Guest Post: Romantic Comedies Ooze Love and Laughter by Victoria Connelly
Yesterday, I reviewed Victoria Connelly's third book in the Austen Addicts series, Mr. Darcy Forever, which is a more serious look at the bonds of sisters among Janeites. Sarah and Mia Castle are friends and sisters and while friends shouldn't like the same man, it is even worse when the same sisters like him.
Like most Austen-inspired novels, there is misconceptions, misunderstandings, and downright fun in those pages. Connelly, however, has a gift for creating Austenesque characters with modern sensibilities and troubles.
Today, Victoria is stopping by to share with my readers her favorite genre of books and why they're her favorites -- and by now, you should have guessed its romantic comedies. Without further ado, please give her a warm welcome.
I grew up watching the films of Doris Day, Gene Kelly and Marilyn Monroe so I've always been a great fan of romantic comedies and it's no surprise that I longed to write them myself. It's a genre that blends two of the most important things in life: love and laughter.
I also love reading romantic comedies and some of my favourite authors are Sophie Kinsella, Deborah Wright, Ruth Saberton and Raffaella Barker. I adore their lightness of touch and their zany, larger-than-life characters. Sophie Kinsella never fails to make me laugh out loud. Her first-person narratives are highly addictive and really let you get close to her heroines, and her heroes are irresistible – of course!
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One of my favourite books of all time he is H E Bates’s The Darling Buds of May. It was first published in 1958 and I think it’s really stood the test of time. It's full of warm humour and has at its heart two love stories: that of the awkward tax inspector, Cedric ‘Charley’ Charlton, who falls under the spell of young Mariette Larkin and never returns to the tax office and his dreary old job. There’s also the more mature love story of Pop and Ma Larkin and their ever-increasing brood of children. Whenever I needed a pick me up, I turn to this book and the wonderful TV adaptation made in the early 90s. It is romantic comedy at its very best. Thanks, Victoria, for sharing your favorites with us.
If you'd like to win a copy of the book, leave a comment below.
Giveaway is open to U.S./Canada residents and will end on April 13, 2012.
Good Luck!