It's Summer - Let the Summer Reading Commence!

  Now that Memorial Day has passed, it's 'officially' summer! Well, not astrologically, but for all practical reasons, our thoughts are on vacation, warm weather and, around here, the beach!




 April and May were my crazy travel months - I was away almost 4 weeks over that time! I attended my very first LoveLetters Convention in Berlin, Germany. It was soooo lovely! 









I was dined and wined by the wonderful team at HarperCollins/Cora and met hundreds and hundreds of avid romance readers amd signed at a huge bookfair. My Harlequins are released there in German, but the readers enjoy the English versions, too. 

Schools will be out soon -- Brisbin boy #3 will be graduating from college next week so this is my last 'final day of school' experience! Many other kids will be facing the dreaded 'required summer reading' lists. I was probably the only kid in my classes in school who looked forward to those. For me, it was a way to legitimize the hours and days I spent in my little town's library. It was the best excuse - 'sorry, I have three books I have to read....'  Of course, now, I don't bother with the excuses, I simply read.
 
Now, before I head into a deadline binge of writing, I'm looking forward to a pre-deadline-binge of summer READING and I've been stockpiling books in anticipation!  Some of them are: 
 

 I've been waiting for this book for a long time. It's the end of Monica's series set against the Scottish Wars for Independence and they are simply wonderful!


And Madeline's end-of-trilogy book THE WICKED DUKE - another can't wait to read!

 I simply loved Joanna Shupe's first Regency series and this new one - set in the Gilded Age in NYC has been getting rave reviews!
    
The Emma Wildes' book is not new but a friend gave it a raving review so it's in my TBR pile for the summer. Have you read it?

Something different for me is Sarah Morgan's book -- she did a reading from it at LoveLetters and I ordered it on the spot! It's not her newest but I'm looking forward to it! 

And finally, a treasure just arrived from the Clan Cameron Museum in Achnacarry Scotland (a place I will visit in September!) -- it's the newly-revised history of the Camerons. I admit - I began skimming it as soon as it arrived. My Harlequin series - A Highland Feuding - focuses on the Mackintosh and Cameron clans so this will be very helpful in the next books!


So how about you? Do you have your summer reading planned yet? Anything to suggest or to rave about if you've already begun? I tend to go heavy on historicals but I'm open to a good paranormal or contemporary! Any recommendations?


Terri's next "A Highland Feuding" comes out in October - Kidnapped by the Highland Rogue is the third in the series. Visit her website for lots more info about her and her books and connect with her on Facebook.

Why Go to A Reader's Conference by Michelle Styles

Signing at Loveletter Convention

To put it simply – readers’ conferences are great ways to meet other like minded people and to really learn more about something you are passionately interested in. It is a chance to meet the authors who create the books but also to discuss with other people about the genre and the books you love. And  it doesn’t matter if you don’t really know the language, the common currency is the love of the books.

Readers at the signing, patiently waiting.

Recently I went to the 2^nd Loveletter Convention in Berlin, Germany.  My German is practically nonexistent. Luckily the vast majority of the people attending were kind and could speak some English.  The readers who attended were not just from Germany, Austria and  the German-speaking part of Switzerland but from around Europe including some from Denmark, and Croatia. But there were contingents from Belgium and the Netherlands as well. And everyone attending was passionate about books and in particular romance books.

The atmosphere was incredible. Because it was my second time, a number of people remembered me from last year. I am now officially the Author in the Red Shoes. Luckily I wore them again as I couldn’t find another pair of shoes that I loved as much and was as comfortable.  Several people were lovely and had brought gift bags as a thank you to authors  for attending the conference and for giving them such pleasure. I was really touched.



Annie Burrows and Michelle Styles in Regency costume.

My favourite part of the conference had to be the Blind Dates where I had the chance to meet with a random group of readers. Last year it was about 7- 10 readers. This year, just before we started, I discovered that we would be rotating tables.  Cue a quick downstairs for me to retrieve more books as I figured the best way to break the ice was to give away books as there was no guarantee that the readers had ever heard of me.  Everyone was enthusiastic.

Later at the signing, I was surprised by the number of people who wanted English books, rather than the very lovely reprint of Gladiator’s Honour in German which I was signing. I absolutely loved the cover of the German version. My daughter now has the poster that Cora (German Harlequin) let me take. 

 Many people do prefer to read in English because then they can read the author’s words, rather than the translator’s interpretation of those words. Also with the advent of The Book Depository which has free worldwide shipping and  ebooks, it has come to savvy readers’ attention that the English mass market  paperbacks cost about  one third of the German. And then there is the time factor, dedicated readers want to read the latest offering wherever it comes out.

I

German reprint of Gladiator's Honour
which was made into a poster for the event
by Cora

did several workshops including one with Annie Burrows where we dressed up in order to explain a bit more about the Regency. I played a nouveau riche Mama who was desperate for her daughter to marry well but to marry for love. Annie played a Dowager Countess who wanted to remain in London for the Season for her own highly private reasons.

We had a great deal of fun. And that is what I think a successful conference is about – fun. The main difference between a writer’s conference and reader’s conference is that when you go to a writer’s conference you are meeting fellow writers  who may or may not be your rivals and when you go to a readers’ conference you are connecting with readers who are just passionate about books and the genre.  Once again I was made to feel like a Rock star.

Michelle Styles writes  warm witty and intimate historical romance in a wide range of time periods for Harlequin Historical, Her next book with be published in November 2013 Paying the Viking's Price. To learn more about Michelle and her books visit www.michellestyles.co.uk

 

 

Engaging with German Readers at the Loveletter Conference by Michelle Styles

Spandau Zitadelle where the gala dinner was held

On 2-3 June I went to Berlin or more specifically to Spandau and the first Loveletter magazine conference. I was so right to be excited . The conference was far better than I dreamt. The European readers (people came from Germany, Austria, the Netherlands, Scandinavia) were big hearted and exuded warmth. It was just wonderful being surrounded by like-minded people.

My 2nd blind date

The thing I was most worried about – the blind dates turned out to be my favourite bit. Luckily they had set up several tables where English was spoken. And ladies at my tables were just lovely.  They loved books and chatting about books. I made the mistake of starting The Hunger Games on the Saturday night as a way to relax before the gala dinner. I ended up staying late to finish it and then I couldn’t get the wireless on my kindle to work. The ladies in the second blind date who had read the series also refused to give me spoilers.  Once I arrived at the airport, I downloaded the other 2 books and devoured them. I cried at the end which the ladies had sworn I’d do.

doing a reading

The panels  I participated in were very interesting. I learnt that the German market is far more geared towards unusual historical time periods, in particular medieval (including Viking!). The American west which is so popular in the US does not have the same resonance. This is also true in series, South American, Mediterranean and sheik heroes are preferred. Cowboys just don’t sell well.  Paranormal has peaked in Germany (something that has also happened in the US). This does not mean paranormal is going away, simply that it is not expanding at the rate it once was. Trends are like that. It is why when you are writing a book, your heart has to be in the genre.

during the break, posing  for an editor

The true trend is writing a book that really engages the reader. It is all about engaging the reader’s emotions (particularly if it is a jaded editor or agent) and making them stay up far too late or nearly miss meetings.

Part of the dessert spread at dinner

The gala dinner was great, if a bit noisy. The trouble with a castle’s cellar is that it is wonderfully atmospheric but the noise echoes. The food was sublime. I really enjoyed the starters, the poached salmon for the main and the desserts. I like tiramisu.

After the signing with some of the lovely ladies I met

I am looking forward to going the next time and will brush up on my German so that I can say a few more words...

If you ever get a chance to go to a reader's conference, go! They are just so much fun and you get to meet such pleasant people.

In Other News

The Harlequin Historical Authors are doing a Summer Beachbag giveaway with the grand prize of a kindle fire (or top rated kindle the winner’s country). My day is 27^th June, but there are plenty of opportunities still left to win goodies.

If you like to live vicariously, check out Carole Mortimer’s blog on her meeting with the Queen of England. Carole recently went to the Queen’s Garden Party. She was invited because of services to literature. Carole has written 180 books for Harlequin. She is also  a super person.

My latest His Unsuitable Viscountess will be published in August, so next month I will do a giveaway for Tote Bags readers. (I am waiting for my copies to arrive!)

 Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance. His Unsuitable Viscountess will be published in August 2012. Visit www.michellestyles.co.uk for more details.

Michelle Styles: Dealing with diets

Over the past month, I have started investigating what makes a successful diet and why don't diets work. Plus why do something like 85% of people who lose weight regain it plus within a year. Having spent ages losing 66 lbs and reaching a US size 2/4, I am determined to keep it there.

One of the big things is you have to learn to work with your own unique biochemistry. The digestion functions as a second brain and in fact is involved when you experience strong emotion. There are biological reasons why people emotionally eat.
Learning other self-care strategies for coping when you are dealing with strong emotion is vital. Stress raises your cortisol which causes your body to manufacture Neuropeptide Y which induces a carb craving, particularly food where fat and carbs combine (think bread, cake, potatoes with butter, pasta covered in sauce). So your sudden craving for cake can be a natural response to stressful situations. Other ways of defusing stress can include cardio exercise, meditation, reaching out to a friend etc. (This is far easier said than done. I am an emotional eater from way back!) But the worst thing possible is to feel guilty about binging afterwards. Any breakdown should be viewed as an opportunity for a breakthrough rather than a reason to end the positive steps you have been taking to control your nutrition and your weight.
After reading a lot of books, the biggest culprits in any weight gain/plateau situation are fat combined with carb food,(this includes foods made to be low fat as your body appears to react in the same way). Your body processes them differently. The two big problems from eating such foods are insulin sensitivity (which people might know about as it can lead to type 2 diabetes) and the lesser known and currently being heavily research Leptin Resistance. The question of low fat/high carb v low carb/high protein and fat depends on the individual's unique biochemistry.
Leptin is a hormone secreted by fat cells. It combines in some way with gherlin. And the combo often work together to cause a low level inflammation of the hypothalamus. If you have ever experienced plateauing when on a diet, you may have some sort of leptin resistance.
The most effective diet for getting rid of leptin resistance is limited carbs combined with eating mainly unprocessed foods (fresh vegetables, fruits and lean meat). Processed foods often are high in HFCS and refined/manufactured fructose (as opposed to fructose which naturally occurs in fruit) has been heavily implicated in Leptin Resistance.  The other important factor is having a 12 hour fasting period between supper at night and breakfast the next morning. It takes your body 8 hours to properly digest food and then four hours to run a detox of your cells etc. A friend of mine is currently at a conference where Leptin Resistance is being discussed and clinical trials have shown the 12 hour fast is a really useful tool in ultimately breaking that resistance. So if you eat dinner at 8 pm, you should not eat again until 8 am.
Anyway, I find it absolutely fascinating and hope those little tips can help someone.

In other news:
Last month, my editor phoned with the wonderful news that my latest Viking has been accepted (no scheduled publication date). And I just finished reading the proofs for His Unsuitable Viscountess which comes out in August in both the US and the UK markets. I am SO excited about this book after reading the proofs.

Also in June I shall be attending the Loveletter Magazine's first reader conference in Berlin and doing a couple of workshops. They will be having attendees from around Europe. It will be the first time that I've  been to Berlin so I am really looking forward to it.  I will report back on the conference in June.

Michelle Styles writes warm, witty and intimate historical romance. You can read more about her books on www.michellestyles.co.uk