Category: Spotlight

WHAT DOES ROMANCE MATTER?

August 27, 2013 by in category Guest Posts, Spotlight tagged as , , ,

 Why does the romance genre dominate book sales?  It’s a question that dozens of people have tried to answer.  On Valentine’s Day, article after article attempts to explore the concept.  Non-fiction books are written about it, essays are printed.  Internet sites Chat about it.


The truth is there is no single answer.

From the time we’re teenagers, we’re thinking about finding a mate.  When we’re old and alone, our spouse long gone, we’re remembering the romantic days when we fell in love, the days we spent with someone who loved us.

From the start, it’s a journey fraught with perils.  Today, with people living in cities, the odds of finding the right mate are mind-boggling.  Thousands of bars and restaurants, millions of people all searching for someone.  People turn to Internet dating to improve their chances of finding a person with the same interests…someone they might have a chance to love.

The same journey happens in a Romance novel and it’s fraught with even more peril.  As the reader turns the pages, for a brief time, he or she gets to feel all the wonderful emotions a man or woman feels when they fall in love. 

In my latest book, AGAINST THE MARK, the nineth in my AGAINST series, Tyler Brodie, a private investigator, meets Haley Warren, the woman who hires him to find the truth about her father’s murder.  The child of a broken home, Haley has no interest in romance.  She doesn’t believe in happy endings. 


But Ty is a hard man to resist.  Carefree and fun-loving on the surface, Ty is ex-military, a man who knows how to handle himself in a tough situation.  A man nearly irresistible to women.  Ty wants Haley, and it doesn’t take long for her to realize that she wants him.  But Haley is afraid to risk her heart.  It takes nearly getting killed before Haley realizes that love is worth the risk.

The best part about reading a Romance is that from the very first page, the reader secretly knows that whatever perils the couple faces, whatever suffering they endure, will be worth it.

Because by the last page of the book, the lovers are going to get the happy ending they deserve, the forever kind of love we all dream of finding.

I hope you’ll watch for Ty and Haley in AGAINST THE MARK, out August 27th.  And in June of next year watch for Ty’s cousin, Dylan Brodie, in AGAINST THE WILD, the first of three Against books set in Alaska.
What is your favorite romance genre?

Till then very best wishes and happy reading.  

 Kat 

Visit my website www.katmartin.com. Or join my Facebook page.  

P.S. One lucky commenter will win a copy of AGAINST THE MARK (winner’s choice of Nook, Kindle or paperback). Comments must be made before midnight August 27, 2013 and the winner must live in the United States. 






New York Times bestselling author Kat Martin is a graduate of the University of California at Santa Barbara where she majored in Anthropology and also studied History.   Before she started writing in 1985, Kat was a real estate broker.  During that time she met her husband, L.J. Martin, author of thirty western, non-fiction, historical, and suspense novels.  A resident of Missoula, Montana, Kat and her husband spend their winters in Ventura, California.  She is a currently writing her next Romantic Suspense.  

With fifty five novels to her credit and more than fifteen million copies of her books in print, Ms. Martin has been published in twenty-one foreign countries including France, Japan, Greece, Argentina, Russia, Sweden, Turkey, China, and Spain.

Book Trailer Video: http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheMark.htm#VIDEO

RT Book Reviews 4.5 Star Review: http://katbooks.com/AgainsttheMarkRTBookReviews.htm

Excerpt : http://katbooks.com/AgainstheMarkExcerpt1.htm

Purchase Links:
Amazon
BN
Indiebound

  
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Message from Mindy Neff

March 18, 2007 by in category From Our Archives, Spotlight, Writing, Writing Conferences tagged as , , ,

July is the time of year that most of us are beginning to get excited, or nervous, about going to the National RWA conference. Some of us are hoping to meet with an editor or agent, some are desperately longing to start a career, others perhaps wanting to change their careers.

I’ve been thinking a lot about the stories we tell ourselves. Not the stories we tell in our books. I’m talking about the stories that are deeply embedded in our subconscience. The voices that whisper that we’re not good enough, or smart enough, or that we have to be perfect, that we can’t look or act foolish, or human, or that we’re shy, that we don’t do well speaking in public, that we became a writer because we’re introverts, and having to pretend to be an extrovert for four whole days is going to shred our insides to bits.

Our stories also tell us that we should never admit to these failings, that we’re the only ones who feel so out of control, or so inadequate, or so inept. According to the book, Becoming Real, Defeating the Stories We Tell Ourselves That Hold Us Back, by Gail Saltz, M.D., every one of these stories is a lie. But until we learn to recognize them and rewrite them we will continue to make the same mistakes over and over. These stories will hold us back by making us afraid to reach out, by convincing us that we’re not deserving, or good enough, or popular enough, or by reminding us that we’re shy and scared out of our minds that someone is going to judge us and find us lacking.

I want each and every one of you to know that you do deserve to have your heart’s desire. You are worthy. You matter. And you are not alone. Do not listen to those self-defeating stories!

It’s easy to get overwhelmed at functions as large as the RWA National Conference. That’s one of the reason’s our OCC conference volunteers, Michelle Thorne and Lana Krevis, have worked so hard to make sure there will be an OCC suite available in Reno where everyone can come to see a familiar face, network, attend parties, or simply retreat to catch your breath.

To kick off the conference in style, we’ll be playing a game of Reno Bingo at the Wednesday night literacy signing. Be sure to pick up a bingo card at the door, then stop and speak to each of our OCC authors and get your bingo card stamped . You shouldn’t have any trouble finding us ,we’ll be the ones with the really cool flower pots and “orange girl” signs in front of us.

After the literacy signing, we’ll be throwing a pizza party in the OCC suite and inviting all of our authors to bring their editors and agents. Everyone is welcome. Come and mingle with friends or make new ones. There will be prize drawings, giveaways, and a really good time! Then, of course, we will be having our Saturday night RITA bash to honor all of our RITA and Golden Heart finalists and winners. Lots of food, drinks and fun. So, whether you want to attend a really cool party, or you just need some down time–or you find yourself at loose ends and don’t want to sit in your room by yourself or cruise the bars looking for your pals, the OCC suite is there for you. Come and help out, or just come and hang out. It’s going to be a blast!

~Mindy

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