Nothing good lately

I'm sorry, if you're looking for a great book to read, you won't find it in this post! I finished two books this week, Penelope, which you may remember from a recent post, and True Spies by Shana Galen. 

I don't really feel like beating each book to its core (though I should)... so let me just say that I'm amazed at what people think is "good" writing. 

According to Amazon, Penelope by Anya Wilde got 4.1 out of 5 stars (251 reviewers) and True Spies by Shana Galen got 4.8 out of 5 stars (38 reviewers). What is wrong with the world?!

Penelope was weird (but I was kind of expecting that), but I didn't like two things specifically out of a mountain of issues I had in general. 
1. I didn't like the 3-page "conversation" she was having with her mother's portrait in the book, thereby telling us all of the important back story of her life that could have been divulged through a much more creative or meaningful method. 
2. There was a 3-page "song" that was performed by the ladies of the house, the staff, etc, with the chorus of "she can stay," ....kind of like how The Little Mermaid had that dance number trying to convince Ariel that life is better under the sea. I'm not sure if you've experienced this, but a note to the writers who are thinking about doing it: don't. If the person doesn't know the tune of the "song" you're trying to insert, it doesn't work... especially not when you're breaking up the action of the story for 3 pages to do something stupid.

True Spies I was really expecting to like, so I'm sorry to say that I didn't. In a sentence, I can tell you what the biggest problem was: I just didn't believe it. I like Elinor, I liked Winn, (and I LOVE Blue), but I felt that the same problem kept being pushed to the forefront and the characters never made progress on it until the last chapter. There just wasn't enough growth and development of the characters or enough emotion-invoking scenes between them. Shana Galen is so much better than this book, and it's a shame that people can't tell the difference. Her trilogy of The Making of a Duchess, The Making of a Gentleman, and The Rogue Pirate's Bride was fantastic, and this book just did not measure up.

In general, I can really focus the problem for you: publishers want books out quicker than ever, so writers have to write quicker than ever to make the deadlines that are set. And it's all because of our generation of GIMMETHATNOW instant gratification, and our books--and therefore our minds--are suffering because of it. As someone who works in the publishing industry, I can tell you without a doubt that this is the case, and--honestly--it's a shame. Writers have to work harder than ever to write quickly and write well. However, there has never been more resources available to writers than there are today; software is being developed at an incredible rate, new blogs spring up everyday, conferences (like the New Jersey Romance Writers "Put Your Heart in a Book" conference this weekend) happen just about every month, and our incredible ability to travel by plane to places older writers could have only imagined bring us anywhere. As many challenges as there are, there are an equal number of advantages.... of course, if you can afford them. However, the writer's life is not a lucrative one, so maybe many are not able to take advantage to the fullest extent that they are able. However, Jane Austen wrote under much worse circumstances than you (most likely) have. Right?
 

Poor Penelope

You know what? I feel bad for Penelope. Not just one of them, all of them. For real, being a Penelope in a romance novel just stinks. Why is that?

Julia Quinn, whom I love more than I can say, follows the Bridgertons (8 siblings and they each have a love story). They are friends with the Featheringtons. I've read the first 3 (and the last one, whoops!) and I've got to say, poor Penelope just GETS IT every time in every book... so far. It's so sad, I just can't handle it.

Poor Penelope's mother dresses her in THE WORST outfits and the poor girl can't catch a break. She's smart, she's pretty, but her mother is obnoxious and no one wants to marry her because--in Book 1, she was 2 stone (28 lbs) heavier than she is in book 2,and--turns out-- she's hopelessly in love with someone who does not love her back. Poor girl!

In Sarah MacLean's A Rogue by Any Other Name (which-- for all of you who care about accolades and whatnot--won a RITA AWARD from the Romance Writers of America [HUGE DEAL!]) Penelope was dumped by her fiancé and, after a few years of being "on the shelf," her father nearly tripled her dowry and she was kidnapped for her land by someone she had once considered a friend. He treats her like crap for the first half of the book, but by the end she grows a spine and kicks some butt. But seriously-- the poor girl! The guy she has always been in love with "ruins" her so that he can get her property, not because of any true affection. He doesn't tell her he loves her until the last few pages of the book. Poor Penelope!

However, there seems to be some hope for Penelopes everywhere. Penelope by Anya Wylde looks amazing. It's a "madcap regency romance" that is basically a hell-for-leather romp (aka: purists, keep your panties on). It's supposed to be a lot of fun and funny as anything. I just bought it for $0.99 on Amazon and I can't wait to read it. It got amazing reviews and it's a high-five for all of you Penelopes out there who are feeling a little beaten down by your lot in life. (Honestly, Christina Ricci in the movie Penelope-- the girl with the pig nose-- another example! Poor thing.)

I hope this one changes everyone's outlook on how awesome and cool a Penelope can be. Go get 'em girl!

http://www.amazon.com/Penelope-Regency-Romance-Fairweather-ebook/dp/B00B1XVBI0