On Language...

This weekend I took part in a national television quiz show. Now this one was all in good fun, with good-natured competition and lots of humor. No one was called the "weakest link" and no one was humiliated. And it was all about language.

Called "Test the Nation—Watch Your Language", this was the Canadian version of a show that’s been a hit in over 20 countries, including Britain. Six teams are pitted against each other—ours included Romance Authors, English Teachers, and Comedians amongst others. We Romance Authors were a dedicated bunch—we set up a loop, studied hard (I read the dictionary on my flight there), and built a strong, enthusiastic team.

So did we win, in a show about language? Well, I can’t reveal the results yet—the show will be aired on CBC, one of Canada’s national networks, in the fall. I loved the chance to see what happens behind the scenes on TV, and was amazed at how smoothly the taping went when 250 people had to be organized. I even had a chance to be in the spotlight—I was asked to explain how romance crosses the line into erotic romance. I had to plan the answer for that, considering the show will be shown at 8:00 p.m. I pointed out that in erotic romance the language is frank, and I don't use euphemisms (though I didn't get the chance to wax on about great historical terms...)

While traveling home, I also had the chance to check out the airport bookstores, and saw Pam’s The Slightest Provocation on display, face out. Very exciting! I also noticed other covers that featured historical paintings of women, in the style of TSP’s cover. I love that look—they draw me to pick up the book and read it. I also noticed a "classics" section, but the cover for Vanity Fair, in an ironical move, was a shot from the recent movie.

In regard to covers, I posted the one for my upcoming book Blood Rose, above. Yep, he’s a bare-chested guy, but I like him—I like the graphical quality of the picture, and I admit I’m a sucker for male hipbones.

In other news, I was featured (as an erotic romance author) in the major newspaper for my hometown, which is also Canada’s national capital. It was exciting to come home to see my picture on the front page, and to find an article on me in the Arts and Books Section. Here’s a link to the article if you’re interested:
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/story.html?id=eb57a22d-9b41-4258-b473-2213e02d8fe0&p=2
(This is my first newspaper article, so I hope you’ll bear with me.)

All in all, this weekend, I was intrigued to see how mainstream erotica and erotic romance has become.