There will be a book signing, so if you’ve wanted to meet Julie James and get a signed copy of her new book, this is your opportunity! B&N says we’re going to “dish about James’ latest novel, Love Irresistibly, and the romance genre in general in this no-holds-barred event.”

IT IS ON. LIKE WELL-DRESSED DONKEY KONG.

I hope you’ll come join us. The last time I did a live chat at the UES B&N, it was with Nalini Singh, and it was a blast. It’s a fantastic space for an author event, and the staff there is superbly awesome. I hope to see you there!

Let me tell you. I HAD A WORD LIMIT. I don’t usually write with a word limit. It’s the internet! There’s no limit! For WaPo? Word limit! I had a word limit and I wanted to mention as many great summer reads as possible, while also featuring books of several different lengths. I was trying so hard to fit one more book in that column; I was about ready to end with “BOOK. GOOD. READ.” But alas, word limits, they are mighty things – and so is being edited. I’ve never been so terse in my life.

But I’m so, so pleased that WaPo is featuring romance in their summer reading section – woohoo!

So! Here: have a PDF chart! EXTRA – What Romance Are You (PDF 52k). Please right click and download.

But wait, there’s more! I know that charts can render oddly for the devices that visually impaired – which probably explains why when I’ve researched opportunities to volunteer and read books aloud, so many list describing scientific charts and diagrams as the most pressing need.

So I’ve recorded myself reading the chart – not very well, but I did what I could. It’s very much Not Professional. But, here’s the mp3: mp3 Audio Chart Explanation (2MB).

It’s just me describing the chart, but if there’s visually impaired readers out there who wanted to know what I was going on about, well, enjoy.

Sorry about the chart and the eInk, y’all. I really, really like charts. I’ll try to break up with them. Soon.

USA Today also has a fantastic new romance blog headed up by author Joyce Lamb that features interviews, reviews and news about new romance novels, and content from fantastic romance bloggers including Mandi from SmexyBooks and other romance writers. SO AWESOME.

Way to go, USA Today. Thanks for helping us spread the word about how powerful and positive romance can be!

“Having a website is a lot like having a child,” Wendell suggested, and one of her first bits of advice came from a parenting guide, Wendy Mogel’s The Blessing of a Skinned Knee: keep two pieces of paper in your pocket at all times; one says, “I am but a grain of sand,” while the other reads, “The world was created for me.” Along with that balance of humility and self-esteem, Wendell identified three other traits–authenticity, consistency and generosity–as crucial to any successful blog, and also noted that while praise from online reviewers might be viewed with skepticism, criticism can catch readers’ attention: “If I say something smells bad,” she quipped, “you’re totally going to sniff it!” When readers discover a shared breaking point for what constitutes bad writing, she explained, it helps bolster the reviewer’s credibility.

Giving that speech was a terrible amount of fun, and I’m honored that I was asked to do it.

I believe that people genuinely want to help, but not always monetarily. If I could generate a list of specific items that were needed, and locations to which to mail those items, I thought that folks who read my site would feel the same way I did: motivated by the need to do something specific and immediate to help, even from far far away. As one author said to me (and I don’t know if I can quote her so I’m leaving her name out): Money can’t make these organizations mobilize faster.

So I prepared a list of items and coordinated volunteers to accept mail drops of packages that they could then deliver to local relief distribution centers in urban and rural Alabama. I had three maildrop volunteers and over 100 email messages asking for an address. People bought stuff on Amazon and Prime shipped it down to Alabama. Others cleaned out their closets of gently used clothing, and a few folks went shopping at the CVS and then walked over to the post office to mail it all down. Duct tape, bug spray, bras and underwear – from places like Maine and Minnesota, packages arrived. Have a look at one day’s delivery at one of the maildrops.

Seriously, I am so proud and pleased and happy we could do something concrete and immediate to help out. I know the media moved on covering other stories while Alabama was still hurting, but I know I felt horrible about how much they were struggling. Glamour.com picked up the story, as did others on Twitter, and now the UPS delivery team in Alabama is bringing our donations where they are needed. That is so awesome. Thank you.

“The era of Fabio is long, long, past,” said Sarah Wendell, a romance novel fan who runs the extensive blog Smart Bitches Trashy Books….

“It’s more of the guy next door look, rather than the Fabio beefcake look,” said Green.

Many publishers feature a headless man or couple, showcasing just their lusty bodies. “Readers don’t want to be told what the hero or heroine looks like,” said Wendell. “They want to control that with their imaginations.”

It’s true- the covers have moved away from beefcake to images of women of unquestionable strength. Next up: I hope we can move away from the clinch cover featuring hair styling via absolutely bizarre wind patterns.

As Media Bistro’s GalleyCat wrote up today, I started a Twitter hashtag of #jerseylibrarians based on my knowledge that when potential library-budget-cutting amendments are proposed and then withdrawn, it’s likely because librarians, particularly JERSEY librarians, are fearsome.

And would make a MUCH better reality show than any of the other Jersey-based entertainment currently on television. Which is your favorite? I think my favorite of the #jerseylibrarians tweets are this one from @eanicol: “Starring Bookie and The Circulation? #Sorry #couldnthelpmyself” and this one from Julia Spencer-Fleming: “The Friends of the Library promise their undying friendship if you would do them a small favor.”