Writing what you know… - Linda Warren

I just returned from the RWA national conference in DC so I hope I make sense in this post. I had a great time and I’m still exhausted from all the fun. At Friday’s luncheon Eloisa James talked about writing what you know and how successful that was for her. It was a wonderful, moving speech and it rang a bell with me. I just finished a trilogy for Super Romance, The Belles of Texas. The stories involve three sisters trying to save a rundown ranch. I’ve written a lot of modern day cowboy books and I wanted to try something different and write about cowgirls.

To do this I drew upon my childhood and growing up in rural Texas. My parents raised cotton, corn and cattle. My dad was also the constable in our community and he drilled water wells so he was busy. My mom took care of the cattle. She knew every cow, calf and bull on the property. She knew when to cull the herd, when to sell calves and when to change pastures. So, yes, I thought I can write about cowgirls. A woman can do anything a man can, right? Maybe even better.

A lot of my childhood came out in these books. More than I’d planned. But I had fun and realized I hadn’t forgotten a thing about life on the ranch and how hard we all worked. The research was all in my head as were the emotions. Ms. James was right. My books were stronger because I lived a lot of it.

The trilogy starts with Caitlyn’s Prize (July ’09). When their father passes away, Caitlyn finds his enormous gambling debts have left the High Five ranch in dire straits. And to make matters worse, there’s a codicil to the will that states if the ranch is not showing a profit in six months it has to be sold to Judd Calhoun, a neighboring rancher and the man Caitlyn jilted fourteen years earlier.

Caitlyn is fighting mad. She calls her sisters home to inform them of the situation and to ask for their help to save High Five from Judd Calhoun. Since her sisters weren’t raised on the ranch, they don’t share her point of view. It’s the fight of Caitlyn’s life. She sets out to prove that she can run High Five as effectively as any man.

If you want to find out what happens, pick up Caitlyn’s Prize. It’s in stores now. It’s also part of Cowboy Country month for Super Romance.

The second book, Madison’s Children, comes out in October and the third, Skylar’s Outlaw, in January 2010. If you need a good read this summer, saddle up and head for Texas. The Belle sisters are waiting to entertain you.

So what’s your opinion? Do you believe personal experiences make a story stronger?

Linda
http://www.lindawarren.net/

2009 RITA® Finalist TEXAS HEIR

Therapy, Anyone? by Jenny Gardiner

I will be forever grateful for the Commonwealth of Virginia for having the foresight to establish the pre-paid college tuition program. Way back when the program started and my husband was so hot to sign up for it, I was wary--it seemed way too good to be true. I almost nixed the notion but he insisted. But now that we've got kids of college age, it's been a real financial blessing, at a time when we needed it most.

However I really wish Virginia had also thought to launch a pre-paid psychological counseling program as well. Be it for kids or for parents, well, you decide. But let's face it: you can't easily get out of the parent/child relationship without the need for a shrink, and frankly, therapy can rank up there with college tuition in terms of the big bucks.



With nearly two decades of parenting under my belt, I've drawn a few conclusions about little people (in age, not stature). One is that humans are genetically pre-programmed to have particular food tastes. I know, I know, this notion seems ludicrous. And it might be. But hear me out. Take me, for instance. Loathing of all things nutritional from infancy, I was weaned by default on Froot Loops and Sugar Pops. This fact ranks up there in my childhood lore right alongside tales of one of my earliest spoken words: "thit" (I had a lisp. And no, the word wasn't a command to be seated).



But as one who perceived vegetables as something not intended for human consumption, I could never quite relate to someone choosing to be a vegetarian. Foreign concept, thank you. I know everyone says that you if you make the kid eat it, he will. No way.

My oldest child will eat most anything and sometimes prefers the weirder the better. I'll never forget shopping with him at Fresh Fields when he was about 10 and he begged me to buy him octopus. Octopus? I can cook most anything, but I draw the line at creatures with suction cups.

Our middle child declared herself a vegetarian at the ripe old age of eight, purely out of empathy for her fellow creatures. It helps, though, that she loves—actually prefers—vegetables. And this child sprung from my loins? Our number three takes right after me. Learned early on to purse her lips so tight that nary a veggie could pass through the gateway to her gullet. Perfectly happy to eat all things bad-for-you, spent quite a few crucial developmental years eating only hot dogs.

So getting back to the therapy. The youngest child, who thrashed, flailed, and otherwise made mealtimes quite uncomfortable if the concept of mandatory vegetables was ever implemented, announced to us the other day in an accusatory voice, "You should've forced me to eat vegetables when I was little."



Um, hello, Dr. Freud? No, not in that way. I merely mean that I think I need a shrink, because I cannot believe that this child is now blaming us for her childhood obstinacy. After all those countless jars of Gerber's spinach she splattered all over my face (can't exactly blame her—have you ever smelled that stuff?), even the sweet potatoes that weren't sweet enough for her. I vividly recall a temper tantrum that drew dinner to a halt over her having to eat a no thank you bite—a mere bite!—of a cherry tomato when she was eight.

Headstrong, thy name is offspring.

And then there was the dreaded summer camp debacle. For years we pleaded and cajoled with our kids to get them to agree to attend summer camp. Try as we might, those kids wouldn't budge. "No camp," they all moaned. "Never!" To be honest, when they refused, we didn't force the issue too much because camps were always pretty expensive and well, who wants to pay for something the kid's gonna hate? I sure didn't want our kids needing therapy because we forced them to go away during summer vacation.

Cue last week at dinner when my son said, "You should've forced me to go to camp." Piping in were the other two, entirely irate at our irresponsible parenting. So instead of them needing therapy because we forced them to go to camp, we'll need it because they now blame us for not forcing them to go to camp. Get the picture? Virginia? I'm waiting!

Alas, if I had a dollar for all the parenting mandates they've told us we've failed upon, well, maybe I could start funding that Virginia counseling program myself. I'm still waiting for the kids to blame me for not making them clean their rooms more. And the girls for me not teaching them how to sew and cook (tried that, to no avail).

In lieu of that therapy fund, though, I think I'll resort to what I've known best since my childhood days: Froot Loops. A big bowl, no milk, because really, who wants to add anything nutritional to that?

The Personal Touch - Lori Borrill

My latest Blaze hits the shelves next week. Release week is always an exciting time for an author, usually because it's been months since we were knee-deep within the pages of the story. The happily ever after came and went long ago. We've gone through the edit process, read and re-read the manuscript countless times, filled out the Art Fact Sheet that provides information for the marketing department, written up the reader letter, dedication and bio. All the work is done, has been done for what seems like forever, and now--finally--we get to share the final product with the world.

Here's the official blurb for THE PERSONAL TOUCH:

When matchmaker Margot Roth is hired to find a date for the mother of a playboy millionaire, an erotic fling is the last thing on her mind. Well, maybe not the last thing. Clint Hilton is the sexiest man she's ever met, and she has to admit naughty things go through her mind when he looks at her with his sultry eyes.

But now that Clint is there to turn her fantasies into reality, Margot isn't sure if giving in to temptation is the best idea—even if he's determined to share his bed with her…or something more.

What was particularly fun about writing this story was all the secondary characters I managed to fit in. As the blurb says, my heroine is a matchmaker, and throughout the story, I wrote in a number of sessions with her and some of her very colorful clients. Those are the pieces a writer gets to have lots of fun with. We have to be so careful with our main characters, making sure they're likeable, their motives are sound, that their conflict is clear, and in general doing what we need to do to make sure readers engage with them and root for them. It's the secondary characters where we get to hang loose, throw in lots of color and run with whatever comes to mind. And this book offered me lots of opportunity to do that.

I'm very much looking forward to sharing this release and hope you all check it out. In the meantime, I've got a free copy to give away. Simply comment on this post, maybe tell me about a book you read where the secondary characters were especially memorable. Or just tell me what you're doing this summer. I'm easy! I'll post the winner in the comments tomorrow, so make sure to come back and check. And for the rest of you, I hope you'll give this fun story a try when it hits the shelves next week!

Lori Borrill is working on her 9th novel for Harlequin Blaze. For more information about her and her books, check out her website at http://www.loriborrill.com/.

Whimpering in the dark - Kathleen O'Brien

I absolutely get Twilight.

Disclaimer: I’m not a true Twilight fanatic. He’s cute, but he’s too young for me, and vampires aren’t my secret thrill. Still. I completely understand the people who are obsessed by that book/movie.

When I was their age, I went to the same movie over and over, too. Mine was Romeo and Juliet, with Leonard Whiting and Olivia Hussey. I was bewitched; I couldn’t get enough. If I could have had the projector implanted in my head, I would gladly have let them saw open my skull.

Today, decades later, I’m still the same. I fall in love with a film, and I’m driven to watch it over and over and over again. (Last of the Mohicans)

Five times. Ten. I won’t say twenty, not out loud. But…I simply don’t get bored.

My patient husband is mystified. He tries to be amused. “Do you think,” he asks as my daughter and I walk out the door for one more viewing of Moulin Rouge, “that it’ll end differently this time?”

He can’t understand, because he watches movies for one reason: to find out what happens. Once he knows, he’s finished. The second ticket is ten dollars wasted.

I’m different.

Though it sounds crazy, I don’t much care “what happens.” I am an emotion junkie, and every time I go to a new movie, or read a new book, I’m hoping this will be the one that captures me. The one that makes me feel, and feel Big. No holding back, no common sense, no safety net.

I want the one that makes me fall in love with the hot guy (Robert Downey Jr., Paul Newman, Edward Norton). The one that creates a world I never want to leave (Hogwarts, Manderley, a galaxy far, far away). The one that makes me cry (The English Patient) or laugh (Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid) or sing (Amadeus).

And did I mention falling in love with the hot guy? (Daniel Day Lewis)

Once, when I was watching the A&E Pride and Prejudice (Colin Firth), I sat on our couch, wringing my hands and whimpering with horror as Mr. Darcy came riding up to discover Elizabeth Bennet prowling around his estate. Tension, humiliation, fear, oh, God…

My husband patted my hand. “Relax, honey,” he said. “Pretend it’s happening to her instead of you.”

Oh, yes. That’s it. That’s what I’m talking about. That’s ten dollars well spent. Over and over and over again.

As a writer, I try to remember what these movies have taught me. It’s not really about “what happens.” It’s about making people feel something, and feel it Big.

When I get letters from readers who tell me that they read one of my books years ago, lost it, and had to chase down another copy so they could read it again, I’m on Cloud Nine.

The day someone tells me they read my book and whimpered, right there on the sofa, right in front of their mystified husband…well, if there’s a Cloud Ten, I’ll be there. (Ewan MacGregor)

Kathleen

http://www.KOBrienOnline.com/

Six Things That Can Make You Happy And Are Free -- Lisa Dale

Today has been one of those days when every email, letter, and phone call ends up costing money. I’ve talked to the cable people, my student loan people, my mechanic, credit card people, and more. You know how it goes.

So, to cheer myself (and maybe you) up, I’ve decided to make a list of THINGS THAT CAN MAKE YOU HAPPY AND ARE FREE. This is just a little list, in no special order, but I hope you enjoy! Add your own ideas, if you like.

1. The library. My gratitude to the library is inexpressible. Today I downloaded a free audio book that I’m excited about reading. Free entertainment, free knowledge, free joy. How can I be so blessed?

2. Parks. People pay for most of their experiences: eating, going to a movie, etc. But parks? They’re free! There’s a lot of love and care that goes into most parks, and it makes a person feel very blessed to enjoy them, free of charge.

3. Family and friends. Sure, sometimes people can drive you crazy. But in the end, we all mean endless riches to each other when we reach out and enjoy the value of our relationships.

4. Wildflowers. When I started doing research for my upcoming romance, IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT, I realized how amazing flowers are (the book is about two sisters who own a wildflower farm in Vermont). Loving wildflowers isn’t something you can teach someone, but once the appreciation for how intricate, beautiful, and complex they are starts to sink in, just looking at a bit of chicory on the side of the road can make you feel like luxury is at your fingertips.

5. Blogs. Every day, bloggers (like myself) put our hearts on the line and devote hours to our posts. Blogs are always a great source of joy for me—and they so often have many free giveaways (just like on my blog and on the blog you’re reading now). So, blogs enrich our lives—often quite literally—and we don’t pay a dime.

6. Social networking. MySpace, Facebook, Twitter…where would we be if those sites weren’t free? I personally love Facebook and am on it all the time, chatting with friends and fellow readers. Social networks are huge, complicated endeavors to put together…and we get to benefit from them for free!

If you think of any free things that enrich your life, do share the love by leaving a comment. I’ll end with a quote I saw today from the philosopher Epicurus: “Not what we have, but what we enjoy, constitutes our abundance.”

Best wishes,

Lisa Dale
http://www.lisadaleblog.com/

Leaving on a Jet Plane - Donna Alward

Today is Tuesday the 14th. This morning, I'm leaving on a plane for Washington, DC.

I loved Anna Campbell's post on going to Washington - her excitement is something I'm feeling so much right now. Because despite having written romance since 2001 and having been with Harlequin Romance since 2006, this is my FIRST national conference.

I know. I'm kind of a newbie all over again.

It's not that I don't enjoy getting together with my colleagues or learning - it's very important to me and I soak it up each time I have the opportunity. But to be honest, I really enjoy family vacations, getting away from work and spending time with my husband and kids exploring and learning and relaxing. There's not usually the money to do both.

But when I checked and saw that this year it was in Washington, well, I decided this would be the year. It is, in particular, a city I want to visit. It's also east coast, making it cheaper and easier to attend. I'm so excited I can hardly contain myself. And every day it seems I add something to my conference calendar - that is a bit of a thrill.

Today, weather permitting, I'm going to indulge in either a trip to the Arlington Cemetery or the Zoo. Tonight, I'm getting together with fellow Romance author Fiona Harper - I haven't seen her since AMBA in 2007. Major gabbing and eating - can't wait.

Tomorrow, I'm at the Heartbeat chapter lunch, catching up with some old friends, hopefully meeting some people I've only met online, and meeting some brand new faces as well. Then of course there is the Literacy Signing...and I've seen the list of authors participating. I feel like I should be sitting at the kid's table, you know? If you're there, please stop by. At every signing I do I have this fear that no one will come to my table. I'll be signing copies of my June release, Hired: The Italian's Bride.

On Friday I have an agent appointment and a focus group and, of course, the Harlequin party!!!!! This party is legendary and I got very squeeish when my invitation arrived in the mail!


And Saturday...well, Saturday is the RITA ceremony. Several weeks ago I splurged on a lovely outfit. And I am so glad. Not long after I brought it home from the store, one of my favourite authors ever asked if I would stand in for her at the ceremony as she cannot attend. The request nearly overwhelmed this newbie - I feel incredibly honoured (and it may be my one and only chance to sit in the good seats!). So that's what I'll be doing Saturday night.

In between those times, there will be other lunches, workshops, drinks, meetings, and general fun. I KNOW what it's like when we writers get together. DC won't know what hit it.

Finally, on Sunday, I get to play tourist before flying home on Monday. The idea, being time-challenged, is to take a bus tour and get on and off, much like I did in London. Keep your fingers crossed the weather is kind to me.

I'm going to have a wonderful time. And then I'm going to see my kids' shining faces when I return and be very, very glad to be home again. :-)

Look No Further... - Christina Hollis

…for more good reasons to read romance. When the weather’s murky and the economy shows no signs of improving, it’s an ideal way to relax and raise your spirits. First, there’s the pleasure of browsing the book shop shelves. Nowadays you can leaf online, too! Then there’s the delight of plunging into the story. Romantic novels are the ideal way to escape the everyday, and enter a world of dreams. I’ve lost count of the times I’ve taken a break from the housework, abandoning it for the pleasures of a dashing sheik or brooding Greek.

Romance is a very popular way of cheering ourselves up. Recent research conducted by Book Marketing Limited for the Romantic Novelists' Association showed the romantic fiction market to be worth £118million a year, and growing. For a small sum (or even for free, if there’s a lending library nearby) anyone can indulge their favourite fantasy, or discover a new one. Best of all, there’s the assurance that whatever the romantic strife, it will always reach a satisfying conclusion. In my view, there’s only one thing better than reading romance, and that’s writing it. I can let my imagination go wild. Developing new characters and then setting them down to sort out their conflicts in a place I love is a wonderful job. When I was working on The Ruthless Italian’s Inexperienced Wife, I found the perfect way to get myself in the mood for writing. There’s a lane not far away from here that runs through an avenue of lime trees. At this time of year they are in full flower. The perfume is wonderful, and to walk in their shade on a hot afternoon when they are humming with millions of bees is heavenly. It was so relaxing, I gave my hero Marco some lime trees outside his grand house. Now, when you read The Ruthless Italian’s Inexperienced Wife, you’ll know where I got the idea!

Christina

www.christinahollis.com

Whooping it up in Washington!

by Anna Campbell

When you read this, I will have become an international woman of mystery.

Well, at least an international woman!

Every July, Romance Writers of America host a huge convention in the States and for the last few years, I've been lucky enough to go. Wow, is it a shock to my usually hermit-like system.

Thousands of romance writers, all completely overexcited like toddlers drinking red coridal at the kindy Christmas break-up. People you love but only ever see once a year. A week where I talk romance fiction nonstop with writers and fans and industry bods.

If anyone is in the Washington area on Wednesday, 15th July, make sure you come to the author signing to benefit literacy charities. Every romance author you ever wanted to meet will be there (well, perhaps not EVERY one but enough to make your heart beat faster!). Details here.

The conference is huge fun as well as a great networking opportunity and learning curve. There are fantastic workshops (most of which I never seem to get to although my intentions are good - darn you, hotel bar!) and lots and lots of parties.

One of my favorite parties is the big awards night which is the culmination of the conference on Saturday night. This year I'm all excited - a lot of my friends are up for the Golden Heart (unpublished) and the RITA Award (published). I'm also lucky enough to the guest of RITA nominee for Best Regency Romance Christine Wells for the ceremony which means I get to sit up the front and drool over all the stars. Yeah, I agree, not an attractive picture.

Christine's THE DANGEROUS DUKE finaled this year and I'm so excited for her as it's a fabulous book, witty and passionate and romantic.

until recently, I'd never visited the U.S. and I find it an absolutely fascinating country. I always try and tag a few extra days on to do some sightseeing. Last year, as many of you know, I got to explore the area around San Francisco. This year, I'm so looking forward to checking out a few things in the national capital and its adjacent area.

Of course, there are too many wonderful sites in Washington for anyone (and particularly a history geek like me) to cover in merely a couple of days but I'm looking forward to getting a taste of the place. I'm hoping to hit a couple of art museums and the White House (still to be confirmed) and the monuments and the Library of Congress. A writer HAS to go to the Library of Congress!

Lovely romantic and talented suspense author and fellow Romance Bandit Jeanne Adams (her latest book DARK AND DEADLY has just hit the shelves - another treat!) has offered to drive me around a few places outside the city.
Something I'm particularly looking forward to seeing is Monticello, Thomas Jefferson's home and estate. Several years ago, I remember seeing a marvellous documentary by Ken Burns about Jefferson. Thomas Jefferson has always been someone I've admired without necessarily knowing a lot abouthim. What an amazing man (obviously not perfect, but who is?). So clever and interested in absolutely everything and such vision for the future.

So have you been to Washington D.C.? If you have, what was the best thing you saw/attended/experienced? If you haven't been, what would you most like to see? The Smithsonian? The White House? The Washington Monument? Inquiring minds want to know!

Getting Ready For Nationals - Kimberly Van Meter

Sometimes I envy the relatively simple process men enjoy when preparing to travel. As I prepare to leave for the Romance Writers of America National conference, I’m struck by how much there is to do and how I should’ve started preparing way before this moment. You see, I think women are the only ones who stress about things that are fairly ridiculous in the big scheme of things.

To put it into perspective: North Korea might very well be readying to blow the United States (or at least some part of it) to the hereafter yet, the networks are too busy going over the minutia of Michael Jackson’s funeral arrangements to bother with something so boring, hence it makes perfect sense that I’m fretting over all the pampering that still needs to be done before I’m ready to make my entrance among my writer/author friends. I’m completely guilty. I am more worried that my aesthetician will manage to squeeze me in before I leave when I really should just make do with a good facial scrub and moisturizer and call it a day. I’m being completely frivolous and I admit it. Does that count for something? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Internally, I’m rolling my eyes at my own foolish primping I’m not going to stop. And I know I’m not alone. My friends are tweeting and posting on Facebook, listservs and IMs how appointments have been made at the hair dresser, manicurist, and shopping trips have either been scheduled or finished, all in prep for this major event.

So what’s the big deal? I’m a wash-and-wear kinda girl. I choose comfort over fashion most days and I rarely bother with make-up during the work week, yet during National I’m a diva of the primped, coiffed, and stylized (well, my version anyhow) of the jet set. It makes no sense. I have new clothes to purchase, dresses to squeeze myself into, new make-up sets to put together, hairstyles to try out, new shoes and bag to match my outfits, not to mention all the accessories that go into putting together a fashionable look and let me tell you, this stuff is not cheap. So not only am I going to all this effort for a week’s worth of activity that I don’t bother with the rest of the year, I’m spending a fortune to do it. It’s crazy.

My husband, on the other hand, is content with throwing deodorant, assorted toiletries, just enough clothes, one pair of shoes into the suitcase, and he’s ready to rock and roll.There’s no need for fancy haircuts, a massage, a pedicure, fake tan, new clothes or some ridiculous compulsion to diet one week before leaving.

Oh well. It is what it is.

So, let’s commiserate together. Tell me, if you’re going to National, what prep you’ve undergone and if you’re not going to National, share your war stories of another event you had to go into hyperdrive to attend with any measure of success. One lucky poster will receive a free copy of my July Harlequin Superromance novel, KIDS ON THE DOORSTEP.

Kimberly
http://www.kimberlyvanmeter.com/

***The winner is Rachie G!*** Congratulations! You should have an email from Kimberly soon. :) Thanks to everyone who left a comment! For questions, please email totebag@authorsoundrelations.com - Thanks!!

What Book Should I Read?

I have a summer cold, though I have been telling myself that it is allergies, as if that somehow minimizes the yuck. For some reason, I find sniffling in the summer far more egregious than in the winter. I would like to crawl up under a blanket on the couch and read books, or watch my Netflixed Lost in Austen DVDS.

For that matter, I would like to get a little lost in Austen myself. Wouldn't you?



But I digress. My problem is that for some reason, I cannot manage to find a single book on my towering to-be-read pile. I'm not looking for a specific book. I just want one that will yank me in and make me forget that I can't breathe through my nose and my throat hurts and I can't stop coughing. Is that so much to ask?

What book would you recommend? It can be old or new. It just has to be amazing. I can't wait to read your suggestions!

Yours for the Night by Jasmine Haynes

I've got a new erotic romance series coming out, the first book, Yours for the Night, arriving in stores November 3, 2009. This one is an anthology, a collection of stories all by me. Here's a little bit about my "Courtesan Tales."

A glitzy, sensual world of powerful people and the courtesans they’ll pay anything to have.
An exclusive and secret agency, for over two hundred years Courtesans has specialized in providing entertainment of a sexual nature. Its clients are rich, powerful, and influential men and women, and one only meets a courtesan through referral from trusted sources. Courtesans facilitates bringing together men and women to satisfy any sexual need imaginable, matching the perfect courtesan with just the right client. The agency prides itself on training its courtesans, male and female, to interpret and fulfill its clients greatest fantasies, even the secret ones no one dares to say aloud. The price is high, but everyone who’s ever had the pleasure of a date with a courtesan will agree, the fantasy is worth every penny. And sometimes it changes your life.

These stories are completely fantasy, of course. I didn't want to deal with the seedy, seemier side of "ladies of the night." I wanted to create a fantasy world, a playground for powerful people. And within that framework, I wanted to examine why a woman would choose to do this. I sold the concept to Berkley right at the exact same time that the governor of New York was caught with a high-priced call girl. So that added more to my stories, by also examining why men would wish to use my fantasy agency. In the first story, "The Girlfriend Experience," Chase Ramirez has lost his wife in the most tragic of circumstances, and a year later, he's so lonely he just wants to pretend life is normal by paying for a girlfriend. He's still so broken up, he can't handle a real relationship. Until he meets Marianna.

I've been watching "Secret Diary of a Call Girl" on Showtime (well, actually, I'm renting it off Netflix). And in the last one I watched, she had a "girlfriend experience!" I'm working on the second book in the series now, Hers for the Evening, which will be out early summer 2010

Leave me a comment, and I'll enter you in a drawing for a copy of Somebody's Lover. Please leave your email so I can contact you.

And at the end of the week, stop by my new website http://www.jasminehaynes.com/!

Jasmine, Jennifer and JB!
http://www.skullybuzz.com/
Newsletter: skullybuzz-subscribe@yahoogroups.com
Blog: http://jasminehaynes.blogspot.com/

Makes You Want to go "Huh?" -- Susanna Carr

Last night Duran Duran was playing at the amphitheater at the park down the hill from me. Usually I can hear the concerts in my backyard, but this time I wanted to enjoy the whole concert experience. What can I say? I grew up in the 80's.

Since you have to find a spot to spread your blanket on the grassy knoll, I made sure I got there on time. It turns out I didn't need to rush because there was an opening act. I never heard of them, but I don't think I'll ever forget their name: Natalie Portman's Shaved Head.

Seriously. What kind of name is that?

Then again, Duran Duran is a strange name. According to their website, "the band took their name from Roger Vadim's 1960's cult sci-fi classic film "Barbarella" starring Jane Fonda. There was a character played by Milo O'Shea called Durand Durand."

Uh... okay. It begs the question WHY.

And here I thought coming up with book titles was hard. Creating a memorable band name might be tougher.

What crazy band names have you heard? The kind that you don't know where they got it or why they use it?

Crazy July - by Kate Walker

I've known all year that July was going to be a crazy month for me but now that it's here it's actually even more hectic and crammed with events than I had planned.

I'm writing this just before I set off halfway across thre country to a Writers' Day where I'm giving a workshop on writing romance - and that's just the start of things.

And then I'm going to America in two different ways -

One is that in just over a week from today I'll be getting on a plane and flying from the UK to Washington to be at the RWA National Conference there. I can't wait to meet up with all my friends, writers, readers and of course hosties from eHarlequin. I'll be signing my books at the literacy signing. If you're going to DC and you're coing to the event I hope you'll come up and say Hi.

And second - I have some exciting news that my 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance is going to be in America too.

For ages now - ever since the 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance was first published, I have hoped that one day I would be able to tell my American readers and would-be writers that they could buy the book direct in USA. I know that it's been available on Amazon.com, but not everyone likes to buy on-line, and some of you have had difficulty getting hold of it 'over the pond'.

The good news is that I heard today from the publisher that the first copies of an American edition, printed and published in Chicago, are being printed this week - and that means that you can easily order the book from any book shop and hopefully get a copy very quickly. That's the idea anyway

This news means that there is also the hope that the book will now be on sale at the RWA Conference in Washington - if it isn't, it won't be for want of trying! But I'm really thrilled to know there will be an American edition at last.

If you've been wanting to get hold of a copy of this book - and I know that a lot of you have - then the details you'll need to order it are:

Kate Walker's 12 Point Guide to Writing Romance

ISBN: 978-1842851319

Price : $27.50

printed and published in Chicago by:
Studymates Publishing
Chicago Distribution Center
11030 S. Langley Ave.
Chicago, IL 60628
Phone: 773-702-7000
Fax 773-702-7212

And then when I get back from Washington I have just five days to unpack, do my laundry, repack my bag and head out again - this time for Caerleon in Wales where again I'm teaching the Writing Romance course at Writers' Holidays.

But I'll not be neglecting the readers of my blog while I'm away - I have a lots of activity and a great contest all planned out to keep you reading when I'm not there.

Every year I run a special summer contest to win a Tote Bag Full of Books – one of my special tote bags crammed full of fabulous summer reading. And this year I’m running the contest again – but this time it’s a really special competition.

Because this year marks the 60th anniversary of Harlequin, and because July is the month when the Harlequin Spotlight is on the wonderful Presents line, I have planned this year’s Tote Bag Contest as a Presents Special. Every book in the tote bag has been donated by one of my fellow Presents authors.

So you have a chance to win 15 – that’s right - 15 fabulous Presents titles, many of them signed, from some of your favourite authors.

Right now the prize list looks like this:

Cordero's Forced Bride by Kate Walker

The Italian Boss's Mistress of Revenge OR Forced Wife, Royal Love-Child by Trish Morey

Mistresses By Blackmail (3 in1 ) by Melanie Milburne

Ruthlessly Bedded, Forcibly Wedded by Abby Green

The Antonides Marriage Deal by Anne McAllister

The Markonos Bride by Michelle Reid

Rich, Ruthless and Secretly Royal by Robyn Donald

The Tuscan Tycoon's Pregnant Housekeeper by Christina Hollis

Virgin Mistress, Scandalous Love-Child by Jennie Lucas

The Greek's Convenient Mistress by Annie West

Spanish Magnate, Red-Hot Revenge by Lynn Raye Harris

The Desert King's Bejewelled Bride by Sabrina Philips

The Diakos Baby Scandal by Natalie Rivers

Desert King, Pregnant Mistress OR Housekeeper at his Beck and Call by Susan Stephens.

Bought for Marriage by Margaret Mayo

What do you have to do to be in with a chance of winning this great prize? Well this year, the contest is in the form of a Scavenger Hunt where you find one answer from each author involved by visiting their web sites or blogs.

All through July – starting July 7th - the Presents authors will be guest blogging on my blog and each one of them will end their post with a question.

Visit the blog regularly, and just answer the question of the day.
Keep that answer safely.

Collect up all the answers and at the end of the blogs send the 15 answers you have via email to me with Tote Bag Presents Special in the subject line.

The contest closes on August 1st. By then I will be back from teaching in Wales and after that, Sid will pick two winners who will both receive a tote bag filled with all this fabulous holiday reading.

These details will be up on my Contests Page just as soon as the wonderful Heather from We Write Romance gets the updates on my site done.

There will be other news of books, events and teaching courses up there too - so keep a look out for those.

And good luck with the contest

And I'll be back in August, by which time my hectic July will be over and things will have calmed down again . . . apart from the deadline for the next book!

The New RWA Readership survey

I was going to write a post about the Fourth of July and its northern counterpart -- Canada Day, but the RWAs latest readership statistics about the romance industry appeared in my inbox.

The RWA does two surveys -- an industry one which comes out every year and the Readership survey which appears about every four years. The readership survey gives info about the readers -- who they are, where they read and even what type of books they read. The last one appeared in 2005. And so this new one is the most up to date snapshot of the readership.

So what did I learn from the survey?

One of the big surprises is ebooks v paperback books. Of the respondents in 2008, 90.6% of romance readers read paperback books and just under half read hardbacks as well. 5.4% have read a romance book as an e-book and 6.5% listen to audiobooks. I would suspect that the last time this survey was run 2005, far fewer had read an e-book. And it goes show that while e-books are growing (and have had exponential growth), they are not replacing paperback books yet.
Of those who do read ebooks, more than half do not use a dedicated ebook reader.

No one genre is preferred to another. This makes sense as over 74.8 million people (90.5% of them women -- there are reasons why Donna Hayes, the publisher of Harlequin Enterprises said that she was unconcerned about male readership!) have read a romance novel and that is a lot of different tastes. There are about 29 million regular romance readers out there and the most popular place for readers to learn about new books is in the back of romance novels. ( As I am always finding new novels by reading the end pages, I was glad to see that I am not alone!) And the most popular online source for learning about new novels is the publisher's website.

The biggest age group of readers are aged 31-49. Romance readers are more likely than the general population to be married or living with a partner. More romance readers are located in the South than in the Northeast.
More than half said that these were impulse buys rather than planned purchases.

Most read romance novels at home and about 29% always carry a romance novel with them. (I wish I was more organised. I try to remember to grab a book before I leave the house, but more often than not have retrieved the book to finish and have forgotten to put the new book in! But carrying books around is one of the reasons why I have a large purse.)

Also 91% readers said that if they like an author, they will read her backlist. And that 70% were likely to follow a favourite author to a new genre. 88% were willing to try new authors. They found new authors via the recommendations from friends, and from the retail or library shelf.

About half had purchased a used book. However, just over 45% were not aware that authors receive no payment or royalties for a used book. I think it is very important to educate people that by all means buy a used book if you want (and in some cases it is the ONLY way to get hold of a backlist) but be aware that the author will not get any money for it. And if you don't have the money, try to get it out from the library as in some countries like the UK and Canada, authors do get Pubic Lending Right money. And at the very least you are supporting the library which does buy the books new.



Anyway, I found the survey very interesting and hopefully someone else has as well. Did anyone learn anything new?



Currently Michelle Styles is hard at work on her next early Victorian. Her next North American release will be The Viking's Captive Princess in December.

Summertime in Erie

Summertime in Erie never seems long enough to get everything done. We had a very long, snowy winter, so when spring arrived, we started our 'summer' with projects. This year's big project was ripping the siding and windows off half the house (we did the other half when we did the kitchen addition). Now, the ripping off wasn't nearly as hard as the putting back together (isn't that always the case?? LOL). We had to build out the windows on the inside, then stain and polyurethane them all. Ugh. But I can say, now that it's done, we're thrilled with the results. Having windows that open easily and are energy efficient is wonderful!

Siding and windows...we've got more going on! My dh and I both go out and get wood, but I do all the splitting. Because I spend most of my day writing, I try to find things that keep me active...wood splitting helps! Here's most of the results for this spring/summer. And then there's the garden.

We've been having a cool rainy summer. This week the street flooded. My house was safe, but neighbors' basements and garages flooded. There were a lot of other areas of town with flooding. But thankfully, no one was hurt.

I'm working on some more articles for RWR magazine...I visited our local library down on the bayfront. A building filled with books that looks out on the bay. It is my idea of heaven! LOL

I've got a number of conferences and signings coming up. Leaving for RWA's conference in just a couple weeks! Susan Gable and I are driving there...roadtrips with Susan are always...well, a trip! LOL

That's my summer. Well, we also have had a graduation, guests...and more guests on their way! I know I've talked about Erie's snowy, cold winters where all I do is huddle near the fireplace and write. I think knowing another winter is just around the corner makes getting everything done in the summer easier! LOL

Holly

Conferences, Workshops and Booksignings for 2009:

Wednesday, July 15, 5pm: I'll be in Washington, DC at RWA's conference. On Wednesday, they have a huge booksiginging. I'll be there, but so will hundreds of your other favorite romance writers!
And while I'm at the conference I'll be doing a panel discussion, “Our Favorite Flavors: What It Takes to Succeed in Some of Today's Most Popular Romance Subgenres” with New York Times bestselling authors Gaelen Foley, Gena Showalter and Allison Brennan.

Saturday, August 1, 12-2pm
Join me and Susan Gable at a signing in Port Clinton, Ohio's
The Book Exchange
136 Madison Street
Port Clinton, OH 43452
(419) 734-7018

Saturday, August 22, 2pm:
Join me, Susan Gable, Gwyn Creedy, Gaelen Foley
and Madeline Hunter to talk books and romance!
Borders Romance Bookclub
1775 North Highland Rd.
Pittsburgh, PA 15241

Saturday, September 12, 2pm: Susan Gable and I will be at Central New York's RWA meeting doing our "We Don't Need No Stinkin' Rules" workshop. You can find out more at

October 23-24: I'll be at the NJ RWA Conference. My workshop is "My Writing May Be Art...But My Kids Need Braces."

Beginnings and Endings - Dara Girard

I was thrilled with Leena’s invitation to guest blog. I was even more amazed when she gave me the perfect date to do so. Monday, June 29th the day before the release date of ROUND THE CLOCK, the fourth and final book in The Black Stockings Society series about four women, one club, and a secret that will make all their fantasies come true.

Last year at this time (June 30, 2008) I introduced the series with the first book, POWER PLAY, and ‘mousy’ Mary whose invitation to the society turned her from a lamb into a shewolf.

Then in October 2008 I introduced ‘sultry’ Yvette in A GENTLEMAN’S OFFER who turned her invitation into a Cinderella story.

In January 2009, BODY CHEMISTRY was released. A story where ‘good girl’ Brenda gets a second chance at love with her devilish ex-husband.

And now the series comes to an end with ‘people pleaser’ Anna Marie who is ready to turn the tables on everyone—especially her high school crush, former bad boy Desmond Rockwell.

They proved to be the perfect couple to end this series. At first, I agonized about ending it because more ideas and characters came to mind and I would miss certain returning characters, but I knew the time was right. First the title, ROUND THE CLOCK, is appropriate. I didn’t think about this until much later, but the title suits the end of the series because it’s about completion. Second this novel encompasses what the society represents—dreams coming true, secret benefactors, transformation and, of course, finding true love. Lastly, I wanted to end the series on a high note. To step out in style, which with the four stars rating this book received from Romantic Times BookReviews, I believe I achieved.

So to celebrate the end of this series I’m running a fun contest on my website in July. And if you want to know more about the series watch the video on my website - www.daragirard.com

Remember never settle for less in life or love.

For more information on Dara and her books and to find out more about her contests visit www.daragirard.com

The Creative Freedom of a Fictional Setting – Sabrina Philips

I’ve always loved the extra sense of escapism offered by romances set in exotic, glamorous and beautiful destinations – so it’s no real surprise that I’ve always adored Harlequin Presents. However, I have to confess that when I started trying to write for the line, I was wary of articles about writing that champion setting too much, that even suggested the location of a book could act as a third character. Surely there was a danger that thinking in such a way could result in page after page of elaborate descriptions which would serve no real purpose other than demonstrating that I’d spent an afternoon with a thesaurus? Setting, I thought, should add a dollop of fantasy. Maybe it might occasionally be used to reflect the characters’ moods too, but I knew what mattered most was the relationship between my hero and heroine, not the shape of the trees in Tuscany.

Largely, it’s a viewpoint I still stand by, but when I came to write my second book, my whole way of thinking about setting changed. Why? Because I’d decided to fulfil my dream of writing a sheikh story, and in order to avoid the complexities of choosing an appropriate Middle Eastern country which actually existed on the map, I knew it would work best if it was set in a fictional place.

And once I started thinking about the kind of place I wanted Qwasir - my desert kingdom – to be, it occurred to me that setting is so much more than just scenery. My first story was set largely in Italy, and its Western way of life was so clearly ingrained in my mind that I didn’t even give it a second thought. Now I was inventing a whole new country, I realised that I had free reign not just over geography, but over laws and customs too. Which suddenly made me realise that setting could be far more significant than just acting a backdrop, it could inform plot, I mean, what if Kaliq Al-Zahir A’zam had to marry in order to inherit his kingdom…?

The catalysts for conflict that my fictional setting presented weren’t just external either, because what if I decided that Qwasirian men considered it immoral for women to display their bodies, and what if the woman Kaliq couldn’t get out of his head was top model Tamara Weston?

Of course, real places have plenty of sources of potential internal and external conflict lurking in their own laws and customs too – that Eastern attitude to women has its basis in reality after all – but it took my fictional kingdom to make me see how setting could be so much more than just the colour of the sky and the scent of the breeze. Besides which, creating a fictional kingdom of my own was fabulous fun!

So what about you, do you like reading or writing about fictional settings or do you prefer your romances to take place somewhere you can find on a map?

The Desert King’s Bejewelled Bride is out in the UK in July, and will be released in North America as a Presents Extra this August.

To win a signed copy and a gorgeous Swarvoski crystal necklace, please visit Sabrina’s website www.sabrinaphilips.com where she is currently running a joint contest with fellow Presents author Kate Hewitt.

Reinventing the wheel

It's happened again and I have no idea how.

Yup, I'm talking about revision panic. The worst thing is, that every time I finish revising something, I swear that next time things will be better.

I will be cool, calm and collected. Oh, and I most definitely, definitely won't take my editor's or agent's one line comment to mean that I need to scrape three chapters and redo them without the X or Y or even the Z. Especially since after spending four days taking out the XYZ I will suddenly remember four chapters further along just why I had them there in the first place and so I will go back and find an original draft to cut and paste them back in, before then realizing that some of the new chapters were actually good so perhaps I should just cut and paste them into the cut and paste.

And so the crazy begins.

Fortunately I'm ending the near of the revision haze and there are only 30 pages to go (okay and about four extra essential scenes that I know my editor didn't ask for but they really help to bring the XYZ to life!). Unfortunately, at this stage I have absolutely no way of knowing if any of it is any good and my only conscious thought is - 'hmmm, where are my children? I'm sure I saw them somewhere in that mess I like to call a lounge room. But was that three days ago or four?'

So that's my lovely revision process, though please viewers, I don't recommend you try it at home unless you are fully supervised by a responsible adult (who will hopefully tell you to run a mile because my way leads to madness!)

In completely other news, in order to help celebrate the release of Tote Bags 'n' Blog's, Serena Robar's new book, 'Giving Up the V', there is a copy up for grabs over at my own blog and all you need to do is head over there and leave a comment. Oh, and if you haven't read any of Serena's books before you are in for such a treat because she rocks (and I totally bet she has a nice orderly revision process as well!)

Grandma and the Prince - Part 8

<==Grandma at 19

Something happened to me the year I turned twenty-six.

It was 1976, our Bicentennial year, a year of history and memory. A year of looking back to discover how we came to be. I suppose my family is as representative of the U.S. in the 20th century as any family could be.

Three of my four grandparents were born in other countries. Only one, my mother's father, was born in this country and he was halfChippewa.

I started thinking a lot about how my family evolved during that year, trying to weave together the disparate stories into a whole I could understand. And who better to start with than my garrulous, storytelling grandmother El?

Grandma was living in a small apartment in Elmhurst, Queens, the New York City neighborhood where I'd grown up. It wasn't much as far as apartments go, more a glorified studio than anything else. You entered into a dark and narrow hallway. The bathroom was off that hallway, along with a huge walk-in closet that also held Grandma's chifferobe and secretary desk. Everything else had been lost in the fire two years earlier that destroyed the Woodside building where she and her daughter Mona had both been living.

The moment she smelled smoke and heard the fierce sibilant hiss of flame, she grabbed her strongbox of old photos, her bankbook and jewelry, and climbed out onto the fire escape in her nightgown. The metal rungs of the ladder were slick with ice but that didn't stop Grandma. She ordered the firemen to keep their hands to themselves and made her way down two flights to safety.

When the smoke cleared, she learned she'd be traveling much lighter through life. Paintings, framed photos, furniture, clothes--gone, all of it. These days they call it simplifying your life but it was more than that. It was a tragedy.

So much of her past was lost in that fire, so many clues to her heart and soul. Of course, none of that mattered to me in 1976. I was only twenty-six and my grandmother was going to live forever. She was my constant, my North star. And she was ready to talk.

We decided I'd drive in early Sunday morning for breakfast and conversation. I had my questions all planned, fresh batteries in my cassette recorder, and a curiosity so intense that I was willing to brave the Long Island Expressway on a July Sunday in order to satisfy it.

No matter where Grandma lived, the place always looked like her. I remember the Prospect Avenue house with the steep front steps and angled roof. The small ranch house on Eckhardt Terrace with the apple trees in the back yard and the pinball machine in the basement. The address didn't matter. You'd know who lived there the second you walked through the door. She hated this apartment, her last, but still she'd made it her own. She'd found a loose pillow-back sofabed at a thrift store and stitched up a slipcover in a slightly tatty chintz fabric that seemed to give off the faint scent of Tigress. She had paintings on the walls, oils and watercolors and prints, street scenes, rainy vistas, all of them in ornate frames hung suspended from thick velvet cords. They weren't the pictures she'd carried with her from home to home but still they fit. I can see each of her homes in my mind's eye.

Grandma and I talked for hours that summer day. She was instantly comfortable with the whirring of the tape recorder, so much so that she would ask me to stop the tape when she wanted to say something incriminating or downright bitchy. But I can’t remember the words.

I remember the room and the heat and the smell of toast and bacon and the feeling of having turned a corner, of being accepted in her world as an adult and not a child. I remember the narrow little table pushed against the wall, the way you could reach the sink from your chair without even stretching very far at all. I remember the sound of people talking beneath her window, of the gentle ticking of her anniversary clock.

Whatever we talked about, I captured ninety minutes of it on tape. I remember the
cassette. Capitol Records made the blank tape and packaged it in a cardboard box
decorated with a Peter Max drawing that was all curves and primary colors. The label was red and white.

The tape is old now and a little flukey with age. I popped it in an ancient cassette player and was jolted from my chair by the sound of our laughter. I didn't remember the laughter. Isn't that ridiculous? But I remember now.

It wasn't easy but I transcribed the tape about ten years ago and while the
omissions are telling (like forgetting her first husband, the man who was my biological grandfather) the content is downright fascinating and I hope to share it with you next month.

(The photo above is Grandma El at 70.)

* * * *

Today's my birthday and to celebrate I'm giving away a signed ARC of my August
book, LACED WITH MAGIC. All you have to do is leave a comment and I'll choose one winner (thanks, Random Number Generator) on Sunday night and announce it right here and on my blog.

Good luck!

In Search of Serendipity

I am always amazed at the serendipitous moments in real life and in writing my stories. Many, many times, strange 'coincidences' happen and things work out in mysterious ways -- much like Robert the Bruce finding and watching the spider in that cave in Ireland when he was hiding. According to legend, it was observing the spider's relentless efforts to weave its web and inspire the Bruce onto bigger and better things....(If you magnify this photo, there's an itsy bitsy spider in the corner of one of the panes of stained glass in the Abbey at Dumfernline...)

Anyway...I believe that these moments happen and make things/my stories better. When I was writing my novella THE CLAIMING OF LADY JOANNA, I decided to use evil Prince. . er. . King John as a character but the story had to be set in Springtime in England. Well, heck, I said, as I wrote the novella and researched it as I was writing it. Amazingly, I discovered that the ONLY year King John actually held an Easter court in England was. . . the year in which I set my story!

Those kinds of things have happened lots of times in my life and my writing. Serendipity. Moments and events that I couldn't have planned but are special.


When I'd planned my first trip to Scotland, something I'd dreamed of for years and years, I ended up in the hospital. I begged my doc to let me go (once they couldn't find anything wrong with me) and I ended up joining the rest of the group a day late. Because of that, I flew to Scotland on my own, took a train across and into the Cairngorms and into a small town called Pitlochry. I also met a number of people I would never have met and was even helped from the train station by a nice young man who showed me around the town and found a ride for me (on a Sunday when no taxis were available). Pure serendipity.

One of the best examples of serendipity occurred during my first trip to Scotland when I stayed on with 2 friends - Sue-Ellen Welfonder and Lisa Trumbauer - to travel out to the Highlands. As we were on our way back to Glasgow, we passed by the sign for this castle I'd never heard of: Dunstaffnage. So, as Sue-Ellen fills me in on the history of it, we toured, climbed onto the battlements, walked the acres around it, all the time never dreaming that it would turn into a romance novel for me a few years later.

So, what's this all about? Well, I'm planning another trip to Scotland and I am in search of serendipity. I'll be driving all over the Highlands, visiting the islands and lots of places in between. And I'm hoping that something will click, something will ping, something from the cosmic universe to point me in a direction or inspire me. I suspect, with scenery like this-- -- it will happen!


Terri






While Terri is busy planning the trip, her latest Harlequin Historical - THE CONQUEROR'S LADY - is hitting the shelves. After beginning the story in her HH Undone, A NIGHT FOR HER PLEASURE in June, the Knights of Brittany return as Giles find his newly-betrothed wife marrying someone else! Visit Terri's website for more information about her upcoming novels and novellas.. www.terribrisbin.com

(okay - yesterday in work, we were talking about Elton John's TINY DANCER and how it was sung in a movie that none of us could remember; as I'm writing this blog, I changed the channels and came upon ALMOST FAMOUS as the whole group in the bus is singing along with TINY DANCER! Serendipity in action!)