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Hello, love lovers! Today you can read about how an unpublished romantasy author is suing Tracy Wolff for copyright infringement, the best romance movies headed our way this year, a Virginia romance bookstore in need of help, and more. Let’s go!
Did Tracy Wolff Steal Another Author’s Idea?
The New Yorker had a fascinating article about tropes, copyright infringement and what makes “proving plot theft tricky.” (Say that three times fast.) Lynne Freeman, an attorney and unpublished author, is suing Tracy Wolff, the best-selling author of the Crave series, and other parties, claiming her series is based on a book she wrote years earlier. The author of the piece, Katy Waldman, does a great job explaining not only the similarities between the books, but how some aspects of storytelling cannot be claimed by one party.
“Romantasy’s reliance on tropes poses a challenge for questions of copyright. Traditionally, the law protects the original expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves. A doctrine named for the French phrase scènes à faire, or “scenes that must be done,” holds that the standard elements of a genre (such as a showdown between the hero and the villain) are not legally protectable, although their selection and arrangement might be.”
But before you dismiss it as a frivolous lawsuit, you should read about how Wolff’s agent, who worked with her on Crave, worked for years with Freeman on her novel, before dropping Freeman and signing Wolff. Hmmmm.
An Interview with Thea Guanzon
And speaking of romantasy, The Hurricane Wars by Thea Guanzon was one of the bigger splashes in the genre in the last few years. The second book in the trilogy, A Monsoon Rising, was just released, and Paste talked to Guanzon about writing, romance, and middle books.
“Paste: Romantasy as a genre has had a huge boost in popularity over the last few years. What do you love about this subgenre? What do you hope to see as it moves forward?
Guanzon: For me, romantasy is the best of both worlds. It’s a genre that allows you to escape into magical settings while at the same time tracking the very real and relatable phenomenon of falling in love with someone. I’ve been an avid reader of fantasy since I was a child, and I like that romantasy has paved the way for more women writers to enter this particular sphere.”
The Best Romance Movies You Need to See in 2025
If you need a break from romance books, why not settle down with a romance movie? Marie Claire has the scoop on several headed our way in 2025 that will be heating up screens big and small, including a new Bridget Jones picture, You’re Cordially Invited with Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell, and Love Me with Kristen Stewart and Steven Yeun.
Love and Second Chances Bring Infuriation and Sparks in Let’s Call a Truce
The Nerd Daily talked to Amy Buchanan about her debut office romance, Let’s Call A Truce. It’s about a widow raising two kids who overhears a colleague bad-mouthing her about her ability to do her job. It starts a feud between them that goes on for years, until they are forced to work together on a project that will make or break their careers. Buchanan talked about her inspiration, her writing process, and what she’s working on next.
“I’ve made up stories for as long as I can remember, but never let myself consider the possibility of writing them down until a few years ago. Becoming an author seemed so far out of reach it was laughable, until one of my best friends, who writes for TV, said people don’t try to write because they believe if they were meant to be ‘a writer,’ perfect, brilliant words would flow from the start. But really, it’s a skill like anything else. If you wouldn’t expect to sit down at a piano and be able to play Mozart, why would you expect to sit at a computer for the first time and write perfect, beautiful prose? I went home (admittedly a little boozy) and started the (admittedly bad) first draft of Let’s Call a Truce. So thanks, Sara, for the unintentional truth bomb at a random mom’s wine night.”
Fire Wrecks Virginia Romance Bookstore
To end this roundup, the wildfires in California have caused so much devastation, including to bookstores and libraries, and there is continuing information about how you can help (including matching BINC donations and several places to help for all those impacted.) Sadly, fires are an everyday occurrence everywhere. Jamie Fortin lost her romance bookstore Friends to Lovers Bookstore in Alexandria, Virginia, to a fire just three days after it opened. The good news is that thanks to amazing local book lovers, business owners, and a boost from NPR, a lot has been raised to help cover the cost of reopening.
“After the fire, Fortin wondered how she’d start over, just a few weeks before Thanksgiving. She’d recently placed a $20,000 order for more romance novels, and she had nowhere to put them. She worried about her five part-time employees.
She quickly decided to organize a GoFundMe for the shop and was stunned by the response. Within days, people rallied and chipped in what they could, donating more than $46,000. The fundraiser got a bump when NPR covered romance readers’ efforts to keep the bookstore going.”
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