I just finished AIN'T SHE SWEET. Once again Susan Elizabeth Phillips blows me away with her vivid characters and storytelling. I always start out thinking, "How am I going to like this person" -- "Is this really the heroine/hero?" and then end up loving them.
So true. Her heroines have definitely lived colorful lives.
ReplyDeleteHas happened to me as well. She always manages to surprise.
ReplyDeleteWhy are most Historical Romances set in England. I never see any placed in American places such as Denver, Boston, San Francisco in late 1800's early 1900's. They also had their own social clics set apart from the average joe's & josephines in town. Doesn't anyone even want to acknowledge these periods & locals. Another fascinating period to me was the roaring 20's it would be exciting to read of the going ons of these amazing flappers or the Zigfield Girls.
ReplyDeleteGood question, Susan. For years the publishers have been telling us that the market is consumer driven, yet when we speak to readers, they're saying something else. Only this past year did one major publisher say that perhaps the books have been more editorially driven and that they were going to give the authors more freedom.
ReplyDeleteI'm still watching for that to happen. I do know that publishers consider each piece of mail as representing about ten readers, so I can't tell you how important your feedback is. When you're not seeing what you want on the bookshelves, WRITE THE PUBLISHERS.
This summer's RWA conference brought news that perhaps westerns and American set novels would make a return to popularity. I can't wait.
I've gone to Romantic Times conferences, where readers come by in droves to meet the authors, and a huge number of those I met asked for more westerns.
I have proposed a few books set in the cities you mentioned and have been asked to set them in more "western" locales. Denver is okay, because it's western-ish and I've seen books set there. Maggie Osborne comes to mind--she lives there. I've set several books in Colorado.
There are Boston-set books out there, too. I'm thinking Judith Ivory? Where did her wonderful rat catcher story take place -- was that INDISCRETION?
I like reading SEP too.
ReplyDeleteI've stopped buying the England set books from my favorite western authors. Writing to the publisher doesn't seem to help. I put my bucks in HH because they give me at least 2 western a month.
ReplyDeleteNew Mexico is a beautiful state to set some westerns...not many written from that area. Cloudcroft is a fun town to visit winter or summer.
You know, I enjoyed the heroine a lot more when she was evil. When she got saintly, I sorta lost interest in the book. But I sitll Susan Elizabeth Phillips
ReplyDeleteDebbie, I'm wondering how many of Linda Castle's books are set in New Mexico. She lives there.
ReplyDeleteThat's it!! THE PROPOSITION! I loooooooooooooooved that book!
ReplyDeleteI had the "tion" part right. LOL
I remember Jude Devereaux's Montgomery famiily. What were the names in Twin of Fire, Twin of Ice?
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