended by Jayne (review here - to be published on Feb 14, 2012)
The Scandalous Countess by Jo Beverley, recommended by Jayne (review to come)

GLBT:

A Private Gentleman by Heidi Cullinan, recommended by Sarah F (review to come)

Contemporary

The...

REVIEW: Pure by Julianna Baggott

Dear Ms. Baggott,

With the buzz over The Hunger Games trilogy, YA dystopian novels are hotter than ever right now – even an infrequent YA reader like myself knows that. I'll admit to being party to the general enthusiasm. I like dystopian novels in general (at least in theory; in practice I'm careful about which ones I read, because some of them are just too grim for me). But YA seems particularly suited to dystopian themes, perhaps because depressing subjects can be a little less so when...

News and Deals: Attention! Possible Infringement Alert on Amazon

Linda H emailed me today to let me know she stumbled across a group of people (possibly the work of just one person masquerading as many) republishing works that appear to be copies of others' legitimate work. Three examples include Kate Rothwell's Something to Cherish, Rebecca Abbott Miller's Save Me, Payton Lee's, Novo Arkhangel'Sk.

Kate Rothwell, Someone to Cherish:

The death of Callie Scott's fashionable father left her with nothing—except an inquisitive mind not even her grandmother's...

DA/SBTB Bestseller List, week ending February 7, 2012

Week ending February 7, 2012

Everything I Know about Love I Learned from Romance Novels by Sarah Wendell | Amazon | BN | Sony | KoboHer Husband's Harlot (Mayhem in Mayfair #1) by Grace Callaway | Amazon | BN | Sony | KoboIn the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming | Amazon | BN | Sony | KoboTruths and Roses by Inglath Cooper | Amazon | BN | Sony | KoboA Fountain Filled With Blood: A Mystery by Julia Spencer-Fleming | Amazon | BN | Sony | KoboLily by Patricia Gaffney | Amazon | BN | Sony ...

How do I recover my ebooks if my harddrive crashes?

Introduction

I received an email from Sarah who had received an email from one of her readers wondering what to do when her harddrive crashed and she had to reformat. Because of DRM, moving away from your existing system because of a system failure or simply upgrading your computer can be fraught with problems. The following are some suggestions in preparing to move your books and how to address a harddrive failure.

Before an upgradeLocation

Make a note of the location of your ebooks.  If you...

REVIEW: The Principal's Office by Jasmine Haynes

Dear Ms. Haynes:

I'll confess that I had become disenchanted with your work. The grown up hookers with a heart of gold series followed by two dark and somewhat unromantic stories made me gun shy. But a free book of an author I've liked in the past? I can't resist at least giving it a try and I am glad that I did.

Rachel Delaney is a newly divorced single mom sharing custody of two teen boys with her ex husband. Before her divorce, she was a homemaker. Now she is working at a receptionist for ...

First Page: Contemporary Romance titled "Long Road Home"

Welcome to First Page Saturday. Individual authors anonymously send a first page read and critiqued by the Dear Author community of authors, readers and industry others. Anyone is welcome to comment. You may comment anonymously.

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New York City, Manhattan, somewhere between So-Ho and Hell's Kitchen: What are the chances of not only finding yourself face to face with another Irishman, but one who is nearly twenty years your senior and you're inexplicably drawn to each other as if wielded by...