This past Saturday, I did a signing at a Barnes & Noble here in Chicago and I had such a great time! There was a wonderful turn-out– I think one of the best parts of being an author has to be getting the opportunity to meet and talk to readers. I had such fun conversations– I swear, the romance community is just the most fabulously interesting group of people. And I even learned all about my local RWA chapter (something I really need to look into joining) and I picked up a book recommendation, too: Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas. This will be only the second historical I’ve ever read (I know, I know, I need to rectify that situation) and I can’t wait to check out the infamous Derek Craven, who I’ve heard is very, very yummy…
So I already knew this, but I have to say that I really am blessed to have the most amazing group of friends and family. I was incredibly touched that so many of them came by the signing. I should’ve taken more photos– but of course I was too busy talking to remember that– although I at least managed to get this one of me and my friends Debra and Kellie. And how about this– I was thrilled that an old guy friend of mine that I hadn’t seen for fifteen years showed up. Ahh… the power of Facebook.
Not surprisingly, a lot of my friends are lawyers. There was a moment at the signing when I looked around and just had to smile– I wondered if there’s ever before been such a large gathering of lawyers–men and women– standing around discussing contemporary romance. And yes, they’re my friends so I might be a tad biased here, but they’re just such a witty and fun group. What cracks me up about that is that I’ve had several readers mention to me that they normally don’t like stories about lawyers.
Now, don’t get me wrong… I can tell you from personal experience that some lawyers definitely are first-class a-holes. But I wonder, generally speaking, where do these negative impressions of lawyers come from? Is it what we see portrayed on television and in movies? Is it based on personal experience? Or maybe it’s just that the “bad” lawyers stand out so much more than the good ones?
So here’s the question: if you’ve had a bias either for or against lawyer characters in novels, what led you to feel that way? Or, if you like some stories involving lawyers but not others, which ones work for you and why?
wow what a a great writer.
Great picture, and it definitely looks like it was an awesome booksigning. If only I lived in Chicago!
Personally, I love lawyer books because they usually contain snappy, quick dialogue with lots of subtext. I think that if people do have opinions about a certain type of novel (for whatever reason) that it only takes a skilled author and a great book to change that perception. For example, I really do not care for spy novel romances at all (maybe it’s from all the James Bond movies my dad would make us watch) but I really liked Jo Bourne’s The Spymaster’s Lady.
And oh my god, you will love, love, love Dreaming of You. Derek Craven. You will have a hankering for snaggle-toothed heroes after reading that book.
For some reason I can’t think of many lawyers as characters in the books I have read in the past. You have started a trend!
Thank you, Mazri– such a nice thing to say!
Elyssa: Ah… another Derek Craven fan… from everything I’m hearing, I can’t wait to get my hands on the guy. Er, the book. And I have The Spymaster’s Lady– I’ll have to bump that up in my TBR (which is ever growing…)
Kate: Hmm… give me some time… I’ll give some thought to lawyer characters in contemporary romance. Maybe for some reason lawyers are more prevalent in movies/television?
Hey glad your signing turned out so well. Sounds like it was a lot of fun. And yeah, I think you’ll love “Dreaming of You”. My favorite Kleypas is “Where Dreams Begin”. It’s a stand-alone.
Hmmm, I can’t think of a book where I’ve turned against a lawyer, but then again I’ve not read many of them, at least none where the fact that the character was a lawyer played heavily into the storyline. I do think you’ve made lawyers seem very interesting as main characters of a book, and it’s something I hope we’ll see more of, provided it catches the reader’s attention.
Sooo, what is the general consensus from other attorneys about romances novels? Do you think anyone you know has changed their opinion about them?
Hi Stacy! The reception from my lawyer friends has been great! I think they get a kick out of seeing characters that sometimes look slightly familiar to them. ; ) As for whether they’ve changed their opinion about romances… I don’t know if any of them ever had a negative opinion about romance– most of my friends are fans of romantic comedy in general. Although I do try to sneak in book recommendations here and there…