Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Reader Interview
I got this from Maili.
Categories: AboutMe
- Name: Darla
- When you were a child, what did you usually read? I learned to read before I was three, and once I could read, I read everything I could get my hands on. When other kids would get candy as a bribe in the grocery store, I'd get those Little Golden Books. I had a huge collection even then. We had a set of encyclopedias, and I read those cover to cover. Every week before my piano lesson, we'd go to the library, and I'd get 6 books, which was the limit, and before the next trip, I'd read my 6 books and my brother's 6 books. It was a small library, and I ended up running out of books in the kids' section, and moved on to mysteries, spurred by the loan of a box of Nancy Drews; humor (James Thurber); and utopian stories. When I was a teen, I added science fiction and fantasy, and discovered gothics, which I told myself were a kind of mystery.
- Apart from romance novels, what do you usually read if any? I'll read anything and everything, particularly if it's fiction. Except, apparently, Westerns, which I've never tried. I have a list of recommendations for Westerns that I intend to try, but I haven't gotten to them yet. I read a lot of fantasy and science fiction, primarily urban fantasy like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files. Anything with humor in it will catch my eye, like Pratchett, or chick lit. I like Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt, and Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond. I don't read much literary fiction or non-fiction, and I read more women's fiction than I'd like to. Mostly, I just like to have variety, and I'm a huge sucker for good writing.
- And as a romance reader? Again with the variety, but more heavily paranormal, contemporary, and romantic suspense. I do read a good number of historicals, but as a subgenre, it's not my favorite.
- Do you have any weaknesses for certain themes, storylines, settings or such in romances? If so, what are they? I was joking with Dallas Schulze not long ago that my perfect romance novel would be an amnesiac werewolf reunion story. I'm a sucker for amnesia stories, I don't know why; and there's something about a couple who's known each other in the past and is just now falling in love, or realizing it, that will get to me despite flaws in the story. And the werewolf bit ties in my love of fantasy.
- How do you make your selection when you buy romances? Either it's a must-buy author, or I've had recommendations from readers I trust. I almost never buy without one of those two things.
- Name top five favourite romance authors if any.
- Jennifer Crusie.
- Laura Kinsale.
- Susan Elizabeth Phillips.
- Julia London.
- Beverly Brandt/Jacey Ford.
- Loretta Chase.
- What are your pet peeves with romance novels?
- The epilogues that are nothing but a laundry list of the couple's offspring's names, ages, and genders.
- The heroines who are simultaneously too tall, too thin, and have too-large breasts.
- The heroes who are the tallest or the most well-endowed ever.
- Virgin widows.
- Multi-orgasmic virgins.
- Heroes "giving" heroines their first ever orgasms.
- TSTL heroines.
- Secret babies.
- Victim heroines.
- When discussing romance novels and/or the Romance genre with fellow readers, which issues interest you most? Recommendations, definitely. And discussing the books, particularly trying to figure out why we have different opinions of books. I fnd it fascinating how two readers can see entirely different things in the same book.
- If an influential romance editor asks you for an opinion on the romance genre, what would you say? Give readers more credit. We don't need to be spoon-fed the same book over and over again. We do notice and care about sloppy writing/editing. And the quality of a romance novel is not determined (except, perhaps in a negative way) by the number of pages spent on sex scenes.
- Name up to five romance novels that left you lasting impressions.
- Time Was by Nora Roberts. This was my first exposure to a combination of science fiction and romance. It didn't prompt me to start reading romance yet (Naked in Death did that), but it gave me hope.
- Shadowheart by Laura Kinsale. Blew. me. away. I hadn't known a romance novel could be so INTENSE.
- Menage by Emma Holly. Yes, it's a romance. An eye-opening one.
- Do you have a favourite scene or opening line from a romance novel? If so, name it. This changes, probably daily.
- The mirror sex scene in Feehan's Dark Symphony was excellent.
- The opening scene of Julia London's Wedding Survivor had me laughing aloud.
- Min's shoes in Crusie's Bet Me.
- The way Daphne and Rupert meet in Loretta Chase's Mr. Impossible
- What do you think of romance novel covers in general? I loathe the Mantitty (thanks to the SmartBitches for the expression) covers. I'd be happy never to read another book with a half-naked generic cover model on it again. But at the same time, I'm a tad militant about it and refuse to hide the covers (well, except for the time when I was reading Dara Joy's Mine to Take while waiting at the elementary school for my son), because it feels too much like I'm hiding what I'm reading (romance) instead of just the cheesy covers. Unlike a number of my reading friends, I like the cartoon covers, if they fit the story, because cartoon to me says humor and I like humorous books.
- Do you have any favourite romance covers? If so, which are they? Well, P. C. Cast's got some great covers for her Goddess series. Bet Me has a great cover that fits the story really well.
- Name top five favourite romantic films.(this changes, too, except for the first two)
- What was the last romance novel you bought?
- Don't Look Down, a romantic adventure by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
and - My Sweet Folly by Laura Kinsale
- Don't Look Down, a romantic adventure by Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
Categories: AboutMe
Labels: random memes
