August 6, 2008

Romance Writers in San Francisco

Last week, the Romance Writers of America held their annual meeting in San Francisco. I was unable to attend, but here's a report on it and the romance market in general.

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/25966976#25966976

I read mostly historical romance. I'm a history buff, though not an expert in any of it. Historical is what I read most of the time for years. In the past few years, I've started to branch out, mainly because I know writers and I buy their books, which may not be historicals. I started reading romance in my teens and historicals in my yearly 20's. There's a lot I like about romance, the HEA is one thing, but it's also how the couples work together to overcome the adversity in their lives.

When did you start reading romance and what do you like most about it?

~Anna Kathryn
www.aklanier.com
www.myspace.com/aklanier

14 comments:

Unknown said...

I started reading romance in my early teens like 12 or 13. Historical is still my favorite thing to read. I do read a little of everything, but you just can't beat a good historical.

Paisley Kirkpatrick said...

We missed having you at the HTH breakfast. The food was outstanding and so was the company. It's fun getting to put faces to names. Hope to see you next year.

peggy said...

Iwas 13 or 14.and i read historical
romance.i love the history and romance in those books.

mamasand2 said...

I started in my late teens after Nancy Drew mysteries, then Classical westerns(zane grey etc.), and after classic SciFi (Issac Asimov etc.).
Now I pretty much require a romance and HEA in every thing I read. And I read most genre from paranormal to westerns, and historical and many more.

sandie

TamiC said...

Okay this is easy for me. I just started reading a year and a half ago before then I hated to read!!! I was like how could a person just sit there waisting their time reading, and now I am like quit bothering me I am trying to read!! My favorite part of the books are the sex scenes, I am not ashamed to admit it. Some of those scenes I swear my cheeks turn red! I am like ohhhh yes that was good lol. Oh so I didn't answer the age part. I would have been 24.5.

Hywela Lyn said...

As a Brit I am so sorry that I live so far away from the States and since I have commitments (mainly my animals) plus the cost of air travel it's unlikely I'll ever get to any of these wonderful Romance Writers Conventions, so it was wonderful to be able to get a little 'taster'

As for reading romance - well like masasand2 said, in my early teens I devoured Classic Westerns, Zane Grey, especially, then moved on to Classic SF (Arthur C Clark, Ray Bradbury and Isaac Asimov to name just three) and was captivated by 'She' by H Rider Haggard and read everything by him I could lay my hands on. It gradually dawned on me that the thing I enjoyed most about these stories was the love element. (The famous scene with Lassiter and Jane and the end of 'Riders Of The Purple Sage', when they trap themselves in a hidden valley, the love between Ayesha and Leo that lasted for over two thousand years in 'She' and was I the only one who found 'The Mule' strangely attractive?) When I started writing seriously, myself, I realised the same element of romance worked its way into all my stories. I love romance - as long as it has a strong story to move it along and keep me in suspense,wondering 'will they- won't they'? Probably why Westerns, Sciencefiction/Fantasy and historical are still my favourite genres.

Margay Leah Justice said...

I was in my teens when I started reading romance, probably about 15-17, give or take. I liked that they were set in places I could only dream about visiting with larger than life characters - the men were always so virile, again, could only imagine that, at the time.

Booksrforever123 said...

I actually started reading romance books as a teenager as a way to "escape" by every day life and the abuse that was going on. I have continued to read it as a relaxation method as an older adult.

Anna Kathryn Lanier said...

Marlene, I plan to be at the conference in Washington DC next year. I was really sorry to miss this years. But I decided early on I wouldn't go. I'll be one of the first to sign up for next year, though.

Oh, I never read Nancy Drew much, but did read The Boxcar Kids series and the Cherry Ames nurse series. Cherry was set around WWII period and started with her student nursing and worked through the war. There was always a romantic interest, but very tame romance, I'm sure. I read those in middle school, so 12-15 years old?

Oh, who remembers the Twin series? I can't remember their names (okay it's been 30+ years). They were teen twin sisters, and they had boyfriends. One book, they or one of them, switched on the boyfriend. I think only one of them did that, the other didn't know. But the boyfriend knew, as soon as he kissed her.

Oh, well, it's nice to see how we got started and also the different genres we like

Anna Kathryn

Drea said...

I started reading romance as a teenager also. I would usually read sci-fi/horror/fantasy, but when I had had enough of the dark stuff I would read some romance to lighten it up. I really enjoy historicals the most, but do enjoy contemporary also. Now when I read them, it is to escape into a world where there is usually always a happily ever after.

Susan Macatee said...

I read some romance back in my teens. Mostly historical and gothic back then. I did get away from it for awhile, but rediscovered it about ten years ago and was thrilled to find so many genres. They had paranormal and sci-fi romances! I was hooked!
No matter what the genre, it's the twists and turns of the romantic relationship, along with the HEA that keeps me reading.

Anonymous said...

I started reading romance books when I was in high school and got tired of reading Shakespeare. My mother was a reader so I had alot to chose from, like Forever Amber and Gone With the Wind. I think I like the historical romance the best and then the romantic suspense.
JOYE

Cinnamon said...

I didn't start reading romances until my college years. I love a good romance and I really love fantasy/sci-fi books but it wasn't until I was up and grown that I realized that I could have both at the same time!

Unknown said...

I started reading in High School that was 25+ years ago. Historicals and then contemp and now its paranormals