Part #3 of our chat with @hnwaters LUV: You clearly have a love for romance. Can you share how you came to the romance genre and why. Who are some authors who influenced your early reading and who are you wild about today? What movies or tv shows do you recommend? Heather: I started reading romance novels at the tender age of 11, when my mom fatefully (and randomly) handed me a copy of Mary Jo Putney’s One Perfect Rose at a hotel gift shop because I’d finished my Nancy Drew (or Sweet Valley High?) book faster than expected. Suddenly I was inhaling everything I could get my hands on, including novels by Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, Julie Garwood, Jane Feather, and Nora Roberts. Seeing the genre evolve over the years has been a privilege, and nowadays my TBR pile is always an embarrassment of riches. Jenny Han is a great favorite of mine, and I’m awe-struck by how she’s adapted her The Summer I Turned Pretty YA romance trilogy* into an addictive TV series that stays true to the spirit of the books while still surprising me on a weekly basis. Ashley Poston, Talia Hibbert, Rachel Lynn Solomon, Katherine Center, Alexis Hall, Ali Hazelwood, Kennedy Ryan, Claire Kent, and Ashley Herring Blake are just a few other authors whose work I’ve read and admired this year. Then there's me on pins and needles for the sequel to Rebecca Ross’s Divine Rivals, which may not technically be a romance novel but is absolutely for romance readers. *Full disclosure, The Summer I Turned Pretty trilogy is published by my employer, though I’ve been a fan of the books for many years.

Posted by LUV Team at 2023-11-01 19:00:01 UTC