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Welcome to our podcast!  This is Vicki Hopkins, your host of historical romance books. Well, it’s really not me because this post is being voiced by the computer at Anchor Podcasts owned by Spotify.  Her name is Remy. They do have a male voice, but I thought Remy sounded much better to market historical romance books. I’m not exactly the most articulate individual when it comes to speaking, so I’m using this great feature of computer generated episodes. WordPress has provided this great new connection with a company named Anchor that turns your posts into podcasts and distributes them on multiple platforms. Frankly, I’m excited about this new outlet to reach more readers and authors.  As you can see, we started our podcasts with aContinue Reading

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In: Articles, Historical Romance, Press This
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You are never too old to enjoy Jane Austen. This is a heartwarming article that at any age, Jane’s novels can be relevant and enjoyable.  Have you read one lately? Mrs Wilson wants teachers to encourage their students to interpret authors such as Austen through the prism of their own experience, rather than focusing solely on the features of the text, or its cultural and political context. Source: After achieving her PhD at 88, Ruth wants a Jane Austen-led reading revolutionContinue Reading

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In: Building Characters, Heroes, Heroines, Historical Romance, Reviews, Writing Historical Romance
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In the past seven years, I have had the opportunity to craft multiple female characters.  Each woman is unique so her personality fits the theme of the story that I pen. However, it’s been interesting to learn that crafting a female character who pleases the vast array of preferences that exist among readers, is a unique challenge. It’s safe to say that each one of my imaginary leading ladies has been a victim of harsh criticism, but a few have been lauded as brilliant. The ratings appear to hang upon whether the reader likes or dislikes the personality and actions of the heroine. Since historical romance books are inherently written for the fantasies of the female audience, it makes perfect sense that female readers canContinue Reading

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In: Historical Romance, Historical Romance Authors, Historical Romance Books, Historical Romance Genre
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A genre is a category of artistic composition such as writing. Historical romance is a popular genre that has been the mainstream of romance novels for many years. It’s a broad category of fiction set in various centuries, which was first popularized as early as the nineteenth century by Walter Scott who wrote such books as Ivanhoe. The genre’s popularity started with a flame, which over the years flickered into near obscurity. Articles were being published asking if the genre was dying a slow death, when it once dominated the market. Recently, interest in the genre has been refueled because of Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton Series on Netfix. I’m happy to report its given the genre a resurgence of popularity, although not as many bodices areContinue Reading

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In: Historical Romance, Spotify Podcast
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The perfect hero in historical romance. Is there one? What fantasy do readers want? In reality, as much as we are filled with fanciful and romantic thoughts, there probably isn’t a perfect man. Of course, it depends on how you define perfection. Like the variety of readers and their various tastes over heroines, there is no absence of criticism over the perfect male. Once again, I’ve strolled through the reviews of some bestselling authors to find out what women are thinking. There are the usual complaints of women who dislike emotionally damaged men, along with arrogant aristocrats and walking cardboard characters (boy that term gets used a lot). I think readers who look for the perfect hero want a type of man they can fallContinue Reading

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John is a British author of historical romances based on his ancestors. His first novel, Heart of Stone, was published in 2017, and concerns his evil ancestor Grandfather, Robert Rochfort, Earl of Belvedere, “The Wicked Earl.” It was short-listed for the 2018 Joan Hessayon prize. Source: The Men Who Write Romance: John Jackson – RNAContinue Reading

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In: Articles, Author News, Historical Romance, Historical Romance Authors, Press This
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Gabaldon released the first Outlander book in 1991. And since then, she’s written seven more novels for the series. Her last installment, Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, was published in 2014. So for nearly seven years, fans have been waiting to see where she takes Claire and Jamie Fraser’s story next. Source: ‘Outlander’ Author Diana Gabaldon Reveals Progress on Book 9Continue Reading

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In: Articles, Author News, Historical Romance

I spend money to expand the reach for authors on the Historical Romance Facebook page. For readers, it’s important to subscribe to our newsletter to get notices of author promotions. Attempting to reach the reader’s audience for authors, continues to grow more difficult.  Most posts on our Facebook page without additional $ promotion, get very little action if any.  It’s a sad state of affairs. Authors, read the article! It’s informative. Readers, if you have Facebook pages too and use Facebook advertising, it’s a wealth of information. Facebook is about to change and authors need to know what’s coming and how to survive the digital upheaval. If you advertise your books on Facebook, you may have a harder time finding new readers. As Facebook collectsContinue Reading

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When the Duke and Daphne meet (a moment you may imagine is romantic) Simon literally cannot stop commenting on her boobs. He is unable to focus on what she is saying – even as she is standing next to an unconscious man – because her breasts really are that perky. It would be comical if it wasn’t so uncomfortable. I couldn’t help but think, ‘Are we really supposed to view him as the novel’s hero?’ Source: Bridgerton the book: blue eyes, boobs and bigotry – The MancunionContinue Reading

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Author Sarah MacLean previews her explosive new romance novel ‘Bombshell’ — and reveals the cover. That’s how romance author Sarah MacLean describes her latest book series, Hell’s Belles, which centers on a fierce girl gang in Victorian London. Source: Preview Sarah MacLean’s new romance novel Bombshell | EW.comContinue Reading

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“Netflix has confirmed to Variety that Ashley has been cast in the second season of the hit Shondaland series “Bridgerton.” She will star opposite Jonathan Bailey’s Anthony Bridgerton as his romantic interest, Kate Sharma.” Source: ‘Bridgerton’ Season 2: Simone Ashley Cast as Female Lead – VarietyContinue Reading

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The Jane Austen Collection by Jane Austen – Are you ready for as many delightfully witty romances as you could possibly handle? The collected works of Jane Austen are available as a free Kindle ebook! This virtual omnibus includes Pride and Prejudice, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and some of the author’s early works as well. If you’ve never read a Jane Austen novel before, now’s your chance to dive right at no cost to you. Source: 15 Of The Best Free Kindle Books: 2021 Reads | Book RiotContinue Reading

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“Romance is having a moment. It’s trendy to swoon,” Tessa Dare, a bestselling author of historical romance, tells CNN. She says it’s been thrilling to watch “Bridgerton” become a worldwide phenomenon and prove what millions of romance readers already know: These kinds of stories are for everyone. Source: Netflix’s ‘Bridgerton’ is leading a romance novel renaissance | | kctv5.comContinue Reading

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Duels can provide high drama in a romance novel! By the Regency Era, Englishman switched from swords to pistols, with wealthy noblemen purchasing specially created dueling pistols. In addition, the second became common, where disgruntled parties (known as principals) would select a friend to deliver a challenge in writing, which stated the grievances and demand satisfaction. Once received, the challenged party could refuse the challenge—which would insult the challenger and stir rumors of cowardice)—or accept it. If accepted, the seconds made the arrangements for the upcoming duel, which involved many rules. Duelers were to adhere to these rules and behave as gentlemen at all times. Traditionally, duelers met at dawn and the field of honor would be isolated to prevent legal intervention. Seconds determined theContinue Reading

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Fabio, the iconic romance model, is one subject of an exciting collection of hot, steamy historical romance illustrations featured in an offering of Sharon Spiak’s paintings. They are for sale at SharonSpiakArt.com, just in time for Valentine’s Day. Source: Original Romance Novel Paintings Featuring Fabio Hit the MarketContinue Reading

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Unfortunately, readers who want to get a jump on the just-announced second season by reading about Anthony’s search for a wife in The Viscount Who Loved Me (or just read all eight books for the heck of it) are being met with one dead end after another as the Bridgerton books are becoming harder and harder to come by. According to Quinn’s newsletter sent out to fans, her publisher Avon (HarperCollins’ romance imprint) “is printing them as fast as they can.” Source: Bridgerton Book Set — Where to Find and Buy Bridgerton Series BooksContinue Reading

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As readers, you should be kept aware of what authors deal with on a regular basis to bring to you our stories in eBooks, print, and audio.  Amazon owns Audible, and the latest outrage is outlined by author Suzan Tisdale for your reading enjoyment. Audible is running its own scam under the guise of a legitimate company. For those of you who are unaware of what is happening, let me break it down for you: authors, once again, are getting screwed over. It’s really that simple. Source: AudibleGate | The Cheeky WenchContinue Reading

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The acidic humour and social observation in Austen’s work is often glossed over in favour of the romance, but the two are absolutely key to her books’ ongoing popularity. Her heroines are not meek and mild (viz Daphne “milksop” Bridgerton) but flawed and fired up by their knowledge that as women, they need to marry well to secure a future for themselves and, in some cases, their wider family. Source: Best Jane Austen books, ranked: From ‘Sense and Sensibility’ to ‘Emma’ | The IndependentContinue Reading