(Re-Read Used Books owners, Trisha and Ray Tropiano, along with Johnny Monk, owner of Main Street Café, pose on the left with the authors at the September 22nd afternoon Romance Authors Event. Photos: Stittsville Central)
On September 22nd, Re-Read Used Books hosted an afternoon for local romance authors at the Main Street Café and organized by Monja De Luca. The afternoon featured authors: Kate Cole, Maggie North, Emily Murray, Renée Gendron, Mona Storm, Syren Nightshade, Caroline Robbins, Jennifer Carole-Lewis, with their special guest Joey Berry. The group of local authors belong to the association Ottawa Romance Writers that was established in 1985 by founding member, Jo Beverley. They offer workshops, networking opportunities and an invaluable experience with their fellow authors.
When you think of the romance novel, you may associate your thoughts with Fabio’s bared chest. Romance novels today reflect a broader range of experiences and don’t always fit the stereotypical girl-meets-boy mold as we discovered when speaking with these local authors. Even as the genre has evolved to reflect readers’ varied tastes and fetishes – popular subcategories include vampire and werewolf romance, fantasy romance, military romance, cowboy romance, time travel romance, pirate and Viking romance – the lead characters are often confined to a fairly narrow set of ethnic, cultural and aesthetic types.
The romance event was well attended and the authors were kept busy speaking with visitors and, of course, selling their books at the event. Re-Read plans to organize more interesting afternoons such as this to profile local authors and to share the various genres of writing with the community.
And remember, Romance is written to be enjoyed by everyone.
Visit the Re-Read Used Books website or follow them on Facebook to keep up-to-date on all the activities they are planning, available books and more.
