by Vicky Oliver Many novelists have a God complex. I refer not to their religious views, but to their authorial ones. These writers believe they control their characters. As they map out their characters' journey from start to finish, love lives included, they expect their characters will obey the outline. But nothing could be further from reality, particularly when it comes to putting two characters from a story in a love scene. In Act One, a romance writer starts with

By Lori Perkins Just when you thought you knew the Lizzie Borden story, Netflix is about to give America another reason to obsess over it. With the Lizzie Borden episodes of Monster premiering September 17, Riverdale Avenue Books is joining the cultural moment with The Lizzie Borden House Anthology—an officially licensed collection of 26 original stories inspired by America’s most notorious Victorian-era murder mystery. It’s the perfect literary companion for viewers ready t

By Lori Perkins Readers stepped into the world of the sword-wielding magic of Geneva Lee’s Harbinger novel today at Chelsea Piers, where the Harbinger/WeaponsUp event combined literature, sword yoga and an unforgettable view of the Hudson River. The event sold out quickly, gathering fans at Manhattan’s Chelsea Piers for the chance to experience the world of Harbinger in a hands-on way. WeaponsUp lead the Sword Yoga Class, featuring an exclusive session created to learn the no

By Lori Perkins First of all I can’t believe it’s been 25 years. My son was in second grade. I had just recently left his father. I got a call from my client, Greg Kihn, who was a radio DJ in the bay area. I was one of the few people he knew in NYC and so he out me live on the radio. He wanted to know what I thought about the bombing of the World Trade Center. I thought he was talking about the attempted bombing from a few years earlier. He told me to turn on the TV. I sa

By Lori Perkins I almost wrote an essay about what it felt like to cancel my Washington Post subscription this year after Bezos fired half the newsroom staff. I had been inspired to go into journalism (I have a journalism degree from NYU, where I taught undergraduate journalism because I started a neighborhood newspaper in upper Manhattan when I graduated from college). I didn’t because I figured that most of my readers wouldn’t care that I had taken a bus down to the United

By Lori Perkins There was a time when a reader looking for a romance novel at an independent bookstore might have to hunt through a single shelf in the back—or quietly ask a bookseller where the “good stuff” was. In 2026, that is increasingly becoming a thing of the past. Today, August 15, readers across the country are celebrating Bookstore Romance Day, an annual event devoted to romance fiction, its authors, booksellers and readers. And this year’s celebration arrives at a

By Marc W. Polite You’ve seen the show. You know the twists. You silently judge the protagonist of the episode. You think to yourself, “I would have done better than that.” Are you certain about that? There is a way to beta test that theory, and see for yourself. Have you ever wanted to star in your own Black Mirror episode? This is what the Black Mirror Experience offers. The Shed arts center in Manhattan is hosting the United States debut of The Black Mirror Experience, a

By Lori Perkins I was a teenager when we celebrated our 200th anniversary. I lived in New York City’s Washington Heights on the Hudson River and I vividly remember watching the fleet of international tall ships, many historic recreations, sail up the Hudson past my home. We were all reading Gore Vidal’s historical novel 1876 which was on the best seller list, watching the Bicentennial Minutes on CBS, and excited that the Smithsonian had just opened the Air and Space Museum.

By Lori Perkins Juneteenth means more this year than any other year. Much like Pride this year. It really doesn’t matter what nationality or ethnic identity or sexual orientation you have, these are important societal celebrations that we must all participate in if we do believe that all are created equal and entitled to “the pursuit of happiness.” As the author of THE BOOK OF EVERYDAY RESISTANCE, celebrating Juneteenth and Pride is an act of everyday resistance this yea

By Lori Perkins I’ve seen Bruce Springsteen at least seven times (maybe more? At my age, you lose track of time). I always believed that he was best in New Jersey, his native land. But last night at Madison Square Garden surrounded by 20,000 blue voters you could just feel that he was home in a way I’ve never quite felt in the Meadowlands. The concert opened with the Motown Vietnam protest song “War!” followed by “Born in the USA” followed by a powerful jam of his classics.

By Elizabeth Kerri Mahon 2026 has brought us not only a new adaptation of Wuthering Heights , but also, before the end of the year, a new Pride & Prejudice series and a new Sense & Sensibility film. On PBS, there are new adaptations of The Forsyte Saga and The Count of Monte Cristo . A new TV series based on Jane Eyre , starring Aimee Lou Wood, is in development. I know this is all recognizable IP with a built-in audience, but I long for movies/TV films based on lesser

By Lori Perkins As a native New Yorker, I recognize the landscape playwright Alex Lin so often explores—the city as the East Coast’s immigrant mecca, where identity, ambition, and belonging are constantly negotiated. I also come from a long line of intermarried immigrant families and strong women, and I’ve seen firsthand how the promise of the American dream can be both alluring and exclusionary. For many, it reveals itself as a system built on transactional power—historicall

by Lori Perkins I was genuinely excited to see The Wild Party at City Center on Community Night, especially with the promise of a pre-show “wild party” featuring champagne and appetizers. The atmosphere was festive, though the entertainment itself felt a bit uneven—two bawdy musical numbers (one centered on a nightclub assault, which felt jarringly out of step with expectations) alongside two elegant and engaging burlesque performances. Then came the main event. Based on a 1

By Lori Perkins I grew up surrounded by the music of this guy, and yet no one really talks about him now. I knew Billy Preston was a talented and well-respected musician. When Peter Jackson’s Get Back featuring the recording sessions from Let It Be came out in 2023, and I saw him create with the Beatles, I did the proverbial “where is he now?” search. I learned that he was gay, and had died young-ish, so I jumped to the conclusion that hiding his gay self had contributed t

By Karen Essex Some stories refuse to fade. Dracula in Love has followed me for years like a shadow—beautiful, intimate, and a little dangerous. When I first wrote it, I wanted to ask a simple but radical question: what if Mina Harker were not the dutiful Victorian heroine of Bram Stoker’s imagination, but a woman of appetite, agency, and secret power? What if she were the vampire’s equal? Long before “romantasy” became a defined genre, I was drawn to stories that braided hi