Romance Contest: Between the Sheets

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WHERE DOES THE HEART OF A BOOK LIE? IN THE FIRST CHAPTER? OR BETWEEN THE SHEETS?

Announcing the Greater Detroit RWA annual Between the Sheets contest. Enter your best love scene, up to 10 pages - anything from sweet to erotic.

Final judges: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester; Diana Ventimiglia, Harlequin/Silhouette; Elaine English, Elaine P. English Literary Agency

1st Place: $100; 2nd Place: $50; 3rd Place: $25

Open to all RWA members unpublished in book-length fiction, $20 entry fee, multiple submissions allowed. Deadline: February 14, 2008. Entry includes one page unjudged setup. For more information, entry form, and guidelines,go to www.gdrwa.org or email eheiter@hotmail.com.

On-Line Class: Taxes for Writers (Hobbist, Semi-Pro, & Pro)

The Online Campus of Hearts through History Romance Writers Present

Class: Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Taxes
Instructor: Diane O'Brien, CPA/Attorney At Law/Writer
Dates: January 6, 2008-January 31, 2008
Registration Deadline: January 6, 2008
Fee: $10/HHRW Members, $20/others
Registration: www.heartsthroughhiRegistrat (click on HHRW Mall, then CampusFMI: _classes@heartsthrouclasses@hecla_(mailto:classes@heartsthroughhistory.com)

Class Description: Do the letters I-R-S strike fear in your heart? Are you confused about how to report your income and deductions? Have no ideas what records to keep? This class is for you! This informative yet surprisingly entertaining class will address critical tax issues for both the beginning and experienced writer, including: (1) the myth of the "Hobby Loss" rule; (2) federal income tax forms relating to your writing business and how to properly prepare the forms; (3) business expense deductions, including the options available and the pros and cons of each option; (4) self-employment taxes - what they are, how to compute them, and when they are due; (5) red flags to be aware of; (6) record keeping for your writing business; (7) whether incorporating is right for you; (8) state sales tax issues; (9) setting up a retirement for your writing business. You'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about taxes in this useful online seminar. What's more, you'll get to pick the brain of an experienced CPA/tax attorney without incurring outrageous fees! And, don't forget, the class fee is tax deductible!

BIO: Diane O'Brien Kelly is a CPA and tax attorney with almost two decades experience in federal and state taxation. She spent several years with international accounting firm KPMG Peat Marwick, and has also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the State of Texas. Diane currently works asa tax attorney in Fort Worth. Diane writes humor and romantic comedies, as well as an occasional article on taxation when she's feeling exceptionally boring. Her work has been published in Writer's Digest Yearbook, the Romance Writers Report, Byline magazine, True Love magazine, the Fort Worth Business Press, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, and Northwest Family News. She is a tax columnist for Nink,the newsletter of the writers'group Novelists, Inc. Diane publishes a new short humor piece each month on the "Blarney" page ofher page of her website, , www.dianeobrien taxtips on her "Tax Tidbits" page. She distributes a quarterly newsletter, "The Blarney Blub," which is chock full of great tax advice. Diane speaks on taxation for writers and teaches a Writer's Workshop at her local rec center. She is a member of Romance Writers of America and Dallas Area Romance Authors. Diane lives in the Dallas-Fort Worth area with her husband, two children, and enough cats and dogs to violate several city ordinances.

Format: Course is conducted via Yahoo Groups email with lessons and Q & A. FMI:mailto:classes@heartsthroughhistory.com), http://www.dianeobrienkellwebsite

OMG! My Life List Has Expanded!

Do I need to say more???

Mason and I, who have been playing the license plate game for nearly a year now, have finally seen all 50 states (as well as several Canadian provences.) Mason and I spotted the elusive WV license plate at the Mall of America in the "Florida" level parking lot on the east side. It was a truly momentous moment. We parked as soon as we could, and then ran out to see it up close and touch it. It was on a silver mustang. Then, we did the happy dance of joy.

My life is, in one small way, more complete.

Tarot Card Plotting : An On-Line Course

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The Online Campus of Hearts through History Romance Writers Present

Class: Plotting with Tarot Cards

Instructor: Elizabeth Delisi
Dates: January 7, 2008-January 21, 2008
Registration Deadline: January 7, 2008
Fee: $10/HHRW Members, $20/others
Registration: www.heartsthroughhiRegistrat (click on HHRW Mall, then CampusFMI: _classes@heartsthrouclasses@hecla_(mailto:classes@heartsthroughhistory.com)

Class Description: Are you looking for new ways to breathe life into your outlining process, your plots, your characters? If so, have we got the course for you! Elizabeth Delisi, a.k.a. Madame Liz, will teach you how to use the ancient art of the Tarot to develop stories, plots and subplots, heroes, heroines and villians, and more. You'll learn the history of the Tarot, how to choose a deck, how to read the cards, and how to use those readings to develop and improve your writing. There will be four lectures, four assignments to be posted to the list for all to comment on, and naturally all questions will be answered. Lecture One: History of the Tarot, and Choosing a Deck; Lecture Two: How to read Tarot; Lecture Three: Using Tarot to Develop a Plot; Lecture Four: Creating Characters with Tarot.

BIO: Elizabeth Delisi has wanted to be a writer since she was in first grade, and probably would have written in the womb if she could have convinced her mother to swallow a pencil. But life hasn't always gone the way she planned, and on her road to publication she worked as a motel maid, waitress, secretary, administrative aide, substitute teacher, and newspaper reporter. Elizabeth's novels include a FATAL FORTUNE, first in the Lottie Baldwin paranormal mystery series; LADY OF THE TWO LANDS, a time-travel romance; and SINCE ALL IS PASSING, a suspense. She's written contemporary and paranormal romance novellas for ONE TOUCH BEYOND; ENCHANTED HOLIDAYS:HOLIDAY HEARTS; HOLIDAY HEARTS 2:and CUPID'S CAPERS, and has also published two short story collections, MIRROR IMAGES and FENUMBRA. In addition to her writing, Elizabeth edits for several small publishers and individuals, and teaches online writing courses for Writer's Digest. Elizabeth lives in New Hampshire with her husband, dog and cat. She enjoys hearing from her readers at_elizabeth@elizabethelizabeth@_ (mailto:elizabeth@elizabethdelisi.com) and invites everyone to visit her website at www.elizabethdelisivisit

Format: Course is conducted via Yahoo Groups email with lessons and Q & A. FMI: _classes@heartsthrouclasses@hecla_(mailto:classes@heartsthroughhistory.com)

LOCUS Bestseller (Hardback!!!)

Hey, I just found out through the vampire underground that Many Bloody Returns made the LOCUS bestseller list for December. Whoot! We also, apparently, are going to have Polish and German editions of the book. Go us!

English 101 On-Line Course

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The Fiction Writer's Self-Editing Workshop

Instructor: Rhonda Stapleton
Dates: January 14 - 28, 2008
Cost: $20

WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: Do you find yourself overwhelmed by confusing grammar, punctuation, and editing rules? Don't despair! The Fiction Writer's Self-Editing Workshop is the place for you. Whether you're a beginning writer or seasoned author, you can learn simple, straight forward tips for self-editing. Topics discussed include punctuation use, point of view, trimming the fat, using concrete/vivid language, frequent errors, style tips, breaking the rules, and more! The course is highly interactive - students will get hands-on editing experience, as well as practice through assigned homework. Students will also receive a list of helpful editing/style books and websites for a reference guide.

INSTRUCTOR'S BIO: Rhonda Stapleton obtained her Master's degree in English from Cleveland State University. She has a Bachelor's degree in English from CSU, as well. Rhonda is a Principal Editor at Thomson West, a legal publishing company, where she has worked for the last five years. In addition, she has freelance edited novels, theses, student papers, and a college writing textbook. While attending Cleveland State, Rhonda worked in The Writing Center for two years as a writing tutor for undergraduate and graduate students. She also taught ENG 105 and ENG 106, college credit courses that give students hands-on tips for writing papers, from brainstorming topics to self-editing. The courses correlate with introductory composition courses ENG 101 and ENG102.

Full details and registration at the Heart of Dixie website,<http://www.heartofdixie.org/> www.heartofdixie.org. Questions: Contact the Coordinator at <mailto:online@heartofdixie.org>online@heartofdixie.org

Romance: The Basics On-Line Class

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January 7-February 1, 2008
The Basics of Writing the Romance Novel
Instructor: Terry Irene Blain
Cost: $25.00 payable by PayPal
Deadline to Register: January 2nd
Go to http://pasic.net/classes.html for more information and to register.

This class will cover the basics of writing the romance novel for the student interested in starting a novel or who has started a novel. The class consists of eight lessons and interactive homework assignments which will introduce the writer to the tools needed to become a successful novelist.

Lesson 1: Character, Conflict and Motivation. How to construct your character, the conflict that will drive your story andthe motivations of your character
Lesson 2: Plot: A look at several methods of plotting, their strengths and weakness. Suggestions of films to watch in preparation for Lesson 3
Lesson 3: Plot and Character in Action: Taking the information from the first two lessons and see how the ideas of character, conflict, motivation and plot are portrayed in the films suggested in Lesson 2.
Lesson 4: Think Guide: Questions you need to think about and ask yourself before you start your own story. Or, if you've already started, how to check to see if you're on the right path.
Lesson 5: Point of View: What it is and how it's used.
Lesson 6: Hooks: How to open you story, the key to getting an agent's or editor's attention. Chapter hooks, how to keep them reading.
Lesson 7: Dialog and Show Don't Tell: Some important tools of the trade
Lesson 8: Synopsis, ms. formatting, word count, query and submissions. Tools you'll need to sell your ms.

About the Instructor: Terry Irene Blain was lucky enough to grow in a large Midwestern family witha rich oral tradition. As a child she heard stories of ancestor's adventures with Indians, wild life and weather so naturally she gravitated to the study of history. She holds a BA and MA in history as well as a BA in european studies and had taught history at the college level. Her first published romance, KENTUCKY DREAM, finaled in the Golden Quill 2000 contest in both Best Historical and Best First Book category, winning Best First Book. Learn more at her web site: www.terryblain.com

Deadline to Register: January 2nd

Go to http://pasic.net/classes.html for more information and to register.