Country Living Rise of Rural Romance Books – Weekly Times Now
PUBLISHERS are clamouring for country courtships.
A new genre has arrived on the publishing landscape, and rural romance writers such as Fiona Palmer are bringing home the bacon.
“My girls are ‘go get ‘em’ sort of girls,” said the 33-year-old mother of two from Pingaring (population 140) in Western Australia’s eastern wheatbelt.
“My books reflect life on the land, and of course, my girls like to fall in love, like most girls.”
Following the tradition of Mills and Boon, and boasting a distinctly Australian flavour that often involves a sweeping family saga, rural romance is now seen by publishers as potentially the next big money-spinner in an industry adapting to evolving reader habits and falling book sales.