There aren’t too many academics that give serious attention to romance novels, but Joanne Rendell is one of them! She’s also an author, with a new novel out: Crossing Washington Square, which is a love story with literature professors and odes to romance novels. She will be reading at Lady Jane’s Salon on November 2nd, but first she answers the same six questions I always ask.

1. If you could have any super power, what would it be?

An anti-procrastination-zapper built into my eyeballs. Although, of course, I’d want to use it on myself in order to stop wasting countless hours snooping around other people’s photos on Facebook instead of writing. But I’m not sure how I would zap myself (a mirror, perhaps?). Plus, zapping sounds kind of painful.

2. Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

Daniel Cleaver. I know, I know. He’s more like the anti-hero in Bridget Jones’ Diary, but when I think of him I can’t help thinking of Hugh Grant’s performance in the movie version of Bridget Jones. In particular, I loved him saying “Hello, Mummy!” when he spotted Bridget’s oh-so-attractive tummy support knickers! There was something very sexy about Daniel/Hugh in that moment. What that says about me and my fantasy men, I’m not sure.

3. What is one of your most romantic moments?

When this roguish British guy spotted my tummy support knickers and said…. Okay, I’m kidding, that never happened. My most romantic moment was when my husband wrote me an email after I’d first met him at an academic conference and confessed that he’d felt “giddy” when he met me and heard me deliver my conference paper. I imagined him swooning like a good romance heroine at the very sight and sound of me! I bet you never thought that academic conferences could be the sites of such passion, did you?

4. Of the places you’ve traveled to, which is your favorite?

My mum’s patio in Andalucia, Spain. I’ll simply include a photo and you’ll understand why.

5. What’s your most used curse word?

Bugger.

6. Please take a moment of shameless self-promotion:

Crossing Washington Square, my latest release, is not strictly a romance. It’s more on the women’s fiction end of the reading rainbow. But I hope you will give it a try because, within its pages, you will find many passionate odes to the romance genre and to popular women’s fiction more generally. The novel tells the story of two very different women and their very different love of books. Rachel Grey and Diana Monroe are both literature professors in the old boys club of Manhattan University. While this should create a kinship between them, they are very much at odds. Rachel is young, emotional, and impulsive. She wrote a book about women’s book groups which got her a slot on Oprah and she uses “chick lit” and popular fiction in her classes. Diana is aloof, icy, and controlled. She’s also a scholar of Sylvia Plath who thinks “beach” fiction is an easy ride for students. But as is often the case, it’s a man that truly divides the two women. Smooth-talking Carson McEvoy, a visiting Harvard professor, has his sights on both Rachel and Diana and gets sparks truly flying!