We’re having another book blogger/tweeter/lurker meet-up!

Designed by Clarisse Djaja

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BOOKMARKED is the name we gave to our paper.li journal, but since not everyone is on Twitter and not everyone on Twitter likes paper.li, this is an adhoc round-up on the blog highlighting links and news that might be of interest.

Heart to Heart podcast

In case you missed it, Destiny Romance has launched its new podcast series called Heart to Heart, and I’m sitting in the host’s chair. I’m so excited! I posted about the first episode here, or you can go directly to the Destiny blog for more info. The first episode features Sarah Wendell and a book reading that will have you picking up Georgina Penney’s new book. My favourite bit, though, is the book-wine pairing, courtesy of Destiny editor Carol George!

ARRC2015 accommodation

ARRA has released the link to book accommodation for the Australian Romance Readers Convention at discounted rates. $160 per night is pretty reasonable for Canberra, so if you’re planning to attend ARRC, it’s worth booking early. Voting for the awards ends today, so if you’re an ARRA member and you haven’t voted yet, check your email for the link and vote asap!

Galaxy paranormal romance bookclub

Galaxy Bookshop’s monthly paranormal romance bookclub is on tomorrow from 6.30pm. This month’s theme is around genre—what we love/hate about it, and where we draw romance genre lines. If you can’t make it in person, you can join the discussion thread on their Facebook page.

Anna Cowan reading at The Wheeler Centre

Melbourne author Anna Cowan will be presenting at The Wheeler Centre’s The Next Big Thing, a showcase of exciting new Australian writing talent. The event is free and starts at 6.15pm at The Moat Cafe, 176 Little Lonsdale St, Melbourne. Click on the link for contact details and bookings.

Sarah Wendell, Maisey Yates, Cherry Adair and Marie Force in Sydney

The sessions for the Romance Writers of Australia conference in Sydney in August has been released, and based on the panelist list, it looks like we’ll be seeing Smart Bitch Sarah Wendell, Harlequin author Maisey Yates (she of the ‘Congratulations on your penis!’ badges), romantic suspense author Cherry Adair and self-publishing sensation Marie Force in Sydney later this year. If you’re not an author, keep an eye out of the Australian Romance Readers Association’s author signing, which usually takes place on the Saturday afternoon of the conference, for a chance to see your favourite authors.

#AWW2014 roundup

Marg from The Intrepid Reader has posted her February round-up of romance reviews for the Australian Women Writers Challenge blog.

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Guys, I’ve been keeping a huge secret these past couple of months, and now I can finally tell you all about it. Destiny Romance has invited me to host a monthly podcast called Heart to Heart.

And today you can download the first episode! You can find the download link at the Destiny blog. (Note: You don’t need to download iTunes to listen to the podcast. You can play it from your browser.)

Insert all the exclamation marks here!!!

Our first episode features an interview with Sarah Wendell from Smart Bitches, Trashy Books. Sadly, I don’t get to talk to her in this episode—this is a chat she did with Destiny editor Carol George last year when Sarah was in Australia speaking at various conferences and literary festivals. (If you’re into podcasts, I’m sure you already know about it, but just in case, make sure you also check out the DBSA podcast with Sarah and Jane Litte from Dear Author.)

In what we’re hoping will be a regular feature, the podcast also includes a reading from a new release. This first reading, from Irrepressible You by Georgina Penney, is super special because…well, you’ll have to listen to find out. Let me just say that there was a lot of girlish giggling while we were taping that segment!

Also, the music that the folks over at Penguin chose for the podcast makes me happy every time I hear it.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy it. You can find more information on the books and events I talk about in the podcast on the Destiny blog. And if there’s anything in particular you loved (or not), let us know!

Blogging muster will be a regular monthly post linking to reviews, articles and other interesting things that the Book Thingo bloggers have been up to—basically, one long in-case-you-missed-it link roundup!

Book reviews

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn (Wandergurl) – If you’re new to Julia Quinn’s work, start with the Bridgerton series instead.

In The Flesh by Sylvia Day (Gabby) – A hero that will piss you the eff off and a heroine that we had such high hopes for…

Romancing the Duke by Tessa Dare (Wandergurl) – A funny, humorous read. Just when you think the heroine will follow a romance trope, she turns it on its head.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Wandergurl) – A fresh, original take on the clever thief (and his merry men) of sci-fi/fantasy.

Legend of the Highland Dragon by Isabel Cooper (Wandergurl) – Inventive and fun, with well-written, wisecracking and well-grounded characters

The Velvet Room by Zilpha Keatley Snyder (Wandergurl) – A childhood favourite that stands the test of time.

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Harlequin author Victoria Purman alerted me to a last-minute change in the Adelaide Writer’ Week program. On Saturday, March 1, Phillipa Fioretti will be chatting with Victoria and Fiona McIntosh in an ‘All Talking Romance Genre’ panel. It looks like this panel will be replacing the Kimberley Freeman session. The panel will be on at 10.45 am on the West Stage at the Pioneer Women’s Memorial Garden.

BOOKMARKED is the name we gave to our paper.li journal, but since not everyone is on Twitter and not everyone on Twitter likes paper.li, this is an adhoc round-up on the blog highlighting links and news that might be of interest.

Book Thingo on Audioboo.fm

After flirting with Bubbly, I’m coming to realise that limiting my audio posts to 90 seconds is, well, a little challenging. So we now also have an Audioboo account, which allows 3 minutes of audio. I’m hoping to do a series of audio posts at the ARRA awards, and I have a feeling that this longer time limit is going to be much easier to manage! At the moment, I’m cross-posting to both—recently, I’ve talked about Aboriginal characters in romance (Bubbly | Audioboo) and shipping LoVe in Veronica Mars (Bubbly | Audioboo).

In the meantime, I’d love your feedback. As a listener, which service is easier and more intuitive to use?

AAR annual reader poll results

All About Romance has published the results of their annual poll of the best romances published in 2013. I think this poll is the first reader-led poll for romance (that I can remember, at least—someone please correct me if I’m wrong!). Among the Aussie authors in the list are:

• Sarah Mayberry for The Other Side of Us
• Graeme Simsion for The Rosie Project (Kat’s review)
• Nalini Singh for Heart of Obsidian (Kat’s review) and for her Guild-Hunter characters Elena and Raphael (look, we consider her an honorary Aussie, right?)

Hanging out with your favourite Escape artists

I had an opportunity to hang out with the ever lovely Kate Cuthbert, Kaetrin from Kaetrin’s Musings, Shelleyrae from Book’d Out,  Meredith Jaffe from The Hoopla, and four ARRA-nominated authors, Sandra Antonelli, Alissa Callen, Juliet Madison, and Kendall Talbot.  Check out the video below (or click here):

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A childhood favourite that stands the test of time.

The Velvet Room is about twelve year old Robin, the middle girl in a family of five, who is living through the Great Depression. On their way to find their father a job fruit picking, the family’s car tire goes flat and they find themselves in the middle of California, back when it was all glossy and gleaming, filled with ranches and horses, and showing its Mexican heritage. Her father is offered a job at a nearby ranch and she and her family settle in.

Robin is a dreamy, imaginative child given to wandering, and in one of her wanderings she discovers the Palmeras House, a  beautiful and mysterious abandoned old building. With some help, Robin finds her way inside and begins to explore, finding the Velvet Room of the story.

Sometimes it’s good to revisit your childhood.

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I knew there was a reason I felt drawn to the Australian cover of The Lady Risks All by Stephanie Laurens—it reminded me of Anna Cowan’s Untamed! (And probably also why I keep thinking Laurens is published by Penguin!) I was staring at these covers for the probably ten minutes, and I couldn’t decide if the cover models just look very similar, or if some photoshopping magic has been applied to one (or both). Then I realised they’re wearing the same jacket and jewellery.

I actually like both of these covers, and I think the slight changes in the head tilt as well as the distance from the model have a huge impact on what I feel the cover is trying to tell me about the heroine. I also note that in Laurens’ book, her name takes up half the over; in Cowan’s, the title is larger.

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Inventive and fun, with well-written, wisecracking and well-grounded characters.

Mina Seymour works as a secretary for an esteemed, reclusive archeologist. One day, the gruff, blustery Highland Lord Stephen MacAlisdair bursts in to speak to her boss, leaving her suspicious about his intentions and manner. She decides to learn about him and finds out more than she bargains for when he turns into a dragon in front of her. Before she can say, ‘Oops!’ she finds herself drawn into her secret and into helping him (and her boss) track down an old enemy.

I’ve had enough of books with headstrong, take it into their own hands heroines who blunder and have to be rescued from themselves. Mina could take care of herself, thank you very much. I liked her a lot, for having a good head on her shoulders and for having what I felt were realistic and practical reactions to things that happened to her.

For example, she didn’t impulsively run into danger to find out what was going on. She never went without someone who could handle a situation if it went south. She knew when to run away and when to hide. She played to her own strengths and she and Stephen complimented each other well.

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The King is coming…

…and we know it because J. R. Ward has begun posting excerpts on her Facebook page: ‘You are everything to me.’

The second excerpt is a conversation between Wrath and Rhage: ‘Her eyes are right on you, and that smile of hers? Million bucks, my friend. Million f**king bucks.’

And then there’s a link to Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey dancing to Time of My Life. Um. Okay?

Anyway, if you’re thinking of getting a signed copy, it looks like the virtual signing site is still taking pre-orders. Not long to go now before Twitter explodes with the sound of a bajillion readers getting their BDB fix!

You can preorder the US hardcover of The King from the links below. It comes out March 25, 2014.

Click here for more BDB cheat sheets and spoilers.