Despite her brand-new Annie Lennox look of a super cool, cropped, white-colored pixie cut, I had no problem recognizing former (fellow) soccer sideline mom and Petaluma's premier Paranormal and Romance novelist Carolyn Jewel as we careened our carts with their respective post-weekend haul around Raley's on an oddly stormy afternoon.
After hearing news that the prolific, much-published writer has been nominated for two major literary awards within her specialized genre, I took a quick look at Jewel's website and writer's blog while unpacking the PG Tips (England's #1 tea bag for those not in the know).
Romance novels, as in Jewel's own words: "are the Rodney Dangerfield of books"
"Some people won't admit to reading them," writes Jewel, "others confess their sin with self-conscious guilt. Others equate the Romance novel with the end of civilization. I've often wondered why. Is it the lurid covers? Is it the formula plot? Do Romance novels lack all literary merit?"
Should Jewel win the various awards she has been nominated for this summer, her steamy, historic novels will receive prominent front-of-store placement in a well-known chain of national bookstore.
Is it time to take a little more notice of the literary merits of the old fashioned, cloak-and-dagger love story?
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