The RWA national conference is quickly turning into a misty memory and my voice has finally returned completely to normal. But it struck me that one question I heard over and over again is, "What are you looking for?"
I also got a lot of comments about how "everything" during the Regency era is about a duke, who is either looking for a bride or hiding from getting a bride.
In my defense, titled gentlemen in Regency time show no signs of slowing down. As an editor, I need to be aware of what's working in the market. But, let's pretend I didn't have to worry about such pesky things as P&Ls, royalty statements, and bestseller lists.
What if I could acquire anything I ever wanted without worrying about, you know, consumers. Well, here's part of my dream list. I hope you enjoy it.
1) A contemporary where I get to be the heroine. Have you ever noticed that the hero always seems to have just broken up with a woman who loves her career, doesn't want to move to the ranch so she can keep that career, isn't ga-ga about babies, dresses stylishly, and wears make up?
She's evil and she is ME. Seriously. Me. So, I'd like to get to be the heroine and not be evil because I like my job and don't like diapers.
2) The big one, WWII. I would love a great romance set during WWII. But they don't work. I would say I don't know why, because I do: it's the war. Those Regency men were always at war--but England wasn't attacked. I still think it's fascinating, though.
3) My dream historical novel team: Here are women I think are way overdue for their own historical novels. In fact, one of these could work, so someone out there: this could be your lucky day.
Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy: She defied her mother and married a protestant Duke! She packed a lot of living into her short life.
Nabby Adams: She was John Adams' daughter and, trust me, HBO didn't tell the half of it.
The last tsar's daughters: Yes it all ends badly, in fact, it ends pretty badly for all these gals, but that didn't stop THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL--and she lost her head!
This is only part of my dream list--I can save the rest for another day. But what would YOU like to see? Don't worry if you think it's practical, what is your dream book?
9 Comments:
I would love to see a Victorian woman travel to the America West. The only one comparable I can think of is Brenda Joyce's Secrets. Absolutely loved that book!
3:23 PM
An African safari. It has so many possibilities.
A series about Boadicea's adventures. She could make such delicious mischief.
7:12 PM
I second Tracey's suggestion-- I would love to see Boadicea's story. I taught a college level mythology class last semester and spent two classes talking about warrior women, including Boadicea.
10:44 PM
These are fun! When I was a teenager I loved Anya Seton, and I always wish there was someone writing with her complexity and depth now.
12:03 PM
Id like to see a complicated historical where the heroine married down for love and he supposedly went away to France to fight in the war, but he ended up getting hurt and amnesia and falling for a french woman, a few years go by and the heroine pushed by her mother in law to live again, she goes back to her family and back into society and falls head over heels didnt know what the first guy was about thing, then they marry and the first husband comes back and it blows up to a big drama but in the end she keeps her duke and the french woman keeps the hero kind of thing.
5:54 PM
Kathleen Kennedy married the heir to the Dukedom of Devonshire not the actual Duke. I would still love to see a romance set during WWII, even if it's set in the US. Although it wasn't a romance Susan Isaacs Shining Through is one of my favorite books.
And Anya Seton is one of my favorite authors.
10:06 AM
I'm with you on the WWII romance - Suzanne Brockmann tried it with her earlier Troubleshooters books, IIRC. But, they were treated as flashback segments, rather than the actual focus...and I distinctly remember wishing she'd just written the WWII romance separately.
You could make it a post-WWII, I suppose, with the war-torn hero who left a girl behind in Europe, and trying to get back to her. Or, the left-behind girl from Italy or Japan, or from London or Paris coming to America to find him...with a secret love child in tow.
I do wish more historicals were set in the U.S. At this point, I feel like I know the Georgian, Edwardian, and Victorian periods well enough to write my own novel. I'd love to see more authors tackle straight historicals in NY or Chicago or Boston.
12:18 PM
I'm with you on that one, Joy. I think there's a lot of good history out there left to mine, and while I do enjoy regencies and Edwardians, I'm often left wondering about what happened to the people who lived in between those illustrious, favored time periods....
BTW, love the blog. And bonus points to Lucia Macro for using my favorite picture of Kick Kennedy, Billy Cavendish and Young Joe. Now THAT's not something you see every day on a romance novel blog!
8:38 PM
WWII sounds like a great background for romance but I've always thought that one set in Australia in that period would be interesting. Why don't you get some of those great Aussie Avon writers to take at shot at telling a story from their own backyard?
Millie
2:53 PM
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