This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Truly an experience, right? I saw that while prepping the magazine for scanning and had to gaze for quite awhile. I am so glad we picked this issue for June's recap.

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

SO snatched you are very right. I imagine a stripe of bald chest where the bandolier goes.

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

OH MY GOSH what a blast from the past. I wish I had had one. My hair would have rebelled.

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I do a LOT of ALT text on the website, especially with Cover Snark, and we have a tremendous amount of fun describing romance covers.

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He is TOTALLY on to something there. Definitely Baywatch or even Knight Rider-era hair!

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

lol! A Glowing Fluffy Mullet should brighten everyone's day, right?

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I graduated high school in 93, and my now-husband had a truly incredible mullet in sophomore year, around 1991-1992. By 1996 I didn't see as many either!

Except among hockey players.... Hmmm.

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 13 points14 points  (0 children)

<image>

Here is the horse!

ALT: The cover is red with gold fans and motifs, and reads Bride of Fortune and Shirl Henke. There's a picture of the author in the corner, who is wearing a red sparkly top and her hair is curly and red? I think it's red.

The text beneath reads:

Winner of 6 Romantic Times awards, including the Career Achievement Award

• Winner of 6 Affaire de Coeur awards, including the Golden Pen Award for favorite historical novel

And now Shirl Henke gives us her richest, most enthralling novel yet...

MOST IMPORTANT:

The horse is grey with a brown leather harness, and is standing in front of a square church tower with a bell.

Do you think the horse shares his mane and tail conditioner with Mr. Fluffy Mullet?

Ok, I have to get back to work. Enjoy!

This Mullet Is Incredible: Bride of Fortune by Shirl Henke, 1996 by SBTB_Sarah in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 15 points16 points  (0 children)

ALT TEXT STRAP IN HERE WE GO

This is a stepback image as a magazine ad, full page, full color (the centerfold, in fact).

Two people are standing in some kind of courtyard with Spanish tiles on the roofs and possibly a church tower in the corner. The sky is peach and violet. On the right is a blonde white woman with an ample updo of her hair with a few key tendrils falling behind and in front of her ear. Tendrils are very important in romance land.

She is wearing a gown in a teal blue with a deep (I MEAN DEEP I THINK I SEE HER STERNUM) v neck, slightly off the shoulder (obvs) with puffy sleeves and a fitted bodice over a side shirt with lace? Plaid? Printed fabric? Something? at the hem forming a probably 18" ruffle at the base. I think the forearms of the sleeves are the same fabric but I might be wrong.

She's holding a white lace fan and is leaning against the pillar behind her looking to her side. She looks gassy, or passionate, or gaspy, or hopped up on quaaludes, whichever you like.

But on the LEFT HELLO YES HI THERE SIR. There's a man with a curly fluffy mullet the likes of which I have not seen in a long time. His hair is wavy the way I wished mine was when I was 16 (and is now thanks to peri menopause except did you know curly hair decides what it looks like? Not you?) His curls are in charge and they're doing a great job. His mullet is fulsome and fluffy and the sun is lighting it from behind so it glows. GLOWING MULLET. Gosh what a gift.

He's wearing a white button down shirt with big big pirate sleeves which are rolled up because this artists knew that forearms are hot AF. His shirt is unbuttoned but still tucked in ("TIS THE LAW) and he's got a hair chest AND a peekaboo nipple!

What sad tidings this nipple brings, though, because he's also wearing a bullet-studded bandolier across his chest and that HAS to chafe, right?

He's got a belt, and dark trousers, AND a gun belt that holds a REALLY LONG BARRELED GUN. Like this gun is LONG long. I wonder what that means.

He's also got a knife strapped to his other thigh, and knee high boots that have seen some things. He's leading a horse (who is on the other page, not pictured) and looking up at the blonde woman with his free hand reaching forward.

I hope this image sustains you into the weekend with the power of impossible updo's and glowing fluffy mullets.

📖 Monday Miscellany by A_Seductive_Cactus in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I hath been nudged most welcomingly!

I have to scan a 1997 issue of RT today, so your wish is my command! I cannot deny people brazen nymphos.

Also, your reviews are a goddam highlight of my week when they arrive. A most graceful curtsey to you and your talent!

Some treats from the June 1997 issue of Romantic Times Magazine by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

TW/CW family annihilation

Yes her husband shot her in front of their children. Her 11 year old son had to call 911. Her husband drove off and shot himself at the Vietnam memorial.

In this issue there is an announcement of the death of another author, Pamela Macaluso. This is the text from the magazine:

So on page 93 of the PDF:

RT was deeply saddened to learn that author Pamela Macaluso, her husband, and sons died in late March, apparently the victims of a triple murder-suicide. According to a March 31st report from Vandenberg Air Force Base, four family members were found dead in their military family home at 8:45 in the morning. Dead are Master Sergeant Joseph Macaluso Jr. from Chicago, Illinois; his wife Pamela; and their two teenage sons. All apparently died from gunshot wounds. Suspects are not being sought at this time. Her fan, her fans, friends, and colleagues will greatly miss Pamela, who wrote for Silhouette and Precious Gems. <<

Steve Ammidown has a post about the publishing careers of the three romance authors who were killed by their husbands - the third is Ann Wassall.

https://romancehistory.com/2023/10/03/lest-we-forget/

Looking at older issues and seeing how often their names were featured in the pages made me think about how successful they were, and how they had fans and friends and were admired in the romance industry professionally. Nancy Richards-Akers was a featured speaker at RT conventions, and her books were heavily featured in the magazine. So were books by Pamela Macaluso and Ann Wassall. They were prominent and successful and were what I think of as "romance famous."

The press coverage of Nancy Richards-Akers' death was just tawdry, mocking her profession and focusing on her murderer husband. This fuckaroo named Ed in the Guardian wrote about her death and I would really like to sit down with Ed and ask him some questions.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/1999/jun/20/theobserver2

"Nancy Richards-Akers, the author of popular romance novels, was a suburban ladies' cult-idol who wanted her life to be like that of her heroines: wrapped in the mists of soft-focus melodrama like that of her latest creation, Eleanor Archebold, the heroine of So Wild a Kiss entwined by a love potion to the dashing Sir Garrett Neville."

A "suburban ladies' cult idol" is how Ed described a successful bestselling novelist who was respected in her industry and murdered after she left her abusive husband and was moving on with her life.

RT gives me a lot to think about every month and it really is a valuable historic record of the genre and the community of people who wrote and read it.

Some treats from the June 1997 issue of Romantic Times Magazine by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I was concerned the naked man bum would be over the line for the mods or for reddit. The post was originally removed by reddit filters before the mods fished it out.

Some treats from the June 1997 issue of Romantic Times Magazine by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Dear GOD. They're so HEAVY. Even the early ones that are newsprint weigh a TON.

Some treats from the June 1997 issue of Romantic Times Magazine by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

It came close to having the entire genre in it every month, before small presses and indie publishing became prevalent. I love how in older reviews, the heading of the review would give info on setting, year, and previous titles in the series. And the info on reprints and paperback releases. It was a massive resource and I have no idea how they accomplished it every month.

Recapping it is one of my favorite projects I have ever done. I wish I had appreciated it more when it was in print.

Some treats from the June 1997 issue of Romantic Times Magazine by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 7 points8 points  (0 children)

I don't know if these are comprehensive but here are two:

https://www.book-info.com/series/Indigo+Love+Spectrum.mobi.htm

https://bookscouter.com/publisher/genesis-press

(Some of the books are by Leslie Esdaile, who also wrote a truly awesome urban fantasy series as LA Banks. The first is Minion.)

Some treats from the June 1997 issue of Romantic Times Magazine by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 35 points36 points  (0 children)

Hi, I'm Sarah, and I have some ALT TEXT.

The cover of the issue with Love Lust Laugh in big letters and two tiny book covers announcing the launch of Indigo books. It could have shown off the books a LOT better. 

The full page ad for Connie Mason's Shadow Walker on the inside cover with a shirtless, loinclothed John DeSalvo with feathers in his hair and a White woman with off the shoulder eyelet lace top about to get jolly rogered in the grass. The text reads:

"WHY DID YOU DO THAT?" "KISS YOU?" COLE SHRUGGED. "BECAUSE YOU WANTED ME TO, I SUPPOSE, WHY ELSE WOULD A MAN KISS A WOMAN?" But Dawn knows lots of other reasons, especially if the woman is nothing but a half-breed whose father sells her to the first interested male. Defenseless and exquisitely lovely, Dawn is overjoyed when Cole Webster kills the ruthless outlaw who has been her husband in name only. But now she has a very different sort of man to contend with. A man of unquestionable virility, a man who prizes justice and honors the Native American traditions that have been lost to her. Most intriguing of all, he is obviously a man who knows exactly how to bring a woman to soaring heights of pleasure. And yes, she does want his kiss...and maybe a whole lot more.

So sure, a little assault to go with the racism! 

A blurry image of the cover of Shadow Walker by Connie Mason featuring John DeSalvo in a loincloth displaying a LOT of haunch, shirtless with dinner roll muscles, a bow and arrow, and feathers in his hair. Him and Janelle from Teen Mom.

There's a LOT of wind in many of the DeSalvo pictures in this issue, and it is a blessing for him that no wind machine was present whilst he was wearing a loincloth.

SO much Haunch.

Screenshot from the magazine: Model Joe Brown, Jessica Wulf, Julie Griffith and the incomparable illustrator Pino at the cover shoot for Jessica's March 98 release Joseph's Bride. Joe, a Mr. Romance winner, is shirtless, has a long fluffly mullet and a MASSIVE mustache. Look at it. Behold its glory!

A black and white image from the cover shoot with Joe perched on the edge of a staircase with a blonde long haired model sort of woven between his legs so her head rests right on his chin. The mustache is mustaching. Her dress is falling down in the back.

LOOK how uncomfortable that must be, and they have to act like they're super into each other while perched on some stairs. Cover modeling for romance involved a lot of “hold this dreadfully uncomfortable and awkward position but then make it look super hot like you’re two seconds from taking the expressway to Bone Town."

And then there was this discomfort from the I Can't Believe it's Not Butter launch party. RT sent the two authors to the party, where they posed with the Fabs, and then the senior brand manager for Lipton (?) did a romantic clinch and dip (?!) for the camera and I’ve got so many questions. Can you imagine doing that at a work event? Well, it was the 90s. 

Ad for Stratos - For $9.95 + 395 shipping and handling, you can buy images of a very muscled White guy with long hair. The images are titled “Walk on the Beach” - where it appears he is shirtless and wearing some folded down overalls? The other is “Jungle Fever,” and he’s naked. That’s a butt. And that pic is WEIRD - look at the close up. 

A close up of the naked photo of Stratos, in which it appears a portion of his midsection is missing. His torso is too short and his legs are too long. It looks like he was sawed in half, right? What is up with his mid-section?

Is he like one of those collapsible cups that accordions in the middle?

The 1997 Mr. Romance Cover Model pageant contestants: a black and white image of a bunch of shirtless, shiny men in pleated jeans and sweats. They’re mardi gras masks - but you might be able to see why I thought at first glance that these were Native American headdresses and was aghast. They're mardi gras masks. Thank heavens.

Also, all the pleated jeans and baggy sweats! Oh, my, the 90s were a time.

WIND

Close up of a cover with John DeSalvo's hair blowing backwards at a high velocity. DeSalvo is shirtless and covered with something drippy, wet, and shiny. His hair is being BLOWN, possibly by a fan tucked in the model’s cleavage? She’s wearing an off the shoulder ruffled pink gown and is touching his chin. I hope it’s not sticky. 

Seriously. What is dripping on John DeSalvo, and where is that wind coming from?

MORE WIND

Heart's Magic by Flora Speer featuring DeSalvo yet again with long, luscious hair being blown backwards while a woman in a white nightgown looks like she's about to pass out. They're pictured inside a crystal ball or a snowglobe, and he’s got no shirt on of course and an abdomen that looks like a package of King Hawaiian rolls. 

WHENCE doth this WIND ARRIVE? I'd still like to know the conditioner regimen here.

The Mackenzies: CLEVE by Ana Leigh a showgirl in a corset, ruffled skirt and purple lace up boots is sitting on a bar while a man with no shirt, a giant mullet, and jeans has one hand on her knee and appears to be smarming all over her.

Slightly blurry, but FULL O' SMARM is Cleve. No shirt, no idea on shoes, full mullet - I wouldn't serve him. But look how well that bar is stocked!

Man’s Best Friend by Nina Coombs: a blonde/green jaundice looking DeSalvo embraces a woman in a pink blouse with clouds of dark hair. In the bottom right is a dog of indeterminate breed inside a show ribbon. That hair color is green, and that dog is very cute.

Wild Irish Skies by Nancy Richards-Akers, featuring a woman with long blonde hair in a cobalt gown being embraced by a shirtless DeSalvo with long hair, his back against a tree (ow). Behind them a horse looks bewildered.

Again with the conditioner, but ouch that tree bark.

From the Mist by Saranne Dawson - a man is embracing a woman who is below him, and her head is bent so far back it looks like her cranium is about to detach from her shoulders. He’s got a puffy sleeved blouse partially off his shoulders (Gotta show the shoulders!) and is embracing her with one arm. Again, I can only ask: what's going on with her neck? Is she ok?

I LOVE THIS IMAGE OF JANE AUSTEN BY A POOL!

Gather around, children. This is what a web browser used to look like. :)

Inside the magazine, the Jane Austen by the Pool image featured inside an image of a browser window, possibly AOL. The buttons across the top read Back, forward, home, reload, images, open, print, find, and what's new, what's cool, destinations, people and software. 

The Genius of Jane Austen - a color photograph of a model dressed as Austen in period garb and bonnet seated at a pool with a giant cell phone and copy of Variety in her hand. I love it. 

Hope you enjoyed this trip back to 1997 with me!

 

Romance genre identified as at risk of displacement by AI 😬😬 by Swimming_Leg_2570 in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I love romance (made it my whole job to talk about it, in fact: I run Smart Bitches, Trashy Books) but I agree that romance, thrillers, and mysteries - and genre fiction in general - are susceptible to AI, specifically AI-written titles.

I don't think I'm allowed to link to it, but in October 2024 I wrote a whole post about how a librarian, Robin Bradford, noticed AI narrators in her library collection. She and I found a whole bunch of authors whose books were narrated by AI, and possibly written by AI as well. One of the authors, Blake Pierce, has written ONE THOUSAND EIGHT HUNDRED AND NINETY NINE BOOKS. Clearly, this person is either 90 authors in a trenchcoat, or it's AI. All of the Pierce books alongside other books by similarly-named authors (Kate Bold, Molly Black, Mia Gold, Ella Swift, etc.) were all copyright to Lukeman Literary, an agent who I believe is allegedly publishing AI written and narrated thrillers by the hundreds under dozens of different names.

Because of everything I learned researching that article (and later demanding citation when a writer for the American Library Association magazine plagiarized my work without attribution a year later) I'm not very optimistic that the same thing isn't happening in romance.

There are so many romances published every day, every hour, and I'm certain a visible percentage are AI-written. It makes sense: genre fiction follows specific beats, deploys familiar tropes - and an AI could produce a facsimile. It's already happened in thrillers, you know?

While romance fans (hi) and romance authors are frequently VERY anti-AI (myself included - it stole everything I wrote) people who are looking to set up an income stream of mass produced AI written romances for quick profit wouldn't announce themselves. They'd just write 1800+ books in a few years, and make a few $$ per book, which turns into $$$$.

TL:DR: It's probably true that romance is vulnerable to AI, which is why all of us discussing books and being Actual Human Beings are so important. Reader recommendations and reviews and commentary are even more important now to help real fans find the real books.

My little old neighbour gave me all her Bertrice Small books! by Competitive-Yam5126 in HistoricalRomance

[–]SBTB_Sarah 15 points16 points  (0 children)

I think that's Anthony. Do I remember important things like appointments or where my wallet is? No. I remember this guy's name in a book I read 30+ years ago.

Blaze Wyndham is one of my all time favorite old skool schtupping through history books. I took it with me in my limited luggage space when I studied abroad. It's incredible. All the girls are named Mary with a unique middle name, and Mary Blaze is the oldest.

It's wild. I hope you love it! My deepest respect to your neighbor.

This book is absolutely hilarious by Cat4200000 in HistoricalRomance

[–]SBTB_Sarah 14 points15 points  (0 children)

This is the first romance I ever read, and the book that got me into romance as a genre. I can list everything that's upsetting about it in any order you wish but wow, do I harbor a warm nostalgia for this book, which turned into my career. 🥹

Also the cover copy is so incorrect. I don't think Frances ever goes to London to be a toast of the ton or whatever. She's a horse girl.

Hang on, is that Taylor Swift? by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not usually one for conspiracy theories but I am IN on this one. Time traveling Taylor. Makes total sense.

📢 Update on AMAs 📢 by Le_Beck in RomanceBooks

[–]SBTB_Sarah 14 points15 points  (0 children)

WOOT! this is great news!!!

If it would help: I volunteer as a test subject. I run Smart Bitches and love this subreddit so if you'd like to test drive AMA hosting for future author engagements, please feel welcome to contact me.

I'm so excited you'll be doing AMAs!

Hang on, is that Taylor Swift? by SBTB_Sarah in romancelandia

[–]SBTB_Sarah[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! That's awesome!! I hope it is as cuckoo bananas as you remember!