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Everything You Didn't Know You Needed to Know About Romance

Credit: Hannah Neville

Credit: Hannah Neville

In mid-November, I gave a talk at a local library titled, “Romance 101: Everything You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know About Romance.”

Why would I say you NEED to know about the romance genre? Because romance offers the escapist fairy tales that we hard-working adults need. In today’s intense and and many times antagonistic world, there’s a lot we can’t control. Sometimes, the best self-care we can give ourselves is to give our brains a break. And I think a well-written romance novel offers that better than any other media.

What’s better than immersing yourself for 350 pages in the sensation of falling in love?

I was thrilled and honored that Erin of the romance blog, The Smut Report, came out to the event and wrote this amazing round-up. The romance fans who showed up at the Aurora Hills Branch of the Arlington Public Library were passionate and engaged and we had such a good time!

I am now hooked on library events and jonesing to do more!

I’ve included an excerpt of Erin’s post below. You can click at the bottom to keep reading.

Romance 101 with Angelina M. Lopez

by Erin, The Smut Report

If there’s a romance-related event close to us and we can go, we also definitely want to go. For this reason, when I saw a tweet from Angelina M. Lopez about an author talk at a library in Arlington, I had to go.

Unfortunately, there were a number of different romance-related events this month, from the Baltimore Book Festival to events at three local independent bookstores (One More Page in Arlington, and Loyalty Bookstore and East City Bookshop in Washington, DC, if you’re curious about tracking where these things happen), and I didn’t manage to get to any of them!

Fortunately, Romance 101 with Angelina M. Lopez was really fun, so if that was my big outing this month, we’re all good. (Click to keep reading…)

I love talking Romance!

If you’re looking for a romance author to come speak to your community, organization, or book club, contact me!

Angelina M. Lopez and Andie J. Christopher at Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C.

Angelina M. Lopez and Andie J. Christopher at Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C.

Angelina in the Media in October

It’s been a month!

With the release of Lush Money, I’ve been fortunate to show up in several podcasts and publications. Getting a positive review from Maya Rodale of NPR Books was definitely a highlight, as well as chatting with friend and Wicked Wallflowers Podcast host, Jenny Nordbak. Below is a round up of where I’ve been in October; click the images and it will take you to the full stories.

Featured
Reviewed in NPR Books
Reviewed in NPR Books

“Lady Billionaire meets Hot Prince meets marriage of convenience in Lush Money, a sexy, emotional and pitch-perfect romance by Angelina M. Lopez. ...As their lives inevitably become more entwined, their relationship just as inevitably becomes more than just sex, making for a novel that subverts classic romance tropes in an extremely satisfying way.” —Maya Rodale, NPR Books

On Wicked Wallflowers Podcast

We could not be more excited to be joined by Angelina M. Lopez to talk about her outstanding debut, Lush Money! Angelina was one of our earliest listeners when she was still prepublished and now her first book is out in the world! We also chat about Fated Mates, her twenty year path to publication, the upcoming books in her series, and the state of publishing. This is one of Jenny’s favorite books of the year–go read it immediately! Click here to go to the podcast…

Subverting the Billionaire's Trope in Smexy Books
Subverting the Billionaire's Trope in Smexy Books

My debut romance novel, Lush Money, is about a Mexican-American self-made billionaire businesswoman. I would love to say when I thought her up in 2015, that I was aiming for a trope-subverting heroine; that I anticipated the 2016 election, the #MeToo movement, and the resolve of women and people of color to no longer accept the status quo of being pushed to the background.

But I’m just not that wise. I owe much to luck for the gift of Roxanne Medina, the smart and sultry billionaire heroine of Lush Money.

Spotlight in Harlequin Junkie
Spotlight in Harlequin Junkie

What do you want people to take away from reading this book?

I guess, most importantly, I want to give people a chance to relax and breathe and get lost in a hot fairy tale. But after that, I want them to walk away believing that women are powerful and should never apologize for it. Society spends a lot of time telling women to dim their light. It would be so awesome if a woman read the story of Roxanne Medina and then decided to shine her light brighter!

Author-Reader Match in Fresh Fiction Blog
Author-Reader Match in Fresh Fiction Blog

What I’m looking for in my ideal reader match:

· Someone who wants to read about women winning the war of the sexes

· Someone who believes that the battle is only sexy when the men are worthy--and ultimately honorable--opponents

· A reader who wants intense escapism

· A reader who enjoys hot, hot, hot sex scenes. And LOTS of them

Where to find Angelina in October and November

I will be haunting bookstores, libraries, podcasts, radio shows, blogs, and Instagram accounts for the next two months. Here’s where you can find me throughout October and November.

Bookstores and Libraries

Nov. 8 - LUSH MONEY Book Launch Party!! - Join me at One More Page Books Friday, Nov. 8 at 6:30 p.m. for Spanish wine, tapas, fun and the launch of Lush Money.

Nov. 14 - An Evening of Romance with Angelina M. Lopez and Andie J. Christopher - Come join me and USA Today bestselling romance author Andie J. Christopher at Loyalty Bookstores Petworth on Thursday, Nov. 14 at 7 p.m. as we drink wine and discuss the release of our new books, Lush Money and Not the Girl You Marry.

Nov. 20 - Romance 101 with Angelina M. Lopez at Aurora Hills Branch Library - Join me Wednesday, Nov. 20 at 7 p.m. for this author chat as I share with Aurora Hills Branch Library guests everything you didn’t know that you needed to know about romance.

Podcasts and Radio Shows

Oct. 16 - Wicked Wallflowers Podcast - Listen as I join hostess-with-the-mostest Jenny Nordback to discuss my journey to publishing on this phenomenal romance podcast that Entertainment Weekly described as “taking "the guilt out of 'guilty pleasure' with author interviews and deep dives into new releases."

Oct. 16 - KT Literary Podcast - I was honored to be invited to be on my literary agency’s podcast. Host Renee Nyen and I chat about the book, alpha heroines, playing with tropes, and the awesomeness of my agent, Sara Megibow.

Oct. 31 and Nov. 6 - Story Hour with Wendy Mann - I’ll be chatting with WERA radio host Wendy Mann. The show will air live on WERA 96.7 Radio Arlington at 11 a.m. EST on Oct. 31 and Nov. 6, but then will be available on Mixcloud at the above link.

Articles

Oct. 14 - Harlequin Junkie - I’ll be featured in an author Q&A.

Oct. 15 - Fresh Fiction - Looking for that perfect author to read? Check out my author-reader match, where I woo readers dating app style.

Oct. 16 - Smexy Books - Read all about “Subverting the Billionaire Trope” in this Smexy Books article.

Early November - Frolic - I will be discussing “Embracing Your Bonkers Ideas” in this exclusive Frolic piece.

Online Parties and Takeovers

Oct. 14 - Facebook Live Happy Hour to Celebrate LUSH MONEY release - Join me and my hot, funny, and banter-y husband, Peter, as we celebrate the release of Lush Money. Learn about what it's like for a couple when one of them has been pursuing a creative dream for 20 years! We'll be enjoying cocktails, talking about the journey, and probably cooing at the dog.

Oct. 15 - LUSH MONEY Book Release Party on Facebook - On Tuesday, October 15, from 6-9 pm EST, I will be joined by a group of incredible romance authors on the Facebook page, the Racy Reads Party Room, to celebrate the release of Lush Money.

Oct. 18 - KT Literary Instagram Takeover - I will be taking over the Instagram account of my literary agency, KT Literary.

Oct. 23 - Wine Down Wednesday with Eva - I’ll be visiting romance author Eva Moore’s private Facebook group, Friends for Eva, to celebrate Wine Down Wednesday.

Nov. 6 - Romanced by the Book Instagram Takeover - I’ll be taking over the Instagram account of virtual romance club Romanced by the Book.

Don’t want to miss a post, podcast, or event? search for the hashtag #WhereIsAngelinaToday on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.