tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post8611043310186899063..comments2024-02-19T15:25:57.626+11:00Comments on Breathless In the Bush: The Power of WritingHelzKathttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01921987291520604201noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-38260553549721702482020-05-03T15:53:22.953+10:002020-05-03T15:53:22.953+10:00Hi Alyssa, thanks for such an insightful post. I r...Hi Alyssa, thanks for such an insightful post. I read The Irredeemable Prince recently and loved it. I'm now reading your other novels in that series.Sharon Bryanthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01662544181464130756noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-62116741460506610162020-04-14T09:21:47.546+10:002020-04-14T09:21:47.546+10:00My debut book A Scandalous Wager was about how gos...My debut book A Scandalous Wager was about how gossip and bullying tactics can really have an effect on people's perception of the truth.Cassandra Samuelshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13818025453828445251noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-49031966181924103252020-04-07T21:18:02.790+10:002020-04-07T21:18:02.790+10:00Marilyn, your stories are perfect examples of thes...Marilyn, your stories are perfect examples of these modern issues being faced by our modern characters. I think it's really great for readers to see real challenges being overcome. Even if our characters are fictitious, the way they handle real life issues might hopefully provide some hope and inspiration right there in the midst of a great read.Alyssa J Montgomery https://www.blogger.com/profile/04062923136693943821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-63728878929560778802020-04-07T21:15:59.510+10:002020-04-07T21:15:59.510+10:00Those stories sound fabulous! Marry in Scarlet is ...Those stories sound fabulous! Marry in Scarlet is on my wish list but the American Dirt is one I'll look out for. Alyssa J Montgomery https://www.blogger.com/profile/04062923136693943821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-12239827995645505992020-04-07T21:14:31.037+10:002020-04-07T21:14:31.037+10:00I'm glad my thoughts resonated with you Enisa!...I'm glad my thoughts resonated with you Enisa! The issues can be memorable. The trick is making certain they're central to the characters and their challenges and development.<br />I hope you read many more entertaining novels that provide escape even while rooted in reality!Alyssa J Montgomery https://www.blogger.com/profile/04062923136693943821noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-7742193947036541612020-04-06T16:23:53.327+10:002020-04-06T16:23:53.327+10:00Hi Alyssa! Great post, and so relevant! It made me...Hi Alyssa! Great post, and so relevant! It made me think back to my own Rural Romances. In The Farmer's Perfect Match the duplicity involved in creating reality TV was central to the core of the story, and in Falling in Love Again the effects of domestic abuse were highlighted. Romance certainly points a spotlight at modern realities.<br />Marilyn Forsythhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17264683453138649702noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-37965781737771380022020-04-06T09:05:15.886+10:002020-04-06T09:05:15.886+10:00Love this post, Alyssa, and totally agree with you...Love this post, Alyssa, and totally agree with you about novels highlighting issues. I've read 2 in the last couple of weeks that have done exactly that: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins, highlighting the awful plight of refugees, and Marry in Scarlet by Anne Gracie, a Regency romance which picked up on the way women often forfeited all their money, possessions and rights to their husbands when they married (but *this* hero and heroine were having none of that!). The latter is out in May. I'm fond of the saying 'everything I know I learnt from a romance novel' - and, quite often, it's true! Thanks for reminding me! And I love George Orwell's novels, BTW. I finally read '1984' in … 1984!Mirandahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16395027098663054678noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2603806150366948575.post-86304603726832527662020-04-06T07:06:36.962+10:002020-04-06T07:06:36.962+10:00Hi Alyssa. Thank you,t thank you for talking about...Hi Alyssa. Thank you,t thank you for talking about the fact that novels are not just entertainment, how they often bring into focus the realities that exist in life. Yes, I read for entertainment but the stories that get to me, that I remember are the ones where the characters have experienced in the past or are experiencing in the present things that have happened in reality. I have read of one heroine with breast cancer, another with a brain tumour. I have read of a hero with PTSD after fighting in Afghanistan. Of I have read romances dealing with child sexual abuse, being the child of a serial killer, being a victim of a mass shopping mall shooting. All negative issues but they show how the characters grow from the experiences into beautiful people. On the plus side, I read a romance where the hero had won the lottery jackpot and all the good things he did with the money. And what a bonus for me that you mentioned George Orwell and 1984. My favourite, favourite book of all! I, too, read it for my HSC and I credit the book for making me who I am. It is because of the main character, Winston, and his struggle to be himself rather than one of the masses that influenced me. I didn't have to be like the other girls, didn't have to be in their clique. Sadly, Winston lost his bid for individuality and became one of the masses. I swore I never would. For him and for me. And here I am, individual. I have to stop now.Enisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14618040099949009436noreply@blogger.com