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Another good review. :) This one at Romance Reader at Heart.
Tomorrow I’m going to start working on ARCs to send to booksellers. And I need to look into deadlines for Romance Sells. I think I am getting behind on promoting this time. I haven’t decided about bookmarks yet. Kensington sent me a ton of cover flats and I really like the back cover copy. So, I’m tempted to save my $$ and just mail out those.
Opinions?
So, Edie tagged me a while back. I meant to reply earlier, but holidays, guests, etc. got in the way. Anyway, here we go:
Thanks to Rob at Books for a Buck, I have my first review for Love is All You Need. :)
“If you’re looking for a fun and funny read that packs an emotional and sexy punch, you definitely will want to grab LOVE IS ALL YOU NEED. ” –Rob Preece, Books for a Buck (four out of four stars)
Read the whole review here.
I found this article today and thought I’d share it. There is really some great information here. It is targeted to Science Fiction writers, but I think it pretty much applies to most genres. :)
Lori
So, I’ve been asking this question a lot of places, but I’m curious to get your take on it. What is “dark”? As you know, Harlequin is starting a new dark paranormal line–well, what does that mean to you? What do you expect?
To me dark means creepy. You know the books you read and that night you have uh, disturbing dreams? That is dark to me. While I really enjoy a lot of the “darker” paranormal romances out there, to me they aren’t “dark”. Kelly Armstrong and Kim Harrison (not romances) wake me up at night. That is dark.
I’m reading Maggie Shayne right now. Finished a book by Eileen Wilks not too long ago, and have read a number of others–all really good, but not a sleepless night in the bunch.
Am I too hard to creep out? (Grew up in the era of Night Stalker, remember that series?) Or does that factor not even have to play into it?
How about the hero–for it to be dark, does he have to be evil? What I mean here is, as you are reading it, does there have to be some possibility he will actually turn on the heroine? Or can it be pretty clear he won’t, but there is some other element of danger instead?
So, who’s game? Who can define dark for me–and can you list a few authors too?
Thanks!!
Lori
As I said in my earlier post, today I am posting interviews with two of the American Title finalists. Scroll down a bit to see my interview with Theresa Meyers. :) Now in the spotlight is Michèle Ann Young.
Welcome, Michèle!
First tell us about your book.
MAY: It is a marriage of convenience story, set in 1816 in London and Paris and a little bit in Norfolk, England. Lord Lucas Foxhaven and Caro Torrington were friends growing up, and although Caro would never admit it, she’s always had a secret passion for Lucas. When Lucas has to marry to get control of his inheritance, he thinks of Caro, the one woman who won’t interfere with his life. Will she? After the death of her father, Caro finds herself with three younger sisters and little money. Helping out a friend is one thing, but a marriage in name only to a man you once dreamed of is more than a little daunting. However, he is her best friend and it will make both of their lives easi! er. Won’t it?
Of course, they soon discover more than friendship binds them together and while their passions ignite in the drawing rooms of London and high society Paris, an intrigue threatens to ruin it all. Only if they admit to their love and throw out their bargain, can they triumph over the sudden danger from an unexepected source.
Q: If you could design your dream cover for this book, what would it look like?
MAY: As an author, I am hoping to get a dream artist to design the cover. I am much better at words than pictures. For this book, I would really like to see my couple on horseback - together. It is the opening scene of the book. I’m not sure if it is possible, however.
Q: What made you decide to enter American Title?
MAY: My book was ready, and it seemed like somthing different and exiting. Of course winning would be a wonderful opportunity.
Q: Had you entered any of the RWA contests with this book before that?
MAY: Yes, a couple.
Q: What kind of results did you get with those contests?
MAY: Good results. No finals, but some great insightful comments and some near misses. One or two of the judges really loved it, which made me think it had merit.
Q: How do you feel about your first sentence, etc. being posted on the web for everyone to judge?
MAY: It is quite nerve wracking actully. I suppose it is a bit like actually having a book published and having it reviewed.
Q: Have you received any feedback or fan mail from voters?
MAY:I have had a great many complements from voters who have taken their job of voting very seriously. I have had mail from person who liked my first line whom I did not know directly but who took the trouble to write a note on my blog.
Q: Once you are published what can readers expect from you in future books? Will you stick with historicals or would you like to try something else?
MAY: My first love is historicals. Some writers find the research intimidating. I do think one has to be as accurate as possible, but also tell a good story. I would like to write some really great historicals before moving to another genre. I have also started thinking about a fantasy/paranormal.
Q: What makes your books different from others?
MAY:I believe my books are relevant to today’s, even though dealing with a different era. My heroine in No Regrets is dealing with a low self esteem, something many women face.
Q:So we are ready to vote, what’s the schedule?
MAY:The next round of voting starts today, December 19th for the best Hero and heroine and finishes on January 1. (note from Lori: Again I got this a couple days ago.) The full schedule is posted at www.romantictimes.com. Voting takes place once a month until all but one of the contestants are eliminated.
Q: And where can readers learn more about you and your books?
MAY:My website www. micheleannyoung.com.
Thanks for taking the time to visit with us and Good Luck!!
Continuing with the American Title interviews, I’m going to post two more today, both finalists this year. First up is Theresa Meyers. Theresa is best known to many authors as the owner of Blue Moon Communications, a public relations firm that does a lot of work for writers. But she’s also a writer herself and an American Title finalist.
Welcome, Theresa!First tell us about your book. 
TM: The Devil’s Maiden is a Scottish historical based on the actual North Berwick witch trial presided over by King James VI of Scotland, who later became King James I of England in 1603 (the man we credit with the King James version of the Bible.) The extent and the horror of the witch hunts of the time made the Salem witch trials looks like a little girl’s slumber party in comparison. I was captivated by the period and how much of it was politically motivated. A line popped into my head that started the book “Don’t marry the lass, Mangus. You’ll be dead before sunrise.” I wanted to find out who she was, why he’d die and what would happen to her. That was the start of The Devil’s Maiden.
The book centers on Sorcha MacIver. Suspected of witchcraft, she must find a man who can overcome the curse that haunts her and keep her from being burned at the stake. The Campbell clan believes her to be a Devil’s Maiden, able to keep her virginity via the dark arts, but Sorcha knows different. From the time she was little, everyone she loved, has died.
Seeking protection from the taint of witchcraft, Sorcha’s uncle hires a mercenary to marry her and take her virginity. He selects Ian Hunter, The Immortal Mercenary, as Sorcha’s groom. But Sorcha has her own plans. All Hunter wants is to earn his money and leave Scotland behind forever. His older brother stole his bride and is about to steal his inheritance as well. But once he weds the suspected witch, that’s when everything starts to go wrong.
Sorcha is a pawn in a deadly play for the throne of Scotland and they uncover political schemes between the treacherous lords of Scotland, where witch-hunts are only the beginning. (Think along the lines of what William Wallace endured in Braveheart.) Once they discover who is behind the deaths of Sorcha’s husbands and family, no one can stop the vicious game of death, deceit and power.
Q: If you were to design your dream cover for this book, what would it look like?
TM: I absolutely love Liz Carlyle’s covers where you see a woman’s hands or her shoulders, with a hint of a secret, like the girl holding the book behind her back on Three Little Secrets. I imagine if I were to have a dream cover it would be something similar to a swath of Campbell blue and green plaid, just below bare shoulders, a loosening plait of raven hair and her hands holding a little dagger behind her.
Q: What made you decide to enter American Title? Had you entered any of the RWA contests with this book before that? What kind of results did you get with those contests?
TM: I entered it more or less with the thought of, “this can’t hurt, might as well try.” I had entered The Devil’s Maiden into a few RWA contest, including the Hearts Through History chapter contest and the Golden Heart, but the book never finaled. I would always hit in the middle because I’d get a mix of low and high scores.
Q: How do you feel about your first sentence, etc. being posted on the web for everyone to judge? Have you received any feedback or fan mail from voters?
TM: My day job is as a publicist, so I wasn’t too worried about it. I’m use to counseling my clients on how to handle public attention. I also have a rejection file that’s approaching three inches thick for my books, which has gone a long way to developing the famous thick skin a writer needs in this business. What was a wonderful surprise was how well it was received. I did receive a lot of congratulatory emails and notes from voters telling me that they really thought it was the best first line (which thrilled me!). I’m just hoping that they like the other parts that will be posted just as well!
Q: Once you are published what can readers expect from you in future books? Will you stick with historicals or would you like to try something else? What makes your books different from others?
TM: I’ve been writing for over 10 years, so I have several books I’ve completed. I’ll continue to write historicals set in Elizabethan Scotland, but I also have some Victorian novels, and I write chick lit and contemporaries as well. (I’m a Gemini and trying to pin us down to one thing is nearly impossible.) In general I tend to work on two to three books at a time and switch off between them. What makes my books different? Good question. I’d say first my voice, a mix of sly humor and deep emotion shaken with a splash vivid description and flavored with a twist of suspense, and second my characters, who always tend to be out to prove something to themselves or others, but have to discover who they truly are first.
So we are ready to vote, what’s the schedule?
TM: The next round of voting starts soon!
The winner will be announced on May 22!
Q: And where can readers learn more about you and your books?
TM: Absolutely! My website is www.theresameyers.com and I have story descriptions, a blog, a great extra’s page with links recipes and more just waiting for them.
Thanks for taking the time to visit with us and Good Luck!!
You guessed it…interview time. I’m enjoying this–hope you all are too. This time I’m doing a series of sorts, three writers associated with the American Title Contest. First up Janice Lynn last year’s winner.
First tell us about your book and how you got published. 
JL: Jane Millionaire is my debut book and it got published in a fairly unique way. I won the publishing contract via the American Title contest sponsored by RTBOOKclub Magazine and Dorchester Publishing. I competed through 5 rounds of American Idol style competition and won when readers voted Jane Millionaire the #1 American Title. It was a dream come true.
Jane Millionaire is a spin on reality television. Sort of Miss Congeniality meets Joe Millionaire. My heroine is a cop who goes undercover to save her sister’s behind. Instead of falling for any of the eligible bachelors she falls for the producer and all sorts of trouble ensues.
Q: What made you decide to enter American Title? Had you entered any of the RWA contests with this book before that? What kind of results did you get with those contests?
JL: I entered the American Title contest on a whim. I’d never written a single title manuscript before (I’d been targeting category romance) but decided to try my hand with Jane Millionaire. The contest was free and I decided I had nothing to lose by entering and everything to gain. I had entered several RWA contests prior to the American Title contest. One Jane didn’t final in, the others she did, winning the prestigious Golden Pen and placing honorable mention in the other three.
Q : Do you recommend contests for other non-published writers? Why or why not?
JL: I’d feel hypocritical if I said no since I sold via a contest. I do think there are pro and cons to contests. The pros are obvious–feedback from other writers, a chance to have an editor or agent read your work, and getting your name out there. The cons, well, they aren’t as obvious. Although it shouldn’t happen, ideas do get stolen. Putting a high concept idea out in contests is risking someone else taking it and running with it. I think this is rare because most of the individuals in RWA are professionals, but it is a realistic risk. The other, much more likely to happen risk, is that contests can change your writing voice. Writing to final in a contest trains you to put certain things in certain orders in certain ways in those first pages, chapters. This can be good and bad, but I’ve heard editors at conferences mention cookie cutter submissions and I can’t help but wonder if contests aren’t contributing to this. Personally, contests were very good to me. I finaled in over 40 RWA contests with multiple manuscripts and won several of those contests. And, my first sale was directly from winning the American Title, so I’m definitely pro contests.
Q: How did you feel about your first sentence, etc. being posted on the web for everyone to judge? Did you receive any feedback or fan mail from voters?
JL: It seemed really strange to have my first line posted. Not as odd as having a “romantic scene” though. It was hard to resist lengthening the sentence to give the reader more information. Fortunately I didn’t because the contestants with the longer sentences were criticized for it. During the contest I started a Vote4JaneMillionaire yahoo loop (now the JaniceLynnReadersgroup) and friends and fans could join it and follow the contest there. I gave away prizes and posted information in regards to the contest there first. Amazingly I had people join from several countries–Australia, Canada, Venezuela, England, & of course, the US.
Q: What was the most exciting thing about the past year? Finaling, winning, seeing your book on the shelf, or something else?
JL: Finaling was fabulous, but winning—WOW. The Romantic Times convention was such a dream. Everyone treated me so wonderfully I felt like a movie star or something. The neatest thing about it was my husband surprising me by showing up for the awards ceremony. There were family issues where he’d decided to stay home so I could go without worries, but he drove 6 hours (in the rain!) to be in St. Louis for the unveiling of Jane Millionaire’s cover, stayed the night, and then drove the 6 hours home the next morning. That was fab and added to the whole dreamy experience! Holding Jane Millionaire in my hand for the first time was just as exciting….was I supposed to limit my answer to just one thing?? Oops. Let’s just say it’s all been a pretty amazing and exciting ride!
Q: How about now-do you have an agent?
JL: I do have an agent and a fabulous one! I signed with Pamela Harty at The Knight Agency in late August. We plan to start submitting my new stuff in early 2006.
Q: What can readers expect from you in future books? What makes your books different from others?
JL: I’m currently working on Causin A Commotion which is the sequel to Jane Millionaire. It’s Jill’s sister Jessie’s story. I’m also polishing my first paranormal. It’s a lighthearted romantic contemporary.
What makes my books different from others? Ack! That’s a hard one to answer. The simplest answer is to say “Because I wrote it”, but that’s probably not what you’re looking for. The thing that stands out to me and that a lot of reviewers have commented on is that Jane Millionaire is truly a romance. The story is romantic and so are the characters. I’m not talking sappy stuff, but just the kind of story that leaves you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, satisfied. Well, at least that’s what it’s supposed to do. ;) I’m not saying there aren’t a lot of other books out there that are ‘romantic’, but more and more it seems romance is moving away from actual ‘romance’. Jane doesn’t and I’m working hard to make sure Causin A Commotion doesn’t, but it isn’t an easy thing to accomplish in all stories as some lend themselves to romance better than others.
Q: Do you want to write anything in addition to contemporaries?
JL: Uhm, I sorta answered that with my last one, didn’t I? I love contemporaries, but I had so much fun with The Glass Slipper that I’ve plotted two more light paranormals. I can’t wait to get started on them!
Q: Where can readers go to learn more about you and your books?
JL: Readers can find me at www.janicelynn.net or http://janicelynn.blogspot.com . On my home page there’s a place at the bottom where readers can join my yahoo group and become eligible for all the fab prizes I give away. Oh, and be sure while visiting to enter my contest to win ROSES EVERY MONTH FOR A YEAR! The drawing is on February 1st 2006.
Thanks, Janice, and good luck with everything!
To BUY Jane Millionaire go here. :)
Yes, it was a wonderful day of doing pretty much what I pleased. This doesn’t mean it was a complete waste though–both kids are bathed, I wrote around four pages, and I spent many hours updating my contacts in Outlook. The last was to make the best use out of an early Christmas present–an i500 phone. :)
I also spent some time browsing Fictionwise. My phone can also work as an ebook reader. It is kind of small, but I think it will be cool to have a book on there for those times when I am stuck waiting at the doctor’s or something. Anyway, I put a few on my wish list, but wondered if any of you have some good suggestions for me. I’d like to branch out and try something by a purely epubbed author rather than just an eformat of a traditionally pubbed book, if you know what I mean. So, any suggestions? I’m not really interested in erotica, and in fact it doesn’t even have to be a romance. Right now I have six books on my list–a mix of romance and fantasy. I like mystery too.
Any suggestions???
Lori
explain to me why a child would stick a potty seat on his head? Okay, once I get–looks like a hat, its there, you’re alone in the bathroom, etc., but TWICE??
I really need to keep the camera out for this kid…
Lori
Random books from my shelf...
