The Popular Romance Project by James Buchanan

Is live:

[cobbled from their email to participating authors]

The Popular Romance Project launched their website last week, PopularRomanceProject.org.

The website has three sections, and will be adding new material twice a week. One section, INTERVIEWS, includes excerpts from interviews they’ve been shooting (we’ve started with Jayne Ann Krentz, Suzanne Brockmann, Beverly Jenkins, and Sarah Wendell) {and eventually there will be one from yours truly featured}; another section, BEHIND THE SCENES, includes stories and videos from behind the scenes as the project takes shape (there’s a very funny video shot asking Joe and Daniel, the cameraman and soundman, what they make of the romance world they’ve been plunged into — those two guys are great BTW, I distressed the soundman with my ‘ambient James’ noise since I talk with my hands and wear rings on all ten fingers); and the third section, TALKING ABOUT ROMANCE, features short, lively blogs by scholars with interesting perspectives on romance fiction, romance films, historical ideas about romance and courtship, romance in other cultures, etc. Right now, you’ll find blog posts at the Talking About Romance section written by literature scholars and historians on subjects ranging from Jane Austen to male virginity.

It’s a different kind of site and aiming to appeal to readers, authors, scholars, and the general public. Most importantly, the website is designed to start an interesting set of discussions and debates and observations from all sorts of new perspectives.

To stay posted on the project’s forward progress, and to know what’s being posted at the website, readers can follow the PRP at Facebook.com/PopularRomanceProject. They are encouraging lots of people to “like” the Facebook page — especially since it will help them with fundraising! Post your comment at the Popular Romance Project Facebook wall. The goal is to use the interviews already shot, plus lots of new footage, to create a documentary film. Blueberry Hill Productions has a solid history in such Multi-media projects as The Tupperware Story and a Midwife’s Tale.

Take a stroll through the website and Like! them on Facebook.