The Tucson Festival of Books

Turning up the Heat, The Spicier Side of Romance

Yesterday, March 15, 2009 was the kickoff of the first Tucson Festival of Books which took place at the University of Arizona's campus here in Tucson, Arizona. A huge event with over 400 authors and an expected 50,000 guests, it was a fun filled day with something for everyone. There were activities and entertainment for children and adults. Great food was provided by several local vendors, and booths galore to peruse books, literacy programs, the library's new e-book abilities, and much more.

I was offered the opportunity to speak on a panel with erotic romance authors Jill Knowles and Sherrill Quinn. Adrienne Walker from 94.9 MIX FM was our wonderful moderator for the discussion. Jill Knowles kicked the presentation off with a discussion of the romance genre and how it has evolved from the bodice ripper covers with purple prose and closed doors on sex scenes, to the steamier not-always-an-alpha-male erotic romance of today that can push the envelope right off the table.

Sherrill Quinn defined the romance genre and its many facets, from sweet traditional, to erotic romance, and erotica. She explained the difference between porn and erotic romance, and gave an interesting recount of how and why she began writing.

I spoke about the future of books, specifically e-books, and gave a run-down of the different formats and ways we can purchase them. Almost everyone in the audience had heard about them, but only a few owned a hand-held reader, so it looks like the PC is still the way to go when reading our favorite digital media. I discussed the purchase of Fictionwise.com by Barnes and Noble and suggested those who had never tried an e-book head on over to that site and download a free read.

There were a lot of questions from our audience, anything from "What does a woman want?" to "What do you see the future of paranormal erotic romance turning to?" Adrienne tossed Hershey's Kisses to everyone who asked a question. We actually ran over our allotted time and met with many members of our audience when they came up to the table to ask more questions and exchange contact information.

Our book signing followed the panel discussion outside the building on the patio. Sherrill had a supply of her book Daring the Moon to sign and give away! I had an assortment of my loveyoudivine titles available for sale, and Jill, ever the extrovert, gathered readers and invited them over to our table to meet us all.

Sherrill spent time at the RWA booth later on, while Jill and I walked the mall and scoped out all the fun and exciting things vendors had to offer. It was a day that I will remember forever! If you're in the Tucson area, stop by the U of A today for the last day of the event. Don't forget to get a bag of Kettle Corn!

Anastasia Rabiyah