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15 Fascinating Facts About Canada
It’s big — the second-largest country in the world behind Russia — and it’s home to forests, mountains, beaches, rivers, streams and majestic wildlife. But there is much more to know about Canada than most people realize. For example, it has the largest coastline in the world, and it sits in six different time zones. Here are 15 more Canada facts about the country nicknamed the Great White North.
Canada does indeed have the largest coastline in the world. It would take the average person about four and a half years to walk all the way around the country, and that’s if they didn’t stop to eat or sleep. The entire country covers 3,855,103 square miles.
Donut Capital
If you’re a donut fan, you may want to head straight to Canada. The country is home to more donut shops than any other country in the world. That’s a lot of sugary goodness.
Polar Bears
If you’ve ever dreamed of seeing polar bears in the wild, you better head to Canada. Out of the 25,000 left in the world, approximately 15,500 live in the country. The town of Churchill is the best place to spot them, as you’re likely to see more bears than people.
Land of Lakes
If you like spending time at the lake, Canada may be your dream vacation spot. The country is home to over two million lakes of all sizes. The biggest are the ones it shares with the United States: Lake Superior and Lake Huron.
Most Famous Resident
Canada has produced many celebrities, including Drake, Justin Bieber, Celine Dion and Ryan Reynolds, but there’s one person who is more famous than any of those people combined. The Canadian government once declared Santa Claus a resident of the country, and kids can even send letters to him there and receive a response each Christmas.
Plenty of Forests
Despite the fact that Canada is the second-largest country in the world, nearly one third of it is covered by forestland. That’s 10 percent of the world’s forests in one country. Most Canadian residents live in urban areas.
Cold as Mars
It can get pretty cold in Canada. Anyone who has ever lived there or even visited knows that. But what you may not know is that, back in 1947, temperatures were recorded that were comparable to the surface temperature on Mars. That’s about – 81.4 degrees.
During the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, French and English settlers built walls around Quebec City to help keep it safe from potential invaders. Those walls remain standing today, making Quebec City the only city north of Mexico to have a walled enclosure.
National Parks
Canada is home to 47 National Parks. Some of them are so big that they make other countries look pretty small. For example, Alberta’s Wood Buffalo National Park is so large that it takes up more space than countries like Switzerland and Denmark.
Northernmost
If you’ve ever wondered how far north people live on the Earth, wonder no more. A little settlement called Alert, Nunavut, which is about 500 miles from the North Pole, is the northernmost place where people live permanently on the planet. July temps are around 38 degrees, while it gets down to around – 26 in January.
Mac and Cheese
Americans consume a lot of macaroni and cheese, but not as much as their northern neighbors. Kraft reports that Canadians consume more of the comfort food than any other country in the world.
Frozen Ocean
It gets cold on the Canadian island of Newfoundland, but you probably don’t realize just how cold. Sometimes the Atlantic Ocean surrounding the island freezes to a point that residents can actually skate on it and play hockey.
If Santa is an official Canadian resident, it only makes sense that he’d need to live in a place that has plenty of reindeer for him to choose from. The country is home to over two million caribou. No word on whether any of them have red noses.
Americans may be in love with basketball, be it the NBA, college hoops or even local high school teams. Many people don’t realize the beloved sport has Canadian roots. Dr. James Naismith of Ontario invented the game in 1891.
Snake Capital
Scared of snakes? You may want to avoid Manitoba. The Canadian province has more snakes than any other place in the world. Every spring, approximately 70,000 snakes come out of hibernation.
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Published Authors
Listed alphabetically by authors’ last name.
Shelley Adina is the author of 24 novels published by Harlequin, Warner, and Hachette, and more than a dozen more published by Moonshell Books, Inc., her own independent press. She writes the Magnificent Devices steampunk series; as Charlotte Henry writes the Rogues of St. Just series of classic Regency romance; and as Adina Senft, writes the Whinburg Township Amish series. She holds an MFA in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University, and is currently at work on a PhD in Creative Writing at Lancaster University in the UK. She won the Romance Writers of America RITA Award® for Best Inspirational Novel in 2005, and was a finalist in 2006. When she’s not writing, Shelley is usually quilting, sewing historical costumes, or enjoying the garden with her flock of rescued chickens.
Visit Shelley’s websites at www.ShelleyAdina.com and www.AdinaSenft.com
Reggi is an author of suspense and contemporary romance novels, including Her Country Heart Christmas Edition, a Sierra Creek Novel and suspense novels Dangerous Web, and Dangerous Money. In both suspense and contemporary novels, her characters control their panic and manage their passion as each fight to discover a hidden strength. She studied screen writing and creative writing at University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and is a past chapter president of Romance Writers of America (RWA). She is happy to hear from her readers.
Visit Reggi’s Amazon page
Pat is a writer of romance and mystery who lives in Victoria and works for the local hospital. For as long as she can remember she has loved stories. First reading them and then making them up. Sometimes that got her into trouble when she was younger but that’s another story! She studied journalism in college but got side-tracked raising a family and working a variety of other jobs to pay the bills. Writing fell by the way-side. The years went by and one day she decided to check out a local writer’s group. There was a workshop with an exercise. Write something that had the hero and heroine meeting within the first page. Maybe there could even be a kiss! She decided, why stop there, let’s put the heroine on top of the bar! Many revisions later, the result was Lost In Vegas ! She went on to create the Death by Chocolate mystery series, set in Victoria and available on Amazon. These books became best sellers on Amazon.com, and she is currently working on the fourth in the series, Soul Mates . She is also working on a fast paced romantic suspense/thriller novel set in the Pacific Northwest and China.
Visit Pat’s Amazon page
USA Today bestselling author Sharon Ashwood is a novelist, desk jockey and enthusiast for the weird and spooky. She has an English literature degree but works as a finance geek. Interests include growing her to-be-read pile and playing with the toy graveyard on her desk. As a vegetarian, she freely admits the whole vampire/werewolf lifestyle would never work out, so she writes her adventures instead.
Sharon is a winner of the RITA® Award for Paranormal Romance. She lives in the Pacific Northwest and is owned by the Demon Lord of Kitty Badness.
Visit Sharon’s website at www.SharonAshwood.com
Lynn Boire enjoyed a successful career in dental office management, but it was never her passion. Always a voracious reader, she began a process of self-discovery in the ’80s and realized creative writing was her passion and future.
Lynn writes contemporary suspense that reveals how women who avoid conflicts whenever possible in their relationships, find the confidence in themselves to voice their opinions. As they become more independent, they gain an inner strength to take control of their lives.
Lynn lives in a seaside town on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. She uses her deep appreciation of every part of her island home for the background in her stories. She feels a spiritual connection whenever she’s near a body of water. Nature puts everything in perspective, and all her doubts and worries float away. Even if a storm’s strength frightens her, it also reminds her that—no matter what—all things pass. Lynn is blessed with many friends and family, including her husband, two grown children, a grandson and his daughter, and a stepdaughter and her family.
Visit Lynn’s website at www.LynnBoire.com
A free range child, Maggie Bolitho grew up on an island in Canada’s Pacific Northwest. She spent her formative years constructing alternative universes, flying under the radar, and wishing for 20/20 vision. She set out to see the world shortly after her 17th birthday. Eventually she met and fell in love with a wild colonial boy. After five years of futile resistance, she moved to Melbourne, Australia and married him. In 2007, Maggie and her husband made Canada their permanent home. They now live in a leafy suburb on the island where Maggie grew up. Most of the time they are perfectly happy there although sometimes they long for the sunburnt country. While living Down Under, she started writing fiction. Some of her adult short stories appear in different anthologies in the US, Canada, and Australia. She has had poetry published in Quills Canadian Poetry magazine. Her debut novel Lockdown (YA) was published in 2014 by Great Plains Teen Fiction (Winnipeg, Canada). Outback Promise was released by HarperCollins Australia in November 2015.
Visit Maggie’s website at www.MaggieBolitho.com
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Sarah Castille has written over 20 books under two pen names. As Sarah Castille, she writes sizzling contemporary romance and romantic suspense. As Sara Desai, she writes fun, sexy, diverse romantic comedy. Sarah’s books have appeared in People, Oprah Magazine, Marie Claire, Pop Sugar, Bustle, Buzzfeed, Booklist, Hello Giggles, Publishers Weekly, Kirkus, Library Journal, Frolic, Entertainment Weekly, USA Today, Woman’s World and Hello! Canada.
Reports of Jo-Ann Carson’s death on a Gulf Island are greatly exaggerated or, at the very least, premature.
The eclectic crew of ghosts that haunt her head spill onto the page in two series: T he Gambling Ghosts and The Ghost & Abby Mysteries . A Viking with existential issues, a broken-hearted Highlander, a Casanova man-witch and a Pirate with a secret are just a few of the males her strong heroines encounter in tales of fantasy adventure and romance.
A firm believer in the magic of our everyday lives, Jo-Ann loves watching sunrises, walking beaches near her home in the Pacific Northwest and reading by the fire. You can visit her on social media.
Visit Jo-Ann’s website at www.Jo-AnnCarson.com
MaryAnn Clarke set out to write emotionally engaging stories that walk a tight rope between intelligent Women’s Fiction and heart-warming Romance. The Art of Enchantment , first in the Life is a Journey series about young women on journeys abroad who discover themselves and fall in love while getting embroiled in someone else’s problems, is a Chatelaine Grand Prize winner and Next Generation Indie Book Award finalist. Her Having it All series is about professional women struggling to balance the challenge and fulfillment of their careers with their search for identity, love, family and home.
A polymath who studied Fine Arts, Urbanism, Architecture and Gerontology on both coasts of Canada, she turned to her first love, writing stories, when she realized it was more fun than working as an architect or university researcher. When not writing, she meditates, hikes, does yoga and Pilates, reads eclectically, contemplates wormholes, paints abstract expressionism, kills plants and tries not to burn dinner while solving her next plot problem. Clarke lives on beautiful Vancouver Island, Canada with her husband and cats. Although she knows she lives in Paradise, she still loves traveling the world in search of romance, art, good food and new story ideas.
Visit MaryAnn’s website at www.MaryannClarkeScott.com
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Born and raised on the West Coast of Canada and married to her high school sweetheart, with a spirited toddler and a fluffy dog. Whitley spends her days making food that gets thrown on the floor, vacuuming Cheerios out from under the couch and making sure that the dog food doesn’t end up in the air conditioner. But when nap time comes and it’s not quite wine o’clock, Whitley sits down, avoids the pile of laundry on the couch, and writes. A lover of all things decadent: wine, cheese, chocolate and spicy erotic romance, Whitley brings the humorous side of sex, the ridiculous side of relationships and the suspense of every day life into her stories. With mommy wars, body issues, threesomes and role playing, these books have everything we need to satisfy the curious kink in all of us.
Visit Whitley’s website at www.WhitleyCox.com
Multi-published author Bonnie Edwards lives with her husband and pets on the rainy coast of British Columbia. Her earthy, irreverent love stories sometimes have a paranormal twist, like curses and ghosts, other times not. But her books always entertain and guarantee a happy ending.
With four ongoing romance series (Tales of Perdition, The Brantons, and The Christmas Collection) and contemporary family novels in her newest series, Return to Welcome, she rarely spends a day without writing. She has written novels, novellas, and short stories for Kensington Books, Harlequin Books, Carina Press, and Robinson (UK) although now she publishes her work herself.
Visit Bonnie’s website at www.BonnieEdwards.com
An English grad, a biochemistry alum, and a paleontologist walk into a bar… And, no joke, two hours later, they’ve sketched a town and a far-flung family of cousins who inherit the local chocolate shop and its swashbuckling pirate ghost. Then they invited another writer to join the crew and she brought a parrot!
Rachel Goldsworthy is the biochem grad, although her day job is creating applied communications for a research centre at the University of Victoria. She believes in living her values, which means cycling to work and constantly researching new chocolate recipes so her stories are authentic. Also she is vastly entertained by putting words in the mouth of that talking parrot.
With the other Corsettes (see above) she writes fun, feminist fiction set in the delightful community of Corsair’s Cove.
Visit Rachel’s website at www.RachelGoldsworthy.com
Vanessa Grant is the author of over thirty-five novels, with over 10 million books sold worldwide.
Vanessa began her literary career writing the column “A Letter From Lucy Island Lighthouse” for a small northern British Columbia newspaper. She later worked as a contributing editor for Sea Talk magazine and free lance commentator for CBC Radio Canada. Her first novel was published in 1985 and she went on to write over thirty more romance novels as Vanessa Grant (several while living on a sailboat in Mexico for two years) and three dark thrillers under the pseudonym Val Cameron. Vanessa’s books have been translated into 15 languages with over 10 million copies of her books sold worldwide. Her non-fiction Writing Romance won the Under the Covers literary award and was described in a National Writer’s Monthly review as “by far the best writing book I have ever read.” Vanessa has presented storytelling workshops for writers’ groups in Canada, the USA, Australia and New Zealand, and is currently developing multimedia courses for writers through her StorytellerAcademy.ca . She lives with her husband Brian and their Siberian Husky Winter on British Columbia’s beautiful Vancouver Island .
Visit Vanessa’s website at www.VanessaGrant.com
Ardelle Holden
Ardelle Holden is an award-winning writer and artist. She has written for her hometown paper as a columnist and feature article writer, and her photographs and a drawing have won awards in the last four consecutive years at the Society of the Arts Annual Show in Ajijic, Jalisco.
She has had a wealth of life experiences over a dozen careers to fuel her writing in several genres. She is presently working on a sequel to A Person of Interest, an historical fiction, a series of children’s books under the umbrella of Grandmother’s Charms and a series of short stories about her life in the bush and other wild adventures. These may appear on her blog before compilation.
She and Patrick raised two children working together in aviation, mining exploration, and in the wild rice lakes of northern Manitoba. Ardelle is pursuing her diverse artistic passions in retirement in Nanaimo, BC and Ajijic, Mexico.
Visit Ardelle’s website at www.ArdelleHolden.com
Friendship, Family and Happily-ever-after pretty well sums up Judith Hudson’s love-over-30, Fortune Bay series. Summer of Fortune, the first full length book in the series, is free everywhere on-line.
Judith grew up in the East but raised her family on Vancouver Island and now considers herself an Island Girl. Her Fortune Bay series of small-town romances is loosely based on Honeymoon Bay on Vancouver Island where she lived for eight years, but really, who would believe in a town called Honeymoon Bay?!
Judith also writes the Rocky and Bernadette international travel mysteries under the name J.M. Hudson.
Visit Judith’s website at www.JudithHudsonAuthor.com
I was born in the magical city of Prague, in the Czech Republic, once known as the Paris of central Europe.
I love old architecture, opera, classical music and vintage clothing. Perhaps latent memories of my early childhood are responsible. I have a degree in history and enjoy ferreting out obscure details of the lives of men and women who lived in centuries past.
Writing about the Regency is my form of time-travel.
Visit Helena’s website at www.HelenaKorin.com
A love for Jane Austen’s novels and Regency and Austenesque romance novels inspired Suzan Lauder to write her own variations, which led her to a passion for Regency era history and costuming. She cherishes the many friends she’s made as a result of these interests. Suzan is a member of JASNA, VIRA, RWA (PAN and Beau Monde chapters), and EGBC. She enjoys independent travel, design, Pilates, yoga, cycling, sustainability, upcycling, architecture, beta editing, and blogging. Most of the time, a Vancouver Island penthouse loft condominium with a view of the Salish Sea is home. For a few months each winter, Mr. Suze and their two rescue cats accompany her to their tiny Spanish colonial casita in Centro Historico of a port city in Mexico. All of Lauder’s published fiction is based on Pride and Prejudice and is available from Meryton Press.
Visit Suzan’s website at www.SuzanLauder.MerytonPress.com
USA Today Bestselling Author Kathleen Lawless blames a misspent youth watching Rawhide, Maverick and Bonanza for her fascination with cowboys, which doesn’t stop her from creating a wide variety of interests and occupations for her many alpha male heroes.
With nearly 50 published novels to her credit, she enjoys pushing the boundaries of traditional romance into historical romance, contemporary romance, romantic suspense and women’s fiction.
She makes her home in the Pacific Northwest and loves to hear from her readers
Visit Kathleen’s website at www.KathleenLawless.com
Cindy Procter-King writes romantic comedy, sassy suspense, and small-town romance set in B.C. and the Pacific Northwest. Cindy’s novels and short fiction are available from eBook retailers all over the world, as well as in trade paperback, library and some foreign editions.
Cindy’s mission in life is to see her surname spelled properly—with an E. So take heed. That’s P-r-o-c-t-E-r hyphen King. Never, under any circumstances should you spell Procter with two Os. It gives Cindy the creeps.
Cindy lives in the Okanagan Valley with her family, a cat obsessed with a Batman water glass, and the Ghost of Allie McBeagle. Cindy also writes erotic romance and romantic erotica as Kate St. James (but don’t tell anyone).
Visit Cindy’s websites at www.CindyProcter-King.com and www.KateStJames.com
Valda Stefani writes vivid, visual romantic suspense with lots of action. Her home is on Canada’s wild West Coast. She takes breaks on her bicycle or in the garden, or trail-walking with her little rescue dog Chiquita. She’s witnessed some interesting human behaviour in her various jobs, which included an early stint as a loans officer and secretary for a Victorian cemetery chock-full of stories and historic characters. A researcher and archivist, she’s a lifelong writer and editor. Family, nature and history loom large for Valda and she volunteers at a small archives.
Visit Valda’s website at www.ValdaStefani.com
Sarah Stewart writes in quite a few genres and is enamoured with them all. She has published historical fiction for young adults starring the Vikings; a fantasy novel for children with time and space travel; and a nonfiction oral history of the Mackenzie Valley Dene.
She loves recreating the past or imagining (or perhaps remembering) different worlds to our own!
Sarah possibly had a past life as a gypsy because she always on the move. She’s lived in Canada’s North, (her favourite place), the Prairies, Eastern Canada, Japan and her natal spot England. She’s now back on Vancouver Island where she lived over 30 years ago attending the University of Victoria. Her big event of 2020 was getting married. Well, now or never as they say.
“This precious stone set in a silver sea” (ok I stole that) is not only the Island where I was born but the Island on which I now live that has a beauty that nurses my creativity and gives me everything I need to indulge my passion – writing!
Visit Sarah’s website at www.SarahStewartAuthor.com
Odette has ranked in the top #50 of all Amazon Authors, with a Top #20 bestseller. This KDP All-star indie author loves to write contemporary, new adult and sports romance books and has six books published. She resides in Vancouver with her soulmate and partner-in-crime, and lives for coffee, walks on the beach (no, really), a good book and TV dramas. She wants a dog more than anything. She has been described as introverted, funny, and an excellent listener.
Odette writes real, honest and intense romance novels. If you like hot, intelligent Alpha males, you’ve come to the right place! Her writing goal is to keep her readers up late at night, because they keep saying, “Just one more chapter, I’m just going to read one more chapter.”
Visit Odette’s website at www.OdetteStone.com
By the time she hit Grade Four, Laura Tobias knew she wanted to be a writer. So did the teachers. It was the persistent daydreaming and invisible friends that tipped them off. Laura lives on the east coast of Vancouver Island where she writes romance, women’s fiction and the occasional article about food or gardening. If she’s not writing or reading, she’s probably playing in the garden, spying on people at the grocery store or planning her next meal. Her first word was cookie, her second word was book, and her priorities haven’t changed since. Laura is also the award-winning author of 20 books for teens and children writing as Laura Langston.
Visit Laura’s websites at www.LauraTobias.com and www.LauraLangston.com
Alice writes under only one name, but she can’t seem to settle on a genre.
She loves her western historical romances, originally published by Kensington Books, but her first book was a contemporary romance, still available at Montlake.
Her short stories wander all over the place, but she’s very fond of them too. But whatever time period Alice explores, her stories are rich in language, tug at the heartstrings, and celebrate the power of love.
Visit Alice’s website at www.AliceValdal.com
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Once upon a time, Shereen read fantasy and romance novels to entertain herself. Now she writes heartwarming tales braided with threads of magic and love, and mystery elements woven in for good measure.
She’s a fan of resourceful women, intriguing men, and happily ever after endings. If her stories whisk you away to a different realm for a few hours, then Shereen will have achieved one of her life goals.
Visit Shereen’s website at www.ShereenVedam.com
Nancy’s a USA today bestselling author of more than 60 novels. Nancy’s originally from Vancouver, Canada but she tends to wander. She currently lives in an 18th century house in Bath, England where she loves to pretend she’s Jane Austen, or at least a character in a Jane Austen novel. When she’s not writing, she’s hiking, skiing, traveling or sipping wine. She’s appeared on the front page of the New York Times (when her book, Speed Dating launched Harlequin’s NASCAR series), has been a clue in a crossword puzzle (National Post, Canada) and she’s been a finalist for the RITA award three times, honored by Romantic Times Magazine and often shares her love of writing in her popular workshops.
Visit Nancy’s website at www.NancyWarrenAuthor.com
Brian’s early childhood in London included frequent visits to the well preserved old clipper, the Cutty Sark, which inspired a lifelong interest in sailing ships. As a computer scientist he invented new techniques for 3D modeling and created animated sequences for the movie, Alien, and has published his share of academic papers. He spent 15 years living in Canada’s Rocky Mountains where he climbed, skied, wrote plays, and acted with the Rocky Mountain Shalespeare company. He moved to Victoria on the West Coast in 2006 to take up a Canada Research Chair at the University of Victoria. In the Second Gate he turns from covering the page with mathematical symbols to writing a sea faring adventure set during the Napoleonic wars. Brian is a mountaineer, an author/playwright, a professional actor and a pioneer in computer graphics research. A renaissance man, proficient in the arts, and the sciences, who embraces physical challenge, he has now turned his talents towards creating historical fiction.
Visit Brian’s website at www.BrianWyvill.com
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Farah Heron on stepping down as Toronto Romance Writers president and a future outside the RWA
Farah Heron
In late December, the Romance Writers of America came under fire after suspending author Courtney Milan for publicly criticizing Kathryn Lynn Davis’s 1999 novel Somewhere Lies the Moon for its depiction of Asian characters. The backlash was swift, resulting in the cancellation of the association’s annual awards after numerous sponsors, authors, and publishers pulled their support. Subsequently, RWA’s executive director, president, and seven other board members all resigned (*Update: the remaining board members have now quit). The fate of the organization’s national conference in July still hangs in the balance.
Until about six weeks ago, Toronto Romance Writers – an official chapter of the RWA – had been a thriving group, serving more than 100 local members. But the fallout of the group’s association with the U.S.–based parent organization has been severe. Many authors are choosing not to renew their memberships, and now Farah Heron , author of the bestselling novel The Chai Factor , is stepping down from her position as chapter president.
Heron spoke to Q&Q about her difficult decision and the future of Canadian romance writing.
How would you describe the membership of Toronto Romance Writers?
As of January, we had about 120 members. It’s a mixed group, about a third traditionally published and hybrid (both traditionally and indie published), a third self-published only, and a third unpublished. We have members from all over Southern Ontario, and our monthly meetings in Toronto are usually attended by 30–50 members. Our members come from diverse cultural and racial backgrounds, and there are many from the LGBTQ+ community. We write in various subgenres of romance, including contemporary, rom-com, historical, mystery, science fiction, fantasy, young adult, romantic suspense, and paranormal romance.
How has what happened with RWA affected the Toronto membership?
Since Jan. 31, we are down 20 members, and by the end of February, we will lose another 15. These are all members whose membership was expiring, and they chose not to renew due to the issues in the national organization. And as rolling expiry dates continue, we expect to lose more members each month. Also, we have lost speakers for both our annual conference and our monthly workshops, and we have had agents and editors tell us they cannot support and attend our conference unless we disaffiliate with the national organization.
But more than anything else, our members are angry. They feel betrayed by RWA leadership, and are frustrated by the lack of communication, and poor decisions board and staff have made. Many of our members feel they can no longer support an organization that is so resistant to taking an anti-racist stance, and has long allowed ableism, anti-Semitism, and intolerance towards LGBTQ+ members to continue.
Do you think there’s an opportunity for some other group to form outside of the RWA umbrella?
Toronto Romance Writers has an over 30-year history, and during that time the chapter has grown into an inclusive, accepting, and vibrant chapter. We have a reputation as one of the best writing groups in Toronto, due to our high-calibre monthly workshops and supportive community. And although our annual conference is only two years old, it has already gained respect in the romance and in the Toronto writing community. All those accomplishments are ours, and were achieved without the help of RWA, other than in name. I firmly believe that our TRW community can continue to serve Toronto-area romance writers, whether it is through a new group, or whether we find a way to continue without affiliation with RWA.
TRW has done a great job in becoming an inclusive organization, thanks in part to your efforts. Moving forward, do you see more informal opportunities to continue that good work in the community?
One of my mandates when I became president of TRW was to work to create a more accepting and welcoming space for all marginalized writers. I’ve personally reached out to authors of colour who were apprehensive about joining, and have helped create a community for local romance authors of colour for informal mentorship and support. I can continue most of these efforts, even as I step away from leadership in TRW. Also, in a larger scale, one of the side effects of this current crisis is that it has revealed a need for a Canadian network of romance authors, because we have unique questions and perspectives on publishing genre fiction. Having no advocacy for Canadian romance has prevented this genre from being seen as a vital part of the publishing industry here. As such, a network of Canadian chapter leaders are in the early stages of exploring how best to support Canadian romance writers going forward.
Would you ever consider returning as a member to RWA? What would they need to do to make things right?
I don’t think I would rejoin. Large changes are needed, and it’s almost impossible to steer an organization that large. The systematic racism and lack of support for marginalized writers has been a problem in the organization since its inception, and to weed it out now would require a tremendous effort and commitment. The only way forward is to make RWA profoundly uncomfortable for those who don’t actively support anti-racism efforts, and I don’t see any evidence of RWA being willing to do that. And I don’t personally think I need RWA to succeed in my career.
I would imagine that it’s a challenge balancing your own writing with the politics of the community. What have you learned through this experience about making space for yourself and your own work?
My takeaway after all this is the realization that the only way this industry – and that includes professional organizations, publishers, media, and readers – will allow marginalized authors to thrive and succeed and be given the same opportunities as other writers is for more of our stories to be out there. This industry is already harder for us, and my focus is better spent writing my books than trying to fix institutions who are failing due to systemic racism from within. And I can’t write my books – my joyful, hopeful, optimistic books about brown people falling in love – while also fighting for our right to exist here.
Can you share what you’re working on right now?
Yes! I am just finished a round of edits for my next book (new title coming soon), which will be out in spring 2021 by Forever/Grand Central Books. It’s a rom-com set in Toronto, with two South Asian Muslim characters navigating intrusive families and career setbacks, and coming together through their love of home cooking and the food of their culture. I’m working on another rom-com as well, which will be out about a year later.
This interview has been edited for clarity.
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By: Sue Carter
February 12th, 2020
Tags: Farah Heron , romance , Romance Writers of America , Toronto Romance Writers
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Welcome to the Toronto Romance Writers (TRW), the home for romantic fiction lovers in Toronto. Whether you’re a seasoned professional, are working on your first chapter, or simply love discussing and analyzing romantic fiction, TRW is for you. We embrace all romance writers and readers, and are committed to providing a safe, inclusive, and definitely fun place for all.
We have members from Toronto and the surrounding area, including northern and southern Ontario and even across Canada. Our roster of published members includes New York Times and USA Today bestselling authors.
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By Barbara Stewart
- Dec. 10, 1996
Kathryn Falk, the self-styled Queen of Romance, looked decidedly unromantic on a recent morning in Brooklyn, swigging cough syrup from the bottle and padding about her romance-magazine offices in Kmart slippers.
She gave a visitor a quick tour of Romantic Times Magazine, from her display of erotic Chinese silk shoes -- a few inches long, for bound feet -- to an adjoining room in which editors were bent over computer screens.
She settled in a back room that, with a pillowy couch and ruffled floral curtains, looked more like a Victorian parlor than an executive's office, and said of the copy editors she had just introduced: ''They're all virgins. I tell them it's like having diabetics in the chocolate factory.''
How does she know?
''Believe me,'' she said. ''I know.''
Tara McCarthy, a 25-year-old self-described virgin who has written a memoir about her attempt to be both sexy and chaste, later called her boss's references to her colleagues' sexual status inaccurate, most notably in the case of a married editor with two children. But when it comes to romance, Ms. Falk has long been given to to extravagant statements. Romance, after all, is her fortune.
Ms. Falk grew up in Grosse Point, Mich., and graduated from the University of Detroit. She moved to Manhattan, where she eventually ran a Madison Avenue shop that sold doll-house furniture.
All along she read romance novels, and in the late 70's wrote ''Love's Leading Ladies,'' about authors like Barbara Cartland, who sold millions of books but were largely ignored by the critics. To turn her passion into a living, she sold the doll-house shop to start Romantic Times Magazine.
''I always loved the Brontes and 'The highwayman came riding,' '' said Ms. Falk, 57, referring to the classic writers of dramatic and darkly nuanced romantic novels and to a refrain from an 18th-century poem in which a cloaked hero gallops into the night. ''And I love to make money.''
She wrote the magazine on her Selectric typewriter at home. Readers passed it to friends, and writers read its how-to tips. Ms. Falk and Romantic Times became a voice for fans and professionals who had none, said Walter Zacharius, chief executive officer of Kensington Publishing Corporation, a major publisher of romances.
Many romance writers viewed Ms. Falk as having the power to make or break a novel. For years, Romantic Times was the only place that would review their books.
''Some writers and editors are afraid of her,'' Mr. Zacharius said.
To readers, she was a link to writers and their glamorous fictional world, a world with no cranky children, where raffish men are tamed by heroines' dumbfounding beauty.
She herself has never married, saying, ''I'm too young.'' She has been involved with a wealthy businessman for years.
Through Romantic Times, readers could vicariously accompany Ms. Falk on travels on which she had had romantic encounters with British lords and an Indian maharajah. They could ogle nearly naked men at her annual male beauty pageant.
''It's not the magazine,'' said Katherine Orr, vice president of public relations for Harlequin Enterprises Ltd., the biggest romance publisher, explaining Ms. Falk's influence. ''It's Kathryn. She's a phenomenal promoter.''
Where publishing people saw clinch covers -- chesty men and swooning women -- Ms. Falk saw real money. In the mid-70's, romance novels were widely seen as beneath contempt, not worth a lazy afternoon's laugh, like pulp detective fiction. Romances were $1.99 paperbacks of 120 pages or so, with formulaic plots and writing consisting mainly of cliches. ''Fantasies,'' as one publisher put it, ''for housewives in fluffy slippers and housecoats.''
But Ms. Falk gambled on romance's readers. In the years to follow, as the romance-novel market swelled like its heroines' heaving bosoms, she was proved right.
Caroline Tolley, a senior editor at Avon Books, said: ''Competition is fierce. Shelf space is coveted. Romance readers are voracious readers. They want more and they want them fast.''
Regular readers spend an average of $1,200 a year on romance novels, usually on paperbacks that cost $6 or $7 each. They also buy used books, and exchange them with friends.
Sales of romance novels have risen 8 percent, to $189 million, since 1991. But the dramatic increase in romances was during the 80's. Harlequin sold 90 million romances annually during the mid-70's. By the mid-80's, the company was selling 170 million a year, and last year sold 180 million books.
In addition to Regencies, medieval, contemporary and western romances, a reader can select romances about doting single fathers, heroines transported to ancient Scotland, and angels who are matchmakers for a human couple before falling in love themselves back in heaven.
''The writing in some will knock your socks off,'' said Helen Holzer, who reviews romances for The Atlanta Constitution, one of several mainstream publications now reviewing romance fiction.
Since romance fiction has hit it big, Ms. Falk has devoted most of her time to a profitable sideline, an agency that sells American romances to China, Taiwan and Europe. Women around the world have the same dream, she said: a muscular man who will nuzzle them and recognize their unique sexiness. ''It's naked ape stuff. Men are all hunters: big, dark, tall.''
If this sounds laughably simplistic, it is the philosophy by which Ms. Falk has prospered, building Romantic Times's circulation to 150,000.
''She had the courage to go forward at a time when people were snickering at her,'' Mr. Zacharius said.
But the snickering is back. The clinch covers are considered embarrassing. Writers and editors want to give the books some classiness. Some publishers are substituting flowers and swans for clinches, to attract readers who would otherwise never allow themselves to be seen with such books.
''One faction would like romance to be respected as women's fiction,'' said Maria Ferrer, former communications director for Romance Writers of America, an organization of 8,000 writers and aspiring writers.
The other faction?
''Well, they have the bodice-ripping covers, the Fabio covers, the pageants for cover models.''
In other words, they have Ms. Falk: a discoverer of the model Fabio, founder of male cover-model beauty pageants, in which muscular men pose in abbreviated Viking or pirate or cowboy costumes in front of hundreds of hooting women. ''I hate to use the word degrading, but it's all I can think of right now,'' said Catherine Carpenter, communications director for the writers' group.
Some editors question the credibility of Romantic Times, because they say it offers good press to writers who buy ads and either ignores or pans writers who do not.
Ellen Edwards, Avon Books' editor for romance, said of writers who advertise in Romantic Times: ''They're afraid. And I've seen instances of retaliation.''
Romantic Times does not let ad sales influence its reviews or articles, said Carol Stacy, the magazine's publisher. ''Never,'' she said.
Ms. Falk's flamboyance amuses some professionals in publishing.
Ms. Orr said: ''Of course she's wacky. She's always been wacky. But she's no dummy.''
An example of wacky but savvy business strategy is her recent purchase of a royal title. Aware that little would impress her readers more, she bought a ladyship that came with a British manor house for $100,000. Her cards say ''Lady Barrow,'' and she frequently brings tours of American fans to ''her'' village, although she is well aware that the proper term is ''Lady of Barrow.'' The first denotes an aristocrat with a coat of arms and a seat in Parliament. The second simply indicates a real-estate transaction: the purchase of manor property.
The spectacles that she has created rival even her male beauty pageant. Two years ago at the Romantic Times convention in Nashville, among hundreds of conventioneers, she hit Charlene Keel, a former employee, with her fists. Ms. Keel was beaten badly enough that she had to be taken to a hospital by ambulance. Ms. Keel had been buttonholing conventioneers to promote her rival magazine, Ms. Falk said. ''I defend my turf,'' she said.
Ms. Keel, who did not file charges, said recently: ''I am willing to extend the olive branch. She's temperamental but brilliant.''
At another convention, she threw handfuls of books at an employee who insisted on taking a lunch break.
''She shoved me up against the wall,'' said the employee, Michael J. Powazinik, who said it was especially important that he eat because he is diabetic. But like Ms. Keel, he is forgiving. ''That's just the character she was and is,'' he said. ''Colorful.''
Ms. Stacy, who was there, said Mr. Powazinik, the convention organizer, was letting the event fall apart. When he wanted to leave for lunch with a group of romance writers, she continued, Ms. Falk, angered at the disorganization, lost her temper.
Like the author of a heated romance, she seems to want to improve on the dullness of ordinary life. If the drama is not there, she will drum it up. She can create high-pitched moments at an office preoccupied with proofreading.
On a young assistant's birthday, she gathered the staff at the magazine office at 55 Bergen Street, between the Cobble Hill and Boerum Hill sections of Brooklyn, to present a strawberry cake and a lacy black bra and shiny gold-colored underpants. At Romantic Times, she makes sure that romance appears to be all around.
''I didn't want to stay in Grosse Point and wear penny loafers and marry a dentist,'' she said. At that, unquestionably, she has succeeded.
North Texas Romance Writers
Creating "Happily Every Afters" with each new story
Our Meetings
3rd Saturday of each month
La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant on Hwy 121 in Colleyville, TX unless otherwise specified
10:30 AM --Gather / Visit
11:00 AM -- Speaker
12:00 PM -- Business Meeting
Come visit us at one of these upcoming meetings
Betty Bolté
Recordkeeping for writers.
JOIN US SATURDAY FEBRUARY 18 at 11AM
via ZOOM for
Secrets of a Bestselling
Amazon book page.
Presented by Penny Sansevieri
Is your book not selling? It could be your Amazon book page. More and more Amazon book page conversion is a big issue, and it can also impact your Amazon relevancy score. What’s a “relevancy score”? This class will unpack that as well.
It’s one thing to have your book up on Amazon, it’s quite another to have a book page that actually sells your book. This session will go over tips and insider information on turning your Amazon book page into a sales machine.
We’ll discuss:
- Your book description: how to make it your #1 sales tool
- Understanding how Amazon “scans” your page for relevancy
- Understanding your Amazon relevancy score
- Running Amazon ads that aren’t converting? We’ll dig into that too and offer some quick remedies to help increase your ad conversion
- Your book’s tagline: how this helps to sell more books
- How to get more real estate on your Amazon book page
- Ways to use Author Central to enhance your book page
- Using video on your Amazon book page – yes you can
- Using Author Central to enhance your Amazon Book Page in super creative ways
- Creative ways to add Amazon keywords to your Amazon book page for better page visibility
- Amazon also-boughts – why they matter to your page visibility
- …and much more.
Zoom info available via the NTRW Facebook group or a mailing list communication. Contact our programs director (programs at ntrwa dot org) if you’re not on the FB group or on our mailing list.
Penny C. Sansevieri, Founder and CEO of Author Marketing Experts, Inc., is a bestselling author and internationally recognized book marketing and media relations expert. She is an Adjunct Professor teaching Self-Publishing for NYU. She was named one of the top influencers of 2019 by New York Metropolitan Magazine.
Her company is one of the leaders in the publishing industry and has developed some of the most innovative Amazon visibility campaigns as well offering national media pitching, online book marketing, author events, and other strategies designed to build the author/book visibility.
She is the author of eighteen books, including “How to Sell Your Books by the Truckload on Amazon,” “Revise and Re-Release Your Book”, “5-Minute Book Marketing for Authors,” and the newly-released “From Book to Bestseller.”
AME has had dozens of books on top bestseller lists, including those of the New York Times, USA Today, and Wall Street Journal.
To learn more about Penny’s books or her promotional services, visit www.amarketingexpert.com.
Join us SATURDAY MARCH 18 at 11AM
in person at La Hacienda Ranch Restaurant in Colleyville
as we celebrate 4o years as an organization.
Sure , the name has changed, but the people are the same.
Join us as members share their stories of how they came to us.
There will be treats, both the edible kinds as well as the take-home kind.
JOIN US SATURDAY
APRIL 22, 2023
for an all-day, in person
WRITERS RETREAT
0830A-4:30P
Information to be disseminated to attendees in April.
Sign-up Form
Join us January 21, 2023 at 11 in person for
Maria grace, writing by the milestones.
Traditionally, authors have divided themselves into two camps: those who outline and plan their works before they write, knowing exactly what is going to happen before they begin and those who sit down with joyful abandon and write without a plan–by the seat of their pants, as it were.
I’ve always admired the planners, aspired to be one. And I’ve tried, oh how I’ve tired. But somewhere along the way, some unruly character gets hold of my pen and runs amok. My outline in shambles, I spend the next 60 or 70K words chasing down that character and feeling very guilty about my lack of authorial discipline.
After chasing enough wayward characters, I had to find a middle ground between plotting and ‘pantsing’ (oh ow I hate that term! It was something the mean girls did to you in gym class…).
Blending an understanding of story structure, creating an in-real-time outline, and ‘cycling’ back through chapters as they were written, gave me a way to find the story milestones to navigate my way through a plot when the characters are dragging me along for the ride.
Join me for a chat about Writing by the Milestones, navigating your story while the characters lead the way.
About the Author
Six time BRAG Medallion Honoree, #1 Best-selling Historical Fantasy author Maria Grace has her PhD in Educational Psychology and is a 16-year veteran of the university classroom where she taught courses in human growth and development, learning, test development and counseling. None of which have anything to do with her undergraduate studies in economics/sociology/managerial studies/behavior sciences. She pretends to be a mild-mannered writer/cat-lady, but most of her vacations require helmets and waivers or historical costumes, usually not at the same time.
She writes gaslamp fantasy, historical romance and non-fiction to help justify her research addiction.
MAR 2023 ~ 4oth Anniversary Celebration
APR 2023 ~ Write-In / April 22
MAY 2023 ~ TBA
JUN 2023 ~ Betty Bolte
Join us Saturday December 10 at 11am
Annual Holiday Gathering
Please bring a random ornament ($10 or less) for the White Elephant Ornament Exchange.
There may be a game. :0)
Wear your favorite holiday sweater, if you’ve got one.
Just come and hang out with writer friends!
JOIN US SATURDAY, OCTOBER 15th at 11am via ZOOM for
ERIN COUGHLIN
Remake Reboot Workshop Description
Put a fresh spin on one of your favorite or (forgotten) films, TV series or fictional stories. Learn how to successfully adapt your favorite characters or stories for the screen or novel format while also expressing your own unique perspectives and interests. Participate in writing exercises, writing prompts and word games guaranteed to jump start your reboot or remake, or inspire you to start writing again! Writers of all levels, genres and creative mediums are welcome!
Erin Coughlin is an award nominated writer, producer and journalist.
As a B.B.C. Guest Commentator she has appeared on several popular TV, radio and podcast programs including The Morning Show and The John Hazel Show. She was also featured on Newsweek’s 2016 “Ones To Watch” List. Erin has created content featured on variety of popular print and media outlets including NBC, Entertainment Weekly, SyFy and The Surge.
She is the founder of Verbiage Media and author of Pop & Fizz’s Double Feature Movie Night Guide (to Romance). She is also the host and moderator of the virtual Jane Austen Romance Book Club. In addition to her work as a Public Program Developer and Guest Speaker, she enjoys providing both writing coach services and workshops to all storytellers and content creators.
You can learn more at her official website www.ecoughlin.com.
Join us Saturday September 17 at 11 am via Zoom for
C. Morgan Kennedy
Turning your world building into marketing.
Whether you write contemporary, historical, paranormal, or science fiction – a great story is always rooted in great world building that provides an escape for your readers. This course starts with a quick overview of world building fundamentals and how to structure a series story bible. The majority of the course is spent discussing specific examples of marketing done well and providing creative, low cost, and actionable book marketing strategies.
C. Morgan Kennedy is the author of interracial romance, multicultural cozy mysteries, and steampunk novels. A self-described ‘Blerd’ and Afrofuturist, Morgan puts her Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering to good use imagining all manner of gadgets for her stories. She uses her MBA in her day job as a marketing and business development professional. Through her workshops, she seeks to demystify marketing fundamentals for the writing and small business communities.
Zoom meeting info will be shared on Facebook and via an email or newsletter.
Join us Saturday November 12th at 11 am via Zoom for
Laurie Cooper
Niching down & branding.
Join author marketing coach Laurie Cooper, of Pub-Craft: Marketing For Books & Brands, as she teaches you how to niche down and brand yourself as a fiction author! This webinar will provide you with the tools to answer questions including: What is my niche and competitive set? What is a brand? How do I use my niche and brand to attract and grow my ideal readership? What do I have to do to keep my branding consistent?
Laurie Cooper launched her online business, Pub-Craft: Marketing for Books and Brands, in October 2013. She helps fiction authors go from struggling, feeling invisible, and not knowing what to do next, to finding and connecting with their ideal readers. In her first year of business, Laurie went from 1 to over 200 clients and helped 100+ authors hit the New York Times & USA Today Bestselling Lists. While she works as a marketing coach with authors from around the world, Laurie calls Ottawa, Canada her home. Learn more about Laurie and her course,The Visible Author Method. Connect on Facebook (#AskPubCraft), Instagram (@pubcraftteam), and find out more about Pub-Craft at www.Pub-Craft.com.
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You’ve made an interesting choice because, although a lot of people scoff at romance, it is the most stable genre of all and has continued to keep its faithful readers when other categories have changed radically and sometimes lost their audiences.
Romance has changed a bit in recent years and embraced a more complex story, sometimes with more explicit sex in it, but essentially this is a category which marches on, providing happy endings, when all around it the world has changed.
To an unusual degree which is not mirrored in any other category, the current romance category is ‘owned’ by one publisher, Harlequin Mills and Boon, with very little input from elsewhere, although the HarperCollins Avon imprint is competing in both the US and the UK and new publishers are now springing up.
When Gerald Mills and Charles Boon launched a little company with just £1,000 just over a hundred years ago, they can have had no idea of the industry they would spawn. Mills and Boon merged with Canadian romance publisher Harlequin in 1971 and was later bought out by Toronto-based conglomerate Torstar.
These days Harlequin Mills and Boon publish romances in a remarkably commercial and effective way. Not hugely stocked in the shops, the books are bought as sets on a subscription model and vast numbers of copies go straight out to the faithful readers who subscribe to get their regular clutch of their favourite books. They can also buy them as e-books for the same price, and romances are extremely popular in e-book form. So, what do these readers want? Escapism mainly, but above all it’s a formula which readers find relaxing because it is familiar. These days it's a big business because no less than one-third of all fiction titles sold fall within the wide classification of ‘romance'
The company publishes 700 new titles a year in the UK, the USA and Canada. Some imprints travel, others do not. The books come out in 26 different languages in 109 markets. (These figures are out of date but appear to be the latest available.) The company publishes an astonishing 1,300 authors worldwide in six different series.
Enough statistics, but they should have convinced you that this is a huge market, expertly served by Harlequin Mills and Boon, and that if you want to write for it the first thing to do is to spend some time studying the company’s approach.
Essentially, everything is based on their ‘brands’, so the first thing to do is to study these and read some of the books, to get a good idea of what the sub-categories are. Whether it’s Modern, Medical, Historical, Heroes, True Love or Desire, each one will have its own conventions, and you need to work out which one you are comfortable with. Study each one before you start thinking about writing anything. If your manuscript is written already, then research carefully to see which sub-genre it might be suitable for.
Bear in mind that you do have to choose which sub-category you are pitching to and will need to observe the conventions of that one. If you find this idea unappealing, then perhaps romance is not the right category for you.
Study the guidelines on the North American website or the UK one (which is better laid out and more informative). Make sure you follow the submission guidelines exactly, in terms of the amount of material to submit and in what form. If your manuscript does not fit easily into their guidelines, give some serious thought to whether this is the right place to be thinking of sending it.
If you’re still keen to proceed, please bear in mind that you may still not make it, even the right submission is not a dead cert and the company gets a very large number of submissions, so it can pick and choose.
So what about the writing itself? Once you’ve understood the conventions, are you ready to have a go? I would advise spending some time reading books in your chosen genre first. Pay special attention to Mills and Boon stars, such as Lynne Graham, author of chart-topper The Greek Tycoon’s Defiant Bride. She wrote her first book at fifteen and was initially rejected by a number of publishers, but now has millions of books in print. Look at what interests you, and see what you might feel like writing.
There’s a theory that anyone can write a romance, but this is far from true . It is hard to be a successful romance writer unless you are genuinely keen to make your mark with this genre. This may require writing to a bit of a formula but make sure you obey all the usual conventions relating to the sub-category in question, as that’s an essential part of getting yourself taken on.
Cynicism is a big no-no and if you really want to poke a bit of fun at the whole genre, be careful, as it’s extremely hard to write these books unless you believe in their romantic vision. The characters and story are important but Mills and Boon Harlequin will also expect you to write to the required length and obey their other rules, so research all this first. The fact that your manuscript is a romance doesn’t mean that it shouldn’t be well-written and properly presented, so bear in mind that professional presentation also matters.
Finally it’s worth checking out what the Romance Writers of America and the UK’s Romantic Novelists Association are up to. You will certainly find that romance writers are far from the cliché of what they might be like, but are hard-working, pragmatic, keen to promote their writing - and often extremely successful.
Mills and Boon UK
Mills and Boon’s submission pages
Harlequin North America
Romance Writers of America with more than 10,000 members
The UK Romantic Novelists’ Association with around 1,000 members
Other articles in this series:
Writing Crime Fiction
Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy
Writing Non-Fiction
Writing Historical Fiction
© Chris Holifield Managing director of WritersServices ; spent working life in publishing,employed by everything from global corporations to start-ups; track record includes: editorial director of Sphere Books, publishing director of The Bodley Head, publishing director for start-up of upmarket book club, The Softback Preview, editorial director of Britain’s biggest book club group, BCA, and, most recently, deputy MD and publisher of Cassell & Co. She is also currently the Director of the Poetry Book Society; During all of this time aware of problems faced by writers, as publishing changed from idiosyncratic cottage industry, 'occupation for gentlemen', into corporate business of today. Writers encountered increasing difficulty in getting books edited or published. Authors create the books which are the raw material for the whole business. She believes it is time to bring them back to centre stage. 2009
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Romance novels by and for evangelicals
Thrill of the chaste: the allure of amish romance novels. by valerie weaver-zercher. johns hopkins university press, 2013, 318 pages..
Amish romance novels are big business, with the top authors selling millions of copies. From the 1990s to 2004, one or two Amish novels were published each year. By 2008, there were 12 new titles published annually, and by 2012 the yearly output was 85. Puzzled by this phenomenal growth, Valerie Weaver-Zercher researched the novels, the writers, the readers and the Amish themselves in order to understand who is reading these books and why.
The popularity of this genre has been puzzling to me because I find Amish fiction almost impossible to read, even though I enjoy the occasional old-fashioned romance. Weaver-Zercher’s analysis helped me to understand that part of my problem is that I know too much about traditional Old Order culture. I can’t get into the story because the lack of authenticity is distracting and I keep saying to myself, “No Amish person would think like that!”
Weaver-Zercher does not take a position on accuracy and recognizes that there is sharp disagreement over whether or not the authors portray true Amish culture. Those who enjoy the novels obviously find the plots and settings convincing. Some readers find the rural, family-based settings particularly attractive. Weaver-Zercher concludes that whether or not you enjoy reading this type of novel depends on individual taste. She is ambivalent herself, but implies that millions of readers can’t be wrong.
Perhaps the most profound insight offered by Weaver-Zercher is that these are novels written by evangelical Christians to be read by evangelical Christians. Not only do they provide a chaste alternative to the risqué literature of our modern culture, the spiritual themes offer a kind of devotional reading. While earlier novels often emphasized the idea of a born-again personal conversion, more recent stories find the protagonist struggling with her own faith in some way. Weaver-Zercher writes, “Evangelicals are reading about the Amish to learn how to be better evangelicals.” She points out that most of the literary agents, publishers and marketers are also evangelical Christians.
While there is evidence that some Amish people read these romance novels, Weaver-Zercher found that most of the Amish had little good to say about the novels, and “approached the topic with a mixture of resignation, bemusement and exasperation.” It seems that many of the Amish also find the novels lacking authenticity, except for the stories written by Linda Byler, the one writer who is Amish.
The title, Thrill of the Chaste, refers to Weaver-Zercher’s theory that the appeal of these books is a reaction to the hyper-modernity and hyper-sexualization of modern culture. The old-fashioned values of purity and simplicity found in an Amish setting are appealing to those who are looking for a simple and wholesome reading experience.
Thrill of the Chaste helped me to see that Amish romance novels are designed for a specific audience that isn’t really interested in whether or not the portrayal of Amish culture is accurate. Although I don’t find the characters and settings convincing, I shouldn’t look down on those who enjoy this type of reading experience. After all, millions of readers can’t be wrong. Can they?
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Writing Tips Oasis
17 Top Romance Short Story Publishers
By Hiten Vyas
Do you write short stories belonging to the romance genre?
Have you just completed a story that you want to get published ?
Continue reading to learn about 17 top romance short story publishers.
1. Black Fox Literary Magazine
Established in 2011, Black Fox Literary Magazine is a print and online publication that features poetry, non-fiction, fiction, art, and photography. As a biannual publication, they launch two issues each year—one in the summer and another during winter—and they accept submissions all year round.
Black Fox welcomes short story submissions from all genres, including romance, YA, mystery, drama, etc. Short stories must be 5,000 words or less and must be sent through their online submission manager . They also ask that all submissions adhere to their formatting guidelines which can be found here . For general inquiries, feel free to contact one of Black Fox’s editors via email.
2. SERIAL Magazine
SERIAL is a new pulp fiction magazine that specializes in genre fiction—fantasy, romance, horror, action-adventure, thrillers, science fiction, and mystery. New issues are published each week, and they welcome submissions on a rolling basis. They are most interested in stories that are entertaining and fun—stories that will encourage readers to grab the next issue. Short story submissions must be within 500 and 10,000 words and must be appropriate for young adult readers. Stories that contain explicit sex scenes and offensive slurs will automatically be rejected.
If you are interested in submitting your romance short story to SERIAL, make sure you go through their submission guidelines . Once you’re ready to submit, you can send your story as a Word attachment via email .
3. Interlude Press
Interlude Press is an award-winning publisher that specializes in LGBTQ romance and general fiction. They publish novels, novellas, and anthologies that feature well-written LGBTQ characters. The books they have published over the years have received recognition from Lambda Literary, Publishers Weekly, USA Today, Foreword Reviews, and more.
Although they primarily publish novels and long-form fiction, Interlude Press also regularly publishes short story anthologies. Open calls for short stories are posted on their website, so feel free to check their submissions page to find out if they are currently looking for short stories for their next anthology. If you have any questions for the Interlude Press team, you can contact them via email .
4. The Lascaux Review
The Lascaux Review is an online literary magazine that showcases art, poetry, fiction, and non-fiction from new and established artists and writers. They publish work across various genres—including romance, mystery, horror, science fiction, and more—as long as the writing is of literary quality. In particular, they are after writing that celebrates language and provides insight on the human condition.
Submissions are always welcome. If you are interested in submitting your work to The Lascaux Review, you can check out their submission guidelines before heading to their Submittable page . In addition to accepting submissions on a rolling basis, they also hold annual contests in flash fiction, short fiction, and creative non-fiction. The deadline for this year’s Short Fiction Prize is on December 31.
5. Literally Stories
Founded in 2014, Literally Stories is—quite literally—all about short stories. They publish a new story each day and are constantly looking for new work to feature. They are most interested in the following genres: romance, fantasy, historical, horror, science fiction, humor, and general fiction.
They currently welcome short stories between 500 and 3000 words. If you would like your work to appear on Literally Stories, you can start by getting familiar with the kind of stories they usually feature, and don’t forget to check their submission guidelines . As soon as you are ready, you can submit your story the editors via email . It usually takes them up to 3 weeks to respond to submissions.
6. The Fiction Pool
The Fiction Pool is an online journal that features short stories and flash fiction. They also feature poetry on occasion. Founder and editor Jo Simmonds started The Fiction Pool to widen the gate for writers who struggle to get their work noticed, particularly LGBT writers, disabled writers, and writers of color. The stories they publish span different genres—including romance, drama, mystery, suspense, and more—but they specifically seek stories that are bold, daring, and rebellious.
They accept short stories under 3000 words and flash fiction under 1000 words, and you may submit 1 short story or 3 flash fiction pieces at a time. You can learn more about their submission guidelines here . For other questions, you may reach Jo Simmonds via email .
7. One Story
Based in New York, One Story is an award-winning, non-profit publisher that specializes in short stories. As their name implies, they publish one issue per month, and each issue only contains one story. Because of this format, they are looking for stories that are strong enough to stand alone and still leave readers satisfied.
One Story has two reading periods each year—one from January to May and another from September to November. All genres are welcome, but submitted stories must be between 3000 and 8000 words. Interested writers can submit their work through One Story’s submission manager after checking out the submission guidelines . Featured writers will receive $500, as well as 25 contributor copies.
8. Silver Blade Magazine
Silver Blade Magazine is a quarterly journal that publishes short stories, flash fiction, novellas, and poetry. They primarily publish work that falls under the fantasy genre, including science fiction, modern fantasy, and slipstream, but they also welcome romance stories that have strong fantasy elements. At the moment, Silver Blade welcomes short story submissions between 1000 and 7500 words.
If you wish to get your work published by Silver Blade Magazine, you can send them your story through their submission manager . Before you do, make sure you check out the submission guidelines on their website. Should you have any questions about their submission process or the status of your submission, you can reach Silver Blade’s editorial team via email .
9. Edify Fiction
Edify Fiction is a Christian-managed literary magazine that publishes short stories, flash fiction, poetry, photography, and digital art. They welcome all writers—whether you’ve been published by other magazines and journals, or you’ve just written your first story. Edify Fiction’s story selection isn’t bound by genre. They are interested in romance, comedy, historical fiction, science fiction, mystery, and suspense. But they are particular about one thing: all the stories they publish are inspiring, motivational, and uplifting.
Edify Fiction is currently closed for submissions, but they will reopen as soon as they catch up on reading their current queue. You can visit their Submittable page for announcements. In the meantime, check out their submission guidelines to learn more about the kind of stories they are looking for.
10. Short Fiction Journal
Short Fiction is an online journal that publishes short stories. Although they are based in the UK, they publish stories from writers around the globe. They regularly feature both emerging and established writers. Because their editors have such a wide taste range, they welcome stories across various topics and genres—including romance, crime, suspense, drama, and more—as long as it qualifies as fiction.
Submissions are currently open, and they are accepting previously unpublished short stories between 500 and 5000 words. Submissions must be sent via email as an attachment and must follow the formatting guidelines listed here . Only one story can be submitted at a time, and you need to wait for a response before sending in a new submission.
11. Scribble
Scribble is another short story magazine based in the UK. For more than 20 years, Scribble has been publishing short stories across various genres, such as crime, horror, romance science fiction, and more. They are interested in stories that gripping, fresh, and have sympathetic characters. It is recommended that you browse through their previous issues to get an idea of what they usually publish.
Scribble currently welcomes submissions under 3000 words, and all submissions must meet their formatting requirements. You can find more information about their submission guidelines and mailing instructions here . In addition to regular submissions, interested writers can also join Scribble’s Annual Short Story Competition. Learn more about the competition’s rules here .
12. Brain Drip
Brain Drip is an Australian literary magazine that publishes short stories, essays, and poetry by local writers. They publish stories from nearly all genres—including romance, crime, mystery, horror, and more—but they are especially fond of stories that grip and transport readers to another time and place. If that sounds like the kind of stories you enjoy writing, you should submit your work for Brain Drip’s consideration.
Brain Drip welcomes short story submissions between 1000 and 8000 words. For more information about submitting your work, you can check out their submission guidelines here . if you have any questions or concerns prior to submitting, you can contact Brain Drip here .
13. Spineless Wonders
Spineless Wonders is another publisher that specializes in short fiction written by Australian writers. They seek short fiction of different lengths—from traditional short stories to experimental micro-literature to novellas. All genres are welcome at Spineless Wonders—romance, crime, mystery, steam punk, black comedy, psychological, speculative, and genres yet to be named. In addition to publishing collections by individual authors, they also publish anthologies in print and digital formats.
You can check out their Submittable page to see all their current calls for submissions. That is also where you can find the submission guidelines for each open call. If you have any questions for the Spineless Wonders team, you can reach them via email .
14. Neon Literary Magazine
One of UK’s longest running literary magazines, Neon publishes two issues a year, both in print and in digital formats. They publish poems, short stories, and flash fiction from different genres—romance included—but they are particularly fond of stories that have surreal and speculative elements to them. That said, they also love being surprised, so feel free to submit work outside those realms.
Submissions are currently open, and you can find their submission guidelines here . All submissions must be sent via email and must include a 50-word biography and a cover letter. If it’s your first time submitting your work to an online magazine, you should also check out Neon’s handy guide for new writers .
LitMag is a literary journal that features poetry, fiction, and non-fiction from emerging, established, and unknown writers. In addition to their annual print journal, LitMag also publishes web exclusives throughout the year. Genre plays a very small role in their selection process—they are more particular about how the story makes them feel. For this reason, they welcome submissions from all genres as long as the work moves and amazes them.
LitMag is currently accepting fiction, non-fiction, and poetry submissions. Several LitMag writing contests are also open at the moment. For more information on general submissions and contest rules, you can check out LitMag’s submission guidelines here . If you have additional questions for the LitMag team, you can reach them through their online inquiry form .
16. Fairlight Books
Fairlight Books is a UK-based publisher with a single aim: to celebrate extraordinary writing and promote the best of contemporary fiction. As part of their goal to make good writing accessible to more people, they came up with Fairlight Shorts, an online portal that features short stories from new and established writers. There’s room for every genre at Fairlight, but they are most keen on stories that have depth. While they do welcome well-written romance stories, they are not fond of erotica.
Short story submissions must be under 10,000 words, and each writer may submit up to 3 stories in a single submission. Get more information about their submission guidelines here .
17. The Puritan
Founded in Toronto in 2006, The Puritan is one of Canada’s leading literary journals. They publish their issues on a quarterly basis, and they feature the best in poetry, fiction, essays, and reviews—from both Canada and abroad. They are always looking for new writers to publish, and they pay the writers they feature. Check out their submission guidelines if you would like your work to appear in The Puritan.
All submissions should be sent via The Puritan’s Submittable page . If you have any questions for The Puritan’s editorial team, you can get in touch with them via email .
Are there any other romance short story publishers that should be on this list? Please tell us about them in the comments box below!
Hiten Vyas is the Founder and Managing Editor of Writing Tips Oasis .
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