The Passionate Pen: New Zealand's Romance Writers Talk to Rachel

They are read for escapism, for relaxation, for sheer pleasure. Many people think they could toss one off and make big money as a result. They put this New Zealand on the map in a way few other activities or events can match. They are romance novels - and the New Zealand women who write them are the subjects of this surprising, funny and often moving book.

The fifteen women who talk to writer Rachel McAlpine in The Passionate Pen are responsible for some of the most popular books in the world and they have, between them, an extraordinary number of fans. Essie Summers, for example, has been loved for forty years as the Queen of

Romance and the sales of her books are estimated at seventeen million. Yet, too often, these writers are regarded as literary Cinderellas, despised or laughed at by those who have never read (or tried to write) a light romance themselves.

New Zealand's romance writers show themselves to be women of character, strong opinion, humor and realism. As well as sharing their insights into the writing process and talking about their own lives, the authors who feature in The Passionate Pen represent the changes in feminist attitudes over half a century - without exception, they regard their books as empowering to women - and the developments in the style of romantic writing over that vital period.

Rachel McAlpine has asked all the questions we want answers to - "Are they wealthy? Do they have poodles and limousines? Have they dined at the Ritz? Will, they please, please, please tell us the secret to their success?" and the results are delightful, unexpected and always entertaining.