I had a cotillion and we learned 5 different dances. This guy was my escort. I received 18 roses from 18 men/boys. I received 18 birthday wishes before I blew out the candles on the cake (see if you can spot them). At the bottom of the cake, just above the skirt, are ribbons attached to little fortunes that my gal pals were invited to pull out. I still have this outfit, although it’s been many years since I fit into it. My grandparents were still alive, and this was one of the last times I had with all four of them together. One of my lolos passed away that same year.

My first mainstream literary panel. Nerve-wracking but super interesting.

Last month, I was invited to be a panelist at the Wheeler Centre for The F Word: Romance. The panel was part of a series of panels and interviews exploring modern feminism. This was a huge deal for me because it’s the first time I’ve ever been to an even that wasn’t targeted at genre readers. I hope I did romance readers and authors justice. You be the judge!

http://www.wheelercentre.com/broadcasts/the-f-word-romance

This is probably my most fun project so far. The lovely folks at Penguin Australia have asked me to host Heart to Heart, a monthly podcast for their romance imprint Destiny Romance. Two episodes have been released so far. Hope you enjoy these!

Episode 1: Interview with Sarah Wendell

Episode 2: Interview with Anne Gracie

You can find part 1 here.

You can find part 2 here.

You can find part 3 here.

Kat Mayo is not a Fifty Shades fan, but she understands the reasons behind its success. Mayo, who blogs at bookthingo.com.au and also edits Romance Buzz, the romance newsletter for online bookseller Booktopia, believes that classic genre romance is popular for two reasons: the unashamed focus on the concerns of women, like domestic, family and career issues; and the satisfying emotional payoff of a guaranteed happy ending.

For some readers and critics of literary fiction, it’s this ‘guaranteed happy ending’ that’s most problematic about romantic fiction. Mayo argues that literary fiction is not a byword for ‘realism’. “We have a lot of literature that deals with death, suicide, infidelity, paedophilia, depression – literature runs the gamut of emotions,” Mayo says. “The optimistic ending is no more or less realistic than any other kind of ending. They’re all fiction.” She believes this well-defined sense of how the story should end offends certain literary sensibilities. “That’s an ideological standpoint,” Mayo says.

Mayo loves a good happy ending, but the journey of the protagonists is equally important. “The stories are really about power exchanges. The characters are in conflict, intent on self-preservation, and love makes them feel vulnerable. How do they negotiate that, so that there’s a successful relationship at the end? These themes of power and identity are expressed differently than in a literary novel, but they’re still there.”

Genre conventions govern any kind of book, including inner-urban literary fiction and its sense of ennui, but the sheer size and breadth of the readership for romance novels precludes a cookie-cutter approach. “People in happy marriages, single people, divorced people, both men and women – there’s not one kind of readership,” Mayo says. “It would be a mistake to say it provides wish fulfilment for people. You can’t conclude that by looking at the statistics.”

You can read the rest of the article here.

I talk about upcoming romance titles in the magazine’s first issue for 2013.

If you’re a fan of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, Psy-Changeling or True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse series, it’s going to be a great year of reading!

I’m so excited to announce the first edition of the Romance Buzz that I put together all on my own! The Romance Buzz is the romance fiction newsletter put out by Booktopia, Australia’s largest online bookshop. My first featured author is Patricia Briggs–I know! How exciting, right? You can check out the March issue here.

I used to sing Christmas carols with childhood friends around the neighbourhood, so this video made my heart ache a little. If you can’t see it, you can view it on YouTube. (For those who don’t understand Tagalog, the English part of the medley starts at 1:38.)