My editor sent this note yesterday:
Good news, we have sold book club rights to ROMANCING THE DEAD. The advance is <$not-bad-for-this-sort-of-deal>, and it will be a featured alternate in the Rhapsody book club (May issue), and will also be used in the Doubleday Book Club (May issue) and the Science Fiction book club (June issue).
This hawk was sitting in the silver maple tree on our boulevard for about twenty minutes on Saturday afternoon. Shawn and I suspect s/he was after the pigeons that like to roost on the window above our side door and poop copiously (we've seen evidence in the past of someone's successful hunting). What was fascinating to me was how quiet the songbirds were until I accidentally scared him/her away when I went out the back to take out the garbage. It was like we all watched the hawk in silent awe, and then after s/he left suddenly there was joyous cheeping!
Perhaps you can tell by reading my books, but I love to add moments like this into my narrative. There are always animals intruding into Garnet's storylines (and not just when she's being stalked by werewolves.) I think that's because, growing up in a semi-rural middle-sized town in Wisconsin, animals were always making themselves known to me. Bats and nighthawks chased mosquitos during the summer months. Purple martins, kingfishers, egrets and red-wing blackbirds hunted the marsh. Even in the winter, when everything seems so desolate, you might see something like this awesome, predatory bird....
Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures (edited by Lynn Jamneck), in which my alter-ego's short story "ishtartu" appears in, is now available for pre-sale at Amazon.com. You can purchase it either as a print version or Kindle. Also, the publisher, Lethe Press, is planning to make it available for sale in the dealer's room at WisCON this year.
This is a little tardy, but I thought you might like to know anyway -- from Astrology.com
"Eclipses are known to be associated with dramatic events in human and earthly affairs. If you have ever seen an eclipse, you know they are quite dramatic! So, in preparation for the solar eclipse on the 6th, plan on something grabbing your attention -- but don’t think too far ahead! What you think is going to happen, often doesn’t.
We use the word ‘eclipse’ to say that one event has been overshadowed by another. Because this eclipse is occurring in Aquarius, your desire to be part of something bigger is stimulated -- whether it's a community issue, or organizations with a cause close to your heart. And, because Neptune conjuncts this eclipse, there is some uncertainty or confusion.
Ordinarily the sign Aquarius is quite logical, but with this spiritual planet’s influence, you’ll get more out of opening up to your less analytical sensibility. In addition, as this eclipse is occurring at the north node, you’ll be prompted to let go of the past and invest in your future."
***Forwarded message***
'We Dare You'Romance Writing Contest 10th Anniversary Edition
Does the air above your manuscript sizzle with excitement when your heroine and hero first meet? Does your romance novel grab our attention from the start, and at the end of Page 12 leave us begging for more? Then you may be the winnerof 'We Dare You 2008'!
Visit our website www.saskromancewriters.4t.com/ for entry forms and more information on how you can join the hundreds of emerging romance authors who have entered 'We Dare You' since it began. You could win cash as well as a chance to be read by a romance editor at HQN. Every contestant also receives three detailed reader responses from our volunteer judges! Warm up your keyboards! Deadline is May 15, 2008.
Saskatchewan Romance Writers Home of the 'We Dare You' contestVisit us at: www.saskromancewriters.4t.com
My alter-ego has been taking over this blog a lot lately. She wants to do it again... Her short story "ishtartu" about a holy prositute will appear in this anthology (due out in time for WisCON 2008):
This is Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures edited by Lynne Jamneck and it will be published by Lethe Press. Look for it!
My alternate personality has begged me to post this here, since she's a huge fan. (Passed on to me by two of my fans: Betsy and Warren Urbik)
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080131/ap_en_ot/people_captain_america
Marvel Comics revives Capt. America
By JOHN ROGERS, Associated Press Writer
It turns out you can't keep a good man down — or even dead and buried — when he wears a red, white and blue uniform and calls himself Captain America. Marvel Comics, which killed off the veteran superhero almost a year ago, brought him back to life Wednesday — sort of.
Captain America's alter-ego, Steve Rogers, is still resting in peace at Arlington National Cemetery, having been done in by assassins last March. But his good buddy and sidekick from the 1940s, Bucky Barnes, has picked up the bulletproof Captain America shield, put on a new uniform and taken his place.
What's that you say? Wouldn't Bucky be about 85 years old now? And without any real super powers to fall back on, isn't that kind of long in the tooth to be taking a bite out of crime? Well, yeah. But remember, this is the comic book world we're talking about. Bucky was put in suspended animation by the evil Russians (back when they were evil) and stayed that way for the better part of 60 years. "So he's probably in his late 20s right now," jokes Marvel Editor in Chief Joe Quesada, who decided to promote him to Captain America.
Rogers' old sidekick had already returned to the Marvel pantheon of heroes some time back as the rugged Winter Soldier, redeeming himself for the years he'd spent under the control of the bad guys, who would occasionally thaw him out for evil deeds. "We were toying with the idea of someone new taking over the mantle of Captain America," Quesada said by phone from his New York office. "But we kept coming back to Bucky. Not only because he seemed such an obvious choice but especially because of the fact that when we brought him back as the Winter Soldier he was so incredibly popular." Barnes never swallowed the "Super Soldier Serum" that transformed the wimpy Rogers into the super-strong Captain America in the months before World War II. So he's at a bit of a disadvantage in his new role. But he's bulked up himself over the years, become a master at special operations and he's also packing some serious heat these days along with that mask and shield.
But forget about defeating enemies in the fantasy world. The people he will really have to win over are those notoriously finicky comic book readers. Quesada says he isn't worried, however, adding that killing off Captain America last year seemed to give him new life with readers. The editor was taken aback when newspapers even carried obituaries on the character. "Not since the 1940s have we seen Cap being this popular," he said.
PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED
The Magic Moment Contest
Sponsored by The San Antonio Romance Authors
We want to see the pivotal, breakthrough moment from your manuscript. Entries will be in electronic format and should be no more than 20 pages in length; entries should also include a 1-2 page set-up to explain the context of the scene.
Eligibility: Entrants may be published or unpublished, but manuscript cannot be contracted for publication at the time of entry.
Entry Fees: $20 per entry for San Antonio Romance Authors members; $25 for nonmembers.
Entry Deadline: All entries and payments must be received by March 1, 2008, 12pm CST.
Judging: Three published and/or trained unpublished authors. All contestants will receive a score sheet from each judge. In addition, judges are encouraged to write comments on the manuscript.
Categories and Final Judges: Short/Long Contemporary - Susan Litman, Harlequin. Single Title - TBA. Paranormal - Hilary Sares, Editor, Kensington Books . Historical - TBA, Avon . Erotica - Raelene Gorlinski, Editor-in-Chief, Ellora's Cave.
Awards: All finalists will receive a certificate and be listed in the RWR. Winners for each category will receive a plaque and a year's electronic subscription to the San Antonio Romance Author's The Love Letter.
Questions and Entry Information: Please visit our website http://www.sararwa.net/, or contact the Contest Chairs, Beckie Ugolini> and Margaret Batschelet, at merrittcontest@sararwa.net
Important planetary news from Astrology.com:
This is a dynamic, event-filled week. Begin by reviewing your ideas and plans as Mercury turns retrograde on January 28. You will find that certain circumstances or events start to snowball as Mars turns direct on January 30. Ready or not, be prepared to leap -- not look!
In particular, Mercury's placement in Aquarius promises plenty of exciting conversations. This is also the time to think outside of the box and leave any old or outmoded concepts behind. Mercury is in a trine aspect to Mars in Gemini, lending you energy and support. Just watch out for acting prematurely -- you might wind up too far ahead of yourself!
Do you ever dream about celebrities?
I've heard it's pretty common for some people to dream about movie and TV stars. Certainly, I've had that one about Brad Pitt (which actually included his brother Doug... have you ever seen a picture of Doug Pitt? He's actually a fairly good looking guy, but his brother is Brad Pitt, so standing next to Brad he looks like a schlub.) I've also dreamed that I was a pilot on Battlestar Galactica, complete with SciFi Channel CGI effects.
That all seems pretty normal to me.
Lately -- okay, really since becoming a science fiction professional in '01-- I've also started dreaming about, well, SF/F celebrities. Neil Gaiman visits my subconscious a lot. If you've ever been to a convention party where I'm in that sort of mood, you may have heard me tell the first rather embarrassing dream I had that involved Gaiman. It's not really repeatable here mostly because this is a public forum and I would absolutely DIE if it got back to him. But, you know, ask me if you see me and I'll happily tell you all the gory details (unless of course you happen to BE Neil Gaiman, in which case I will deny all knowledge of this).
Anyway, Gaiman has mutated over the years to represent fame -- particularly the fame I have yet to achieve. This association has been fueled by my son's strange attachment to Gaiman. When Mason was quite little, perhaps a year and a half, he imprinted on a picture of Neil that appeared on the cover of LOCUS. He actually carried it around with him and wanted us to play peek-a-boo with Gaiman's face. It was very odd, and, perhaps not surprisingly, Gaiman became a feature in my own mind as well.
My alternate personality wrote over on my LiveJournal about a dream she had last night which involved another local writing celebrity -- actually several, and that made me wonder how *I* would feel if I stumbled across a post like this where someone dreamed about ME. And it made me think about the public life of a writer in general, because, as I confess in the other post, I have created in my own mind rather complicated relationships with people I really don't know at all. But because they've achieved a certain amount of fame in our community, I react to them in ways that are fraught with meaning -- both in my real life (tm) and in dream-time.
Weird, huh?
Here's the latest, breaking planetary news from Astrology.com:
Are you ready to climb the ladder of success? How about accomplishing a long sought after goal? With transforming Pluto entering ambitious Capricorn on January 25, you will have the opportunity to achieve something valuable for yourself -- as well as for the world.In the past 13 years, while Pluto transited through Sagittarius, it was important to explore and evaluate your beliefs, morals and ethics. Now, responsibility and self-reliance should be your focus. Certainly those who know the value of hard work will be rewarded during this time. So, figure out which obstacles you're ready to face -- and overcome. There’s a big world out there with plenty of peaks to scale, just waiting for you to make your mark!
I have a very short ramble about my writing process called "Process, Oh Process" over at SF Novelists today.
Do you ever write a scene you KNOW you're going to end up deleting for the final draft?
I did last night. Due to a bunch of circumstances I won't get into because it would reveal spoilers for the fourth book, Garnet and Sebastian end up talking about where Sebastian was during World War II. Sebastian, remember, is Austrian. As someone else in the scene points out, so was Hitler.
After a great deal of consideration about this, I decided that history is a complicated thing when you're living through it. There are, for instance, atrocities going on today that I know about. Things that history may judge to be as evil as things that went on during the Third Reich. Yet, there's only so much a human being can do, and, you don't REALLY know the extent of all that stuff until it's over and you have perspective. So, I decided that, though he wasn't expressly a NAZI, Sebastian had fought on what we would now consider "the wrong side" during WWII.
Lots of people did, after all.
And, my sketchy college courses on WWII taught me that Hitler was very attractive during the time he was alive. He was charismatic, and his policies improved Germany's crumbling economy. He also inspired a great deal of nationalistic pride. Things that are hard to resist. When the economy is good, a lot of the rest of the evils in the world, no matter how truly horrific, are easier to ignore. It's true that most of us don't give a damn until our own lives are personally affected.
I wrote a scene in which Sebastian talks about hindsight, and wishing he could change the choices he made in the past with the information gained over time. I think it's a great scene, but I don't think it'll survive the draft process.
Why?
Well, for one, I think my readers, perhaps rightly so, would rebel against the idea of a ROMANTIC hero who fought in Hitler's army, regardless of his current level of regret or the fact he never joined the NAZI party. (The scene, as written, actually has Garnet react similarly. She spends the night on the couch after Sebastian confesses this trying to deal with the loadedness of his revelation.) I think, if I left it, my editor would ask me to change or get rid of it, with the marketability of the book in mind.
Secondly, even though I think the scene is great for understanding and deepening Sebastian's character, it's not 100% necessary for the advancement of the plot.
It'll probably end up in the file I keep with all the scenes that don't make the final cut. So why not cut it now, or not write it at all? Well, that's the question isn't it? I guess for me, writing scenes like this one are part of my creative process. I need to write through it in order to get to the next moment. As I was telling Sean the other night, one of the reasons I rarely feel like I have a lot of ideas to spare (writers like to talk about having more story ideas than they have time to write, but I never have felt that way), is because I make stuff up on the fly every night. I have an outline for my Garnet Lacey books, but they don't go on a page by page level, so a lot of the interactions are, in point of fact, spontaneous. And they change the nature/feel of the novel as I write them.
Over at Fangs, Fur & Fey someone started a meme about the top ten ways you can tell this novel was written by me. I like this question because I think it gets to some of the subconscious things that crop up repeatedly in authors' fiction. I didn't go terribly deep with this list, because I think there are also usually some issues with family that come up in my books as well as moral questions, but here's what I posted to F,F&F:
1. Sex happens early. In fact, in my first novel my editor kept asking me to slow down the romance. (I guess this just means I fall into bed easily and often. Oops.)
2. People drink a lot of coffee, and a lot of the action happens in coffeeshops. (Hmmm, I wonder what I'm doing right now?)
3. A character's religion is often central to the plotline. Also, someone in the novel practices an off-beat religion/spirituality. There is also often a reference (usually a joke) regarding my religion of origin -- Unitarian Universalism.
4. There is a hidden GLBT character in every novel, usually in the background.
5. There is a character who isn't white -- usually a secondary, but important, character.
6. At some point someone speaks a language that isn't English.
7. My geek roots show. Someone (usually my resident geek boy, William,) will make a reference to gaming, comicbooks, Monty Python, Star Trek, Star Wars, or other things that demonstrate his (and consequentally my) geek cred.
8. A character listens to country western music.
9. A Wisconsin/Minnesota joke/reference is made at some point. There is a lot of talk about the weather, fish fries, beer, the movie Fargo, and other things specfic to these two states. Someone sees a cow in a field at least once a novel.
10. I describe Madison, Wisconsin as "strange and liberal," and someone takes a stroll down State Street.
So, that's me. What about you? Do you have any hidden themes in your writing you care to share? It doesn't have to be ten... name just one!
-------Permission to Forward------------
ANATOMY OF A LOVE SCENE
DATES: February 4th-17th, 2008
INSTRUCTOR: Jenna Petersen aka Jess Michaels
COST: FREE for FTHRW members, $15 for all others
REGISTRATION DEADLINE: January 30th, 2008
COURSE DESCRIPTION: Hot is well, hot, right now. But not every author is comfortable with the intricacies of sensual love scenes. In this three part presentation, sensual and erotic romance writer Jenna Petersen (Jess Michaels) breaks down the key elements a powerful love scene should contain.
Part 1: Character -- Remaining true to your characters when they take off their clothes. Virgins versus concubines and other ways to throw your hero and heroine out of character.
Part 2: Plot -- Don't lose the thread just cause they're in bed. Why the story can't stop for six pages. How to fold plot elements into your love scenes and keep the conflict and tension high. Why consummation doesn't mean the end to conflict.
Part 3: Emotion -- It's not just slots and tabs. Trust me. Exploring the love scene beyond lust to anger, fear, love and more. How tension can build to and from love scenes.
In addition, Petersen will give tips and hints on how authors can be more comfortable writing their characters in bed. Petersen will conduct Q&A and provide examples.
ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:Jenna Petersen started writing full-time in 1999 when her husband said, "You're only happy when you're writing, why don't you do that?" In 2004, her dream came true when her literary agent called to say she'd just sold two books to Avon. Her releases include: Scandalous (October 2005), From London With Love (August 2006) and Desire Never Dies (January 2007), Seduction is Forever (October 2007) and the upcoming Lessons from a Courtesan (August 2008). She also writes erotic romance as Jess Michaels, and helped launch the Avon Red line with her novella in Parlor Games. Her next Jess Michaels release is Something Reckless (May 2008). She's been a Bookscan and Waldenbooks Mass Market bestseller. In addition, she has run The Passionate Pen since 1999. This popular site for aspiring authors gets nearly 200,000 hits per month and contains information on literary agents, publishing houses, articles about writing and the industry, links and Jenna's Diary toward and beyond publication. You can find her at http://www.passionatepen.com/ and at http://www.jennapetersen.com/ .
Here's an interesting post from SF Novelists, in which Maria V. Snyder is "Accused of Mary Sue" and her response to it.
Reported by Michele Hauf to MFW
In the fifth annual Readers' Bowl, Minneapolis, Minn., reclaimed thetitle America's Most Literate City for 2007 while Seattle, Wash., fellto the number two spot, according to<http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3618491Biz5864704> USA Today.And in what might be seen as a Twin Cities bid for national readingdominance, St. Paul, Minn., sustained its long-term momentum, having"climbed steadily, from 11th place in 2003 to third place this year."
The top 10 overall, as compiled by "researcher Jack Miller, who for fiveyears has been ranking the nation's largest cities based on theirsupport for and commitment to reading":
1. Minneapolis
2. Seattle
3. St. Paul
4. Denver
5. Washington, D.C.
6. St. Louis
7. San Francisco
8. Atlanta
9. Pittsburgh
10. Boston
The top 10 cities in the bookseller category, which ranks for every10,000 people the number of retail bookstores, number of rare and usedbookstores and number of ABA members, are:
1. Seattle
2. San Francisco
3. Minneapolis
4. Cincinnati
5. St. Louis
6. Portland, Ore.
7. Pittsburgh
8. St. Paul
9. Cleveland
10. Washington, D.C.
A complete list of the rankings is available at America's Most Literate Cities <http://news.shelf-awareness.com/ct.jsp?uz3618491Biz5864714> .http://www.ccsu.edu/amlc07/Overall_Rankings/Top10.htm Books-A-Million is opening its first store in Pennsylvania, in theFoundry at 439 Washington Road in Washington, Pa. The company said ithad decided on opening a store in the southwestern Pennsylvania town"based on its knowledge of this growing market," gained from its newstore in nearby Wheeling, W.Va.
Sorry I've been MIA for a couple of days, but my internet connection has dried up (the nieghbors are on to my wifi stealing ways.) So, I only have a few minutes in the mornings to catch up on the news, etc. Even so, I wanted to take the time to wish y'all a Happy New Year!
My dear friend and alternate personality had her book, Archangel Protocol, LOL'ed by Jim Hines: http://jimhines.livejournal.com/333357.html. Cool, huh?
**permission to forward**
The Windy City Romance Writers Present the 2008 Four Seasons Awards
What to Enter: Up to the first 25 pages of your manuscript. No synopsis required.
Built-in discrepancy judging—all entries will be judged by three judges, and the lowest score will be dropped to determine final rankings
Save on paper, ink, and postage—only send three copies of your entry (only those guaranteed to be judged) and an electronic version of your entry on CD (in the event you final, we will print a copy of your entry to go to the final judges)
First-round judges: Experienced critiquers and published authors of the Windy City Romance Writers. (Only Windy City members judge this contest, and Windy City members are not eligible to enter.) Final-round judges: One editor and one agent for each category. Scores from both judges are averaged to determine the winners:
Single Title Contemporary: Lindsay Nouis, NAL
Danielle Egan-Miller, Brown & Miller Agency
Short/Long Contemporary: Diana Ventimiglia, Harlequin
Jennifer Schober, Spencerhill Associates
Historical: TBD
Kristen Nelson, Nelson Agency LLC
Fantasy/Futuristic/Paranormal: Leah Hultenschmidt, Dorchester Publishing Co.
Kelly Harms, Jane Rotrosen Agency
Winners in each category will receive an engraved plaque. All finalists will receive certificates and will be mentioned in the RWR. All contestants will receive a score sheet from each judge. In addition, judges are encouraged (but not required) to write comments on the manuscript.
Entry Deadline: March 1, 2008 (postmark date)
Questions? Visit our Website: www.windycityrwa.com or Contact Wendy Byrne, Four Seasons Contest Chairperson, WTByrne@sbcglobal.net
Even though this may not have a lot of cross-over appeal, I thought I should announce that Other Me got this piece of good news regarding the orphaned anthology: Periphery: Erotic Lesbian Futures. Her editor, Lynne Jamneck wrote:
"Steve Berman has just emailed me to say that Lethe Press would very much like to publish Periphery. He wants to have the anthology ready end of February, in time for WisCon 2008."
So, if you're a fan of other me's AngeLINK novels, the story she will have published there, "ishtartu," takes place in that universe, though not with any of the main characters.
Speaking of WisCON, other me just registered yesterday, so she'll be there with bells on! I, Tate, may or may not make an appearance. Depends on if I can find a good dress for the ocassion (and how this whole turning myself into Captian America thing is going.)
It has been rightly pointed out that the below needs an atribution. It comes to me via astology.com. My deepest apologies. I almost always put this in quotes:
Saturn turns retrograde in Virgo on December 19. This is also the beginning of the end of 2007, and an ideal time for reviewing the past year’s accomplishments. Hopefully you’ve made strides toward success, or achieved your goals and have a clear sense of what’s next on your agenda for 2008!
This phase will last through May 2. Saturn's sway is even stronger in retrograde, and with the planetary ruler of discipline and responsibility peddling backward in fastidious in Virgo, you'll want to obsess over whether the plans you've laid can succeed. Don't sweat the small stuff! Do, however, take action to improve your chances for happiness and success in all your endeavors.
Saturn’s position in Virgo has been urging you to be more efficient. Can you sense the possibilities that will open up once you are more organized? Use the influence of this Saturn retrograde transit to inspire a list of prioritized goals. Then don’t be afraid to charge forward, full speed ahead!
***PERMISSION TO FORWARD***
Winter Rose Award for Excellence 2008: Published
Sponsor: Yellow Rose Romance Writers.
Fee: $20
Postmark Deadline: January 25, 2008
Eligibility: PAN or PAN Eligible.
Enter: romance novels published in 2007.
Categories: RS, paranormal, ST contemporary, historical, series contemporary, inspirational. Final judges: booksellers, readers groups, & librarians. Top Prize: silver rose pendant. FMI, entry form, and rules {www.yellowroserwa.com}
Winter Rose Award for Excellence 2008: Unpublished
Sponsor: Yellow Rose Romance Writers.
Fee: $30
Postmark Deadline: January 25, 2008
Eligibility: not published in book-length fiction.
Enter: prologue/first chapter (25 pages max).
Categories: RS, paranormal, ST contemporary, historical, series contemporary. Final judges: editors. Top prize: partial read by agent, cash prize and silver rose pendant. FMI, entry form, and rules {www.yellowroserwa.com}
*******Permission to Forward***
Celtic Hearts Romance Writers Academy announces an upcoming online workshop for January.
Workshop Title: Guerilla Tactics for Writers in a Slump
Presenter: Lori Wilde
Date: Jan. 2 - Jan. 16, 2008
Description: Have you been writing a long time and while you've received some recognition for your work you're just not getting the attention you deserve? Or, were you published once, then found yourself without a publisher and now you can't get break back in? Or are you currently published but your career seems to be barely bumping along?
This workshop is designed provide answers to those questions and catapult you onto the publishing fast track. Guerilla Tactics for Writers in a Slump will illustrate exactly what's holding you back and keeping you from being the writer you're truly meant to be.
Topics covered include
1. Identifying What's Holding You Back
3. Shifting Your Writing into High Gear
4. Toughing the Mind of the Writer Warrior
5. Toughing the Body of the Writer Warrior
6. Honing Your Battle Plan
About the presenter: Lori Wilde has written forty-one novels for three major New York Publishing houses. She holds a bachelors degree in nursing from Texas Christian University and a certificate in forensics. She volunteers as a sexual assault first responder for Freedom House, a shelter for battered women.
Recently, she received a two book contract from Warner books based solely on a 25 word 'high concept' pitch. When the sale-along with the pitch-was announced on Publisher's Marketplace, she was approached by eight film production companies-including Paramount and Warner Brothers-interested in optioning her completed novel for a movie. She is an instructor for a company who provides online community education to over 1500 colleges and universities.
Lori is a past RITA finalist and has four times been nominated for Romantic Times Reviewer's Choice Award. She's won the Colorado Award of Excellence, the Wisconsin Write Touch Award, The Golden Quill, the Lories, and The More than Magic. Her books have been translated into 22 languages and excerpted in Cosmopolitan, Redbook, Complete Woman, and Quick and Simple magazines. She lives in Texas with her husband, Bill.
Her website: http://www.loriwilde.com/
Deadline to sign up: Dec. 29, 2007
Fee: $10 CHRW members; $15 non-members.
RWA Membership isn't required; anyone can take our courses. Celtic Hearts members receive 2 free workshops a year.
Where to sign up: http://www.celtichearts.org/chwksp.html
Please fill out the online form.
Perhaps obviously from all the posts here, I send stuff in to any romance contest that accepts published writers. It's always a very strange experience when I get the score sheets back when my novel didn't make the cut (which is, btw, ninety percent of the time.)
A couple of days ago, I got one that fascinated me. One of the judges heaped on praise, including making a point of noting that she felt that I'd handled, of all things, dialogue tags effectively -- specifically not over doing the adverbs describing how people are talking, i.e, "he said angrily." She said that she was impressed that I allowed the dialogue to imply how things were said.
The other judge also made an issue of my dialogue. She, however, had problems with it. She thought that I had a tendency to over do my dialogue tags. I'd have people using the other conversant's name in dialogue and then also use the speaker's name, i.e, "You're being stupid, Garnet," Sebastian said -- even when there's only two speakers in the room.
Yeah, I do that. I'm going to be willful and say that even though I think I'm going to start paying attention to how MUCH I do it, I'll probably continue to do it at times. The reason I do it is simple: people talk like that. Or, at least, *I* do. I use a person's name in coversation, even when there's just two of us, for emphasis. Particularly when we're talking about something sensitive, I'll use the other person's name: "You know I'm right, Shawn." (To which, in real life, she'd reply, "Like hell, Tate.")
I use it also because I'm writing in first person. It's a very quick way to introduce the main character's name -- full name, when it's otherwise quite awkward to try to work in, as most people don't think to themselves, "I, Garnet Lacey, considered kissing my vampire lover, Sebastian Von Traum, on the lips!"
But if you're mad at someone, you might do a parent thing -- using someone's full name to show the level of trouble they're in -- and say, "Stop singing that annoying song, Garnet Lynn Lacey."
Even though I'm a bit defensive about my use of names in dialogue between two people, I'm now paying attention. I think that the worst thing that can happen to an author is when they think they've learned everything there is to know about writing and stop paying attention.
So I'm awake now. And that's a good thing.
***permission to forward***
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.
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
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.
***Permission to forward***
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)
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!
**Permission to Forward**
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
***Permission to Forward***
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.
***Permission to Forward***
North Texas RWA's Great Expectations Contest
Is your manuscript polished and off to the Golden Heart? Just have a polished first chapter? Well, have we got a GREAT contest for you !! Lots of feedback, category-specific score sheets, a super-fast turn-around,electronic or paper entries accepted.
Deadline = December 29th
enter = 25 pages & a query letter
fee = $25.00
judges = Contemporary Series: Megan Long with Harlequin Books, Erotic Romance: Raelene Gorlinksky with Ellora's Cave, Historical: Tessa Woodward with Avon Books, Inspirational: Melissa Endlich with Harlequin Books, Mainstream w/ Romantic Elements: Liza Schartz with NAL, Romantic Suspense: Allison Bandau with Berkley/Jove, Single Title: An editor TBD with Grand Central Publishing(formerly WarnerBooks,) Special (FFPTT): Chris Keeslar with Dorchester Publishing, Young Adult: Karen Chaplin with Puffin/Speak Books.
For detailed information, check out:http://www.ntrwa.org/
There's been a bit of on-going discussion about Amazon.com's new e-book reader "Kindle." I discovered my book Tall, Dark & Dead is available in Kindle format. When I expressed some concern about this on BroadUniverse, I got a lot of confused looks, electronically speaking. When I asked if I was going to "get any money" for this, people patiently explained to me the Kindle was new technology and that OBVIOUSLY I wouldn't know if I was going to make a profit on it until I got my royalty statement.
Here's my reply: That's not how things normally work. When SF BookClub, for instance, wants to change the format of my book, i.e. publish its own version, they pay Penguin USA a fee UP FRONT -- an advance -- for the rights to do this. A percent of this advance is credited to my royalties. Any time anyone changes the format of my book (audio, book club, e-book), Penguin should get an advance BEFORE they make that new format available.
Of course, I may see royalties from the sale of my books on Amazon.com the same way I see royalties from any bookseller. But, think about it. If Uncle Hugo's decided to make an audio book of Tall, Dark & Dead available to their customers, Penguin USA would sue their a**es. Uncle Hugo's, though they have copies of the book laying around that they paid for, doesn't have the right to do anything but sell them in the format they bought them in. Can you imagine if SF Bookclub (or, let's say, I) said to themselves, "Hey, I know let's make an e-book of this book I bought at the store today. I'll just scan the pages here and I'm golden. I'll put it up on the web. Anyone can buy it."
That is exactly what Amazon.com did.
Penguin owns the right to all formats that my book could potentially appear in (book club, audio, e-book, etc.), in order to stop people from just randomly making their own versions available. Amazon.com, as far as I understand it, certainly never paid Penguin an advance, because I'd have heard about it from my agent. This is the money I'm talking about.
It's not greed that makes me concerned, although I would expect to see some profit from any format change. If Bob Smith wants to sit down with Audacity and make a audio version of my book, I think he'd get sued for copyright infringement, which this is. Bob Smith doesn't have the right to SELL my book in any format other than the one Penguin Putnam produced (or any other publisher who bought those rights from Penguin.) And, Penguin doesn't have to wait for Bob Smith to make a profit. They should be paid in advance of publication of the new format. Period.
(December 6, 2007) — Osmo Vänskä and the Minnesota Orchestra today received a Grammy Award nomination for their acclaimed recording of Beethoven’s Ninth (Choral) Symphony, the third release in a five-disc cycle of the Beethoven Symphonies recorded on the BIS label. The nomination, the Orchestra’s first during Vänskä’s four-year tenure as music director, comes in the Best Orchestral Performance category. A full list of nominees is available at the Grammy Awards website, grammy.com.
My alternate personality has just joined Facebook, and I'm planning to open up an account for myself. However, my alternate personality just got bitten by a werewolf, and I'm wondering if any of you out there know if you can chose to join the game or does it have to be random? Thing is, I think it would be cool, of course, to become a vampire. Anyone willing to help me out?
Online class: January 2-31, 2008
"Defeating Self-Defeating Behaviors: Allow Writing Productivity & Creativity To Soar"
by Margie Lawson
Registration $30 at www.WriterUniv.com/
Check out the new, expanded version of DSDB. It's Margie Lawson's popular and successful course with FIVE NEW TOPICS: The Power of Sleep, Stretch Breaks, Blasting Writer's Block, Optimizing Productivity, and . . . Simple Self-Hypnosis.
What's preventing your success? Thoughts? Behavior? Low energy? Procrastination? Perfectionism? Overdoing? Counter-productivity? Negative self-talk? Disorganization? Time mismanagement? Unrealistic expectations? Defeat your self-defeating behaviors with this one-month mental boot-camp. You'll explore the new topics, plus the list below, and more!
* Address the three fears that paralyze writers:
* Analyze yourself: Strengths, Weaknesses,Opportunities, Threats
* Challenge your internal dialogue
* Redirect resistance and manage your moods
* Duct-tape your Inner Critic
* Protect your priorities
* Practice Conscious Competence
* Apply Margie's DUH Plan
Margie Lawson’s resume includes counseling psychologist, college professor, hypnotherapist, and keynote speaker. Margie analyzes writing craft as well as the psyche of the writer. She presents 1) Empowering Characters’ Emotions, 2) Deep Editing: The EDITS System, Rhetorical Devices & More, and 3) Defeat Self-Defeating Behaviors in full-day master classes internationally. For more information, visit www.MargieLawson.com.
***OKAY TO FORWARD***
From Broad Universe:
Scott T. Goudsward and Lisa Manetti are editing two upcoming anthologies for Dark Hart Press. His is called "Traps" and hers is called "Terrible Beauty."Each anthology pays $.01 per word up to 7,000 words. Story length is 1,000 to 7,000 words. Submissions close on 12/31/07 for both anthologies.
More information and guidelines can be found on the website for Dark Hart Press at http://www.darkhart.com A little more information... Dark Hart is owned by three women. They're a new press, but they are getting a ton of great exposure in horror circles, at the moment, and they hit a lot of east-coast cons to try and keep that rolling. They take all sorts of dark fiction (dark fantasy, science fiction, horror,cross-genre romance but not erotica). They are actively seeking novels, as well as anthology shorts. Strangely, they seem to get a lot of novels from male authors but anthologies have some women submitting. One of the owners, Pam Marin-Kingsley, and one of her authors, John Dimes, can be seen here with Judy Comeau (Tombkeeper) for Count Gore's show... http://www.countgore.com/Vault.htm. Reviews of three of their first four stand-alone books can be found at http://www.countgore.com/Tomb.htm
***PERMISSION TO FORWARD***
Announcing the Heart of Carolina Romance Writer's January Online Workshop: Query Letters That Sell and Submission Packages That Shout, "Buy Me!"
Instructor: Julie Rowe
When: January 1-31, 2008
Cost: $15 for HCRW and CRW Members, $20 for All Others
SPEAKER BIO: A double Golden Heart finalist in 2006, Julie Rowe has had multiple requests for full or partial manuscripts from editors and agents from her query letters and has also sold many magazine articles from a query letter. Her work has been published in a variety of publications including the Fort McMurray Today newspaper, Today's Parent magazine, Reader's Digest (Canada), Writer's Digest, Canadian Living, the Romance Writer's Report and various RWA chapter newsletters.
WORKSHOP DESCRIPTION: This workshop will focus on writing fiction query letters from both a romance writer and magazine freelancer's perspective. Participants will be coached on how to turn their fiction query letter into an effective sales pitch, their cover letter into a fabulous calling card and their submission package into one that stands out from the crowd. Topics covered by this class will include:
What is a query letter?
Elements of a good query.
Start with your title.
Your writing credentials.
The pitch.
Endings & pulling it all together.
Query letter checklist & presentation tips.
I got a request for a partial/full - now what?
Cover letters.
The submission package.
Interpreting rejection and revision letters.
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REGISTRATION INFORMATION: Cost for the workshop is $15 for HCRW and Carolina Romance Writers members, $20 for all others. The workshop will run from January 1-31. Registration deadline is December 27th. Once registered, you will be subscribed to the workshop loop prior to and for the duration of the class. To register, please visit the HCRW website at: www.heartofcarolina.org and click on the Online Workshops page. You may pay by check made out to HCRW or by credit card (via Paypal on the site). PLEASE NOTE: You do not need a PayPal account to use PayPal and you may pay by credit card through PayPal. However, if you want to join this class, but prefer to pay by check or money order, please print the registration form and sendy our check or money order made payable to HCRW to: HCRW Online, PO Box 80412, Raleigh, NC 27623.
You may contact the coordinator at : HCRWonline@heartofcarolina.org with questions. If you pay for a workshop and do not receive an invitation to join the workshop loop by the first of the month, please contact Elizabeth at HCRWonline@heartofcarolina.org. Cancellation and refund policy: No registration fees will be refunded. All payments for a workshop must be received by the registration cut off date. Late payments can be applied to a future workshop of the applicant's choosing. If a workshop does not have 10 students enrolled by the first of the month, the workshop will be canceled and registration fees will be applied to a future workshop of the applicant's choosing. Hope to see you in class!
Laura Maldonado
Heart of Carolina Romance Writers ~ RWA Chapter 114
This breaking astrological news from Astrology.com:
Uranus turns direct on November 24, triggering a powerful time known for change and surprising events. With Uranus, planet of liberation and freedom from earthly bonds, straightening out its course just hours before the full Moon, your need for independence and freedom will be heightened. Remember to honor your emotions, but keep the feelings of others in mind as well. While change is in the air, remain flexible as you ride out this roller coaster of a transit. Now is the time to break free of routines and patterns that no longer fit, trusting that the new pieces of your life will settle later.
This one from BroadUniverse:
Odyssey Con, a science fiction convention in Madison, WI, is sponsoring a contest for 500 words or less, paragraph form, to be judged by Bruce Boston. Preliminary details can be viewed at http://fibitz.com/oddcontest.html. $500 to winner; $10 entry fee. PayPal should be available on the OddCon site by December 1, but you can also mail a check or money order.
Over the weekend, I turned forty.
I spent birthday-actual driving back from a visit with the in-laws in Indiana. As I told Shawn when we arrived home, "You know how you sometimes have birthdays and you don't feel a day older? I definitely feel forty after driving nine and a half hours."
Today is birthday-observed. It's been spotty so far, though in a fit of retail therapy I bought a terrarium. It is now the home for a slug which Mason and I discovered crawling on the sidewalk this morning. We were on Summit Avenue, strolling around looking at the beautiful houses there (and surreptitiously hoping that "Mr. Cat" -- a cat we've seen several times before -- would come out and follow us down the street in his usual way.) Shawn also took Mason and I out for lunch, and now in a few minutes I'm going to be headed off to the gym to work out. Much fun!
***Permission to forward***
Chicago North RWA's 10th Annual Fire and Ice
Contest Fee: $25/RWA Members - $30/non-RWA Members
Postmark deadline: February 1, 2008
Eligibility: Not published in book-length fiction in last 5 years.
Enter: prologue/first chapter (25 pages max.)
Categories/Final Judges: Historical: Hilary Sares, Kensington, Mainstream Fiction with Strong Romantic Elements: Allison Brandau, Berkeley, Paranormal: Nephele Tempest, Knight Agency, Series Contemporary: Gail Chasan, Silhouette Special Edition, Single Title Contemporary: Scott Eagan, Greyhaus Literary Agency Young Adult: Michelle Andelman, Andrea Brown Agency
Top prize: $30.
Winners announced at Chicago North's Spring Fling Conference chicagospringfling.com. All entries come from outside Chicago North RWA. FMI, entry form, and rules contest@chicagonorthrwa.org, www.chicagonorthrwa.org
This important announcement from Astrology.com:
Does it seem more difficult than usual to find forward momentum? Do you feel like you are trying to move a mountain? Whether it is a cause that is close to your heart, a relationship or a project that you would like to advance, it's time to put on the brakes, slow down and make a U-turn, as Mars turns retrograde starting November 15.
Mars turns retrograde once every two years. And when it does, as with any retrograde period, it's time to review events already set in motion. Since Mars is going retrograde in the emotionally intense water sign Cancer, make sure you pay attention to your feelings, including instincts and hunches. Actions are now governed by your heart and gut, rather than by logic. If something doesn’t feel right to you, stop, review and make necessary corrections. Remember to pace yourself, since you will be in the review process until January 30 of next year! That’s plenty of time to prepare for putting plans into action once Mars turns direct.
***Permission to forward***
Outreach International presents:
TITLE: Breathing Life Into A Scene
DATE: December 10 - December 14, 2007
INSTRUCTOR: Beth Cornelison
COST: $10 Outreach Members/Others $20
Deadline to receive application and payment: December 7, 2007
For more information on this class or to register go to: http://www.oirw.net/campus/currentcourselist.htm
Course Description:"Breathing Life Into A Scene" offers a step by step approach to layering vivid details about setting, emotion and character into each scene you write. Silhouette Romantic Suspense author Beth Cornelison will show you how to select the right details and character-specific information to place your reader in the scene and make a powerful impression, without bogging down your pace. Elements discussed include environment, setting, costume, five senses, physical presence, mood and emotion. The workshop helps writers select the best details to support their story, weave it in through character perceptions, and avoid slowing the pace with unneeded information or overlong description. Well-chosen description can make your writing come alive and lift your manuscript out of the slush pile!
Bio: Three-time Golden Heart finalist, Beth Cornelison received her degree in Public Relations from the University of Georgia. She debuted with Silhouette Intimate Moments in April 2005 and her June 2006 release, IN PROTECTIVE CUSTODY, won the Golden Heart in 2001 and received a Top Pick from Romantic Times. In September 2006, she made her hard cover debut with Five Star Expressions with CHASING A DREAM. Her latest book from Silhouette Romantic Suspense, DANGER AT HER DOOR, was released in August 2007. Beth has served as the conference coordinator and contest coordinator for her local RWA chapter and has presented workshops to numerous conferences across the country. Mrs. Cornelison lives in Louisiana with her husband and son.
Thanks to one of my students (Gary) who found this post over at Slushmaster's LJ: It Came From the Slush... And Survived! Interesting stuff.
Many months ago, Mason and I were obsessively scouring Saint Paul for license plates from around the country (and the world.) We've seen all but one of the fifty states (plus Washington, D.C.) and many of the Canadian provinces. We still haven't seen West Virginia, but a couple of our friends have spotted the elusive plate, so we know that Mason has conjured one into the area.
Today, however, we saw a Consul plate parked outside of the governor's mansion on Summit. It had the call letters: "PK," which wikipedia informs us stands for Norway.
Cool, huh?
OOh!! I am so excited!!!!
One of the best parts is that she is wearing one of the actual outfits Garnet favors. Cool Yule!
Here's the back cover copy: I’m on the top of the world. The Vatican witch hunters think I’m dead, the FBI has closed my file, I might get to buy the occult bookstore I manage, I’m co-founding a brand-new coven—and the vampire I love has just proposed. How lucky can a girl get? Wait, wai—
Oh, crap. I’ve jinxed myself. My fiancé, Sebastian, is missing and I’m worried sick. Has he been kidnapped? Or could he have run off with that leggy blonde from the coven? Now I’ll have to seek the help of my future stepson—the same brat who once turned me over to the Catholics, all for a pimped-out Jag. Plus, the Goddess Lilith, who camps out in my body, has been making embarrassing appearances. Now all I need is some crazy killer on my tail. Hold on, hold—
Double crap.
Also, if you're itching to read the first chapter you can find it at my website: Romancing the Dead Excerpt
***permission to forward***
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 unpublished RWA members, $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
**PERMISSION TO FORWARD**
Southern Magic is pleased to host an on-line workshop, Everything You Wanted to Know About An Agent But Was Afraid to Ask, with literary agent Caren Johnson.
Description: This is a soup to nuts guide on what an agent does, how to work effectively with yours, and danger signs in any agent/author relationship that you should watch out for. Come join us to ask questions,learn about the benefits and drawbacks of having an agent and when you really need to have one.
When: December 3 through 14, 2007
Cost: $10 for Southern Magic Members, $15 for All Others
Class Advisor: Caren Johnson began her literary career at the Peter Rubie Agency. She stayed for three years, working her way up from intern to agent. She went on to work with Nadia Cornier at Firebrand Literary for a year before starting her own agency in early 2007. She works closely with each of her authors, not only acting as an agent, but offering career guidance and publicity consultation. Her goal is to make sure each of her authors gets published and has a long-lasting, lucrative career.
Caren is full up at the moment with wonderful romance and mystery authors(though any who have written brilliant novels in these genres are more than welcome to submit to her as she is always on the lookout for great contemporary romance, exciting romantic suspense and fun mysteries). She is currently looking for women's fiction in the vein of Monica McInerney, Jodi Picoult, Alice Hoffman, Sue Monk Kidd, and Laura Moriarty, fiction in thevein of Lisa Lutz, Christopher Moore, Michel Faber, Kate Atkinson, Louisa Luna, Audrey Niffenegger, and Jeffrey Eugenides, and YA in the vein of Scott Westerfeld, Stephanie Meyer, Markus Zusack, Gabrielle Zevin, Libba Bray, and Kevin Brooks. In nonfiction she is currently looking for more narrative nonfiction in a variety of subjects, pop culture, women's interest (though no self-help), humor and quirky gift books.
Please check out her publisher's marketplace page at http://www.publishersmarketplace.com/members/carenjohnson
Registration deadline is December 2 via PayPal/credit card.
The class is conducted through a YAHOO group format and you will receive an invitation to join at the time you pay. For more information, please check out our website at www.southernmagic.org and click on the WORKSHOP icon.
I just noticed that you can now pre-order Romancing the Dead on Amazon.com!!!! That means that I'm going to have to take some time this weekend to put up an excerpt on my website.
Oh, and I notice that Amazon.com is having one of those bargain price things for Tall, Dark & Dead again.
Breaking astrological news from Astrology.com:
Mercury turned retrograde on October 11 in the determined water sign Scorpio, encouraging you to revisit and explore your ideas and conversations. By October 23, Mercury re-entered Libra and fairness became the top priority. Now, the messenger planet turns direct in Libra on November 1, signaling that it is time to put everything you learned during the past three weeks into a cohesive plan of action. If you have done your homework, you will find yourself moving forward with confidence –- which is just what using a Mercury retrograde period is all about!
Certainly, confidence should be influencing your love agenda now. If you have been hesitant to make that first move, now is the time to abandon inhibition and let that crush know that you want to take things to the next level.
Here's a photo of Mason (and my alternate personality) that appeared in today's Star Tribune. There's on block on Sargent Street in Saint Paul that goes all out for Halloween -- every single house is done up and entire families (including their dogs) are dressed up. We stumbled across it on a tip from our dear friend Sean M. Murphy. I'd like to give credit to the staff photographer who took the photo (Jeffery Thompson), but the Star Tribune has the crappiest on-line search engine I've ever used.
Here's the link: http://www.startribune.com/10242/story/1521542-a1521301-t3.html
New LINK! Here's a slide show that has lots of Mason pictures and some audio of me mentioning that his costume is "rotting.": http://www.startribune.com/slideshows/rich_media/1521515.html.
My high school English teacher used to have a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson hanging on the bulletin board that baffled me for years. It read: "Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds." (Apparently, there's more to it.) I'm reminded of it, however, every time I receive a copy edited manuscript from my publisher.
That may sound like a dis on copy editors, but it's not meant as one. I say thank goodness for copy editors or my readers would have to spend all their time writing me angry letters complaining about all the little inconsistencies that riddle my work. No, it's my mind that doesn't suffer details very well. I apparently (mis)took Emerson's quote to heart and now my brain jettisons "little" consistencies. Ask my writers' group if you doubt me, but I'm lucky if I manage to spell my main character's name the same way throughout a five hundred page manuscript.
Even though I've always written books that are part of a series, I rely on my brain to keep track of the world-building details. I realize exactly how foolish this is, but I almost never re-read a novel once it's gone to press. Part of that decision is the fact that I'm usually deeply sick of the book during the process of getting it to publication. I've read and re-read the damn thing so many times (in draft, final draft, editorial revision, final revision, copy edited manuscript, page proofs, etc.) that the thought of looking at it again for even a second makes me cringe.
One of the reasons I don't look back at my earlier work in the same series is that I like the freedom that not-knowing-I'm-screwing-up affords. I should say that I've never violated a character's history with my cavalier attitude toward consistency, but my alternate personality messed up the time-line in the AngeLINK universe because a copy editor had corrected a date (to make it consistent with a presidential election year) and her brain had never made the "final edit," as it were. So the books following Archangel Protocol are actually off by two years. Only one reader noticed the mistake and she did because she was re-reading the books on the line-by-line level in order to write fanfic. Even so, I hope I get a chance to fix that at some point because it now bothers me.
You'd think, then, I'd learn, right? Not so. Since that mistake, I'm slightly more willing to do a quick word search through the electronic version of my final draft to check certain details, but I'm still fairly adamant about not letting a little thing like accuracy stop me from writing. I should clarify, however, that I'm only talking about little, harmless details. We all know that if a writer isn't careful and consistent with the important details, you can loose your readers. I even try to be pretty careful with what I call "blocking," which is to say whether or not a character is sitting or standing and what color shoes they're wearing — although I have a copy editor to thank for noticing a character's switch from combat boots to high heels.
God forbid something like that actually make it into print, but I rarely let those things worry me at the start. I write to get the story out and then sweat the details.
Or, later, thank the higher powers that a copy editor catches them.
At a local Barnes & Noble in the children’s section, I overheard a mother tell her children, “Remember what we talked about! Pick something in your reading level!”
Now, I admit that I didn’t know what was going on there, and it’s entirely possible that this parent was admonishing her children not to chose a book that was below their abilities. She could have been worried about adult content, but, as I said, I was in the children’s section. Whatever the case, my impression was that this mother wanted her children to stick to those artifical age ranges that are printed on the back of picture books and YA novels, and, frankly, I was horrified.
I find this distressing if only because I read LOTS of books that were well beyond my reading “ability” when I was young, which is how the heck I got better ability, you know? I have never, ever told my son Mason that there was a book he couldn’t try to read. As far as I’m concerned, unless there’s graphic violence, sex, or swear words, it’s all good. (Actually, he’s already read some swear words over my shoulder. Luckily, he doesn’t have all the rules of pronunciation down and so he thinks a** is said “iss.”)
This desire to protect young readers baffles me. And it seems to be prevalent. We were once at Red Balloon, a children’s book store here in Saint Paul, and the sales person tried to take a chapter book away from us. She nearly snatched it from Mason’s hands because she didn’t think it was appropriate for my then three year-old. When I asked her why, she said, “Well, the stories are too long. He won’t have the patience.” At that age, I’d already read all of Charolette’s Web and much of Bambi to Mason, so I just looked at her with a stunned expression. “How would you know?” I asked. Then I said to Mason, “Never let anyone tell you what you can or can’t read.”
And anyway, at that point, I was still reading to him. It’s not like there would be words he couldn’t ask me what they meant, you know? More to the point, the last time I checked there’s no rule that says you have to finish a story you start. We’ve still never finished Bambi because we get to the chapter where Bambi’s mom is killed and Mason wants to start over. So we do. I figure he needs time to process. Processing what you’ve read is part of learning, IMHO.
Mason’s grade school also seems to have a “reading level” restriction they enforce. Everyone’s library card is color coded for the level they’re supposed to be reading at. I overheard a librarian ask someone to take a “Goosebumps” book back because it wasn’t at their reading level. This was a seriously disappointed looking kid. Again, this may be done in order to make sure that children are challenging themselves appropriately, however, I don’t really get that either. Who doesn’t love the comfort of a “simpler” book occasionally? I know that I didn’t discover Leo, the Late Bloomer until I was a teen, and it was still extremely meaningful to me. Plus I have to ask, what adult doesn’t love a certain YA about a young wizard in training?
But, as for reading beyond yourself, the last time I checked no one has ever been seriously injured by reading a hard book. Well, okay, there was that one time I was so excited to start a book I’d checked out from the library that I was reading it while riding my bike on the way home. I ran into a parked car. That’s my only reading injury to date.
There are books that scared the crap out of me as a kid. I read Amityville Horrorat a tender age and now the name “Jody” sends me into screaming heeby-geebies even as an adult. However, I learned an important lesson: you can close a book. If a book is beyond you on an emotional level, you can wait and pick it up later. There are several books I attempted that I just didn’t get all of until much, much later. I’d heard that there was SEX in Lady Chatterly’s Lover, but damned if I “got” it the first time I read it. When I came back to it as a young adult, I understood.
In fact, my partner and I have bonded over the fact that we both remember the day we got to go to the “adult” section in the public library on our own. Both Shawn’s folks and mine never hesitated to check out books from that section for us, if we were interested… but there was a thrilling sense of wonder the moment it was okay for us to have ANY book in the entire library for ourselves alone. I think that reading beyond your ability is what makes readers out of people, you know? If I hadn’t tried The Hobbit in sixth grade, where would I be now?
I didn’t “get” a lot of it, but I was AWED.
And I still am.
WINNER:
Vellum - Hal Duncan (Del Rey)
SHORT LIST:
Carnival - Elizabeth Bear (Bantam)
Dragon's Teeth - James Hetley (Ace)
The Growing - Susanne M. Beck & Okasha Skat'si (P.D. Publishing)
The Privilege Of The Sword - Ellen Kushner (Bantam Spectra)
Smoke and Ashes - Tanya Huff (DAW)
Snow - Wheeler Scott (Torquere)
Spin Control - Chris Moriarty (Bantam Spectra)
The Virtu - Sarah Monette (Ace)
Over at Wyrdsmith's Kelly's open call for questions/comments generated some interesting questions. For instance, Michael asked: When did you feel comfortable calling yourself a writer to others?
Sometimes I still don't.
A friend of mine bought me a great ball cap that says "writer" on it from Writers Store. I was a little nervous about wearing it in public because I knew what was going to happen.
Stranger: Hey, nice hat.
Me: Uh, yeah. Thanks.
Stranger: So are you a writer then?
Me: Yeah, I am. (Internally bracing for the follow-up)
Stranger: Anything published?
Maybe if I lived in New York or, really, anywhere other than taciturn Minnesota, I would probably see this conversation for what it could be: a chance to pitch myself and my work to people I meet on the street. Instead, I find myself blushing because I know what I'm about to say is a great big brag (a no-no in Minnesotan): "Yes," I say. "I've had six books published."
Either people are suitably impressed at this point, or suddenly very suspicious. "Really?" They ask, "Anything I would have heard of?" This is where I start regretting my fashion choices. Yet, at the same time I understand what people are really asking, and what I think is at the heart of Michael's question.
Society only values proved success, not process.
I'm a writer to the majority of strangers I meet on the street ONLY if I meet certain conditions: 1) I've published, 2) I've had my book published by a credible (in the case of the stranger this means THEY'VE heard of them) New York publisher, and/or 3) I can show success via awards won that they've heard of or best seller lists they know of.
However, I think that waiting until you can meet all of that criteria before calling yourself a writer is selling yourself (and the process) short. When I teach, I tell my students that they are writers the moment they finish their first short story or novel. If you're sending stories out and collecting rejections, you're a working writer.
Still, it's hard to answer when you meet someone for the first time and they ask you what you do. When you say, "I'm a writer," and you have another job, no one believes you. (Oh, they're thinking: it's the whole -- I'm your waiter, but I'm REALLY an actor syndrome.) I don't think that this assumption is necessarily malicious (though it can feel that way), instead I think people understand on a gut level that "making it" in our profession is really difficult. But, because it _is_ so difficult, I think the earlier we embrace the title writer, the better we can cope with "the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" which is the writing life.
For me, it took joining the National Writers' Union before I could tell people I was a writer. For one, going to meetings of the local chapter meant that everyone I met was also a writer. I didn't have to explain myself or all the ins-and-outs of the writing life about which the majority of the public has so many misconceptions. Once I got comfortable saying, "Hi, I'm Tate Hallaway. I'm a fiction writer," with my _own_ kind, I found I had less trouble "educating" strangers who turned their noses up the second I said, "No, I'm not published yet."
I wish I hadn't waited so long, but sometimes you have to believe the truth yourself before you can explain it to someone else.
This isn't much of a review, but google alerts pointed it to me, and I thought it was nice: http://www.kocafamilyink.com/book_journal/2007/10/dead-sexy.html
Here's a nice review of Many Bloody Returns that I found on LJ. It doesn't really say much about any of the stories in particular, but the blogger is very happy and jumps around a lot (as it were). Check out:
So, while I was signing stock at the previously mentioned event, I noticed something interesting in Tall, Dark & Dead... it's in a fourth printing!
Whoot!
Also, and given my previous discussion, you'll find this amusing: I've booked another signing. It looks like fellow Wyrdsmith Kelly McCullough and I will be joining Lois Greiman and Michele Hauf at the Northtown Waldenbooks on Saturday, October 27 from 1:00 - 3:00 pm. The Waldenbooks is located at 212 Northtown Drive NE, Blaine, Minnesota 55434. For directions or more information call: (763) 780-1264.
The signing at the MoA was.... interesting, as we like to say in Minnesota.
Alas, I was also looking forward to seeing Sujata Massey, but she didn't show up. Though I came prepared, we didn't end up doing the ten minute readings either. I bought more books than I sold (but that actually happens a lot more than I'd care to admit.) On the positive side, I got the chance to hang out with Michele Hauf and Emma Holly, who are always a hoot, and, of course, my friend Kelly McCullough. Mason, my son, got to go to Lego Land with Shawn and he thought that was pretty dang special.
I wonder about booksignings, sometimes. I mean, I've had some really successful ones, including one which was a disaster in the other direction because the bookstore didn't have enough books on hand and I sold out within the first ten minutes. Lately, however, it's been surprisingly difficult to muster enough support from friends and family to get people to turn out to signings. When I do signings at smaller venues at speciality stores, I'll often make postcards that I hand-address to everyone I've ever known. That helps. I'll get a 10% return on those (if I send out 100, 10 people will show.)
But you can only really do that once, you know? People don't show up again and again to buy a book they already have.
Plus, I tend to have better luck with signings that are in the Twin Cities proper. There's some reluctance (which I can totally understand, actually) for people to drive out to various suburbs to pick up a book that they can have Amazon deliver to their doorstep. Goddesss knows, I'm lazy. I often intend to go support my friends and then find something better to do on a Saturday afternoon.
Book signings are one of those mainstays of being a published author. But are they really useful? I've heard people say that signed books don't get returned, so it's worth going just to sign all the stock for the bookseller. But, I've also heard that's not true, since the covers are ripped off returned books so a signed book is of no more value than a non-signed one. Yet booksellers have also told me that signed books sell better in the store, so they're worth doing for that. But, I don't know. I sometimes feel like the hassle you've put the store through isn't really worth what they get out of it.
My question is what do you think about book signings? Do you go to them? What makes you want to go?
Date: October 6, 2007
Time: 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm
Place: Macy's Court, Mall of America
Booksigning and fundraiser.
Midwest Fiction Writers and Barnes & Noble come together to raise money for The Minnesota Literacy Council.
You'll want to take advantage of this rare opportunity to meet so many local authors and purchase autographed books with a portion of the sales going to The Minnesota Literacy Council. Join us on Saturday, October 6 at 5:30 in the Macy's Court of the Mall of America for this once-a-year event. Hear authors read excerpts from their books. Visit favorite authors and discover new authors. Signing will be Midwest Fiction Writers authors Judy Baer, Helen Brenna, Kathleen Eagle, Anne Frasier, Jay Gilbertson, Lois Greiman, Tate Hallaway, Michele Hauf, Emma Holly, Patti O'Shea. Joining them in this event will be local authors Sujata Massey and Kelly McCullough as well as author and creativity coach Eric Maisel.
I posted a bit about my personal relationship with music and writing over at SF Novelists: The Sound of Writing.
