The winner of Courtney Milan's PROOF BY SEDUCTION and Rob Preece's HUNGER is Susan Macatee. Susan, please send me your name and snail mail address by February 14, 2010, or I will award the prize to another eligible person. You must send the e-mail to me at tjb @ tjbennett . com (no spaces) with your prize in the subject line to claim it.
Congratulations!
TJB
Monday, February 08, 2010
Smart Man: William Simon, cyber crimes investigator
IMHO continues our series of pre-Valentine’s day posts with the theme of “Why Smart Women (and Men) Read Romance.” Please welcome William Simon, professional cyber crimes investigator, as he gives his perspective on this topic. He knows whereof he speaks, as the manly Will is the former president of one of the local Houston-area Romance Writers of America chapters.
Just to remind you, I’ll be giving prizes away each day during the event from February 7 - 13, so be sure to leave a comment to be eligible. Please see my contest page for eligibility rules. If your name is chosen, you must claim your prize by e-mailing me at tjb @ tjbennett . com (no spaces) by February 14, 2010, or I will award it to someone else.
Today's I'm donating the prize of a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, so be sure to leave a comment for Will and tell him what you think about smart men who read (and watch) romance. Oh, and let's have another fun fact about romantic fiction, shall we?
Your naysayer sneers: "Hardly anyone reads romance. Most people read real books, like literary fiction."
Your response (statistics from Romance Writers of America pressroom): "Oh yeah? Well, romance fiction held the largest share of the consumer market in 2008 at 13.5 percent. And, dollar for dollar, romance fiction's $1.37 billion in estimated revenue for 2008 outdid all the following categories:
Religion/inspirational: $800 million
Mystery: $668 million
Science fiction/fantasy: $551 million
Classic literary fiction: $446 million
So, no matter how big the press is for literary fiction, more people enjoy a good romance (or a Bible). So there."
Now, on with the show.
William Simon: Do men read or watch romance?
You bet they do.
Some of the most romantic couples ever seen or heard of are in the so-called “male” orientated movies or books of the past few decades.
Don’t believe it? Think about it.
DIE HARD and DIE HARD 2: a lone policeman battles incredible odds and does what he has to do… all to rescue his wife. Blowing up a skyscraper or an airport means nothing. John McLane is not trying to save the world or stop Bad Guys; he really could care less. McLane is trying to save the woman he loves.
Nick and Nora Charles. Originally a one-shot novel, the first movie generated such interest an entire series of original stories was created. Married people can have fun, too, and while they’re at it, well, if they catch a killer or two along the way, what the heck. (TV detective couples Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, along with Remington Steele and Laura Holt, carried this genre several decades after. It will be interesting to see what happens now that we’re in 2010.)
Simon Templar, THE SAINT, as played by Roger Moore. Why did a character such as this, wealthy, no commitments, traveling the world, involve himself in matters dealing with murderers, psychotic blackmailers, stranglers, frauds? Without exception, it was to rescue a Damsel in Distress.
LAURA, both the novel by Vera Caspary and the film with Dana Andrews and the incomparable Gene Tierney. A woman is brutally murdered for no apparent reason; the detective investigating her death falls in love with her from her photos and diaries and letters. When it’s revealed she is still alive, they work together to find who wanted her dead. (The plot’s a little clichéd now, but when it first appeared it knocked people out of their chairs.)
REBECCA. Daphne DuMaurier’s novel was spellbinding; the film by Alfred Hitchcock was mesmerizing. The same people brought us THE BIRDS, which scared everyone. Hard to imagine both coming from the same minds.
One of the all time great romantic novels came and went without an eye-blink. BID TIME RETURN, by Richard Matheson. Matheson wrote other novels, such as I AM LEGEND, THE SHRINKING MAN, etc. This was a change of genre for him. A playwright dying of a brain tumor has an incredibly real hallucination of traveling almost one hundred years back in time to meet the woman of his dreams... Or was it a hallucination? Sound familiar? It was made into a small movie titled SOMEWHERE IN TIME. The disease was left out, the rest an incredibly faithful adaptation of the book; it stands today as one of the all time classics.
The list goes on and on. I’m sure anyone and everyone reading this has their own favorites.
Romance is everywhere. It’s not what we do that defines it; it’s how we do it….
Bio: William Simon is a licensed professional investigator dealing exclusively with computer forensics and electronic evidence, and is also a Past President of the North West Houston RWA chapter. He owns all the above named movies on DVD, plus a lot more.
Just to remind you, I’ll be giving prizes away each day during the event from February 7 - 13, so be sure to leave a comment to be eligible. Please see my contest page for eligibility rules. If your name is chosen, you must claim your prize by e-mailing me at tjb @ tjbennett . com (no spaces) by February 14, 2010, or I will award it to someone else.
Today's I'm donating the prize of a $25 gift certificate to Barnes & Noble, so be sure to leave a comment for Will and tell him what you think about smart men who read (and watch) romance. Oh, and let's have another fun fact about romantic fiction, shall we?
Your naysayer sneers: "Hardly anyone reads romance. Most people read real books, like literary fiction."
Your response (statistics from Romance Writers of America pressroom): "Oh yeah? Well, romance fiction held the largest share of the consumer market in 2008 at 13.5 percent. And, dollar for dollar, romance fiction's $1.37 billion in estimated revenue for 2008 outdid all the following categories:
Religion/inspirational: $800 million
Mystery: $668 million
Science fiction/fantasy: $551 million
Classic literary fiction: $446 million
So, no matter how big the press is for literary fiction, more people enjoy a good romance (or a Bible). So there."
Now, on with the show.
You bet they do.
Some of the most romantic couples ever seen or heard of are in the so-called “male” orientated movies or books of the past few decades.
Don’t believe it? Think about it.
DIE HARD and DIE HARD 2: a lone policeman battles incredible odds and does what he has to do… all to rescue his wife. Blowing up a skyscraper or an airport means nothing. John McLane is not trying to save the world or stop Bad Guys; he really could care less. McLane is trying to save the woman he loves.
Nick and Nora Charles. Originally a one-shot novel, the first movie generated such interest an entire series of original stories was created. Married people can have fun, too, and while they’re at it, well, if they catch a killer or two along the way, what the heck. (TV detective couples Jonathan and Jennifer Hart, along with Remington Steele and Laura Holt, carried this genre several decades after. It will be interesting to see what happens now that we’re in 2010.)
Simon Templar, THE SAINT, as played by Roger Moore. Why did a character such as this, wealthy, no commitments, traveling the world, involve himself in matters dealing with murderers, psychotic blackmailers, stranglers, frauds? Without exception, it was to rescue a Damsel in Distress.
LAURA, both the novel by Vera Caspary and the film with Dana Andrews and the incomparable Gene Tierney. A woman is brutally murdered for no apparent reason; the detective investigating her death falls in love with her from her photos and diaries and letters. When it’s revealed she is still alive, they work together to find who wanted her dead. (The plot’s a little clichéd now, but when it first appeared it knocked people out of their chairs.)
REBECCA. Daphne DuMaurier’s novel was spellbinding; the film by Alfred Hitchcock was mesmerizing. The same people brought us THE BIRDS, which scared everyone. Hard to imagine both coming from the same minds.
One of the all time great romantic novels came and went without an eye-blink. BID TIME RETURN, by Richard Matheson. Matheson wrote other novels, such as I AM LEGEND, THE SHRINKING MAN, etc. This was a change of genre for him. A playwright dying of a brain tumor has an incredibly real hallucination of traveling almost one hundred years back in time to meet the woman of his dreams... Or was it a hallucination? Sound familiar? It was made into a small movie titled SOMEWHERE IN TIME. The disease was left out, the rest an incredibly faithful adaptation of the book; it stands today as one of the all time classics.
The list goes on and on. I’m sure anyone and everyone reading this has their own favorites.
Romance is everywhere. It’s not what we do that defines it; it’s how we do it….
Bio: William Simon is a licensed professional investigator dealing exclusively with computer forensics and electronic evidence, and is also a Past President of the North West Houston RWA chapter. He owns all the above named movies on DVD, plus a lot more.
Sunday, February 07, 2010
Why Smart Women (and Men) Read Romance
What was not hard was weaseling prizes out of them to give to you, my IMHO readers. I’ll be giving those prizes away each day during the event from February 7 - 13, so be sure to leave a comment to be eligible. (Please see my contest page for eligibility details.) If your name is chosen, you must claim your prize by e-mailing me at tjb @ tjbennett . com (no spaces) by February 14, 2010, or I will award it to someone more worthy. Just kidding. About the worthy part, not about giving away your prize. So be sure to check back to see if you've won, okay? And let your subject line be the name of the prize.
Today's prizes, Courtney's fabulously sharp-witted debut historical romance, Proof by Seduction, and Rob Preece's savagely romantic paranormal, Hunger, will go to one lucky winner who comments on both of today's posts.
So let's get a conversation going! I'll feed you fun facts about romantic fiction you can bandy around at your next party, and then you can direct your naysayers to this blog to seal the deal.
Naysayer attitude #1: "Nobody I know reads those kinds of books."
Your response (statistics from the Romance Writers of America pressroom): "Well, that can't be true, because Romance Fiction makes up $1.37 billion in sales each year. In 2008, romance was the top performing category on the New York Times, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly best-seller lists. According to one survey, 74.8 million people read at least one romance novel in 2008. So...chances are, if you asked four people if they read romance, and they all denied it, at least one of them was lying!"
Now, on to our guests.
TJB
Smart Woman: Courtney Milan, debut historical romance author
Courtney Milan: For this post, TJ asked me to provide a biography explaining why I was "smart." I balked. First, anytime anyone ever declares themselves smart, all I can think of is Homer Simpson dancing around, declaring, "I am so smart!" while his house caught fire behind him. Second, I don't think biography ever proves someone is smart. You can have PhDs from every Ivy League school out there and still not be smart, and there are some extremely intelligent people who have never graduated from anything.
Smart isn't a piece of paper. It isn't even several hundred pieces of paper bound according to university rules into a dissertation. You judge smart by how someone acts, what they do, how they make decisions--not by whether they've managed to grab themselves a handful of degrees.
I know this, because I do actually have that handful of degrees, and they didn't stop me from being stupid. For years of my adult life, I shelved my growing collection of romance books spine-in on my shelves so my "smart" friends wouldn't realize I was reading them. I spent money on hefty volumes I didn't want to read, just so they would provide protective coloration when I walked up to the bookstore counter. If someone caught me reading one, I would make excuses--"oh, I just want to see what the masses enjoy."
And these days, I'm so embarrassed to admit that's what I did, because you know what? That was pretty stupid of me. It was stupid to care what other people thought of my reading habits. It was stupid to spend money on books I didn't want to read, just so I could get the ones I really enjoyed. How smart was it to spend so much effort hiding who I was?
That's why I can say unequivocally, smart women read romance. The act of grabbing a romance is socially subversive. It says, "Bookstore clerk, I don't care what you think of my reading tastes." The act of openly displaying one of Those Covers on the subway is one of social defiance: "I don't care whether you think I'm stupid." Reading romance says, "I am not going to bother kowtowing to your foolish preconceptions about me." Reading romance says, "I care about relationships, community, and love, and it is not stupid to think that those things are important."
Bio: Courtney Milan, while not herself smart [Ed. note: sorry for the interruption, but just wanted to remind you she wrote this herself. I think she's brilliant], still managed to bamboozle people into publishing her first book, Proof by Seduction, about a Cambridge-educated scientific lord, and the much, much smarter woman who brings him to his knees. Courtney lives with her dog (who outsmarts her on a daily basis) and her husband (who tries but can never quite manage it). She has a bunch of diplomas moldering in her basement, which happen to be covered with Latin words that declare her smart. The romance novels on her keeper shelf are a lot more fun.
Smart Man: Rob Preece, PhD
Rob Preece: Do Smart Guys Read Romance?
I know what you’re thinking—those pink covers with girls in their nightgowns running out of old castles, titles that make you choke… like The Cowboy and the Diaper Pail or The Billionaire's Babe’s Secret Baby. Who’d want to read that? But maybe you haven’t really thought it through. Forget about those (frequently) awful covers and those (even more frequently) scary titles. Beneath the surface, what do we have?
For a start, we’ve got stories about people. Guy-oriented books tend to be about things and puzzles, which are great, of course. But when you come right down to it, people are what matter and romance authors know this in spades. So, they give us people struggling with human decisions, trying to see if they can be true to themselves while surviving in a world that doesn’t go out of its way to make that easy. And who can’t identify with that?
Not enough for you? How about this? Romance is huge. So big, in fact, that it’s got books for every taste, running from sweet and sappy (ugh, not for me) to sexy, dangerous, and mysterious (that’s more like it). Some of those stories can knock you off your seat and get your blood moving fast. The cool thing is, the women in the stories are getting to have all the fun and, despite what women think, we guys want women to have fun (with us, of course).
Then there’s the fact that ninety-eight percent (or so) of romance readers and authors are women. When they’re writing romance, what are they writing about, really? They’re writing about their fantasies, which happens to be exactly what guys would love to be, right? I see a lot of stories where the problems are resolved when the guy opens up about what’s going on in his head (but with a little tact, of course). Too often, guys think that women should be able to see our actions and get the idea (sort of like how women want us to decipher ‘I’m fine’). Well, how’s that working for you? Romance books are the keys to the code women live and talk by.
On a personal note, when I started dating my wife, a romance author, one of the first things I did was buy, and read, all of her books. She was flattered, of course, but I was smart. I had my hands on the user manual and knew more about what she was looking for than she probably knew herself. The user manual thing can work for you, too. (By the way, I strongly urge you not to refer to it as the “owner’s manual.”)
So, why do smart guys read romance? Because we want stories about people interacting with other people, rather than with machines or murder victims (only). Because we want to learn more about the other half of the world (and see what that other half secretly thinks about us because when they write romance, they’re assuming it’s a no-guy zone). Because reading romance is fun and different—like traveling in a country where they speak a language that’s close enough to English that you can understand if you pay attention. Who knows, maybe reading romance will help out in your relationships with the women in your life (or the women you’d like in your life).
Bio: Rob Preece runs BooksForABuck.com, a small publishing house concentrating on novel-length genre fiction. When he's not editing other people's work, he's writing is own romance, mystery, science fiction and fantasy. He's won several industry awards for writing and was a 2005 RWA Golden Heart Finalist. He's also an accredited Bridge Instructor, certified Bridge Director, a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, holds a Ph.D. in Economics, and has taught bridge and economics at the college level (although not in the same class). A long-time resident of Texas, Rob now lives in California where he's renovating a Victorian house.
For a start, we’ve got stories about people. Guy-oriented books tend to be about things and puzzles, which are great, of course. But when you come right down to it, people are what matter and romance authors know this in spades. So, they give us people struggling with human decisions, trying to see if they can be true to themselves while surviving in a world that doesn’t go out of its way to make that easy. And who can’t identify with that?
Not enough for you? How about this? Romance is huge. So big, in fact, that it’s got books for every taste, running from sweet and sappy (ugh, not for me) to sexy, dangerous, and mysterious (that’s more like it). Some of those stories can knock you off your seat and get your blood moving fast. The cool thing is, the women in the stories are getting to have all the fun and, despite what women think, we guys want women to have fun (with us, of course).
Then there’s the fact that ninety-eight percent (or so) of romance readers and authors are women. When they’re writing romance, what are they writing about, really? They’re writing about their fantasies, which happens to be exactly what guys would love to be, right? I see a lot of stories where the problems are resolved when the guy opens up about what’s going on in his head (but with a little tact, of course). Too often, guys think that women should be able to see our actions and get the idea (sort of like how women want us to decipher ‘I’m fine’). Well, how’s that working for you? Romance books are the keys to the code women live and talk by.
On a personal note, when I started dating my wife, a romance author, one of the first things I did was buy, and read, all of her books. She was flattered, of course, but I was smart. I had my hands on the user manual and knew more about what she was looking for than she probably knew herself. The user manual thing can work for you, too. (By the way, I strongly urge you not to refer to it as the “owner’s manual.”)
So, why do smart guys read romance? Because we want stories about people interacting with other people, rather than with machines or murder victims (only). Because we want to learn more about the other half of the world (and see what that other half secretly thinks about us because when they write romance, they’re assuming it’s a no-guy zone). Because reading romance is fun and different—like traveling in a country where they speak a language that’s close enough to English that you can understand if you pay attention. Who knows, maybe reading romance will help out in your relationships with the women in your life (or the women you’d like in your life).
Bio: Rob Preece runs BooksForABuck.com, a small publishing house concentrating on novel-length genre fiction. When he's not editing other people's work, he's writing is own romance, mystery, science fiction and fantasy. He's won several industry awards for writing and was a 2005 RWA Golden Heart Finalist. He's also an accredited Bridge Instructor, certified Bridge Director, a second degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do, holds a Ph.D. in Economics, and has taught bridge and economics at the college level (although not in the same class). A long-time resident of Texas, Rob now lives in California where he's renovating a Victorian house.
Tuesday, February 02, 2010
Smart People are Sexy...
And what better way to prove it then to show your intelligence, good taste, and superiority by stopping by my blog, IMHO, the week of February 7 – 13. During that week, IMHO will feature a lineup of guests who will discourse on the topic of “Why Smart Women (and Men) Read Romance.”
My goal in lining up the guest hosts for this event is to shatter the “romance reader” stereotype by asking some of the smartest people I know to tell us, during one of the most romantic times of the year, why they enjoy reading romance. I know there are many witty, intelligent romance readers out there, and I want everyone else to know, too, that smart people read romance.
So, if you’ve ever been criticized about your choice of reading material, this event is for you. If friends, family, or co-workers have pooh-pooh’d you because you love a happy ending, drag them here between February 7 – 13 and show them how many truly smart men and women love stories where the boy gets the girl and “all’s well that ends well.” You might even pick up a few snappy comebacks and statistics to throw around at your next party.
And, to top it all off, we’ll be giving away free books and other prizes, like a $25 gift card to Barnes and Noble, while we engage in thoughtful, fun, and perhaps controversial discussion on this topic.
The lineup:
Feb 7: Double-header with Courtney Milan - debut historical romance author and Rob Preece, - 2005 Golden Heart nominee, small press publisher, and PhD in Economics
Feb 8: William Simon - computer cyber crimes investigator and former North Houston RWA chapter president
Feb 9: Madeline Hunter - bestselling author of historical romance and university professor
Feb 10: Dr. Debra Holland - practicing psychologist, PhD, and 2005 Golden Heart nominee
Feb 11: Carolyn Jewel - historical romance author and Data Base Administrator
Feb 12: Don Helin - former Pentagon army officer, thriller author
Feb 13: Vicki Hinze - bestselling, multi-genre romance author, PhD in Theocentric business and ethics
Wow. I feel smarter already. In the meantime, check out reviewer KatieBabs Babbling About Books post on the growing trend of using romance novels as texts in college universities.
TJB
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Unclaimed Random Freebies given to new winners! Is it you?
Hi, everyone! Since two of the previous random freebie winners did not claim their prizes, according to my rules, I'm selecting two new winners from my list of eligibles. Remember, even if you leave your e-mail address on your comment, I will not contact you to notify you of your win. In other words, return visits to my blog are their own reward, heh heh. Winners must contact me with a snail mail address at tjb @ tjbennett . com (no spaces) to claim their prizes. The winners below have until Wednesday, February 3, 2010, to do so.
1. siNn - Knight of Pleasure
2. Jane - Divorced, Desperate and Deceived (this is the Jane who commented 4:16 PM, January 22, 2010).
Contact me soon! If these folks don't claim their prizes by Feb 3, then I will select other winners, so stay tuned.
Sheesh. Never had so much trouble giving away good books before...grumble grumble....
TJB
1. siNn - Knight of Pleasure
2. Jane - Divorced, Desperate and Deceived (this is the Jane who commented 4:16 PM, January 22, 2010).
Contact me soon! If these folks don't claim their prizes by Feb 3, then I will select other winners, so stay tuned.
Sheesh. Never had so much trouble giving away good books before...grumble grumble....
TJB
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Clock's ticking, Random Freebie winners...
Still waiting to hear from two of our random freebie winners. Remember, you only have until Friday to send me an e-mail claiming your prize. Include your snail mail address. If I don't hear from you, I'll have to give your prize away to another eligible winner. Donnas has claimed Beguiled; I'm still waiting to hear from these winners:
1. Busy Bee - Knight of Pleasure
2. J K Maze - Divorced, Desperate, and Deceived
Hustle up!
TJB
1. Busy Bee - Knight of Pleasure
2. J K Maze - Divorced, Desperate, and Deceived
Hustle up!
TJB
Monday, January 25, 2010
Random Freebie Winners!
I've chosen the winners for my latest Random Freebie contest, and they are as follows:
1. Busy Bee - Knight of Pleasure
2. J K Maze - Divorced, Desperate, and Deceived
3. donnas - Beguiled
Congratulations, everyone, on winning these great books! However, you have one more step. You need to claim your prize by sending me an e-mail with your mailing address to tjb @ tjbennett . com (no spaces) by Friday, January 29, 2010, or I will be forced *sob* to give your prize away to another eligible participant. So don't delay, claim your prize today!
Stay tuned for more good stuff and giveaways at IMHO soon. I'm organizing my pre-Valentine's Week event, and I know you'll want to be front and center for that from February 7 - 13, when we engage in a week-long discussion of why smart women (and men) read romance, from some very "smart" guest bloggers. We'll give away prizes, too, to smart IMHO readers who hang out with us that week.
I've already seen the posts from two of the menfolk (one a former Romance Writers of America chapter president who solves cyber crimes in his professional life, the other a Golden Heart finalist with a PhD in economics and a black belt in karate); they're fascinating, and you really don't want to miss what these smart guys who read romance have to say about it.
Take care,
TJB
1. Busy Bee - Knight of Pleasure
2. J K Maze - Divorced, Desperate, and Deceived
3. donnas - Beguiled
Congratulations, everyone, on winning these great books! However, you have one more step. You need to claim your prize by sending me an e-mail with your mailing address to tjb @ tjbennett . com (no spaces) by Friday, January 29, 2010, or I will be forced *sob* to give your prize away to another eligible participant. So don't delay, claim your prize today!
Stay tuned for more good stuff and giveaways at IMHO soon. I'm organizing my pre-Valentine's Week event, and I know you'll want to be front and center for that from February 7 - 13, when we engage in a week-long discussion of why smart women (and men) read romance, from some very "smart" guest bloggers. We'll give away prizes, too, to smart IMHO readers who hang out with us that week.
I've already seen the posts from two of the menfolk (one a former Romance Writers of America chapter president who solves cyber crimes in his professional life, the other a Golden Heart finalist with a PhD in economics and a black belt in karate); they're fascinating, and you really don't want to miss what these smart guys who read romance have to say about it.
Take care,
TJB
Friday, January 22, 2010
Psst! I'm giving away some random freebies!
It's our secret, okay? I've got some random freebies to give away, and I've even got one you aren't supposed to be able to buy yet...AND it's signed by the authors. But don't TELL anyone, for goodness' sake!
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Here's the rules: leave a comment telling me which books, in order, you'd most like to win. I've got three, listed herewith:
.jpg)
1. DIVORCED, DESPERATE, AND DECEIVED by Christie Craig - The latest in her light romantic suspense DD&D series, autographed!
2. 
KNIGHT OF PLEASURE by Margaret Mallory - (unsigned); second book in the "All the King's Men" series from a new historical romance author. This beautiful cover was the winner over at The Season Blog last month.
KNIGHT OF PLEASURE by Margaret Mallory - (unsigned); second book in the "All the King's Men" series from a new historical romance author. This beautiful cover was the winner over at The Season Blog last month.
3. BEGUILED by Deeanne Gist and J. Mark Bertrand - signed by the authors and not yet released in stores (I have connections, heh heh). What happens when an inspirational romance author and an acclaimed debut crime novelist get together? This unique contemporary romantic suspense!
US and Canada addresses only. Follow the rules, please, as only those who are eligible will be placed in the prize pool. Prizes will be awarded on Monday, January 25, 2010. You must return to the blog to see if you won, so be sure to come back on Monday.
Leave your comments now!
TJB
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