Gothic Romance Revival?

[Alana Matthews]

Hi, all. My name is Alana Matthews and I currently write for Harlequin Intrigue. I grew up in the 70's and fell in love with gothic romances, only to see them disappear over the years.

I've always wanted to start writing gothics, but have never been met with much enthusiasm when I've proposed a gothic to my publishers. There is, however, a publisher I've spoken with who has shown some interest in trying to revive the genre.

So I'm curious. How many of you out there think that such a revival is possible? Are gothic romance lovers like ourselves only a small segment of the romance reading population, or do you think there are a lot of people out there clamoring for them?

I'm also curious to know what you think about setting gothics in the contemporary world—like many were in the seventies. Is it possible for the gothic romance to be updated to today and still retain it's mystery and sense of foreboding?

I've just released a book for Intrigue, and am about to launch into a gothic romance under my pen name Amanda Wakefield called THE SHADOW UNDER THE STAIRS. I have no idea if my "experiment" will work, but I know I'll enjoy writing it.

By the way, the closest I've come to writing a "gothic" for Harlequin Intrigue was my book WATERFORD POINT, which came out last year under their "Shivers" imprint and is about an island off the coast of Maine that's haunted by the "ghost" of Weeping Willow. Not quite the same as the GRs I read as a kid, but when I wrote it I was definitely thinking gothic.

AM

[The Ming]

Hi, all. My name is Alana Matthews and I currently write for Harlequin Intrigue. I grew up in the 70's and fell in love with gothic romances, only to see them disappear over the years.

I've always wanted to start writing gothics, but have never been met with much enthusiasm when I've proposed a gothic to my publishers. There is, however, a publisher I've spoken with who has shown some interest in trying to revive the genre.

So I'm curious. How many of you out there think that such a revival is possible? Are gothic romance lovers like ourselves only a small segment of the romance reading population, or do you think there are a lot of people out there clamoring for them?

I'm also curious to know what you think about setting gothics in the contemporary world—like many were in the seventies. Is it possible for the gothic romance to be updated to today and still retain it's mystery and sense of foreboding?

I've just released a book for Intrigue, and am about to launch into a gothic romance under my pen name Amanda Wakefield called THE SHADOW UNDER THE STAIRS. I have no idea if my "experiment" will work, but I know I'll enjoy writing it.

By the way, the closest I've come to writing a "gothic" for Harlequin Intrigue was my book WATERFORD POINT, which came out last year under their "Shivers" imprint and is about an island off the coast of Maine that's haunted by the "ghost" of Weeping Willow. Not quite the same as the GRs I read as a kid, but when I wrote it I was definitely thinking gothic.

AM

I believe that the time is right, or maybe almost right for a Gothic revival and I really like the idea of a contemporary Gothic. I'm trying to write one now. You know Hqn have an e-line of Gothic novels called Shivers although reading between the lines it seems more paranormal than Gothic.

I read my Mum's Phyllis Whitney and Victoria Holt romances in the early 80s and loved them. I do believe a contemporary interpretation of these types of novels would be popular.

[Alana Matthews]

You know Hqn have an e-line of Gothic novels called Shivers although reading between the lines it seems more paranormal than Gothic.

HQ's Shivers line is relatively new. It used to be part of their print line with Intrigue (as with my book Waterford Point), but for whatever reason they transitioned to a new ebook line. That seems to be where everything is going these days.

[Arkansas Annie]

So I'm curious. How many of you out there think that such a revival is possible? Are gothic romance lovers like ourselves only a small segment of the romance reading population, or do you think there are a lot of people out there clamoring for them?

I'm also curious to know what you think about setting gothics in the contemporary world—like many were in the seventies. Is it possible for the gothic romance to be updated to today and still retain it's mystery and sense of foreboding?

AM

Amanda and everyone: I hope we're in for a gothic revival, and I think now is a good time for it. We fans of the genre probably represent only a small segment of the romance-reading population, but the ebook revolution has made niche publishing viable.

An author can publish and market her works directly to her readership without the middleman of a brick-and-mortar publisher. Nobody can tell her she can't target a small readership. If one author or even one book really takes off, traditional publishers will take notice and come out with more in the same vein.

You asked if gothic romances can be set in today's world and still retain their gothic character. Well, I don't see why they can't. Last time I looked, there was still plenty of weird, bizarre, grotesque, dangerous, and unexpected stuff in the world!

Good luck with your writing projects.

[Penfeather]

Hi Alana,

Articles like the following do not make Harlequin sound like an attractive publisher for aspiring authors:

http://jakonrath.blogspot.com/2012/05/ha...-fail.html

Since you're an author who not only publishes with Harlequin but seems to feel positively about them, I personally would love to hear your views and experiences, because, quite honestly, the number of "dirty little secrets" about Harlequin's mistreatment of their authors that have surfaced online in recent years is a big turn-off to many of us who might otherwise consider writing for them. However, I for one wouldn't want to make up my mind based on hearing only one side, so would you be willing to share yours?

Hi, all. My name is Alana Matthews and I currently write for Harlequin Intrigue. I grew up in the 70's and fell in love with gothic romances, only to see them disappear over the years.

I've always wanted to start writing gothics, but have never been met with much enthusiasm when I've proposed a gothic to my publishers. There is, however, a publisher I've spoken with who has shown some interest in trying to revive the genre.

So I'm curious. How many of you out there think that such a revival is possible? Are gothic romance lovers like ourselves only a small segment of the romance reading population, or do you think there are a lot of people out there clamoring for them?

I'm also curious to know what you think about setting gothics in the contemporary world—like many were in the seventies. Is it possible for the gothic romance to be updated to today and still retain it's mystery and sense of foreboding?

I've just released a book for Intrigue, and am about to launch into a gothic romance under my pen name Amanda Wakefield called THE SHADOW UNDER THE STAIRS. I have no idea if my "experiment" will work, but I know I'll enjoy writing it.

By the way, the closest I've come to writing a "gothic" for Harlequin Intrigue was my book WATERFORD POINT, which came out last year under their "Shivers" imprint and is about an island off the coast of Maine that's haunted by the "ghost" of Weeping Willow. Not quite the same as the GRs I read as a kid, but when I wrote it I was definitely thinking gothic.

AM