Once upon a time, it seemed romance writing had run through every conceivable storyline. And every unconceivable one as well. From jilted brides and amnesiac beauties to unassuming cowboys who are actually handsome billionaires in disguise, it’s awfully hard to surprise people now.
Or so it appeared, until this latest plot twist: When the finalists recently were announced for the Romance Writers of America’s (RWA) annual awards — widely considered to be the “Oscars” of the nearly $1.4 billion-a-year industry — an eye-popping seven of them were authors living in and around metro Atlanta.
Two are each other’s chief cheerleader, coach and around-the-corner neighbor in Marietta. Another, who writes Victorian era romances from 4 a.m. to 6 a.m. daily, then heads off to her full-time job as a tick-borne disease specialist at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is a regular critique partner with two of the other finalists.
All seven women vying for the RITA and Golden Heart awards — which go to published and unpublished authors respectively in some 20 different categories — belong to the same RWA chapter here, the Georgia Romance Writers.
Almost as significant for what it suggests about the wide range of talent here, all seven are finalists in different categories.
“I’m sure there’s some very big Las Vegas odds on any of that happening,” said one of them, Jean Willett of White in Bartow County.
Maybe not. After all, the Romance Seven are uniquely connected by a web of friendship, mutual encouragement, and, when absolutely necessary, tough love.
“It can be painful to hear, ‘Your hero comes off as a jerk,’ but sometimes you need to,” said Tanya Michaels, a RITA finalist and author of more than 30 published novels, who regularly swaps manuscripts with her neighbor Sally Kilpatrick, a Golden Heart nominee. “Sally has no qualms about saying, ‘Here’s what I think.’ And 99 percent of the time she’s dead-on right.”
The end result is a locally based powerhouse within what has become publishing’s most successful genre. So much so that in some cases, editors aren’t even waiting to pounce before the winners are announced in July.
“It feels almost eerie that there’s so much good energy swirling around,” said Peachtree City’s Romily Bernard, who landed a three-book deal with Harper-Collins in the same one-week span as her critique partner and fellow Golden Heart finalist, Jennifer McQuiston of Decatur.
Heavyweight champ
Talk about your unexpected plot twists! Not very long ago, all but ardent fans refused to take romance writing seriously. The books’ heroines invariably were virginal, the “happily ever after” endings absolutely guaranteed. Their settings frequently felt as farfetched as the personas of their superstar authors: Barbara Cartland, for example, always wore pink and wrote 722 novels, including 23 in her 82nd year alone.
But that was yore. Now romance fiction is the undisputed heavyweight champ of the publishing industry, accounting for 13.4 percent — or $1.358 billion — of all trade book sales in 2010. Last year, that figure rose to an estimated $1.368 billion.
The Romance Seven members suspect it has something to do with these tumultuous times.
“In the end, the books are uplifting,” said Lake Oconee resident and RITA finalist Jacquie D’Alessandro. “I don’t apologize for liking a happy ending.”
Neither does McQuiston, the CDC epidemiologist who began sneaking romances out of her mother’s bedroom as a youngster.
“I have such a hard job,” said McQuiston, who’s also a veterinarian and mother of two girls, ages 7 and 9. “When I reach for something to read, I want something escapist.”
“What Happens In Scotland,” McQuiston’s debut novel to be published next spring, centers on a couple of confused strangers who wake up together in the Victorian era version of Las Vegas. It fits seamlessly into the romance category, where the numerous genres and sub-genres range from Amish or erotic to historical or paranormal.
Technically, “50 Shades of Grey” is a romance. So are the “Twilight” books.
E-book’s embrace
Romance fiction is the fastest-growing segment of the e-book market, more so even than mysteries and science fiction, as voracious fans have discovered they can instantly download new titles instead of waiting for that next trip to the bookstore or Amazon package to arrive.
To meet this growing demand, publishers are dipping into their “backlists” to re-release older romance titles in e-book and physical formats. Some established authors are even bypassing the more traditional process to experiment with self-publishing.
“Anyone can publish a book through Kindle now,” said D’Alessandro, whose 33 novels have never gone out of print and who recently joined five other established authors in writing and self-publishing a new e-book anthology of romance stories.
That book — any romance book, in fact — is more likely to end up being read by a Southerner. According to the 2011 Romance Book Consumer Survey, 38 percent of new books were purchased by consumers in the South, far ahead of the runner-up Midwest at 26 percent.
Is romance simply more in our genes in Georgia?
“You have everything here to inspire you,” said Willett. “You have coastal waters, mountaintops, waterfalls and flatlands. What writer here wouldn’t want to walk in Margaret Mitchell’s shoes?”
If only it were that easy. The dirty little secret of romance writing is that it’s very hard work.
“I think we tend to be very serious about the business of writing,” said Nicki Salcedo, 37, a Golden Heart finalist. “What we write about is very emotional and fulfilling, but the other side of our brain has to be very progress-oriented and determined.”
The Decatur resident and Stanford graduate works full time as a strategic account executive for United Health Group and has four children ages 1 to 8. She jokes that she has written “a book a baby.” While none has landed her a publishing deal yet, she’s a two-time winner of the “Maggie,” the Georgia chapter’s prestigious annual writing contest that’s judged by top editors in the field.
Worn out from new motherhood and a term as GRW’s president, Salcedo had no intention last fall of entering a Golden Heart manuscript. Up in White, though, her friend Willett had other ideas.
“Jean said, ‘Come on up to where I live in the mountains and we’ll have a writing retreat,’” Salcedo said. “She said, ‘We’re going to make a pact to enter.’ And then the call comes that you’re both finalists. That’s what happens with romance writing in Georgia.”
Enormous perk
Golden Heart finalists aren’t guaranteed publishing deals. But they do get an enormous perk: First crack at arranging one-on-one meetings with the literary agents and acquiring editors from major publishers who flock to the RWA convention in search of new and newly available talent.
“It’s like the dating game,” Salcedo said about both sides’ search for “the one.”
This year, the wooing began earlier than ever. Bernard’s and McQuiston’s deals were signed several weeks after the finalists were announced and the rest of the Golden Heart-ers have all gotten manuscript requests from agents and editors.
Even D’Alessandro and Michaels, with 60-plus published books between them, are over the moon at being RITA finalists. The award, which is judged by published romance novelists, “comes from your peers,” D’Alessandro said. And the whole industry is aware of its significance.
“At the conference, you have tons of agents and editors who maybe you never worked with before who want to meet you,” said Michaels, who mostly writes for Harlequin and is already reaping the benefits there. “Within about a week and a half of finaling, I signed a new four-book contract. I’m not saying it wouldn’t have happened without the RITA, but it gives you nudges.”
Around the corner from her in Marietta, Sally Kilpatrick doesn’t yet know where her finalist status might lead. Only how she’s gotten this far.
“I’m pleased as punch that I didn’t final last year, because now I’m with folks that I critique with and that makes it blessedly better,” Kilpatrick said. “We can all go and cheer each other on and show what we’ve created together.”
Another happy ending.
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