What happens when an out-of-shape author enters himself in a male modeling contest to be on the cover of a romance novel?
As the proud owner of a Y chromosome, I expected to be in the minority amongst the mostly female crowd of 1,200 at the 2010 Romantic Times Booklover's Convention in Columbus, Ohio April 28-May 2. I was attending the convention as an aspiring romance writer; HarperCollins will release my non-fiction debut, the romantically themed Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love, next year.
When convention organizers needed extra studs for the "Mr. Romance" male modeling competition, I came (somewhat unwillingly) to the rescue. The contest, put on every year by RT Book Reviews magazine and Dorchester Publishing and featuring a bevy of professional and amateur male models, is a fan favorite at the annual romance novel convention. It's a small dream of mine to see my name on the cover of a romance novel -- I never expected that my face could end up there as well!
When I agreed to enter the competition, I had no idea that, after four days of photo shoots, rehearsals, and meet-and-greets, I would literally be ripping my shirt off onstage in front of hundreds of fans and fellow authors! Did I win? Check out the slideshow to see...
Pauline Millard: The New Cliches in Chick Lit
As a second wave of chick lit is published, the old clichés have been replaced with a few new ones. But at least the pastel covers are gone.
Sarah Wendell: Pride and Prejudice and Pedantry
Romance is not ruffly pornography dressed in appealing fashion and dropped into well-worn time periods so that the plebeian readership can get its collective thrills at concupiscent descriptions.
Alan Elsner: How Romance Novels Take the Romance out of Romance
I don't do explicit sex in my books because I'm more interested in love -- and love takes place in the mind where it has to fight for its existence against all the other challenges presented by life.
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Hurray!
Always wondered at the "hide behind the skirts" mentality some men have when you ask them what they read. The usual is mystery, sci-fi and fantasy. Only had ONE guy ever tell me he liked romance/erotica.
Good luck Andrew, I'm a writer also so maybe we will brush elbows at a signing some day.
I will look out for your book and name in Jamaica.