I'm going to ARRC2013!

You know - back in 2008 when a few of us posed the question of whether or not we could throw a Romance Reader convention in Australia - none of us imagined how successful the idea would be, or how Australian readers, publishers, booksellers and authors have supported us. I am so very proud to have been there from the beginning. I still remember when we got the emails from MaryJanice Davidson and Sherrilyn Kenyon telling us that they'd love to come to our first effort in 2009 and I think I nearly fell off my chair :-)

We started with no money at all, and a small bunch of enthusiastic workers, so to look at the success and professionalism of the organisation now - well, it gets me *sniff* all teary and choked up even thinking about it...

So wild horses couldn't keep me away from the next ARRC in Brisbane next March...are you coming too?

Flashmob!

Last Sunday I participated in what I can only guess is the first ever Romance Reading Flashmob!  Organised by the Australian Romance Readers Association to celebrate both Valentine's Day and the National Year of Reading 2011

The National Year of Reading 2012 is about children learning to read and keen readers finding new sources of inspiration. It's about supporting reading initiatives while respecting the oral tradition of storytelling. It's about helping people discover and rediscover the magic of books. And most of all, it's about Australians becoming a nation of readers.  www.love2read.org.au

A great idea huh! I plan to do my bit!

So back to the flashmob event.

The weather was good to us after a week of on again and off again rain storms. The sun was brilliant, perhaps a little bright for those who attended the previous night's ARRA Awards Dinner (Which I also went to, but the ARRA blog tells that story brilliantly so click on the link to read all about it!)

So at 11am we congregated on the historic Pyrmont Bridge in Sydney and brought out our romance novels and started reading.

All at the same time!

Here I am shamelessly reading my own book. Well, what book would you expect me to read? I have to say I was thrilled to see that another of the flashmobbers also had a copy! Okay, she won it from me in a competition, but hey, she brought it along to the event :-) (Thanks Brooke!). I did also have my trusty Kindle with me so I could read something new *vbg*

We all found our space in different ways. Some people set up a picnic :-)

Some sat on benches.  That's Tracey Ohara there on the right! Her partner in crime on the bench there is Erin :-). Behind her are ARRA chair, Debbie on the left, member Barbara in the middle, and the hardworking sponsor wrangler Helen on the right. Shannon Curtis was also there, but a bit further along!

The photographer in the background is Kat (Bookthingo)

The Melbourne crew found some shade.  They're not used to the good weather I guess!

The ladies and gents from Avon Romance and Momentum Books also got into the spirit of it all! I love it that Anne Treasure (Momentum) had her eBook reader!  It wasn't the only one there, but hey, for the local publishing industry to go digital is a wonderful thing! Their website just went live so go check it out HERE





So here's the whole mob. At last count there were more than 40 enthusiastic romance readers! Who said Romance fiction isn't popular in Australia? Publishers and booksellers take note!

I'm looking forward to the next one!

Thanks to ARRA for organising it :-)

MONDAY MAGIC - Ozzy Wolf

Some time ago I met this wonderful person on Facebook. He loves to read and is incredibly supportive of romance fiction. At the time I was looking for special guests for my blog and Ozzy replied. How can I resist such a charming German! He also has a fabulous blog that you must check out! (You can translate the page clicking on the Google translator that pops up at the top of the page :-)

So please welcome my very special guest today for MONDAY MAGIC - Ozzy Wolf!

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Dear Maggie,

First of all, I would like to thank you for your invitation to write an article for your blog. An article about me and my readings. I also want to thank you for what you said about my own blog. Your words went deep into my heart. I want to tell you the same about your site, which I love too, and which I always like to visit. I'm very happy to be here! ♥

I want to follow your suggestion and I will try to tell you and your lovely readers a little bit more about me, my readings, the reasons and about my blog. Finally, I want to introduce a few German authors of sensual stories. Authors, whose stories I love to read.

Who am I? Who is this Ozzy?

I'm living alone, ... But that's an other topic. :) I'm 38 years young and my star sign is the cancer. I think those are the main reasons that I ever read so much, whenever my time permits. It is also the reason that I read these books and I especially enjoy reading the erotic genre. Currently I read it somehow really gladly, and I don't like to miss it. In addition, I love romantic and fantasy books. I am a day dreamer, a night dreamer, an optimist. I am always curious and open to new ideas. And, I love dragons and wolves.

But, back to the erotic novels,… As a cancer I'm very sensitive, very emotional, I love the romance and the love. Even the love itself is something that I miss very much currently in my real life. The intimate proximity. The confidence we are giving each other then. The togetherness. Knowledge and safeness of one's own partner, and his love. And so on. And so on.

I know some wonderful German authors. I can recommend them all to you by my whole heart. I loved and I love reading their books. I read them, because they give me what my yearning heart desires so much. Whether, short or long stories, or whole novels. Reading their books, I am moved to tears again and again, I find it hard to breathe, I lift off, fly away and start to rave about the destinys, losing me in the stories, and so on. In short, I become then very sentimental. Easily, I love their stories. These are full and wonderful stories of someone, I grow fond of them, without exception. Someone, who I begin to miss at the end of each story.

I think you can see, the genre gives me all the things, which are close to my longing heart. I hope one day to be able to give someone what I get reading my favorite books. Emotion and devotion. Also my blog is an expression of what I have to give, and what I want to give all my lovely readers. In love.

Finally, I am a computer specialist, and I work at the IT department of a research institute as a script- and a web developer and as a content manager. I love to meet new people from all over the world, and to make friendships. My friends mean everything to me and my blog is my loveliest hobby, which comes from my whole heart. It is my form to say 'Thank you' to all writers in the world and to give my love to all of its readers.

Authors and my recommendations

Now I wanted to try to describe to you two passages from a book I've read a few months ago. A book titled Der Freibeuter und die Piratenlady written by Inka Loreen Minden. A book that is still affecting me in memory, even today. But, I lack the right words to describe it to you the same way I did in my German review. So, allow me to give you the link to my review, and to hope, Google's Translator will do all at its best.

Every time I read my own review I'm moving to tears. Simply, I love this story.

Click HERE to read my review

By the way, I invite you, Maggie, and all of your readers to visit my blog. I'm looking forward to see all of you also there! ♥

There are too many. There are simply to many authors I love to read. Also authors I daily discover new to me. Authors I love, deep in my hungry and feeling heart. I seriously can you name them all in my post. I would also not like to miss to mention any of them. But there are a few authors from the recent past, whose books have rekindled the desire in me. Authors whose books are just the hammer, and belong in every shelf, in my eyes. Authors to whom I wish with all my heart success and that their books were translated into other languages, so all lovely and hungry readers from all over the world will be able to discover their erotic, emotional and fantastic worlds together with me. I'm very pleased to be a friend of some of these wonderful authors. Womens and girls, who I never will miss again! ♥ Most of their books I read are not only erotic novels. I love the love and the emotions some books arouse in my heart and in my mind. ♥ Five of these wonderful authors are …Inka Loreen Minden  (aka Lucy Palmer), Aveleen Avide, Sandra Henke, Lara Sailor and Natalie Frank


I love them all, and also all the others, who are not mentioned here! ♥

They all write wonderful short stories or whole erotic novels. Most of them repeatedly contain fantasy elements, very much heart, love and emotion, a lot of new ideas and surprises. Stories that change the reader himself and never release him again. Unforgettable Stories, which finally I love to read and to think of. Stories, which touch the readers heart. Stories, which give to me all the things my heart needs and desires.





I bow in gratitude and thankful to all of you, writers all over the world and my lovely friends!

Because I also love to read fantasy books, I love all the trilogies of Licia Troisi, too. She is an Italian writer, and she writes wonderful young adult fantasy about young girls in a world of dragons. Love them all.

Thank you very much, Maggie! ♥

Wish you and all of your readers only the best!
Have you all a wonderful and sensual Christmas and a Happy New Year!
In love, your Ozzy









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Thanks so much for being my special guest today Ozzy!  It's wonderful to see a man who is not afraid to express his emotions. I loved reading about your favourite German authors too.  They are all new to me, but I will watch out for English versions of their books. My German is not that great LOL.

A great reader review for THE RELIC

The lovely Helen has given THE RELIC a great review in the latest ARRA Newsletter..

This is a great book set in the jungle. Vincent is one hot hero and Magda is a very strong heroine. I read this in one setting. This story is filled with hot romance and lots of action. I enjoyed it from start to finish. Great book.

Quoted with kind permission from Helen, NSW

Click HERE to buy this great book (even if I do say so myself!)

Survey for Aussie Romance Readers

A friend recently circulated some information about romance reading statistics from the US. It occurred to us that we are always quoting US statistics - because we don't have any of our own.

So, shamelessly stealing questions from the US sites - and adding in our own interests, a few members of the Australian Romance Readers Association have come up with a romance readers survey for Australian romance readers. If you would like to be involved, just click on the link below and follow the prompts.

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=s629GukPo4XnX3HN1IlCug_3d_3d

The questions are pretty straightforward, but please let us know if you have any queries.

Anyone who reads romance and lives in Australia can answer the survey - please pass the link along to any of your friends who you think will be interested. We will close the survey at the end of September and the results will be available on the ARRA website - www.australianromancereaders.com.au

If there are other questions you would like answered, let us know and we will add them to the list for next year.

Thanks in advance