What makes a romance novel a romance? How do you write a kissing book?Writing a well-structured romance isn't the same as writing any other genre--something the popular novel and screenwriting guides don't address. The romance arc is made up of its own story beats, and the external plot and theme need to be braided to the romance arc--not the other way around. Told in conversational (and often irreverent) prose, Romancing the Beat can be read like you are sitting down to coffee with romance editor and author Gwen Hayes while she explains story structure. The way she does with her clients. Some of whom are regular inhabitants of the New York Times and USA Today bestseller lists. Romancing the Beat is a recipe, not a rigid system. The beats don't care if you plot or outline before you write, or if you pants your way through the drafts and do a "beat check" when you're revising. Pantsers and plotters are both welcome. So sit down, grab a cuppa, and let's talk about kissing books.

Romancing the Novel examines the ways in which romance forms characteristic of boys' books - as exemplified in the novels of Scott, Dumas, Verne, and Stevenson - influence narratives not generally put in the same category - both psychoanalytical accounts of the psyche and novels by authors as diverse as George Eliot, Ursual Le Guin, Joseph Conrad, and W. G. Sebald. Adventure has been most recently studied largely as a symptom of imperialism's ideological apparatus. But as an intensely familiar story available from the earliest reading, adventure conditions the narratable - its influence is felt from the nursery bed to the analyst's couch. By reading Maurice Sendak with Melanie Klein and Peter Rabbit with Daniel Deronda, Romancing the Novel argues that the power and depth of the generic constraints of the adventure form have not been recognized simply because they are so ubiquitous. Adventure fiction is not merely summer reading whose ephemeral effects dissipate, but rather a pervasive code that exerts powerful effects on the imaginable.

The complete guide to turning romances into cash. Romance novels are the top-selling genre in fiction. How can aspiring writers break into this lucrative field? With Writing the Great American Romance Novel, the most complete guide to writing that novel, getting it published, working with editors, agents, and publicists, and promoting it once it’s out! Step-by-step instruction shows how to create romantic heroes and heroines, structure a story, and write love scenes, as well as how to plan outlines, use timelines and grids, conduct personal interviews, and do historical research. With extras such as a list of publishers, a sample press release, a sample synopsis, and much more, this book is must-have for any aspiring romance writer passionate about writing. • Romance accounts for $1.2 billion in sales and 55 percent of the paperback market • The group Romance Writers of America has almost 10,000 members • Takes writers beyond writing to selling and promotion Allworth Press, an imprint of Skyhorse Publishing, publishes a broad range of books on the visual and performing arts, with emphasis on the business of art. Our titles cover subjects such as graphic design, theater, branding, fine art, photography, interior design, writing, acting, film, how to start careers, business and legal forms, business practices, and more. While we don't aspire to publish a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are deeply committed to quality books that help creative professionals succeed and thrive. We often publish in areas overlooked by other publishers and welcome the author whose expertise can help our audience of readers.

Readers will delight in New York Times bestseller Sarah MacLean’s debut novel—featuring her sexy, funny, emotionally rich writing and one of the fiercely feminist heroines that made Entertainment Weekly crown her “the utterly intoxicating queen of historical romance.” There are things a lady simply does not do. She does not smoke. She does not fence or attend duels. She does not fire a pistol, and she never, ever sneaks into a men’s club for a night of gambling and…other excitements. Calpurnia Hartwell has spent a lifetime following the rules and, as a reward, she’s been forgotten at the edges of society, unnoticed…and unsatisfied. So, what’s a girl to do, but break the rules and get a taste of the life she’s been missing? Once Callie throws herself into a bold new world, she fast realizes a taste won’t ever be enough. She’s going to need a partner—someone who knows everything about rule-breaking. Someone like Gabriel St. John, Marquess of Ralston—charming and handsome, with a scandalous reputation matched only by his wicked smile. But the further Callie ventures into this new world, the further she gets from her family’s expectations and all she once held dear. Will she be brave enough to leave her old life behind? Because she’s about to break the most important rule of all—the one that says pleasure-seekers should never fall in love. . .

The romance novel has the strange distinction of being the most popular but least respected of literary genres. While it remains consistently dominant in bookstores and on best-seller lists, it is also widely dismissed by the critical community. Scholars have alleged that romance novels help create subservient readers, who are largely women, by confining heroines to stories that ignore issues other than love and marriage. Pamela Regis argues that such critical studies fail to take into consideration the personal choice of readers, offer any true definition of the romance novel, or discuss the nature and scope of the genre. Presenting the counterclaim that the romance novel does not enslave women but, on the contrary, is about celebrating freedom and joy, Regis offers a definition that provides critics with an expanded vocabulary for discussing a genre that is both classic and contemporary, sexy and entertaining. Taking the stance that the popular romance novel is a work of literature with a brilliant pedigree, Regis asserts that it is also a very old, stable form. She traces the literary history of the romance novel from canonical works such as Richardson's Pamela through Austen's Pride and Prejudice, Brontë's Jane Eyre, and E. M. Hull's The Sheik, and then turns to more contemporary works such as the novels of Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart, Janet Dailey, Jayne Ann Krentz, and Nora Roberts.

Swashbuckling sailors, dashing dukes, naughty nurses, and sexy steward-esses caught in webs of love, passion, betrayal, and intrigue: these are the raw materials of the romance novel--and the lusty covers that advertise them. In The Look of Love, Jennifer McKnight-Trontz provides a rollicking history of the covers and stories that have captivated millions of readers worldwide. More than 150 of the most sensational covers from this venerable if venal literary form are shown in glorious color, focusing on the period from 1940 to 1970, romance design's most fertile era. The Look of Love features artwork and excerpts from titles such as Passion Flower, Kept Woman, Rendezvous in Lisbon, and Jungle Nurse. Along the way, it brings attention to the pioneers of the romance novel: cover artists such as Barye Phillips and Robert Maguire, who helped define the look of paperbacks in general, and Harlequin, the grand dame of romance publishers, with more than 100 million novels sold each year. McKnight-Trontz reveals the themes that typify both the story lines and the covers--hospital romance, the rich and raunchy, royalty, tropical paradises, Westerns, "taboo" relationships, pirates and warriors, and love triangles--resulting in this definitive compendium of camp. A book for romance lovers everywhere.

Companion Lenore Griffin is in dire straits when a letter from a dear friend arrives, offering a new position. Relieved at her good fortune, Lenore packs up herself and her beloved dog, Hero, and makes haste for London. Upon arrival, however, not only does she find her old friend in a shocking state of dishabille, but she’s somehow mistaken his offer. He has not written requesting a companion for his new wife. He’s written to request Lenore become his companion…for the rest of their lives. Price Wagstaff, Earl of Carmichael, must have been deeper in his cups than usual when he wrote that correspondence. He doesn’t remember a blasted word of it. Still, it is a disaster of his own making, and so he will do his duty by Lenore. He quickly decides his old childhood friend will make a sensible wife and an agreeable mother to his heirs. He can give her safety, protection and comfort. A marriage of convenience. Lenore need never know that Price’s heart can never be won. Despite their intentions to live separate lives, the pair can’t avoid the closeness that intimacy provides, and soon, Price no longer wishes to. Is it possible that he may find love a second time? Perhaps…if his secrets don’t kill their chance at happiness. A steamy regency historical romance novel. Distinguished Rogues Series Book 1: Chills (Jack and Constance) Book 2: Broken (Giles and Lillian) Book 3: Charity (Oscar and Agatha) Book 4: An Accidental Affair (Merrick and Arabella) Book 5: Keepsake (Kit and Miranda) Book 6: An Improper Proposal (Martin and Iris) Book 7: Reason to Wed (Richard and Esme) Book 8: The Trouble with Love (Everett and Whitney) Book 9: Married by Moonlight (Gilbert and Anna) Book 10: Lord of Sin (Julian and Portia) Book 11: The Duke’s Heart (Sinclair and Kitty) Book 12: Romancing the Earl (Price and Lenore) Book 13: One Enchanted Christmas (Otis and Meg) Book 14: Desire by Design (Alexander and Sylvia) Book 15: His Perfect Bride (Harry and Ophelia) Book 16: Pleasures of the Night

Popular romance fiction constitutes the largest segment of the global book market. Bringing together an international group of scholars, The Routledge Research Companion to Popular Romance Fiction offers a ground-breaking exploration of this global genre and its remarkable readership. In recognition of the diversity of the form, the Companion provides a history of the genre, an overview of disciplinary approaches to studying romance fiction, and critical analyses of important subgenres, themes, and topics. It also highlights new and understudied avenues of inquiry for future research in this vibrant and still-emerging field. The first systematic, comprehensive resource on romance fiction, this Companion will be invaluable to students and scholars, and accessible to romance readers.