“No, I didn’t!”
“Yes, you did! You pandered big time! You sold out! You prostituted yourself!”
“No, really. I didn’t. I swear it.”
“Oh yeah? Explain.” Foot tapping. “I’m waiting…”
“Well, you see, it’s like this… Come Back To Me was always a New Adult book.”
“Oh yeah? Really… This I gotta hear.”
“Yes, really. I’m not messing around here. The story follows the heroine for ten years- from the time she’s 12 years old until she’s 23 years old and already a young single mother and a graduate student. It’s just that the New Adult label or designation or sub-genre didn’t exist when I wrote the book. When the book was first published, it was considered a contemporary romance and it’s not even that!”
“Oh? And why not?”
“Because, you bee-yotch, it takes place decades before contemporary times, like… like… in the late 1960′s through the late 1970′s. Things were way different for new adults back then. So it can’t be considered contemporary by any stretch of the imagination.”
“Well, I don’t know…”
“Besides, it’s not your typical romance. The hero and heroine barely spend any time together and she’s, I mean the heroine, Cara, is a major fuck up. She is so messed up you can hardly call her a romance heroine. She’s weak. She has a horrible self-image. She’s a victim, a drug user, a geek, and even worse, she’s promiscuous, and the hero (he’s a great hero), James, gives up on her after a while. He totally gives up on her because she stomps on his heart and destroys his world.”
“Promiscuous? A hero who jumps the shark? Those are big no-no’s in romancelandia.”
“Hey, Miss Know-Nothing- she has her reasons, he has his, and they’re damn good. You should give the book a chance before you jump to conclusions. I didn’t sell out or pander to this labeling craze. I finally found a label that fit this particular story! For crying out loud, it took years to find the right category!”
“I don’t know… You’ve always avoided labels and branding… This is making me kinda nervous.”
“True. I know, you’re right. Point taken. But in this case, well, if the shoe fits… Give the book a try. See what you think. The New Adult label fits Come Back To Me like a glove. Besides, the conclusion makes me cry every damn time I read it.”
Come Back To Me, by J.R. Barrett (That’s me!)
Aw, so what if you did? It’s your body [of work] and nobody’s business how you sell it. <3
Ah, but Steph… I’m not into labels!
Yeah! Alright! So you’re an opportunist!Nothing wrong with that.
The NA label fits Come Back to Me. Sometimes you gotta go with the flow, besides, I love the cover.
Soooo, what’s wrong with pandering? Panhandling isn’t good, panicking is limiting, and pooping on public sidewalks is illegal in most states, but pandering?
Throw in a picture of Jake or one of you feeding a calf on the ranch, if you want (but not actually on the cover, which is wonderful as it is).
It’s your book, and your right to pander to your heart’s content.
Now ya’ll do realize this is a conversation I had with myself? Right?
I am Ray - better an opportunist than a…? Hmmmm, gotta think of this. I would actually have made a great CEO of something. Or is it COO?
Thanks, Stephanie!
But Marylin… I’ve witnessed sidewalk pooping in San Francisco. And sidewalk sex. Ewwwwwww.
Yeah, now Jake and the picture of feeding the baby calf? Pandering!
Oooooooohhhhhhhhh………Hahahahahahahahah! You little kidder you!
NA is the perfect category for Come Back to Me and I love the cover.
Come Back To Me is such a powerful book! Keep kleenex at hand. It definitely belongs in the New Adult section.
Love the cover. And sounds like a perfect new adult fit.
Thanks Sandra, Kat and Amber - you all know this book so…
LOL Ray!
Say what? Say what???? SAY WHAT???????????
The 1960′s were, “decades before contemporary”?
Dear friend, with all due respect.
I was a teen in the 60′s. I am STILL VERY MUCH CONTEMPORARY!!!!!
Excuse me while I go home and lick my wounds.
*teardrops are falling from my eyes*
Roberta! LMAO! So you’ll get the book!
Just stopped by to say hey.
Thanks, Sandra!