Dear Jina: Erotic fiction writer talks about what teens are reading in video podcast

Huntington Beach, CA—"Boy meets girl, boy text messages girl" is how many teens communicate with the opposite sex. In a world filled with more technology and less human interaction, no wonder teen girls are looking beyond their iPods and cell phones for romance.

And they're finding it in books.

Teens Read Week, sponsored by the YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association), runs from October 15th through October 21st. How many teens will be reading romance novels during that time? A lot, according to author Jina Bacarr. "Romance novels are about falling in love and having a relationship with the opposite sex," she says. "Do you remember your first crush? I do. The only thing that's changed is passing notes in class to the boy you're crushed on has been replaced by sending him a text message."

More than 60 million Americans read at least one romance novel in 2005, the latest year statistics are available from the Romance Writers of America. More than likely many of those readers were teens. This stirred up a national controversy when a mother worried about her daughter reading romance novels wrote to a nationally syndicated advice columnist and asked for help. The columnist's answer alluded to the idea that these novels depicted an idealized view of romance with women being "rescued" by powerful, wealthy men. The column sparked an outpouring of support for the genre from romance writers and readers alike.

"Romance novels have grown up since the days of the bodice ripper," says Bacarr, a Harlequin Spice author. "Now it's often the man who needs rescuing."

She launched her "Dear Jina" video podcast series in response to the column and so far the public service announcement has received more than five thousand page views in less than a month. In the podcast, Bacarr gives her take on the controversy, encouraging mothers to go with their daughters to a bookstore and check out the romance section together.

"No doubt they will discover that the heroines of these novels are strong, successful, and independent women who meet the challenges of life and love in the twenty-first century head on without depending on a man to rescue them," she says. "Reading romance novels can help a teen's academic progress, not hinder it."

She's not the only one who thinks so. The YALSA encourages parents to allow teens to read material that isn't required for school. According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress, teens who read for fun everyday have higher reading scores.

"Don’t forget. Put a little romance in your life," Bacarr encourages viewers in her signature sign-off. "Read a romance novel."

Go to http://www.JinaBacarr.com to check out her video podcast or go to:
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-8123149748899947742