Romance Writers of America (and Washington, D.C), Here I Come!

In just four days' time, I'm headed across the country to Washington D.C., where I'm going to the Romance Writers of America National Conference for the first time as a "real, published author," and I'm going to be meeting (and signing A HINT OF WICKED!) with a group of amazing Grand Central authors.

I'm also in the middle of a deadline, and apparently I'm getting page proofs in the mail, which I'll be working on on the airplane. I have nothing to wear (will the clothes I wore last year still fit?), and I have no idea about shoes...or even transportation from the airport... Yikes! Time is short--I'd better get on all that.

I'm going to be the nervous nelly newbie, I just know it. I'm generally a pretty shy person, and I'm super quiet in groups. When someone asks me something and everyone turns and looks at me, waiting for the answer, I tend to turn beet red. But I'm so excited, and so thrilled to be going! AND I feel so honored to be a one of the Grand Central Romance writers, because truly, some of my favorite authors write for this house. Is it possible to be a giggling fangirl and part of the group at the same time? Guess I'll find out!

If you're coming to DC, please stop by and say hi (I'm likely to be the blonde wallflower in ill-fitting clothing and mismatched shoes hiding in the corner), but if not, I'll be Twittering from the conference, so come on over & check out my updates (I'm @jenniferhaymore over on Twitter and Jennifer Haymore on Facebook).

Okay, off to sort through my closet in a last lame attempt to find something to wear. I have no time left to shop at this point! See you soon, everyone!

Jennifer
www.jenniferhaymore.com

The Biggest Author Signing of the Year!

Well, maybe not the biggest of the year, but certainly a gosh-darn large one. The author signing I'm talking about is RWA's "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing in Washington D.C. How big is it? Dude! Over 500 romance authors will be there! Here's the info:

2009 RWA "Readers for Life" Literacy Autographing

Wednesday, July 15th

5:30-7:30

Marriott Wardman Park Hotel, Exhibit Hall

The best part of this signing? Not only wlll you get a chance to meet and chat with your favorite authors, but all proceeds from the autographing go to literacy charities. For a list of the 500-plus who will attend, go to RWA's website, but here are some of the Grand Central Publishing authors who will be attending (and if I miss anyone, please add your name in the comments section.):

Sherrill Bodine

Shannon K. Butcher

Susan Crandall

Robyn DeHart

Lilli Feisty

Jennifer Haymore

Rita Herron

Diana Holquist

Elizabeth Hoyt (and Julia Harper)

Carolyn Jewel

Marliss Melton

Andrea Pickens

Karen Rose

Michelle Rowen

Kelley St. John

I hope we see you there!

Elizabeth Hoyt

www.elizabethhoyt.com

www.juliaharper.com

For your viewing pleasure...

I am in a place we writers fondly call "deadline hell" it's those last few days/hours before a book is due when we haven't washed our hair, done dishes or left the house and instead we sit at our desks working until our fingers (and perhaps eyeballs) begin to bleed. It's a scary place, though probably more for our families than ourselves. We're used to it, we've been here before, it's familiar (though the panic always feels new and different) and we're just working as fast as we can to get out. 

Normally I'm not an end of the wire kind of writer. I like to turn things in early, not weeks early necessarily, but at least a few days. It makes me happy to beat my deadline, as it were. But with this one, that's simply not possible. You see in the midst of writing this book we were packing our house and putting it on the market and then moving across the country. And did I mention that for the time being (while we're waiting for said house to sell) we're living with my parents? It's just temporary, but needless to say, things have been hectic and disorganized. So I'm running behind on my normal writing schedule. 

All this to say I'm cheating and not really blogging today and instead sharing with all of you my gorgeous book trailer. Seduce Me hits stores July 28th! 

Yo-ho! Yo-ho! A pirate's life...

Piracy is the hot topic on a lot of romance writer bulletin boards lately, and I don’t mean the kind where swashbuckling knaves make off with feisty heroines.

With books available in electronic format, it’s easy to share files, swap novels, and basically steal content without authors receiving a cent for their work.

Well, as you might imagine, though there are some authors who figure it’s no big deal, a lot of authors are up in arms over this, mad as hell at the pirates who are rampantly ripping them off.


I have a different attitude. I think it’s important that authors get paid for their work, but I think the bill should fall, not on the consumer, but on the internet providers who charge for the availability of this content in the first place. Would you pay $30 a month for your internet service if it DIDN’T come with any intellectual property? Think about it. No music. No video clips. No newspaper articles. Nothing that was created from the brains of artists, musicians, journalists, authors? Not even the photos I’ve included in this blog entry?

I don’t want to bore anyone with the details, but for decades, the music industry has had a brilliant model for this in ASCAP and BMI. These performance rights organizations charge nightclubs, restaurants, theaters--any venue where music is delivered to the consumer--a fee for that right, which they then distribute to the creators of the music, based on a sampling of what songs are being played.

Why can’t we do that with books? The internet providers pay a small fee for the content they’re delivering (research says that approximately $5 per month per IP address would be sufficient), and consumers can then enjoy unlimited downloads of any creative content they want! It’s sort of like cable TV or an all-you-can-eat buffet. An independent writer’s organization then does a sampling of what’s being downloaded and pays authors and publishers according to what books are most popular.

With that model, the current pirate sites would become amazing resources for distribution and the authors’ and publishers’ best friends!

Arrrrrrrgh...



Sarah McKerrigan...
Stories to keep you up all night!
LADY DANGER - Riding to the rescue April 2006
CAPTIVE HEART - Coming for you October 2006
KNIGHT'S PRIZE - Stealing your heart April 2007
DANGER'S KISS - Flirting with trouble May 2008

Suffering from Chicken-Without-A-Head Syndrome

Wow...is summer actually here? The weather here certainly wouldn't attest to that! It's cool and gloomy, and it has been for weeks. Here in California, we call it June Gloom, but I wish it would dry up and warm up. Summer is my favorite season, and I want it now!

My first book for Grand Central, A HINT OF WICKED, released on June 1. My kids got out of school on June 5. My son's baseball team had playoffs the week of May 30-June 7. June 7 was my daughter's preschool graduation performance. I'm giving presentations to two different RWA groups on the second weekend of June. I'm at the tail end of a blog tour. My column in my RWA chapter's newsletter was due last night. My critique partner is on a tight deadline and I'm trying to help her. My kids' new school needs about 100 pages of paperwork turned in to them by Wednesday. My mom is in town, and my grandmother is ill. I have edits due on book two by June 20...

See what I mean? I'm suffering from too much to do, too little time. One of my friends just gave me a card that said, "I know 100 languages, but I don't know how to say no in any of them..." So true. I'm so bad at saying no. But I've already said yes, and now I can't renege! I have to get all this stuff done.

I know I'm not the only one who's busy. Almost everyone I know is in the midst of a million things to do. It seems that being over-extended is a common ailment in this day and age.

I'm looking forward to June 20. I'll turn in my edits, and then I'll have a few days to recover & enjoy summer before I'm on to the next thing. And hopefully this June Gloom will have disappeared...

What about you? Are you busy too? How do you manage it so that you find some time to enjoy life in the midst of all the craziness?


Jennifer
www.jenniferhaymore.com

In Praise of Public Libraries

So I was recently at the RT Book Reviews Convention mongo author booksigning and a reader came up to me and told me she'd read all of my books and loved them. Believe it or not, authors really enjoy hearing this kind of thing so I beamed at her and said something like, "I'm so glad!" Then she turned a little red, sidled closer, and said that she'd gotten my books from her local public library in the tones most would use to confess to a mass murder. I probably would've laughed at that point, but the reader was explaining why she had to use the public library--her husband had been laid off--so I was serious as I told her how sorry I was to hear that.

Then I said something like this:

Listen, there's no reason you should ever apologize for checking a book out from the local public library. Yeah, I may not have made my 8% royalty on that particular book at that particular time, but the public library did pay for it with your (and my!) tax dollars. Libraries in America account for a huge percentage of the books sold. Many readers "test" new authors at the library and, if the author proves to be good, buy her next book new. I figure it's a win-win situation.

Besides, if I'd condemned that reader for using her public library, I'd be a hypocrite. I love the public library! Every time my family has moved one of the first things I do is find out where the local library is and go get a card. Linda Howard, Amanda Quick, and Elizabeth Lowell are just a few of the authors I discovered by reading dog-eared copies of their backlist (and subsequently buying new.) Using the public library when your personal finances are tight just makes sense.

Now, here's something else I told that reader at the RT bookfair: if you do use your local library, make a point of requesting your favorite authors' new books. Why? Sadly, libraries' budgets are getting pretty tight. They may not buy an author if they don't know there's interest in her books--this particularly pertains to new authors who don't have a following yet. I have to confess that I always felt awkward requesting a romance book at my local library, despite my librarian's urging. I figured, who was I to decided what the library should buy? Well, I was a romance reader who'd been reading the genre for 25+ years (at that time) that's who. Duh! I had (and I bet you have) a really good idea of who the hot romance authors were, authors that other romance readers would like to read as well. And although I loved my local librarian, she didn't read romance (though her SF/F section rocked.)

So remember: use the public library with pride--it's once of the best benefits of living in the USA--and be sure and request authors you enjoy.

Go forth and read!

Elizabeth Hoyt
www.elizabethhoyt.com
www.juliaharper.com

A writer's career path

So far this year I've had four requests from high school students to do a career interview. You know, what classes do you need to be successful in your career, what kind of degree, skills, personality traits, and so on. 

This time, I got to the question, "What is the career path like (entry level to advanced)?" and I stalled. If you're a programmer or a social worker, this is fairly clear. But the writer's career path? Mine has been as different as I am from Diana or Elizabeth or anyone else who posts on the Cafe. But . . . I had to answer the question. So here's what I wrote:

Form-letter rejection.

Rejection with personal note.

Rejection with offer to revise and resubmit.

Request for partial.

Request for full manuscript.

Rejection.

Start over.

Request for full manuscript.

Rewrite manuscript.

Offer on manuscript.

Multi-page revision letter.

Book is produced and published.

Start on second book.

Get better offer, with better terms and more money.

Reviews come in for first book. They’re mixed—good and awful.

Six months to write second book, wondering if the awful reviews were right and you really have no talent.

Turn in second book. Goes to production and is published.

Orders are better.

Start on third book.

Offer for third book in a multi-book deal.

Reviews come in for second book. Fewer awful ones. Some really good ones. Maybe you can do this after all.

Am I having a career now?

Back to third book. Screw the reviews—it’s the writing that really matters.

Shelley

http://www.shelleyadina.com

Mother's Day Gift of Laughter

This had me laughing so hard that I had to play it three times just to hear all the lyrics. It’s Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg with their "moms," and it's as wickedly funny as their first video. I hope you enjoy it, too:



Is there nothing sexier than a guy who can make you laugh?

I’ve met my share of tall, dark, and handsomes, but if they don’t have a sense of humor, especially about themselves, they really don’t rate very high on the appeal meter.

What about you? Do you prefer six-packs abs or belly laughs?



Sarah McKerrigan...
Stories to keep you up all night!
LADY DANGER - Riding to the rescue April 2006
CAPTIVE HEART - Coming for you October 2006
KNIGHT'S PRIZE - Stealing your heart April 2007
DANGER'S KISS - Flirting with trouble May 2008

Jennifer Haymore Intro, Plus Contest & Freebies

I’m Jennifer Haymore, a brand new Grand Central author, and I’m way beyond excited to be here! My first book from Grand Central will be releasing in just a few weeks!

A HINT OF WICKED is the story of Sophie, the Duchess of Calton, who loses her beloved husband at the battle of Waterloo. Pregnant and alone, she picks up the pieces and learns to be independent and strong, and years later, she falls in love again. A few months into her second marriage, her first husband returns. Both men want her; she’s in love with both. It’s a tangle of emotions and passions complicated by a sinister threat to all their lives.

The heroine of A HINT OF WICKED, Sophie, is a mother—and for the years preceding the opening of the book, she was a single mother. Sophie’s daughter and stepson significantly affect the decisions she makes. In fact, one of the pivotal questions in the book for Sophie is whether it will be best to raise her daughter with the family she’s known all her life, or with her biological father whom she’s never known.

Kind of reminds me of my own life, and how my kids are behind all the decisions I make, throughout my day, every day...and night. Cast in point: I was up late last night, and I abruptly woke up late this morning from a nightmare about my kids starving at school. I ran downstairs, and not only did I find their lunches sitting untouched in the fridge, I discovered they’d gone to school without their homework. Gah! I was furious (and my husband can attest to that fact after the fuming phone call he received from me at 8:06 a.m.). Seriously, without mothers fretting about lunches and homework and the like, there would be a lot of starving kids and angry teachers in this world!

Grand Central just sent me a boxful of copies of A HINT OF WICKED. To celebrate receiving final copies of the book, and Mother’s Day, I’m giving away a new copy of A HINT OF WICKED to someone who signs up to receive a set of freebies (free promotional items from me and five other authors). You can find more info about this contest at my blog, and if you’re too late for the book contest, you can still sign up for a packet of freebies here.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY, EVERYONE!

Jennifer
www.jenniferhaymore.com

Elizabeth on Fairy Tales

I've got a new book out today--To Beguile a Beast--which is based on the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale (bet you didn't see that one coming!)

I'm often asked why I'm so interested (read: obsessed) with fairy tales. Ususally I respond with a well reasoned "Erm..." But today I thought I'd give a shot at a slightly more eloquent answer. So here goes:

Fairy tales, myths, and legends are storytelling at its most basic. There's no room for character development. Dialogue, setting, and description are all usually very sketchy. What remains are stories in which the fat has been removed; underneath are bare, beautiful bones in which it’s easy to trace motif, themes, and morality—especially morality.

I like to use fairy tales in my books to highlight or reflect what's going on in the main story. In To Beguile a Beast the fairy tale is a version of "Beauty and the Beast" but with a twist--the "beast" is a woman...and the hero has a few surprises of his own.

I hope you enjoy it!



Elizabeth Hoyt
www.elizabethhoyt.com

Meet the Legend Hunters...

The release date for Seduce Me is getting closer and I'm getting so excited. Frankly I don't think I was this excited when my first book came out. The Legend Hunters represent an idea I've had for a long while and could certainly be considered the book of my heart - well, in this case series of my heart. For those of you familiar with my Avon books know that I tend to write characters that have jobs, or at the very least very time consuming hobbies. While I enjoy reading books with wealthy aristocratic characters who go to balls and soirees and country house parties, my characters simply won't comply with that lifestyle. At least not for long periods of time. 

Now as of right now only three of these guys have scheduled books, but hopefully I'll get to write all six of their stories. But I just couldn't keep them all to myself any longer, so without further ado, behold my Legend Hunters...

Fielding

Max

Marcus

Nick

Graeme

Justin

So now that you've gotten a peek at my guys, what about you? What do you look for in a good hero? Tall, dark and handsome? Witty, arrogant and bold? What makes a keeper hero for you?

Inspiration Where You Find It

The most common question I'm asked as a writer (besides my booksigning favorite--where is the bathroom?) is where do you get your ideas? My first thought is always, where could I NOT get ideas? They're everywhere!

I trip over small inspirations in the world around me, often in the most unexpected places.

Sometimes it's a work of art, like this one, where I found the passion I needed for my artist hero.


Sometimes it's a scrap of conversation I overhear or a compelling news story, like the cave-in from which one of my short stories was born.


Sometimes it's a stirring piece of music, like "Last of the Mohicans."


Sometimes it's the local history I discover on vacation, like the lacemaking ladies who shared their craft with me in a medieval church in England, inspiring my heroine's pastime.


Sometimes it's a hero photo.


I have a t-shirt from a Dallas writer's group that says, "Beware: What you do may end up in my next book." They're not kidding.



Sarah McKerrigan...
Stories to keep you up all night!
LADY DANGER - Riding to the rescue April 2006
CAPTIVE HEART - Coming for you October 2006
KNIGHT'S PRIZE - Stealing your heart April 2007
DANGER'S KISS - Flirting with trouble May 2008

Congratulations to the Grand Central 2009 RITA Finalists!

With links to their books if you wanna check 'em out before the award ceremony!

Big congrats, ladies!!


2009 RITA Finalists for Contemporary Single Title Romance


Out of Time by Samantha Graves
Grand Central Publishing, Forever (ISBN: 0446618373)
Frances Jalet-Miller, editor



Tall Tales and Wedding Veils by Jane Graves
Grand Central Publishing, Forever (ISBN: 978-0-446-61787-1)
Michele Bidelspach, editor


Your Roots Are Showing by Elise Chidley
Grand Central Publishing, 5 Spot (ISBN: 978-0-446-17814-3)
Alex Logan, editor



2009 RITA Finalists for Historical Romance


To Seduce a Sinner by Elizabeth Hoyt
Grand Central Publishing, Forever (ISBN: 0446406929)
Amy Pierpont, editor



2009 RITA Finalists for Romantic Suspense


Scream for Me by Karen Rose
Grand Central Publishing, Vision (ISBN: 0446509205)
Karen Kosztolnyik, editor



2009 RITA Finalists for Best First Book


Your Roots Are Showing by Elise Chidley
Grand Central Publishing, 5 Spot (ISBN: 978-0-446-17814-3)
Alex Logan, editor

Most embarrassing moment

You know those mortifying moments we have on occasion? The one where you walk out of the bathroom with your dress tucked into your underwear (I'd say pantyhose, but as a rule, writers don't tend to wear hose). Or when you send a snarky email to your friend only to realize you've hit reply all. Terrible, sickening moments to be true, but for me, not the most embarassing. No, that came a couple of years ago on the tail end of a wretched deadline that had me not only hopped up on pain pills (long story) but a little less smart than I normally am. Okay stupid, I was sleep deprived and frankly stupid for a little while. 

I had gone to the UPS store the day before to overnight my manuscript to my editor and I was relaxing and enjoying a morning of waking up and not having to work on that blasted book. And then my doorbell rang. I'm fairly certain I was still injured and I had to limp to the door and I know I was expecting author copies from a different book and instead find a big envelope. A big envelope that looks suspiciously like the one I mailed the other book off in. Hmmmm….scan addresses, Oh crap! Wave frantically to UPS man, who waves back, I wave more, I'm not friendly Mr. UPS man so I'm not just waving good morning, please stop. He stops, jumps out and comes over to me. Did I mention I was wearing pink PJ’s with little rubber duckys and bars of soap on them? And I say rather sheepishly, “Um, I think I might have put the addresses in the wrong places cause this is supposed to be in New York this morning, I mailed this yesterday. Not to myself though.” And he just looks at me like I’m a complete moron, then goes back to his truck to get a new form. He fills it out (because he obviously didn’t trust me to do it) but tells me as he’s doing it. “The sender goes here,” and he points, “and the recipient goes here.” Well, yes, I see that now. I still think it was the people at the UPS store – maybe she pointed to the wrong ones. Or maybe I just can’t read anymore. Needless to say, I had to e-mail my editor and say, I know I told you it would be there a day early, but I lied cause I overnighted it to myself first.

Not exactly the way I'd suggest instilling confidence in your editor about your professionalism. And I suppose a good thing came out of that foolish mistake. Now when my writer friends are struggling with a mistake they've made, I remind them of this little faux pas and they chuckle and realize that yes, mine was worse, I'm still reigning champ of the stupid. 

So how about you? What's your most embarrassing moment?

ps. the first excerpt for Seduce Me is up on my website as is a contest for March and April with a great prize. www.RobynDeHart.com

Feedin' the Muse

Sure, as a writer, I use my imagination a lot. I'm always inventing characters, making up plots, crafting dialogue. As an historical author, I sometimes even create entire towns, castles, sieges.

But none of it would resonate with readers if it didn't have a ring of truth to it. All the research in the library can't substitute for real-world experience. That's why I'm delighted to be traveling in the U.K. this month!


I'm in Dublin for the first time, soaking up the moody skies, the lilting accents, the moss-covered stones, and the twinkly-eyed, dark-haired wee folk. I peered at the ancient Book of Kells yesterday, and today I'm walking the winding streets to Dublin Castle. Tomorrow I'll catch the ferry across the chill North Sea to England.

Some of it I'll capture in photos. Some of it I'll record in notes. But most of it I'll retain as an indescribable impression that I can call upon when I'm setting a scene or describing a person. It's that spark that brings a story to life.

So what's this photo? That's me...um...doing research.




Sarah McKerrigan...
Stories to keep you up all night!
LADY DANGER - Riding to the rescue April 2006
CAPTIVE HEART - Coming for you October 2006
KNIGHT'S PRIZE - Stealing your heart April 2007
DANGER'S KISS - Flirting with trouble May 2008