After sharing my Barbara Cartland puzzle collection, HeatherS had a wonderful idea for a future community post:
This post prompts a need for a romance merch roundup post, where y’all have to share any and all licensed romance merch (vintage or more recent) that you’ve collected with us.
Amanda: Most of my merch is art and special editions!
I have a giant poster of Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton (courtesy of the lovely publicity team at Berkley) and a poster of The Last Jedi, based on the based on Robert McGinnis’s cover art for the novel Tender is the Storm by Johanna Lindsey. (Apologies for the window reflections!)
In terms of special editions, I have the original Kickstarter editions of Katee Robert’s Wicked Villains series. I’ve heard they’re being released again with new artwork and it makes me a little sad because I don’t know if I need another set of editions, despite liking the new illustrations.
I also have the beautiful pastel Afterlight editions of Helen Hoang’s Kiss Quotient series. Seriously, they’re so beautiful!
Sarah: I have a few treasures I won’t part with, and they’re all different. I didn’t include my favorite pieces of author swag (the greatest among them being Farrah Rochon’s measuring spoons) because that’s a slightly different thing.
First: this is a Sandro painting for the cover of The Lion and the Lark by Doreen Owens Malek. It was given to me by the late Kate Duffy when Kensington downsized their offices. It’s oil on a board (not a canvas) and it’s among my very favorite things.
The shop where I had it framed and repaired was extremely into it as well! (Apologies for the glare.)
Here’s a close up of the nipple. It’s lovingly rendered.
Back in 2014? 2013? I was a guest at the Chicago North Romance Writers’ conference, and was given a set of Cards Against Romance Tropes, which the organizers had developed and printed for the conference.
I’ve played it on the podcast at conferences and it’s a lot of fun.
Katie is pleased to model the cards for everyone.
And then, there is my treasured copy of Castles in the Air, the one with the three arms.
I’m pretty sure the heroine is still my avatar in a lot of places because do you have any idea how much I’d get done with an extra arm. Seriously.
And finally, possibly my most delightful item, still in its box, and still making me giddy:
My Jude Deveraux, The Raider – Barbie and Ken Doll Giftset. From back in 1995!
It’s all wonderful. Ken’s eyeliner. His shadowed romance “stubble.” THE ABS.
If you’d like your own, I suggest haunting eBay, where there are a few available between $110 and $225.
I think the dolls and the painting are tied as my favorite piece of romance memorabilia.
Shana: I was just looking at the merch section of a new-to-me queer bookstore and found these gems.
I have a few book themed candles that I’ve been drooling after:
And because I both love a only one bed moment and like my room to smell like a pine tree.
It’s my birthday month, so I’ve been searching for presents to get myself and while I don’t NEED another mug, I think I need this one.
There is also a 100% chance that I will buy myself this shirt, in case you want to be twinsies:
And finally, I think I’ve mentioned AT Haynes Jane Austen-themed yarn colors before, but I’ve now tried most of the colorways and they’re my absolute favorite. The yarn bases I’ve tried have been good quality and the colors are lovely. This one is my current obsession.
Do you have any memorabilia or merch you’d like to share with us? Please do!