39 Romance Novels the DC Lit Scene Needs Right Now
- Tara Campbell
- July 18, 2016
Is that a hanging chad in your pocket, or are you just glad to see me?
Let’s face it, DC area, it’s time to spice up our image. When people think about the Washington region, they usually think about government, history, and museums. But how much do they really know about our current contribution to America’s Gross Domestic Hotness (GDH)?
Swinging senators and Mayflower Madams are not just a thing of the past. Romance novels are bestsellers, so what better way to arouse national interest in the DC-area literary scene and all the stimulation the region has to offer?
Our steamy summers would be even hotter with:
- The Willing Washingtonian
- Divorcees of the DMV
- SafeTrack, Dangerous Appetites
- Capitol Heights of Passion
- The Belle of the Mall
- Cherry Blossom Dawn of Love
- Safe Word: Budget Autonomy
- Taxation without Satisfaction
- Home Rule of the Heart
- K Street Casanova
- Dupont Dominatrix
- Mt. Pleasant Pleasantries
- Confessions of a Metro Escalator Left-Stander
- From Here to Eternity: in Line for the Renwick
- Library of Congress Liaisons
- NORML Norman and the Contact Highs: A Rock 'n' Roll Romance
- The Bad Boys of Brookland
- My Inner Loop
- The DC Commission on Arts and Hotness
- Politics & Prose, Leather & Lace
- Kramerbooks & Cuddles Afterwords
- Upshur Street Books: Between the Stacks
- Chambers with Walls of Books
- Idle Times, Wanton Nights
- Second Story for the Wife
- lowercase love
- Barrelhouse of Desire
- My Night with a Gargoyle (Magazine) (publisher: Paycock Press — ‘nuf said)
- Flowers in the Atticus Review
- Unbuckle my Beltway Poetry Quarterly
- Come Inside my District Lines
- DC Binders (of Wild Women)
- Busboys and Busboys and Busboys and Busboys…
- Midnight at the Writer’s Center
- Hurston So Wright
- Sordid Story District (formerly known as Speakeasy)
- Fall for the Book (see, Fairfax already knows what’s what)
- The Gaithersburg Book Festival: In-Tents Delight (okay, that one needs a little work)
- National Book Festival (ugh, let me see…)
Anyway, my point is, we need to get some publishers on this, pronto! I’ll be looking for reviews of all these books and more in future posts at The Washington Incandescent Review of Books.
Tara Campbell is the grateful recipient of the DC Commission on Arts and Humanities' 2016 Larry Neal Writers' Award in Adult Fiction — which doesn't mean boom-chicka-wa-wa fiction, but rather that she didn't apply in the teen category. Her publication credits include McSweeney's, the Establishment, Barrelhouse, Masters Review, Punchnel's, and Queen Mob's Teahouse, among others. She's looking forward to starting her MFA in creative writing at American University this fall.
