Need someone to slay your Personal Demons?
Dr. Megan Chase, trained psychologist, has just started a radio program which announces the somewhat corny phase,”Let me slay your personal demons”? This is the beginning of some serious zombie, demon problems; an improbable demon romance with Dante Greyson; bosses and co-workers who aren’t quite what they seem and a great start to a new series by Stacia Kane.
Stacia Kane throws many twists and turns in this book. It’s not just your standard, girl meets demon, girl makes love to demon, girl lives happier ever after. Even her minor characters, Malleus, Maleficarum and Spud, demon bodyguards are clever and endearing. Megan has to confront her own personal demons, save her lover, learn to be friends with a witch and stay true to her real self.
I’m sure you can tell I thought this was a very good debut novel. Looking forward to the next in the series, Demon Inside. My bad self borrowed this from the interlibrary loan stack of a fellow co-worker (my own personal demon made me do it) and I promised her I would get us both the next in the series.
There seems to be this controversy about the book whether it falls under Urban Fantasy or Paranormal Romance. I think we all get a little crazy with these subjective category labels. Does it really matter? I mean are there some hard and fast rules which is which. I just went to an event in Tulsa presented by nine romance writers and it seemed clear from the discussion they feel comfortable using elements of any category that work for the novel at hand. (See previous post by Young Bill Young)
Just the facts:
Author: Stacia Kane
Publisher: Juno Books
Date of Publication: 2008
Series: Megan Chase
For a complete list of other titles by Stacia Kane, go over to her website, http://www.staciakane.net/books/printable-list/
Author blog: http://www.staciakane.net/blog/
Romance is King
Young Bill Young here.
Love makes the world go around. No one knows that better than the authors and readers of Romance, one of the most popular genres of fiction. In fact, Romance is the king of the publishing world right now, outstripping sales of most other categories of books in this uncertain economy.
Many Oklahoma writers are riding this wave of success in the Romance field, and librarians and readers enjoyed a chance to meet nine of these authors at Romance in the Stacks last Thursday at Hardesty Regional Library. The event was sponsored by the Oklahoma Center for the Book.
Tulsa authors participating were Laura Marie Altom, Margaret Daley, Peggy Fielding, Jackie King, Vickie McDonough and Susan Shay. Jaci Burton of Claremore, and Jordan Dane and Malena Lott of Edmond were also on hand.
These are just a handful of the many Romance writers who call Oklahoma home. We’re lucky to have so many talented Romance scribes in the state, and Oklahoma and the rest of the nation is also blessed to have so many Romance readers. According to a New York Times article: Nielsen Bookscan, which tracks retail sales, says Romance sales were up seven percent in 2008, while most of adult fiction remained flat. Barnes and Noble, the country’s largest book chain, expects book sales to fall between four to six percent this year, but Romance sales are up.
InfoTrends, Inc. reports that 74.8 million people read at least one Romance novel in 2008, and that there is a core market of 29 million regular readers of the genre. In addition, the percent of Americans who read Romance has increased from 21.8 percent in 2005 to 24.6 percent in 2008.
The continuing and growing popularity of Romance plays out everyday in libraries according to Hardesty Regional Manager Louix Escobar-Matute. “I would estimate that one out of every three fiction books checked out at this library is a Romance novel,” Escobar-Matute said.
The fact that there are so many writers, and so many different types of Romance stories, means there are always plenty of titles to recommend to people who like a particular style or setting, Escobar-Matute said. That keeps readers coming back for more.
The genre ranges from inspirational Christian Romance, to steamy tomes, and everything in between. Settings range from the Wild West, to modern day suburbia, to historical scenes, to science fiction and fantasy worlds.
But the cental element of all of these books is the universal story of romantic love. Afterall, who doesn’t love a happy ending?
Where Are Oklahoma’s Black Romance Authors?
Young Bill Young, here. I’m working with the Oklahoma Center for the Book, arranging an event in Tulsa to celebrate Oklahoma’s romance writers. Obviously, we wanted to invite authors representing different genres within romance: i.e. Christian romance, romantic thrillers, historical love stories. It was interesting that our invitation list did not include any African American romance authors who call Oklahoma home.
During my search, I did come across some interesting information. For example, the incoming president of the Romance Writers of America is African American. In fact, RWA will have its second black president this decade. The news comes from Angela T and her blog, Saving Black Romance. Angela T is also a contributer to Romancing the Blog, and she offers this recent column on the marketing of African American romance novels. (Be sure and read Angela’s related posts and the comments to get a better gist of this issue.)
Love stories are universal, and they are relevant in all cultures and times. Michigan’s Beverly Jenkins (whose book “Captured” illustrates this post) specializes in African American romances set during the 19th Century — a time rife with all kinds of political, social and, er, lustful possibilities. And just think about the kinds of black romance novels that could use Oklahoma history as a backdrop, a history that includes black slaves coming to Indian Territory, the movement of black families into the Territories, the Green Corn Rebellion, the lunch counter sit-ins. No matter the times, places or situations, love finds a way.
So does this white boy want to read a steamy black romance? Maybe. I could always use a break from my sci-fi stories and geeky graphic novels. My Twitter friend Literary Nobody in Tulsa is a writer who’s always looking for different subjects and issues to address. Hey, LN: want to write us a love story? 
And, of course, if you’re a black romance author in Okieland, or you know one, I’m depending on you to set me straight!
Breaking news, look at the RITA 2009 finalist list
Holy Cow look who made the 2009 RITA Finalists for Paranormal Romance
The Darkest Night by Gena Showalter
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN (ISBN: 0373772467)
Tracy Farrell and Margo Lipschultz, editors
The Healer by Sharon Sala
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN (ISBN: 978-0-778-2544-4)
Leslie Wainger, editor
If for some unknown reason you don’t know what the RITA Awards are all about: Romance Writers of America biggest awards!!!
RITA awards are presented annually to the best published romance novels of the year. The award itself is a golden statuette named after RWA’s first president, Rita Clay Estrada, and has become the symbol for the best in published romance fiction.
Oklahoma v. Texas in our Hearts
What’s the deal with all the Oklahoma Romance Writers putting Texans or Texas in their books (and titles). Ok, I know it’s a big state with a big ego and probably any romance reader from there is going to jump at an opportunity to read anything with Texas in it. But give those Okie boys a chance.
Georgina Gentry has a whole series: To Love a Texan, To Tame a Texan, To Tease a Texan, To Tempt a Texanvand finally, To Wed a Texan.
Not bad looking I concede.
And there’s plenty of single titles with those Texans. Carol Finch’s Texas Angel. Please there are no Texas Angels. An
d Gina Robins’ Texas Temptation. Lisa Wingate is Texas Cooking. Peggy Moreland has Slow Waltz Across Texas and even Merline Lovelace has Texas Hero and Texas …Now and Forever.
And standing lonely on the bookshelf I found the Oklahoma Man by Delayne (Deborah) Camp. Come on Okie writers of the romatic, give those Okie boys a chance.
Not feeling the romance…
Romance, Valentine’s Day, Bah Humbug. Nothing like working at your husband’s flower shop on the “love” holiday to put you out of the romantic mood. Late hours, endless phone calls, desperate boyfriends and spouses trying to get in their last minute order. He’s promised me sushi and wine to keep me going. I happened to look at the newspaper at the shop and saw an article by Sonya Colberg of NewsOK about our own ladies of Romance. (And I’m glad it hasn’t been very long ago that I pointed out the funny videos by Jill Monroe, Gina Showalter and Merline Lovelace.)
So while I’m trying to get myself through another year of frenetic shopping by guys buying for their special honey, you might want to pick up one of the titles from these spinners of the romantic tale and get in the mood yourself. I’ll have to catch up with you when I get these customers moved along.
Oklahoma Romance Writers or OK-RWA
The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
Back to the Lace Reader, Brunonia Barry certainly knows how to evoke setting, Salem comes alive, today and Salem of the witch hunts. Women and needlework, the telling of our stories, lacemaking comes front and center in the lives, secrets and betrayals of this New England family and those whom they touch.
In a library book I picked up, Lace: The Elegant Veil by Janine Montupet and Ghislaine Schoeller, it states the first American lacemaking center was located in Ipswich, Massachusetts, a town founded by colonists in 1634. These colonists came from places in England, where bobbin lace was made and so brought their craft to America. Needlework was the bridge between the past and the new future. The ladies on Yellow Dog Island, use the lace to remake their lives, to forget the past and accept a new future.
The Lace Reader is a wild mix of a story; mystery, historical, fortune-telling by lace, romance, abuse, religious zealots, family secrets and recovery. Narrative changes tense and people with frequency. The end sweeps the reader along like the tide, pulling and pushing the reader with it.
Occasionally its seems too much, like everything has to be included or lost, it does have plenty of surprises along the way but like gazing through the lace some characters lose definition. However I think it’s worth the read, and would recommend picking it up, and I would certainly read the next one, since Barry intends to make this a trilogy.
Reading, T.G. & Y. and Romance
I believe in reading, not just the truly important works, or the socially significant ones, just the action of reading. So as I write in this blog sometimes you will just get titles or authors I’ve just picked up and read. My grandmother used to read westerns, I mean boxes of westerns, she and the next door neighbor ( a long distance truck driver) would swap them by the boxes full. So whenever I would go down to the T.G. & Y. (an earlier Oklahoma Walmart type store, where I spent a great deal of my childhood), 
Gran would say get me a few. While I was there I usually picked up some comics for myself as well, or a paperback or two. And so I just read, it’s hereditary and learned behavior. Not every book I mention will you want to read, some I’ll really go on about, some mention in passing.
Just read and the good will come to the top, the bad will be easily forgotten and you’ll enjoy yourself along the way.
P.S. Just finished a Jane Ann Krentz, romance lovers you can’t go wrong with her books. AKA Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle.
