Rebecca Rogers Maher reading from I'll Become the Sea at Lady Jane's.
What I love about the romance genre is its celebration of emotion and desire. We spend too much of our daily lives concealing, redirecting, or ignoring what we really feel and what we really want. One reason romance novels are so pleasurable is that we get to watch characters – shyly, boldly, or somewhere in between – grab hold of the things they crave: money, power, status, respect, comfort, sex, love. It’s delicious to read about them achieving that bliss! And after attending my third Lady Jane’s Salon, I can tell you it’s even better hearing it read to you.
There’s something very childlike and satisfying about listening to books read aloud, particularly when the books are grown-up versions of the fairy tales we used to read when we were kids. When a good book is read well, there’s just nothing like it.
September’s Salon featured four distinct authors reading their work to a packed house.
To begin, Cat Johnson shared a scene from UnRidden (Studs in Spurs, Book 1), her delightful cowboy ménage. Cat’s obvious joy in her material opened the show with warmth, charm, and plenty of scandalized laughter.
Next, I read two scenes from my debut novel, I’ll Become the Sea, beginning with a flashback to my heroine’s abusive childhood and ending with her emotional first kiss with the hero. As a teacher and a mom, I’ve had lots of practice reading to groups. However, this may be the first time I’ve read the word “nipples” aloud. It was grand.
After a fun intermission, Michele Lang delivered an intense battle scene from Lady Lazarus, an urban fantasy set on the eve of World War II. Michele’s reading introduced the audience to a magical Budapest populated by werewolves, wizards, and demons, and to Magda Lazarus, a witch with the power to summon souls.
Cecilia Tan closed the night in style with a hilariously deadpan reading from her paranormal erotic romance, Mind Games. I loved the fact that she chose her selection THAT NIGHT and still nailed it. I guess that’s how it goes when you’re a really strong writer. Her next Red Silk romance, The Siren and the Sword, comes out on October 1st and is available now for pre-order on Amazon.
See you in October! I’ll be the one leaning against the wall in my (red, of course) pajamas, listening to some more talented writers read me a story.
Many thanks to Hope Tarr for inviting me to read this month, and to Ron Hogan and Leanna Renee Hieber for the warm welcome.
To learn more about my debut novel, I’ll Become the Sea, please visit www.RebeccaRogersMaher.com, or follow me at http://twitter.com/RebeccaRMaher and www.facebook.com/authorrebeccarogersmaher.
