A panel discussion

Anne here. I recently drove up to Ballarat, a large former gold-mining city in regional Victoria, to take part in a library event — a panel discussing "The Anatomy of Romance" — my first live event in several years, thanks to CoVid.

It was chaired by historical novelist Darry Fraser, and the other speakers were Tobias Madden and me. (Toni Jordan was to have attended but she was ill and had to cancel.) 

It was a very chilly day — icy and wet — and I feared that nobody would want to venture out to hear a library discussion. But as the organizing librarian said, "Ballarat people are used to this kind of weather," and so it proved when more than fifty people showed up. At any rate I was very glad that at the last minute packing I'd tossed in my Irish ruana (the "sea-violet" wrap I was wearing.) It's soft and light and beautifully warm.

(I bought mine from this site last year and raved about it to the Wenches, and both Mary Jo and Christina ended up buying one — and both were very happy with theirs, too. And no, I'm not connected with the site at all) 

Ballarat is a town that began in the 1850's gold rush that took place in Australia, and it's still showing signs of the amazing prosperity of that time in the form of wonderful buildings and intricate iron lace decorations. There are numerous statues of Queen Victoria and a large botanical garden well worth visiting, as well as several art galleries and museums.

There's also a "living museum" in the form of Sovereign Hill township — a recreated gold mining village that is a must-see if you venture up that way. I've been half a dozen times and there's still stuff to see. I didn't do any sight seeing this time, though, because I'm a cold-weather wimp and as I said, it was freezing and wet.

So, to the panel. The moderator, Darry Fraser writes Australian historicals with just a thread of romance, Tobias Madden, who'd grown up in Ballarat, was talking about his debut book, a gay YA (Young Adult) relationship story that's up for an award, and as you know, I write regency-era historical romance. 

I won't include all the questions the moderator asked us, just some that I thought might be of interest. (Feel free to weigh in with your opinion on any of them in the comments stream.)

Who is reading romance in 2022? Has the readership changed? Did the pandemic cause an increase of readers coming to the genre? 

My impression was that it probably had, particularly an increase of people getting e-books and audio books, and that print books probably hadn't done so well. But I had no evidence for my opinions. What do you think?

The “Bridgerton effect”- What effect has the success of the Julia Quinn series Shondaland Netflix adaptation had on the writers and readers of romance? 

We all thought that the series had boosted the popularity of genre romance, and introduced it to an audience who in the past might have disdained romance novels without ever actually having read one.

We also discussed the way filmed versions of novels almost invariably are different (and usually inferior) to the written version, primarily because film can only show the story through actions and dialogue, whereas with novels you can really get inside a character's head.

Diversity in romance Casting in screen adaptations, diversity in the voices of romance writers and their characters. The increase of LGBTIQA+ voices in the genre — the rise of queer YA romance, queer historical romance emerging.

 Our discussion of filmed versions vs written merged into this question, as the original Julia Quinn books (now 20 years old) was not particularly diverse, but that the Shondaland casting was not only diverse, but also created a fantasy version of the Regency-era setting.

I wasn't able to add much to this discussion, as though I've had a few diverse characters (eg Egyptian and Spanish heroines) they mostly aren't. I've also had several gay characters (for instance Featherby and William), but they were minor characters, and since at the time it was a crime for men to be gay, it was all implicit. 

My books are about the aristocracy of the English Regency era and they prided themselves on their exclusivity — and worked hard to exclude all kinds of people, not only because of race but also because of class, illegitimacy, "foreign-ness' and many other "reasons" that we don't find acceptable these days.

Tobias Madden, being a gay writer writing about a young gay character, told us about the many moving moments he'd experienced as young people (and older ones) came up to him at events and thanked him for "telling their story" and for making them feel "seen". It was lovely.

Writing beyond the trope- what is the role of the trope in romance fiction and is it still as important as it once was? Do readers select their books based on the trope? For writers what come first- the trope or the story/characters?

Both Tobias and I said that the characters come first, though sometimes they come to us with a trope-ish set up.

I admitted that I often bought books based on tropes, and that certain tropes invariably appealed to me — eg. Convenient marriages, mail order brides, but it was more the writer who made me buy a book.

 Tobias said that in YA tropes were very important and young readers loved them. He talked about how he loved the "friends to lovers" trope, as that was his own experience, and he loathed the "enemies to lovers" one because he didn't really believe it — though he did enjoy "rivals to lovers." Darry said she didn't use tropes at all.

We had a lot of interesting questions from the audience, too. This is the audience ten minutes before we started. A hardy lot are Ballarat people.

And the library provided us (and the audience) with tea, coffee and the most delicious — and beautiful — cupcakes I'd ever eaten. Thank you Ballarat Library.

 

What about you — do you have any views you'd like to share in response to these questions? Do you think your reading has changed because of the pandemic? Or do you have any favorite or most disliked tropes?

 

Comments

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne, it sounds like a wonderful panel and I wish I'd been there. I would have worn my gold Irish ruana which I bought after you shared the link to the other Wenches. Even better, that ruana image inspired the cover of my most recent book, ONCE A LAIRD because I sent the link to the Kensington art department when they asked for ideas for the cover. *G*

I've very glad that the genre is now more open to diversity. I've slipped it in sideways sometimes, but open is better.

The cupcakes look FABULOUS!

[Mary T]

My reading habits have not changed because of the pandemic. But the pandemic has made me even more grateful for those reading habits.

I cannot really comment on the Bridgerton series because although I did read all of the books I have not seen the TV production because I don't have the streaming service it was on. My sister saw it and loved it even though she doesn't read historical romance. So we may have gained a new reader there.

I wish there was more historical romance films even though they often seem lacking compared to the books. I think there is a large audience who would gladly give up an "action hero" movie for something like Bridgerton or The Guided Age. I cannot be the only one.

[Kareni]

I'm glad that your discussion had a good turn out, Anne. I'd have happily attended were I in the vicinity. (And, yes, those cupcakes look delicious!)

I don't think my reading habits have changed DUE to the pandemic, but I think they do change from time to time.

I can't think of a disliked trope, but my interest is generally piqued if time travel or alternate timelines play a role in a book. When the main characters in a book face physical or learning challenges that can also draw my attention.

[Mary M.]

Love the ruana, but it wouldn't do me much good here in Phoenix, where the little weather thingy in my taskbar tells me it's VERY HOT OUTSIDE (~112°F this week).

I'm not fussy about tropes. Two things always get my reading enthusiasm: humor, and learning something. Quirky is good, sometimes enough to carry the whole book. The learning part can be of any sort, from manners to science to true history. The Regency setting offers myriad opportunities for both, though I also enjoy a good story up to and including a current rom com.

Old joke: A professor of writing told his lazy student that every successful novel included a little religion, a little royalty, a little sex, and a little mystery, and that the student had to submit a work with those criteria to pass the course. Being clever as well as lazy, the student turned in the following work.

"My god," said the Queen. "I'm pregnant. Whodunnit?" (I know. I'm groaning, too.)

[Teresa Broderick]

I don't really go for tropes but I love time travel and timeslip. I also enjoy second chance romances (Persuasion springs to mind).
Covers are what catch my eye. When I first go into a bookshop I scan the shelves and see what jumps out. Then I'll go back and go through them all.
I must admit though I do most of my reading these days on my Kindle. The books I read are more readily available to me this way.
Some great questions there!

[Constance]

My mother's favorite saying, in reference to herself, was, "If I were humble, I'd be perfect." Perhaps that's why I like romances in which H and/or H come to know themselves better, often learning that they were wrong about the other, or about life in general. I also am drawn to stories with humor and, I must admit, dark-haired, light-eyed heroes. Not a trope, but true. Thanks, Anne, for the information about Ballarat - until your post, everything I knew about Ballarat came from The Dr. Blake Mysteries on tv!

[Annette N]

Oh MY, thank you so much for this post. It has so many wonderful ideas. Ballarat sounds like a wonderful place. I like the idea of all the decorative metal work.

Tropes don't do it for me. Characters do. I have certain authors who create people I love. That is generally what draws me into a book.

I don't think my reading habits changed because of the pandemic. But if I am honest, my head is in a different less light hearted place. Which means I need my character driven, humorous and lovely romance books even more.

Hope everyone is well.

[Jeanne Behnke]

Well, Anne, I must say even though the blog was interesting & thought provoking, I find myself obsessing about the gorgeous ruana & delectable cupcakes! Definitely going back to the website for the Irish Weavers. I read Julia Quinn's books and watched the adaptation of Bridgerton. I like both and I love the perhaps unrealistic diversity of the show. It always serves to draw in more & diverse people a la Hamilton. I don't mind tropes. If the writing is good, I don't even really notice.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Mary Jo -- that would have been wonderful. And we could have had an Irish Ruana display.
Yes, it's lovely that the genre is more diverse these days.
And the cupcakes were wonderful. I only ate one, but though it was iced in white, the cake was deep chocolate, moist, light and delicious.

[Anne Gracie]

Mary, I'm also not sure whether or not the pandemic has changed my reading habits, but I suspect it has put me off grim reads. I never was one for the dark and gritty, but these days I want more lighthearted and uplifting stories. And I'm doing quite a bit or rereading of old favorites.

I heartily agree with you about wanting more historical romance films. I'm hopeful that the success of Bridgerton might pave the way for more TV/film adaptations.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Kareni. I was delighted at the turnout, and it included a former high school student of mine and her husband, and also a former writing workshop client, and a former romance conference organizer, so it was lovely to see them and catch up (albeit briefly). And the cupcakes were yummy.

I'm fond of time-travel/alternate timelines, too. Cross-stitch(aka Outlander) is a favourite, and you have read Susanna Kearsley's books haven't you? She does that a lot — and wonderfully well.

[Anne Gracie]

Mary, yes, I've seen on the news that there is a dreadful heatwave in the US, and the UK is expecting one too, according to Nicola. Hugs. Or maybe a fan instead of a hug.

I love humor in a book, too, but it's a bit hit and miss for me — some styles of humor that other people call "hilarious" often don't work for me: I'm a picky reader. But then, my humor doesn't work for everyone either. So . . .

My theory as to why Regencies, more than any other historical period, are generally are associated with humor is because of Jane Austen and later Georgette Heyer. And thank goodness for it.

I've heard that joke about the ingredients of a successful novel -- it still makes me smile/groan.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Teresa. I do most of my reading on an e-reader, too. So convenient. Though not for non-fiction books, I find. I prefer the hard copy for those.

I also enjoy second chance romances. I've been rereading Trish Ashley books recently — rereading whilst moving house is a soothing tactic — and a lot of hers are second change at love books. My book, The Scoundrel's Daughter is, too. I once read that a lot of women still fantasize about their first love. Not sure how true that is, but it's a fun fantasy.

Covers are important, and it's no accident that the worst selling of my books — To Catch A Bride — is also the one with the worst cover. And yet it was featured on several "best of" lists and recently pooped up on the New York Library's list of 50 all-time favorite romance books. But the cover is so boring it doesn't appeal at all. So frustrating.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Constance. I also like romances in which the characters learn and grow — I think it's an important ingredient in most novels. Films, too — I remember being so annoyed at a movie I once watched where everything was great — but by the end, the main character had learned nothing, and despite all that happened, she went back to her usual routines and life. I fantasized about rewriting the ending. I firmly believe if it had a better ending, where everything that happened had a real impact on the character, that movie could have been mush more popular and become the kind of favorite movie that is often rerun on TV. As it was, it sank from sight.

The Dr. Blake Mysteries is a good series, but it always frustrated me that it was filmed in a kind of sepia — I suppose because it was set in the 1940's. But Ballarat is such a beautiful city, and as well as the gorgeous buildings, there are trees and gardens everywhere, but instead it looked dull and brownish. Compare it with Midsomer Murders, where all those English villages look so picture postcard gorgeous and it's always sunny.

There was a really good series called RUSH many years ago, set in the Gold Rush days, but I think it was filmed in some format that meant it soon went out of date. A lesson!

[Anne Gracie]

Annette, the gold rush in Australia coincided with the Victorian craze for metal work balconies, fences and verandas, and I read somewhere that Melbourne (my city and the capital city of the state that contains Ballarat and Bendigo — the main gold-rush cities) has more decorative iron lace that anywhere in the world. I love it too.

Characters are the most important to me. In fact in the panel discussion, I admitted that for my first few books I was unaware of what a trope was, but ended up having lots of tropes stuffed into one book. But now, as a writer, I think it helped to have an idea of the main trope — not writing to it, as such, but knowing what expectations you might be setting up (consciously or otherwise) in a readers' mind.

And yes, a "character driven, humorous and lovely romance " is what I'm trying to write at the moment. Early in my career I was advised my an editor to "go darker" and I think that was a mistake.

[Anne Gracie]

Jeanne, my Irish Ruana is gorgeous — in fact I've been having trouble resisting that gorgeous Kelly green one that's on special on that site. But how many ruanas does a woman need, especially when she lives in a Mediterranean-type climate where it hardly even snows in winter?

I haven't seen Hamilton, but several friends of mine adore it. And the Quinn books and Bridgerton are two very different takes on the same story, and how fun is that? Bridgerton has certainly given things a strong and inspired push in the diversity direction, and that's a good thing IMO.

[Karin]

I do buy books based on trope, and also on favorite authors. I will try a book by a new author if I love the trope, but I have also been known to skip a book by an author I like if I hate the trope(such as a guardian/ward relationship which I detest).
Most of the Victorian architecture I see on the East Coast of the U.S. is wood, with very little metalwork. The hallmark of a Victorian home here is carved wood decorative elements, known as gingerbread. I wonder if it's because we have a lot more trees than Australia!