I asked what she thought of it and she said, “I’m waiting until the next book comes out so I can read it in succession.”

I warned her she might have to wait because it’s part of a trilogy.

But Jen the Twin has it all mapped out. She knows how long it will take her to read a book. By the time she finishes both books, the third one will be available.

Smart planning.

But what if she loves the first book so much that she has an all-night reading marathon with the first two books? She will have to wait for a whole month for the third book.

(Yes, I consider these things. I am all about maximizing my reading pleasure.)

I’m an impatient reader, and as I have found out, trilogies and impatient readers do not mix. Anticipation is overrated. If I know the book is part of a duet or trilogy, I will buy all the books before I start reading. It is easier for me to wait for the full trilogy rather than wait between books.

Waiting for the whole trilogy is great when the books are released back to back, not so great when they come out once a year! And don’t even get me started on when the publishers pull the plug on a trilogy/series before it ends! If they want me to commit to buying all the books, then they should make the same commitment and see the trilogy to the end.

There are quite a few books and series I would like to read, but I haven’t because the series hasn’t ended. Stephanie Plum? Eve & Roarke? I don’t think these series will end, so I might as well start now.

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I know it’s possible to read multiple books. I have had to read four books a week—but that was in college when I was an English Lit major. It wasn’t fun and I had to take many notes to stay organized. These days I might currently read 2 books at a time, but only if one is an easy-to-read non-fiction. And, I admit, I’m scanning rather than reading.

However, my friend has no problems putting down a book, picking up another, and then in a day or two go back to a book she put aside weeks before. I think if I tried that, I would waste too much time thinking “I thought the heroine’s name was Kate. Where did this Jack come from? Wasn’t she with Sam? Oh, wait… wrong book.”

But that just might be how my mind works.

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

In elementary school, each class was divided up into three reading levels: the smart ones, the average ones, and the struggling ones. (No, these weren’t the official names, and actually I’m giving them kinder labels, but we all knew how the levels were divided.) My twin sister was in the smart reading level. Guess which one I was in?

Honestly, I thought I had every right to be in the smart reading circle, but no one agreed with me. It didn’t help that I had a speech impediment and you were required to read out loud while in the reading circle.

Ugh. Horrible flashbacks. Moving on…

And every summer the library hosted the reading program. You were supposed to read 25 books during your summer vacation. Once you completed the program, the library sent a fancy certificate to your school that you would receive during a school assembly. I could barely find 25 books I wanted to read in the children’s library. My twin sister, on the other hand, read 25 books in record time and was competing with friends to pass 100 books. (Yes, she was always a show-off!)

I think my parents worried that I would never become a proficient reader. My only worry was how I would get through the next reading assignment without wanting to scream. And then one day I got my hands on a romance novel.

I wish I could say that I became a speed-demon reader after The Arrogant Duke by Anne Mather. As much as I had enjoyed that book, I was a slow reader with a limited vocabulary. But after I finished that book, I found another Harlequin, and then another. I continued to hate my school reading assignments, but I became a stronger and faster reader thanks to my steady supply of romance novels.

I never tested out of speech therapy, you can’t pay me to read out loud, and the children’s library still had the same horrible selection the last time I visited. However, I eventually earned a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature, I constantly read for pleasure, and I write books for a living.

Sometimes all it takes is one story to make you fall in love with reading.

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

4. I can get my Harlequin books at eharlequin.com a month before they hit the bookshelves.

3. I am reading more!

2. I can take my ereader anywhere and not have strangers lecture me about my reading material because they can’t see what I’m reading. Mwah-ha-ha!

And the number one reason why I adore my ereader:

1. Instant downloads at 1 in the morning. (Any bookaholic will understand the joy in that.)

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Imagine waking up with partial memory loss and having to depend on the gorgeous billionaire who everyone says you belong to. Okay, you’ll go along with it. Who are you to argue? You enter his luxurious lifestyle and you feel right at home. However, your instincts tell you this guy broke your heart. So why is he pampering you like a princess? He must have done something really, really bad.

In a romance novel, amnesia is even more interesting because the couple has a second chance at love. The hero and heroine rediscover what made them fall for each other, and they get to experience the magic again. Of course, we know the second honeymoon is going to come crashing down the minute someone gets their memory back. And then you hope that the couple’s love is stronger than ever to overcome the obstacles they face.

If you are looking for passion and drama in your romantic fiction, try a few amnesia love stories. Here are three recent releases I recommend:

Bought: The Greek’s Baby by Jennie Lucas

Betrayed by his former mistress, Talos wants to destroy Eve. When he finally finds her, she is not only an amnesia patient, but she is pregnant with his child. Talos wants to punish her, but his priority is the child. Eve is horrified to discover what kind of person she used to be. It doesn’t make sense to her. She longs for security and love, which Talos seems to be offering, but she doesn’t trust his urgency to marry. She’s drawn to him, but her instincts warn her to keep her distance. I love the twists that are in Jennie Lucas’s stories, and Bought: The Greek’s Baby doesn’t disappoint!

The Marchese’s Forgotten Bride by Michelle Reid

Six years ago, Cassie fell in love with Sandro. They spent one night together and then he disappeared. Now he’s walked back into her life – as her boss.  Cassie can’t believe that while their affair had changed the course of her life, he acts like he doesn’t know her. But it turns out that Sandro had a car accident six years ago and suffers partial memory loss around the time of the accident. Yet why is Cassie the only part of his life Sandro can’t remember? She’s not sure if she wants to know the answer. The Marchese’s Forgotten Bride is an emotional rollercoaster ride!

Forgotten Mistress, Secret Love-Child by Annie West

Alessandro doesn’t trust anyone, and now that he suffers from partial amnesia, he’s feeling extremely vulnerable. After seeing a photo of a woman, Alessandro senses that he knows her and flies across the world to find her. It turns out that he does know Carys—not only did they have an affair, but she is the mother of his son. He quickly gets her to agree to a marriage even though it turns out their affair ended because of claims of infidelity on both sides. Forgotten Mistress, Secret Love-Child is an exceptional love story about two people who work through their fears to find true happiness.

Do you have a favorite amnesia story?

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Answer: From my understanding, erotic romance and erotica can have the same level of sexual content, but erotic romance focuses on the love story and erotica focuses on the sexual fantasy.

It can be difficult to find erotic romance because some bookstores—and some publishers!—group erotic romance in the erotica category. Some booksellers will automatically put a book in the erotica section if the term ‘erotic’ is on the cover of the book. Because of this, a few publishers have stopped using the word ‘erotic romance’ on the spine of their books so booksellers will shelve it in the romance section.

One day I hope readers can find erotic romance without having to check both sections!

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Do you ever go on a reading binge, reading one book after another?

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

Alexandria, VA; Miami, FL; Cambridge, MA; Ann Arbor, MI; Berkeley, CA; Gainesville, FL; Arlington, VA; Salt Lake City, UT; Pittsburgh, PA; Orlando, FL; Washington, DC; Bellevue, WA; Seattle, WA; Richmond, VA; Cincinnati, OH; Knoxville, TN; Columbia, MO; Tallahassee, FL; Columbia, SC; Atlanta, GA.

I think the data is skewed. (I say that and I live next to two cities listed, so no sour grapes here.) And what is up with Barry White sales? Seriously? Nothing against the man, but I’m sure there are more singers or bands who define sexy music for all age groups.

Amazon.com says that Florida is the most romantic state since it has 4 cities—Miami, Gainesville, Orlando and Tallahassee—ranked in the Top 20.

Miami is named the Sexiest City in America, winning the top spot in the sexual wellness category.

And the Least Romantic Cities? Based on the fewest number of overall purchases in the determining categories, on a per capita basis in cities over 100,000 residents, the least romantic cities are El Monte, CA; Paterson, NJ, and Miami Gardens, FL.

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.

I kept checking out books like Fifteen by Beverly Cleary and The Pink Dress by Anne Alexander. Both of those books were outdated when I got a hold of them, but I didn’t care because the teenage angst was timeless! Sweet Valley High hadn’t been created yet, but the Sweet Dreams series was popular among my friends. I recently visited a site dedicated to Sweet Dreams. Wow, did that bring back memories!

What did you read during your teen years?

©2010 Susanna Carr Blog. All Rights Reserved.