Besides romance I also read general fiction, mysteries (especially legal thrillers), and occasionally non-fiction. I rarely read science fiction or horror (with the exception of Chelsea Quinn Yarbro) because I get too scared (really!). My favorite romance authors are Roberta Gellis, Laura Kinsale, Mary Balogh, Mary Jo Putney, Sandra Brown, Edith Layton, Linda Howard, Elizabeth Stuart, Carla Kelly, Stephanie Laurens, and (always) Jan Cox Speas. In non-romance my favorites include Diana Gabaldon, Judith Merkle Riley, Dick Francis, Lindsey Davis, and Wilbur Smith.

I was born and raised in the Midwest but have lived more recently in northern Delaware (that's about thirty miles south of Philadelphia if you wondered 'Dela-WHERE?') with my husband of over thirty years (now there's romance!). We have two sons and a daughter. I am a librarian (no surprise considering my predilections) and recently received a J.D. after attending evening division of law school. Naturally, my children were raised with books and reading (I started reading to them when they were only a few days old), and they're also great readers and library users. (When he was eight, my youngest asked how other families made it without their own librarian.) My daughter sometimes shares romances with me but more frequently appropriates mine.

I've been interested in the development and changes in the romance genre (yes, I was an English major in college) since the publication of Woodiwiss's classic, The Flame and the Flower. I believe that much of the writing today is better than ever. Making serious (but not devoid of humor) reviews of romance fiction available to readers will encourage better writing in the future, guide readers to purchase the good and not waste their time or money on the bad, and help put the publishing and bookselling industries on notice that romance readers read romance, not trash.

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

E-mail Lesley by clicking here.