She blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history (and for convincing her that princely love. Deborah Smith has written some books I loved (Gentle Rain and When Venus Fell are my absolute favorites!) Written on Your Skin is about trust. The only worry is that Harper Collins bought them out a couple of years ago and they own publish AVON the line that started the endless Regency trend in historical romance. I wanted to read those old opinions, see if something changed or stuck our. But, I could be wrong. I know this series is a success for her, so shes going to continue it for quite a while I imagine. Years ago, when I first started reading romance, I read a lot of books in the Signet Regency line, and among my favorites there were Nancy Butler and Diane Farr. And, to make the good news even better, the incredibleBound by Your Touch will be followed with another release in August, Written on Your Skin. Yes, I follow Stuart on social media. Clearly, you are a long-time romance fan. I dont know if Stein ever announced shed stopped writing, but as far as I can tell her last published work was a short story in the 2018 Christmas Anthology, REINDEER GAMES. Thankfully, when I looked this up, I discovered there was one last Morsi historical I hadnt read, so Im checking that out right now. Although I hadnt read the Desert Dog series by McKenna because I couldnt get into them. One main difference though is that they are based out London and that may mean that their view on what is historical is different than in North America. I hope this is true because I still havent forgiven her for that cliffhanger ending in 2010! One momentous night, he makes a very grave mistake, and Mina risks her life to save his own. Through his deepening relationship with Lydia, he begins to soften his stance, but he does hold fast to the idea that love doesnt come freely. Covering theory, applications, and research, this comprehensive book has become the gold standard of health behavior texts. is meredith duran still writing. !" concerns from creatives. This is not a comfortable experience for either of them. So, Im getting pickier, avoiding the Lauren Blakley-type writing, and doing a lot of relistening because Im not finding much that appeals. DOS was great I loved that part of it was set in India, and now Hong Kong. Also, I never realized there is a giant genre of Alien Barbarian romance. Also, I have noticed a larger range of heat levels between different Avon books than with Harlequin HR and some of their other categories. Anne Calhoun and Jill Sorensonneither of whom has published anything new in several years and both of whom left secondary characters (who seemed to be getting set up for their own stories) hanging at the end of their last published books. By which I mean, we cant just follow the story of the old woman who lived through Pearl Harbor into the 21st century. Even though I absolutely adored the last Meredith Duran book I read, my experience with her writing has been pretty erratic to date. You arent pleased by certain narratives, so you dont have to read them. } shar pei california. The talented and time-challenged Meredith Duran (she was also preparing for the oral defense of her dissertation at the time we were putting this together) patiently answered a few of my questions. Following the publication of the CMA's recent influencer guidance on endorsements, We Are Social's General Counsel Darryl Taylor has shared a summary of what marketers need to Yes with the Julia Grey books! Audible sets these prices, I know that. So, with that said, what were your goals for the book in other words, what did you want to make absolutely certain came through to the reader in the pages of the novel? I wait for reviews instead and tentatively try again and then usually realize that the author is no longer capturing my interest. And Phin is at least as compelling IMO. Its pretty different from Bound by Your Touch, but Sanburne makes an appearance in it. I believe if I read the interview right she was all but forced by her editor to write contemporary and I understand if the voice does not sound right because the voice fits a historical not going make the contemporary sound right. For me, unless its an auto-buy writer, I just wont pay $11 for a short novel or novella. Much like music, the people who sign authors or artists determine the trends, although happily, with self publishing, there are more options. Drummond has to be very old by now (almost 90, I think). This theme wasnt crafted with conscious intention. Im curious. I miss Alice Clayton who wrote Wallbanger. Heres hoping. I wouldnt mind at all if Sherry Thomas wrote historical romances again either though, but I think if memory serves shes staying with the Charlotte Holmes series for at least another couple of years. Maybe that helped with the relative speed then (even though she was never the fastest writer) or she had some already written. I thought I would post this here as a number of authors mentioned below including Anne Stuart and Jennifer Crusie are included in these interviews The Australian Romance Readers Association on YouTube have a ton of new interviews with so many favorite authors Including Nalini Singh, Amanda Bouchet, Jayne Anne Kremtz, SEP, Anne Stuart, Jennifer Crusie, Suzanne Brockmann and more. For credit unions, social media presents a unique opportunity to interact with members beyond b I make quilts because at some point during the process of stitching I know/realize this is the essence of what will be left of me for several generations. He moves on from his maudlin reflection very quickly, because he generally tries to take nothing very seriously, least of all himself. Its self-published? People are finally realizing that self-published books and indie presses are not only respectable but often put out superior content to the Big 5. And, even if books are shorter, I wouldnt necessarily agree that lack of depth is the result, as in a cause and effect relationship. William Devaliant, Lord Lockwood, was born into a charmed life. My own reading selections belie that notion. And then theres statistics. There definitely needs to be a balance between quantitative data and common sense. Mi cuenta; Carrito; Finalizar compra Im very excited to read this authors books! I try to read against the grain when it comes to age and not assume too much about an author based on any biographical tidbits I pick up from them. Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. Her debut, The Duke of Shadows, has been translated into thirteen languages and was ranked among the top 100 romances of all time by NPR and All About Romance. The more books the better! I will try it again, however. (Would you be insulted if I told you I thought James was a bit Nardi-esque only without the vomit?) Ill have to look for Duke of Shadows too. Now a doctoral student in anthropology, she is happy to report that all three goals have become her favorite things to do. They never were., The 2nd annual Nothing but Reading Challenges' Best 'DRESS'ed Cover Poll. She is planning to return to writing again. I know Dangerfield wasnt to everyones taste (theres usually more than a little kink in all of her books), but I loved her combination of heat, heart, and humor. so maybe I have missed something somewhere. As you can probably tell, I miss those epic romantic historicals. Maybe our other favorites will, at some point, reimerge! MEREDITH DURAN grew up enamored of British history. At the same time, the plots are both slow and dense. Cant wait to get my little paws on this one. Why not create her own heroine, or choose a character from another famous book or series that hasnt been copied so often. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. The skill they bring, or not, to writing about 2 men is what will be the determining factor for me. I also miss the days of really digging into a long, meaty read. Hope shes well. Helpful. Hmmmm, I dont know. I may be comparing apples and oranges here, but I thought it was worth mentioning. 50 Shades of Grey ripoffs, Cutesy titles mimicking How to Lose a Guy In Ten Days, anything with a Duke and the floods of YA books inspired by the Twilight series. Meredith Duran is the author of ten previous novels, including The Duke of Shadows (winner of the Gather.com First Chapters Romance Writing Competition); Wicked Becomes You (included on the Woman's World List of Best Beach Reads for Summer 2010), and the USA TODAY bestseller and RITA Award Winner Fool Me Twice. These new full cast recordings sound really odd, because while there are lots of voices, there are no sound effects! }); Does anyone know if Karyn Monk and Isolde Martyn are still writing? The Duke of Shadows Meredith Duran 2010-05-11 In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of A self-publisher getting into a brick and mortar store would be extremely rare, which means non-internet shoppers have a limited selection of popular tropes, themes, and so forth. Yes, thats an important distinction. Not just twice, somehow it all repeats again and again weirdly as I said, no big deal, just a small annoyance. Wow, what great recommendations for this book. Amazing that I hadnt read anything of hers before. James is also glamorous and sexy and flawed and broken and one of the hottest heroes Ive come across in a while. Cookie Notice You see, James was the anchor of this book. Now I just have to get the perfect cover and its off to the races. Hi Meredith, I really wish she would return to writing historical romances, I adore her books in that genre, and have re-read them so many times. James was always clear to me. How much do publishers and editors shape public taste? After reading som eof these comments, I would like to get back into it again with something good enough to draw me in. I think Sarah Addison Allen still writes but she has suffered some family losses. I also miss Cecilia Grant, who hasnt shown up on Twitter for quite a while. When was the last time you heard somebody say, Oh, Im not going to read that book. I know that is one of the big reasons why a lot of authors dont want anything to do with someones unpublished manuscript and I dont blame them. Every year I discover at least 2-3 new favorites. I remember when Chick Lit really burst into the contemporary book scene years ago and how much it was derided. Likewise, not sure if Patricia Wright is still alive. She is the author of eleven novels, all published by Pocket Books. ', Okay, so you have to take that advice with a heavy handful of salt, but I get the point he was making. I hope she keeps writing though. But it does provide a general depiction of current trends on a roughly hourly basis. I would love to try a new author. When I read comments like this, Im immediately thinking of how different my own reading experiences must be to others. Refresh and try again. https://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/05/harlequin-fail.html, https://justpublishingadvice.com/kindle-scams-are-still-making-easy-money/. facebook, twitter, etc. Yes, its true feminist activism could be behind the trend, but it could also be completely inexplicable as popularity so often is. Once readers know the bios of an author, it can be tricky to interpret their writing through that lens, however accurate or inaccurate it might be. And yet, many if not most of the authors I read are reviewed her. Her phrasing and word choices are amazing. I havent had this joy to read you. I love the exotic setting of Written on Your Skin.. Now, as I said, none of this was planned; it emerged organically, in the process of trying to figure out Lydia. Would a 5,000 word erotic HR short receive the same treatment as a 120,000+ word inspirational tome? new books! I meant it more in the sense of trends. Publishers, too often, deal with it, by forcing authors to make alterations, theatrical apologies, or dropping them like a hot potato to make themselves look virtuous. So, at Pocket, at least, it seems that historicals are free to range across the globe. I also miss her. Gosh, that seems crazy to me. I hope after reading this interview, you will be, too. So hopefully well have more from her. Romantic Times calls it a "fascinating, Hi, yall! This is a shame because I love mystery novels and Sherry Thomas. Its like the old joke, Theres lies. Ti Ph Printing l n v hng u v dch v cung cp my in vn phng, mc my in. The beauty of self publishing is that you can really find anything -and lots of it nowadays. @ Lynne Connolly: I just cant cope with the romance community as it is right now, and historical romance sales have gone right down since the Amazon scam authors moved in. This seemed both a sad and very intriguing comment. I think there would be a lot of problematic content for todays readers, however the wonderful writing & good stories/characters shine through. I used to look more at e-publisher but many of largest romance geared ones have gone out of bussiness and what is in the bookstores are a sea of ballgowns and simple plots that I can predict what is going to happen before I even open the book and it drives me crazy because I want to read a book and it seems that I can not get one that I can sink my teeth into. All great insights about casual shoppers picking up paperbacks at the store. Bound by Your Touchhas one of my favorite set ups of therake hero and the spinster heroine. So it comes as no suprise that I have been eagerly awaiting Bound By Your Touch and Written On Your Skin. 2015 Audiobooks. }); On the other hand, it creates a never-ending cycle of the same old stories with just minor tweaks. She was an author with so much promise and her disappearance still bothers me. Several of you commented how much you miss her work and shared your hopes that shell return to writing romance. I hope shes well, but its been several years since shes published and I no longer get newslettersso its not looking good. (I have a bad habit of dog-earing pages with breathtaking description or particularly clever dialogue. Is too much to ask that I can a book that I want to read and yes even write because I am trying to be a part of the solution. Such lovely tales about ordinary people doing ordinary things. Wow. lagos lockdown news today; is meredith duran still writing I simply cant recall the last time weve had this kind of consensus. IVE READ EVERY COMMENT I think Ive read one or two books by each and have been meaning to explore their backlist. I am not trying to start a flame war but I can be blunt at times and after 20 years of this I have enough. Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. Thank you so much to the organizers -- a ton of work, I'm certain, but they made it look effortless! 2013 At Your Pleasure. Thered probably be a lot more originality in writing if authors quit chasing after trends and just told the stories itching to burst out of their imaginations. Then again, if we exclusively bucked the trends in favor of our own fantasies, wed be even poorer as a profession than we already are. But looking at Avons recent catalog, I can see youre point about endless Regency. The first 10 pages of their catalog is mostly Regency, some Westerns, some contemporary, and a smattering of other options. As of this writing I am two and a half years into a PhD program and still relatively fresh off of a stint in corporate America, which means that like most members of Dexys in the 1980s, I know a thing or two about trying to make something worthwhile in an environment where nobody around you knows what they're doing and you're constantly . Visit meredithduran.com for more. Thanks for giving me some insight into how Audible works. What a walk down memory lane! The Meljean revival has been wonderful and encouraging. Was it a reaction to something the way that the pop music resurgence happened after grunge ruled the music charts? I think the thing I miss the most isnt a particular author as much as its a type of historical romance. The latter is not really one of my favorites, I only really liked The Music of the Night but I thought she had a potential that never quite materialized. MEREDITH DURAN grew up enamored of British history. Its my personal observation that the books publishers are choosing and pushing are more generic titles with lighter themes set in mostly 19th century England or Europe.. Meredith L Duran, age 45 goodreads-bot discontinued Additional comment actions. And I so want Stellas story. Every time I search I only can find polls or best books lists which arent the same thing. And yes, speculation, opinion, observation, etc. Written on Your Skin marks a shift in tonefrom spinster to femme fatale, and from reckless libertine to cool-tempered spy.The story opens in Hong Kong.Mina, who has mastered the art of hiding desperation behind batting lashes and a pretty smile, discovers that her stepfathers houseguest is not who he says he is.In fact, Phin Granville secretly works for the British government.Dragged against his will into an international game of espionage, he has long since given up on prospect of freedom. Second, you are correct that self-published books are not necessarily getting shorter and shorter. Simple Jess for example would probably spark an outcry. MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. I really miss Meredith Duran, and hope she returns. I love Roberta Gellis. It seems the stories have gotten simpler and a lot less complex and interesting. The book is just plain encouraging; sometimes its easy to think all the really good books have been written already, and theres nothing else out there.. Of course not. Joanna Bourne is not a young girl and tends to write about quite young heroines, but their voices are anything but immature so its not about the age of the protagonist either. We all do it. It had been optioned by BBC as a series, but I dont think that ever happened. I also miss Elizabeth Lowell, her westerns (both historical and modern day) were wonderful. (What can I say? My favorite romance author is Judith Ivory and her style influenced some of my other favorites, like Sherry Thomas and Meredith Duran. When a certain fraudulent antiquity sets these two onto a collision course, Lydia is horrified to discover that she might be wrong about herself, because Jamesflashy and bottomless as a butterflyis nevertheless frighteningly attractive to her. Ho-hum. I still have that one on the old keeper shelf. This is last major publisher that does Medieval and they just had a Biltz for just Medieval, Viking and Highlander stores so it seems like they are really trying to expand in that direction. I dont blame you, but unless an author is self-published, they get zero say in the pricing. Social media has become an indispensable element in any digital marketing strategy. Whenever I switch from an academic paper to fiction writing, I . Haunted my local Barnes and Noble until they ordered it for me. Please enter me in the contest. But mostly its because my tastes keep changing. Its hard to say. While some of the writers I enjoyed are younger than I am, like Meredith Duran, I worry that that style is not current enough to attract a twenty something market. They need to make a living, but I expect a fair value for my money. Ive seen most authors write much older or younger than themselves very successfully. I have owned a copy of Judith Ivorys BLISS for many years but have never read it. Academia.edu is a platform for academics to share research papers. Finances play a role as well. Self-publishing too seems to help allow more authors to write the kinds of books they want. It sounds interesting and different. Try not to be discouraged. I also miss authors like Nonnie St. George and Nita Abrams who seemed to come and go in a flash of brilliance. Ive been hoping that Duke of Shadows will show up in my librarys catalog, but I think that Ill be buying Bound by Your Touch if I dont get it free here! Book Overview In a debut romance as passionate and sweeping as the British Empire, Meredith Duran paints a powerful picture of an aristocrat torn between two worlds, an heiress who dares to risk everything.and the love born in fire and darkness that nearly destroys them. If a song doesnt get airplay or publicity or put on a soundtrack then most people wont know about it. Im so looking forward to Bound By Your Touch and Written on Your Skinalong with anything you happen to publish. Im planning to read her upcoming book. Theres damn lies. Report abuse. Did Amazon have something to do with it? Chicago North's Spring Fling was an amazing and inspiring weekend; I'm back home and filled with a fire to write. I have not read Ms Duran yet. Sandra Antonelli, a romance author who is reviewed here, wrote her doctoral dissertation on ageism in romances and blogs about it frequently and has lots of great insight on the issue. $grfb.init.done(function() { She has one left to go in that series. I enjoyed the first two. Meredith Duran is the USA TODAY bestselling author of thirteen novels. Hi Meredith, Ive also been waiting for your new book ever since The Duke of Shadows. Heres an interesting article about some other scams including suspiciously prolific authors and book-stuffing: https://justpublishingadvice.com/kindle-scams-are-still-making-easy-money/. You mentioned in your last post that your word count would be about 100,000 125,000. 2010 That Scandalous Summer. Theyre doing their thing to make a living or to satisfy their current writing muse or whatever the case may be. Her other books include RITA award winner Fool Me Twice and her February 2017 release, A Lady's Code of Misconduct, which was called one of the best romances of the year by BookList and Amazon, and received starred reviews from Publishers Weekly and Kirkus, the latter of which opined: This book weaves its spell so thoroughly that the most fortunate reader will be the one who has time to read the entire thing in one sitting. H. MEREDITH DURAN blames Anne Boleyn for sparking her lifelong obsession with British history. I dont know if Valerie Fitzgerald is still alive. Still, I had my finger crossed when I read Lady Be Good and, luckily, I wasn't disappointed.. London, 1882. I am really looking forward to Meredith Durans new books especially as several AAR staff have good things to say about them. Its a weird I dont want it to be over thing I sometimes have.) the ask@AAR: Should older romances (and books in general) be redone? Thats not meant, by the way, to be an exhaustive list, just ones that I personally know are well read and followed. At the very least, shed probably have to change the title. showBlogFormLink.click(); You arent pleased by certain narratives, so you dont have to read them. It's the music - and any devotee of the book, a fictional oral history of a Seventies rock band, will have strong feelings about exactly how it should sound. Also Julie James . I keep hoping they will reappear also, but its been a very long time. Meredith Duran - Historical Romance Novelist Coming February 27, 2018 BACK FROM THE DEAD, AN EARL SEEKS VENGEANCE. if (this.auth.status === "not_authorized") { Youve got my mouth watering for this book! And what a waste of narrators! I follow her Facebook page. I also object to shorter books or books that are broken into installments. If done correctly, it could be a wonderful period mystery series. One more: Eve Dangerfield. Relational trend spotter. If she comes back to romance she'll be better than ever. // logged into Facebook user but not a GR app user; show FB button I havent been reading romance long enough to miss a particular author, but I can definitely understand why a number of them disappear. The author gets all the blame, none of the credit, and the publishing house can look virtuous by dropping the author like a hot potato when internet riots break out. For the Charlotte Holmes series, I find that I enjoy the audiobooks so much better than actually reading them myself. I also want a publsiher to help me build a career because I want to write one than one book and I want to throw open the world and write books that are set outside of Great Britian because I have ideas for books set in Russia and South America that I want to write and I just want to have the chance to write them. Fool Me Twice (Rules for the Reckless, #2), A Lady's Code of Misconduct (Rules for the Reckless, #5), Luck Be a Lady (Rules for the Reckless, #4), That Scandalous Summer (Rules for the Reckless, #1), The Sins of Lord Lockwood (Rules for the Reckless, #6), Meet the Authors of This Season's Swooniest Romances, Squeezed: Why Our Families Can't Afford America. After reading this 50 times I am getting tired of it. And I miss authors who may be an image of my youth, they might not work for me anymore, maybe: Iris Johansson (I do not like her crime books, same for others that come up), Judith mcNaught, Catherine Coulter, Tami Hoag, Elizabeth Lowell, Suzanne Brockmann, I just remember my enchantment when a new book came out . Harlequin Historicals submission page on Submittable says this: Regency, Highlanders, Vikings, Medieval are most popular amongst our readers globally. I didnt post often but I read a lot of the posts, and I clicked on your Amazon links whenever I bought a book to show my support. Likewise, Im not pleased by certain narratives, so I dont have to read (or write) them. Hi Meredith! She actually wrote on her blog the other day that she doesnt think she is a romance writer anymore. Again. I bought it and didnt get a chance to read it during the Christmas season so I kind of forgot about it. There is one author, Ruby Dixon who has a very funny and original style who appears to have kicked it all off with her Ice Planet Barbarian books and about 5000 imitators who have copied her poorly yet Amazon keeps recommending them. Third, you stated, I suspect theres lots of push back out there dark romances, nostalgia for traditional masculinity, etc., all from books I avoid when reading for pleasure. Like you, I am pleased there are more books centering female agency. But at the same time, I wouldnt necessarily regard traditional masculinity as a form of push back. It could very well be an act of nostalgia as you say, but it could also be because the women who write these stories simply prefer those types of characters.