Friday, January 11, 2013

Unwrapping: JURY DUTY - A CHANCE TO TALK ROMANCE

Well, I had jury duty this week and who'd a thunk it that it would turn out to be a great chance to talk Romance Novels! If you've ever done your civic duty and participated in jury duty then you know that until things get going you have very little to do but sit. Of course, I came prepared with my ereader in tow.

It's very common for someone sitting nearby to notice when you're reading a book and ask what you're reading but I was surprised when they were also curious about what I was reading on my reader. When I told the lady who asked that I was reading an anthology of paranormal romance, she asked if I read a lot. Do I read a lot? It was the perfect opening!

I went on to tell her that I had a blog, that I read and review romance novels of all sorts, write about romance and before long, I was surrounded by several ladies eager to hear what was new. Many admitted that they used to read romance novels but had become bored with the stories. Well, I told them that things had changed. Anything they love in mainstream can be found in romance - historicals, adventure, suspense, spies, vampires and shape shifters, and steampunk. One lady was thrilled that there was steampunk romance, she was already a fan of the costumes and jewelry.

Being the smart person that I pretend to be, I had my business cards for the blog tucked into my reader and gladly handed them out. I hope they come visit and join the fun. I gave them recommendations for new novels coming up, my favorites from 2012, and told them that there were so many new authors to choose from that there was surely a series for each of them to fall in love with in the future.

Now, you're probably wondering if I got to sit on a case. No. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise though. Well, I ended up only going on day one. The defendant plead guilty before the trial could even begin, thank goodness. The judge came in and explained why we were being released. I've never had a judge do that before - it was pretty cool but then we are a small jurisdiction. She told us that she was quite relieved that we didn't have to suffer through that case since the defendant had been charged with 35 counts of child pornography. I was very glad, too. I don't think I could've kept an open mind about that one. There were a lot of women in the room and I think he would've been going down for the count before we ever heard evidence. Perhaps his lawyer knew that too.

I've still got one more day to go later in the month and I'm curious to see if I get a case then. The last time I sat jury duty, I was put on a jury where this little guy was charged with assault and battery on this much bigger guy. Well, after hearing the evidence, we found the little guy not guilty of beating up the bully. This guy was such a bully that he actually threatened the jury members so that we were escorted to safety by the bailiffs. That was the big thrill of the day.

How about you? Have you ever been caught by the jury duty lottery? Did you get a case and was it worth it? Do you ever get a chance to talk romance - novels, that is??  *wink*

Well, it's been a strange week but I hope yours has been good. If you haven't stopped by the Wacky Wednesday post this week, there's a fabulous Giveaway going on provided by two awesome authors of paranormal romance, Jessa Slade and Elle James. They were kind enough to take over the blog for me on Wednesday in case I was stuck at the courthouse doing my duty as a good citizen. Please feel free to go by, read about their new books, magic and mayhem and enter to win a pack of goodies. The Giveaway ends January 19th so you've got plenty of time.  Click HERE to head over there to join the fun!

Happy Reading Everyone!!


                

8 comments:

JB Lynn said...

I'm glad it worked out so well for you! Hopefully you landed some new readers!

Anonymous said...

I hope you get LOADS of new followers, your blog is pretty awesome!!
I do talk about romance books any chance I get with friends and strangers. Yep, people I do not know are always very open minded and friendly when it comes to books. When I'm looking at the books at the store I will just start talking to the people there about what they are reading. You will be surprised by how many men I have actually seen getting romance books. Yay guys!
Romance books aren't just for all of us lucky ladies, men seem to be really getting into them more and more. I will admit one or two guys did say they DO NOT tell their friends what they read, too afraid of all the ribbing they'll be getting. But at least they are reading them. :-)
Have a wonderful evening!

Anonymous said...

I'm not anonymous....it's me Dalila G.!

Jaye Shields said...

I've never had jury duty!

Dalila G. said...

Hi Amy,
Not sure where my comment floated off to, but I'll try again.

I do talk about romance books to friends and family and even strangers at the book stores.
I just strike up a conversation with the people standing near me. We discuss authors and which of their books we happen to like.
I have even talked to men who are into reading romance books. They just DO NOT tell their male friends for fear of all of the teasing they'll get. At least they are reading them!
Have a nice evening!

Amy Valentini said...

Dalila, I turned off the Captcha because some folks weren't able to get through it. Anonymous comments go to moderation or the SPAM folder. I wade throught the SPAM, find 'em and publish 'em. Don't worry I got it and now it's been published.

Amy Valentini said...

Jaye, you ever stay put in one place long enough, they'll get you eventually. Sometimes it's pretty cool. I'm kind of hoping that I go for the last day and get a case. Just to make it worthwhile. : )

Amy Valentini said...

Dalila,
I know there are men out there who read romance. What their friends don't know is how much these guys are learning about women and what pleases them. *wink*
Wish I could hubby to read 'em. Hee Hee!
Thanks for sharing the bliss. : )