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Regina Kyle’s ‘Red Hot Reads’

With a seemingly boundless imagination and uncanny sense of what readers want next, romance writer and Branford resident Regina Kyle is burning up the charts with titles that can only be billed as “red hot reads.”

Among her works, Regina writes shorter-length category romance books for Harlequin Blaze, which she terms, “the steamiest line for Harlequin. Readers expect certain things, and expect the heat! If I wrote a sheik for Blaze, they would say, ‘No.’ One of my guys is a firefighter, another is a lawyer; they’re more accessible, guy-next-door heroes—just super-duper hot.”

On Saturday, Feb. 13, Regina and several of her cohorts will share the secrets of their success—and maybe some suggestions to spice things up—during “Anatomy of a Romance,” an author’s panel discussion and book signing at Branford’s Blackstone Library at 2 p.m.

The Blackstone invited Regina to participate in the panel as a free program offered by the library. Advance registration is recommended; find more information at www.blackstone.lioninc.org

A Branford resident of 22 years, Regina’s no stranger to the Blackstone and is delighted to be joining other members of her tight-knit writing community for the event.

“I’m a prosecutor by day, and as the Blackstone people will tell you, I’m in there a couple of days a week doing my law work,” she says. “I’ve also helped at fundraisers for the library.”

She and the other authors appearing at the Blackstone on Feb. 13 are all members of the Connecticut Romance Writers of America (RWA). She says the monthly gathering of romance writers has not only provided her with fantastic friendships, but a professional edge through its critique group and mentorship program.

“It’s a great group,” says Regina. “There’s no way I would have ever gotten published without them.”

As for her own advice on what it takes to get published, Regina says first, enjoy what you do.

“I think everyone would like to get published, but you also have to write because you like to write.”

Regina’s rise to becoming a published romance author was “equal parts luck and skill,” she adds.

“I got very lucky, and I know it,” she says. “The first manuscript I submitted was theater-themed, and it just happened to land on the desk of an editor who loved theater. I did that because they say, ‘Write what you know,” even though a lot of people told me, ‘That book won’t sell, theater doesn’t sell.’”

For her own part, Regina has been a fan of reading romance novels for many years.

“My mom was the original Harlequin junkie, with a stack of paperbacks. I definitely used to sneak them,” Regina says, laughing.

Excerpts from Regina’s books, complete with tantalizing cover art signaling the steamy story inside, heat up her website www.reginakyle.com.

About those covers...for those who may not want everyone to know what they’re reading at the beach or elsewhere, think eBook.

Regina says the rise of eBooks have helped to make romance a top-selling category.

“I read somewhere romance novels are the biggest-selling genre, and we’re also very big selling on Nook and Kindle and to e-readers,” she says.

The recent uptick in romance readership, and its general acceptance in society, undoubtedly also owes some credit to new interest fueled by the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey by author EL James. The movie industry turned the New York Times best seller into a Hollywood blockbuster in 2015.

“Some people, in the past, didn’t want anyone to know what they were reading on the train. After Fifty Shades, people were reading that in paperback on the subway, and nobody cares,” say Regina.

The hit story also sent more would-romance writers rushing to the computer, she says.

“It’s simultaneously the worst and best thing that ever happened to romance novels. We still get a lot of flak, which is why ‘e-pubbing’ has been great,” says Regina. “But also because of self-publishing, there’s so much stuff out there. My editor said sales are down simply because there are so many books out there with price points of 99 cents or $2.99.”

Last October, Regina was named a New Jersey RWA “2015 Golden Leaf Finalist,” chosen among hundreds of entries from published authors in living Region One of RWA. For fans looking for a quality read, a great story, and characters who come alive, check out Regina’s first three books in Harlequin Blaze’s “Art of Seduction” series: Triple Threat, Triple Time, and Triple Dare.

With her full-time attorney’s work and her role as a wife and mom, Regina has become a consummate juggler, with her daily writing time set aside from about 9 p.m. ’til midnight or 1 a.m.

“I don’t sleep a lot,” she quips, adding, on a serious note, “I’m also trying to learn how to write faster. I usually produce two books a year for Blaze. I would love to do more.”

While she may wish she was a faster scribe, Regina’s cracked the code for formula and sees plenty of opportunities to expand on it.

“There are certain rules which apply,” she explains. “‘Happily ever after’ is one of them. That doesn’t mean you can’t play around with it. I’m still developing all of mine, but it’s a lot of fun! I’m glad I did it, because it’s definitely something I can continue doing after I retire. As long as I have stories to tell, I’ll keep telling them.”