One of my favorite parts of RWA is meeting the aspiring writers who are there. I love hearing about what workshops they attended, how their conference is going etc. Cuz hey, you never know. That aspiring author you meet could one be the next Romance Genre Rock Star!

I do avoid the controversies, simply because I hate confrontation at the best of time, but also because there is something of a jump on the bandwagon kind of mentality around at times.

I blog and comment on various other blogs, and I do so primarily for my personal enjoyment. Actually it goes further than that - it’s for enjoyment AND to escape other things such as the stresses of a challenging job.

I have become more and more consumed in this rather comforting online world in which people may disagree but generally do so about matters that are of little importance in the grand scheme of things. To that extent, my involvement in the online world reflects the reasons that I read romance novels: for my own entertainment and pleasure.

You’ve mentioned that to you the online community feels like a negotiation between rival gangs. Well, it doesn’t to me. I’m more often struck by how terribly anxious the majority of participants are not to cause offence. Of course, there are always provacteurs but the majority of commenters are really frightfully polite to everyone and if people feel they’ve been interpreted as criticising or getting at someone else, more often than not they’re horrified and profuse apologies ensue. Beyond that there’s a sort of ‘Team Romance’ mindset (lots of encouraging high-fiving going on) which I find simultaneouly rather sweet and a bit irritating. To my mind the online romance community is generally an incredibly supportive and welcoming one.

Perhaps this is what you mean when you say you’d like to see ‘more active disagreement’? I can understand that - it can be a bit too ‘cosy’ at times. But I think the reality is that many people in this community more value being part of a consensus, rather than wanting to contribute controversial views to a ‘marketplace of ideas’.

I’ve noticed that many bloggers will specifically comment that they are steering clear of a particular controversy (usually elsewhere than in the forum where the controversy is being played out). This sort of stated refusal to be part of a particular argument is perhaps a measure of that desire to be part of a consensus.

Black Silk by Judith Ivory/Judy Cuevas
Flowers from the Storm by Laura Kinsale
To Have and To Hold by Patricia Gaffney
Naked in Death by JD Robb
The Windflower by Laura London (Sharon and Tom Curtis)

And, mind you, this was only a few years ago.

Robin, I’ve met with other bloggers before, but it’s never so profoundly hit me that “people” read what I write as it did this past week. I had diverse conversation with a variety of people on several different topics almost entirely based on content we’d read online. While amazing and exhilarating it also boggled my mind.

As for what I’d like to see, well, I realized this past week there is more variety out here than I thought. I found a few places (sites) that I didn’t know about that are going to give me a broader view of the publishing world rather than the more narrow one of only Romance. It’s part of my educational process for understanding how things work and one that I think other readers could benefit from.

I’d have to go with Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon, (if they were into history) if they weren’t then I agree with the JD Robb, books. If it was a guy I’d probably give him one of my Heat books, cus the sex would hook them > LOL . If it was a female, i’d be tempted to give IT HAD TO BE YOU by SEP as well, just cuz it’s one of my own all time favorites.

It’s all about what elements the reader likes. The male friend above might like one of the better plotted/more stalkerrific Linda Howards. Another friend liked Mary Stewart, du Maurier, and Anthony Capella’s The Wedding Officer; I’m not sure what’s next–new Gothic like Sandra Schwab? Or another smart/literate heroine–maybe an erotic historical? Or if she’s had her fill of romance for a while, that’s fine too. I’m not really into “conversion”; I just like sharing good books and finding common ground to talk about them.

Gave her Crusie but she didn’t like it (Bet Me) which surprised me.

Bet Me has a lot of elements at the extreme girly/schmaltzy end of romance (e.g. the snow globes!), but I like that it looks at the dark side of those elements, and Min can be a girly girl and still subvert romance tropes. But I suspect if you’re not a romance reader, with all those elements it’s probably squarely within gooshy chick lit/women’s fiction.

Sometimes after Agnes I suggest Faking It/Welcome to Temptation, which wear their twisted elements front and center. But not everyone wants to immediately read another book from the same author/subgenre–that’s a major commitment for a non-obsessive reader.