Guest Reader, Rosemary!
by sue on Feb.18, 2010, under Book Chat
Hi my name is Rosemary Potter and I own an independent Romance Bookstore, Rosemary’s Romance Books, in Brisbane, Australia. We stock and sell only new Romance Books and we are really proud of our range and dedication to stocking the best that romantic fiction has to offer. Even so it was still a surprise and honor to win the Steffi Walker Bookseller of the Year award in 2009.
To be honest I can’t remember the exact date that that I first discovered that I loved Romance books, but I do remember the first book that got me hooked! The book was Green Darkness by Anya Seton and it was and still is one of the most romantic and enthralling books that I have ever read. I actually made the mistake of loaning the book to a friend and never got it back. So this led me to track down another copy. The only problem was, I didn’t own a fantastic well stocked bookstore at that time and the replacement copy set me back US$185. Still it was money well spent and it has pride of place on the “touch and you die” shelf of my bookcase. Anyway I never imagined then that it would inspire me to own my very own romance bookstore.
I am a great fan of Audio Books as I have quite a lengthy commute from home to work. I find that the majority of Audio that I listen to is Crime and Suspense and any new releases that release as a hardcover. For some reason there isn’t a lot of paranormal fiction available on audio which is a shame. I am currently listening to No Mercy by Lori Armstrong, I have been torturing one of my staff members with tidbits of the plot which will eventually force her to buy it. Other Audio titles that have featured this month include Fired Up by Jayne Ann Krentz, A Matter of Class by Mary Balogh, Trial by Fire by J.A. Jance and Sizzle by Julie Garwood.
Having the bookstore, my staff and I are lucky to receive Advanced Reading Copies from some of the best in the romantic genre. I am really excited about the March release of Demonfire, a new paranormal series by Kate Douglas, and the April release of His Darkest Hunger by Juliana Stone which is a great paranormal shifter series in the vein of Lora Leigh’s breeds and I haven’t stopped talking about a historical novel called Pieces of Sky by Kaki Warner which was a January release.
This month my must read list include Bitter Night (Bk#1) Diana Pharaoh Francis, Blood Cross (Bk#2) Faith Hunter, Tempest Rising (Bk #1) Nicole Peeler, Blood Kin (Bk #3) Maria Lima, Beyond the Night (Bk #1) Joss Ware, Three Days to Dead (Bk#1) Kelly Meding, Death’s Mistress (Bk #2) Karen Chance, and The Secret of Everything by Barbara O’Neal.
I must add that I absolutely LOVED the Jayne Ann Krentz reissue, Starfire. In fact I loved it so much I jumped online to see if I the next two books were being reissued. To my horror I found that they weren’t currently available so in my desire to continue the series, I once again forked out an exorbitant amount of money for a used copy of Bk#2 Crystal Flame and was happy to track down and audio copy of Bk #3 Shields Lady.
I am going away on holiday in March and the short list of books that will be in my suitcase are, Flirt and Divine Misdemeanors by Laurell K. Hamilton, The Endless Forest by Sara Donati and Fantasy in Death by J.D. Robb. The list is sure to get longer and the suitcase heavier before I leave but we all have our vices and this is mine.
“Never Be Without a Book to Read”
Rosemary
Rosemary’s Romance Books
www.rosemarysromancebooks.com
Question: As an avid fan of romance books do you appreciate the work and information that authors put into their websites, and is it frustrating when they aren’t kept up to date?
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About Sue & Borders True Romance Blog
Sue G - Borders True Romance Host - Borders Romance Buyer, reads romance. For her JOB. No, really. You can email Sue at sgrimshaw at bordersgroupinc dot com.
Borders True Romance Blog is a community, developed for you, the romance reader, to find out more about the books you love; the authors who write them & where to buy them :) Borders.com
Previously published as Wishes No Matter How Fast You Run. . .The newborn baby boy is beautiful, perfect, and hers for the asking. All Kate Summers has to do is agree to one condition--she must disappear from Boston and never breathe a word about the adoption to anyone. Or How Far You Go. . .Fifteen years later, Kate has built a good life for herself and her son, Jon, in Hopewell, Oregon. Still, she is haunted by the fear that he will somehow be taken away. Then Daegan O'Rourke arrives in town and strikes up a friendship with her and Jon. But Daegan has his own past to hide--one with shocking ties to hers. A Killer Will Always Find You. . .Someone is watching Kate, watching her son, and is willing to go to any lengths to claim him. And the one man Kate is tempted to trust has dangerous secrets that could change her world forever. Soon the past Kate thought she could outrun will explode, unearthing a legacy of lies and treachery, and a fury powerful enough to kill. . .
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February 19th, 2010 on 4:39 pm
Super frustrating when websites are out of date
I want ALL THE INFO. NOW! 
I must say I’m super jealous of your bookstore! It must be amazing to work there… *sigh* I tried to get a job (my first) at Crown Books here in California when I was 16. I went back SO many times to check to see if they had ‘read’ my resume. I would have adored to work for a bookstore!
I will have to go check out Anya Seton now.
February 19th, 2010 on 3:29 am
I do appreciate all the information from An author blog/website. But if the website hasn’t changed about a month (my limit) i will quit visiting the site.
as for the contest, i still found some Author blogs that offer contest on their website but never mentioned whether they had the winner or haven’t. since there’s no announcement on their blog ! kindda make me frustrating.
February 19th, 2010 on 1:16 am
Rosemary, so thrilled to see you here. You really do have a dream job. Your store looks wonderful and I’m so pleased you loved my book. His Darkest Hunger is my first so I’m incredibly nervous and excited all at the same time! Hopefully you’ll make it out to Nationals again sometime soon! Any plans?
As for websites, in this day and age I think it’s very important for an author to keep her site updated with all the latest info. Readers are internet savvy and will seek you out! That being said, I must get to mine and get all my updates to the web dude!
February 18th, 2010 on 10:41 pm
Hi Rosemary,
I love being able to read the excerpts, see the covers as they develop, and see what books they enjoy reading. It actually has a pretty big influence on which new authors I pick up to try.
Thanks for a great post. You have what I would consider a dream job for me! But for now, I’m working in stocking up my little library with my favorites
I actually love visiting author blogs, for me, not only is it the best way to relax, it also helps me get through the waiting period between books
February 18th, 2010 on 9:57 pm
I love being able to get info from an authors website. I don’t really mind if they are only a couple weeks or so late on their info, like moving something from coming soon to released. But I hate the ones that haven’t updated for a long time. I’ve encountered a few that are months behind and even a couple that don’t seem to have been updated for a year or more, even though they have had several releases in that time, so I know they are still actively writing.
February 18th, 2010 on 5:08 pm
I got tired of visiting author websites only to find them out of date. So mostly I visit blogs where I have a better chance of finding an author who will likely be more committed to keeping it updated. I really depend on author newsletters to inform me website updates as well.
February 18th, 2010 on 4:05 pm
Rosemary, thank you so much for your kind mention of DemonFire. Should I admit I’m an absolute basket case over the release of this book? None of my Wolf Tales had me this nervous, but I really hope readers will enjoy it. For anyone interested, it’s due to hit the shelves on February 23, and for what it’s worth, I do my very best to keep my website updated. There’s a full first chapter of DemonFire at http://www.katedouglas.com. Just click on the book cover.
Like you, I LOVED JAK’s Starfire! Can’t believe I missed that series, as I have almost all of her books on my keeper SHELVES. (note: Plural!!)
February 18th, 2010 on 3:35 pm
Hi, Rosemary! ::WAVE::
Great to see you here! They’re now selling Tim Tams over here. Thought of you and smiled. Boy, I loved those raspberry ones you gave me.
Cheers!
February 18th, 2010 on 3:34 pm
I quit visiting a site that isn’t kept up to date.
February 18th, 2010 on 2:17 pm
I so like to visit author websites and appreciate all their work to keep them up to date. If the sites aren’t kept up to date, I quit visiting.
February 18th, 2010 on 1:38 pm
I love going the authors web sites and I spend a lot of time doing so. You can tell when a lot of work is put into them.
February 18th, 2010 on 1:23 pm
Blogs, author websites are one of the most fun aspects of reading romance. If a website isn’t updated frequently (every few days at least) I tend not to go back or follow it.
February 18th, 2010 on 12:52 pm
Hi Rosemary,
I love visiting author websites for excerpts and news on releases and WIP. It annoys me when an author doesn’t update their site for a year or more.
February 18th, 2010 on 12:41 pm
I love author websites and definitely wish some of them were more up-to-date. The other thing I want to encourage on author websites is cover images and blurbs for all their books, including the older books (and I don’t care how old they are). I sometimes discover a new author in an anthology or other source and then I want to read everything that author ever wrote, even if it’s 20 years old! It’s really helpful to find information in one spot. Then I can go to the used bookstore or the Internet to satisfy my hunger for that author’s writing.
February 18th, 2010 on 12:00 pm
Rosemary, What a great blog post! You’re so smart, to have started a business around something that you absolutely love. Only a true lover of the genre would fork over $185 for a book! LOL
Thank you for asking this question. It’s very interesting to me to see how many readers value an updated author website. That’s great information to have.
Big congratulations to you on winning the Steffi Walker award. Much deserved, I’m sure!
February 18th, 2010 on 10:53 am
I love the information about the author on their websites. I find myself looking for the date that the website was last updated.
I really appreciate the author making sure that the information is up to date and I especially like to know what they have in the works and when to expect it.
February 18th, 2010 on 10:24 am
I love browsing author websites! I love it when authors add in “extras” from their books or series. There is nothing more frustrating than visiting an author website and seeing that the last update took place 2 years ago.
February 18th, 2010 on 10:08 am
Hello! Congrats on your award…very cool. I love author websites and I don’t mind if they are a bit behind, I’d rather them be writing the next book. However I do agree with Pat if it’s several months or years behind I will stop visiting. I do love author run websites like sqwak radio and goddess blogs they are more interactive.
February 18th, 2010 on 9:11 am
I like author websites but must confess that I don’t visit them regularly. Usually I look at them if I want to know about a specific book.
I see The Secret of Everything (Barbara O’Neal) is on your must read list. I loved it!
February 18th, 2010 on 8:36 am
I detest websites that are really out of date. I want to know when the next book come out and maybe a short excerpt if possible.
I’m with Pat on the contests where you never see the winners name. Plus when you don’t receive your prize and the writer never answers your emails asking when the prize was mailed.
February 18th, 2010 on 8:31 am
I do enjoy author’s websites. It really makes me feel like I know them. I like to see what projects they are working on and what is going on in their personal life.
Hope you have a great holiday!
February 18th, 2010 on 8:31 am
Hi Rosemary! Thanks for blogging! It was so gret to meet you at RWA & congrats again on your Bookseller of the Yr award
As a reader & buyer for Borders, it drives me bonkers when websites are not kept up to date — I’d rather they be way in advance of their releases than behind or updating on the very day of their release. We readers pre-plan our purchases so we want to know how to budget in the months to come
February 18th, 2010 on 8:18 am
I do love the websites and hate it when they aren’t keep up to date.
February 18th, 2010 on 7:35 am
Congrats on your award. You must be so thrilled working in a field that you adore.
And Yes, I do appreciate the efforts put into authors’ websites and blogs. And Yes I HATE it when a site is NOT kept up to date. I realize life happens but if a blog is mos and mos and in some cases years old, get it off the net - I find it very annoying.
And some authors offer contests on their sites and never post the winner. Is there a reason for that? I think I can speak for all readers/entrants, we like to see a name posted; it doesnt have to be a full name, just Mary A. from Arizona would suffice - not just “winner has been notified”.
February 18th, 2010 on 3:16 am
Hi Rosemary. I’m totally with you on Kaki Warner’s Pieces of Sky. I can’t stop telling people about it, and I can’t believe it’s her first novel!
I do like it when authors have interesting websites, but for me the most important thing is having an RSS feed. Even for the authors I love, I never visit their site more than once. I just don’t have time. But if they have an RSS feed, then I subscribe and keep up to date through Google Reader.
Have a great day, Rosemary. Hope it’s nice and warm in Brisbane; London’s bloody cold!