NaNoWriMo

Yes I joined the thousands who are doing NaNo this year. For those that don’t know, NaNoWriMo stands for National Novel Writing Month and it takes place every November. “National Novel Writing Month is a fun, seat-of-your-pants approach to novel writing. Participants begin writing November 1. The goal is to write a 175-page (50,000-word) novel by midnight, November 30.”

Sounds like fun doesn’t it :) Having never attempted this before, I’m excited. I have a few writing buddies  on-line and there are get-togethers around the city for those of us crazy enough to do this so I’m not alone in my madness.

Anyone else doing NaNo this year?

Heartla Reader’s Luncheon

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The Baton Rouge chapter of RWA, Heartla, is hosting their annual Reader’s Luncheon in a couple of weeks. I’ll be attending, along with a few friends, and hope you can join us.
Heart of Louisiana is hosting our 4th annual Fall into Romance Reader’s Luncheon on November 6, 2010, at the Crown Plaza in Baton Rouge.
We are thrilled to announce Sherrilyn Kenyon, NY Times bestselling author of the Dark Hunter series, will be our keynote speaker this year. Each attendee will receive a goody bag. All attending authors will be easily accessible during the pre-luncheon “meet and greet” and post-luncheon book signing. Leo Honeycutt, author of the bestselling Edwin Edwards: Governor of Louisiana, An Authorized Biography, will be our emcee. It’s sure to be an exciting event. 

Registration fee is $40.00. Space is limited!

To register for the luncheon, please visit our website

 

http://www.heartla.com/luncheon/index.htm. Online payments can be made via PayPal or you mail print and mail your registration with a check or money order. 

Questions? Please email -

 

heartla_luncheon@yahoo.com

Thanks!

Rhonda McKey
President
www.HeartLA.com

 

Riding…

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Went on what I consider my 1st bike trip. Gorgeous and I went to Lafayette on our motorcycles last weekend to visit some old college friends for homecoming. Saturday was a beautiful day for a ride. Since I’m still new to riding, I wanted to take the interstate for the experience. I’ve determined I want a windshield LOL. It was still a great ride. Coming back yesterday we took the interstate again because I wanted to get home faster to watch the Saints game. Good ride yesterday but stronger crosswinds and a little rain. Still, enjoyed the ride and can’t wait to go on another trip. My Vegas rode like a charm. No problems, comfy seat, music I enjoyed, it was great. Maybe we’ll take a ride to Florida next time :)

Life Happens

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Well, it seems like I fell into a hole. The typical “I have no time to write” hole that a lot of new writers fall into (or so I’ve been told). My husband works out of town a lot so when he’s here, I want to spend time with him. My daughter is out on her own so when she stops by or calls, I want to talk with her to find out how she’s doing. I have a son away at college who doesn’t come home often but when he does, I want to visit with him. I have another son in high school who is one of the popular kids, at least in his circle of friends, so he’s always wanting me to bring him here or there. Then there’s the me time that I take when I go for a ride on my Vegas. That usually happens back and forth for my day job and once a week for bike night where I meet my Dad and a few friends for a couple of hours. Then all the other things that have to be done, grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning (even though I avoid doing those if at all possible), watching my Saints football. And of course sleeping. So life happens and the writing doesn’t get done.

But how do all the other writers do it? I know many who are wives, moms, career women who still find the time to write. Maybe I lack the discipline. Maybe I’m not motivated enough. Maybe it’s too hard. Or maybe I just keep looking for excuses.

Enough! Time to buckle down and write the damn book. To that end, I’ve decided to participate in this year’s NaNoWriMo competition. I have to write a 50,000 word novel within 30 days… That means 1,667 words a day. Lord what have I gotten myself into? I’m lucky if I get 500 words in one day. Like I said, time to sit my butt down in front of the computer and write. No more excuses, no interruptions.

If you’re an author who has to take care of family and work a day job, how do you manage your writing time? And if you have done the NaNoWriMo competition, did it help you?

RD’s Not Going to Conference Conference

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Not forking out the dough for the RWA Conference this year, with evening wear, suits, high heels and whatever “business casual” means?

Not to worry! Romance Divas is hosting the

Not Going to Conference Conference…

The Conference You Don’t Have to Get Out of Bed For!

From July 28-31, come hang out with some terrific, savvy authors — and you don’t even have to brush your teeth (although, seriously, good dental hygiene gets you extra points.)

We’ll be hosting panels on:

The Power of Three: A crit group tell-all (Paranormal)

Crystal Jordan

Patti O’Shea

Dayna Hart/Rowan Larke

The Lolitas of STEAMED! Present Writing the Steampunk Romance -more than leather corsets and brass goggles!

Marie-Claude Bourque

Theresa Meyers

Whips, Chains, Slings, Oh My: It Really Isn’t About the Toys (BDSM Erotica)

James Buchanan

Joey Hill

The Great Big YA Panel

Rhonda Stapleton

Shannon Delany

Kiersten White

Carrie Ryan

Linda Gerber

Saundra Mitchell

Lara Zielin

Brenna Yovanoff

Register for free at Romance Divas, then come join us on the forums for the discussions, as well as some terrific prizes:
Eden Bradley/Eve Berlin:
1) erotic e-books, THE SEEKING KISS and TEMPT ME TWICE.
2) a synopsis critique in any sub-genre of erotica/erotic romance.
Jax Cassidy:
1) erotic e-books, DEVIL’S HEART and BRUSH STROKES.
2) book cover design or banner ad
Kristen Painter:
copy of her e-book, ALL FIRED UP
Rhonda Stapleton:
1) STUPID CUPID YA Book trilogy
2) a proposal critique (1st 3 chapters and synopsis) for any genre of book, romance or not
K.B. Alan:
1) The choice of one of her e-books: PERFECT FORMATION, ALPHA TURNED or BOUND BY SUNLIGHT.
2) A $25 Barnes and Noble gift card.
Robin L. Rotham: Signed copies of BIG TEMPTATION, ALIEN OVERNIGHT, and ENEMY OVERNIGHT
AJ Chase: copies of e-book CAT AND MOUSE
Inez Kelley:
1) e-book package of both MYLA BY MOONLIGHT and SALOME AT SUNRISE
2) The complete Dirty Laundry Series (3 e-novellas) co-written by Ginny Glass aka Wordsugar and Inez Kelley
Kate Pearce:
1) a three chapter ~and~ synopsis critique-any erotic romance, paranormal romance or historical romance.
2) Winners choice, in either print or e-book format (if available), of a set of the Simply series (there are 5) ~or~ a set of the Cowboys (there are 3) ~or~ a copy of KISS OF THE ROSE-readers choice.
R.G. Alexander:
Winners choice of any two e-books from her Samhain or Ellora’s Cave back list
Nadia Lee:
Critique of 1st chapter & synopsis-paranormal or contemporary romance
Shelley Munro: Winners choice of any one her backlist books from Ellora’s Cave or Cerridwen Press
Ciar Cullen: Winner’s choice of any one e-book on her website.
Voirey Linger: A copy of her e-book RISKING ETERNITY
RF Long:
1) a submission package critique (letter, synopsis and 3 chapters)
2) e-books! (details TBA)
Crystal Jordan:
1) 1st chapter and synopsis critique
2) One copy of any e-book off her Samhain backlist (http://samhainpublis…/crystal-jordan)
3) One copy of IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT (print or electronic, winner’s choice)
Jeannie Lin:
1) a first chapter critique, any genre
2) an official BUTTERFLY SWORDS souvenir charm
Elise Logan: Winner’s choice of any e-book from her backlist
Marguerite Labbe
:
1) A critique of an m/m story
2) Signed copies of her m/m vampire trilogy MY HEART IS WITHIN YOU, HAUNTED BY YOUR SOUL and OUR SACRED BALANCE
Seeley DeBorn:
One jar of home made body or face scrub, customized to the winner’s preferences and skin type.
For example: Orange Spice Oatmeal, Coffee-Cocoa, Citrus Salt, Lavender Mint, Honey and Flax
Sela Carsen
: a copy of her e-book CAROLINA WOLF
Hailey Edwards:
1) a copy of her sweet fantasy romance ebook, EVERLONG.
2) two five dollar MBaM gift cards
Charlotte McClain:
Copy of her two e-books, LOVE TO DECLARE and ROCK STAR’S RETREAT
Cynthia Justlin: (Golden Heart Finalist!) Proposal Critique (3 Chapters and synopsis)-any genre other than erotic
Lainey Bancroft:
1) signed copies of her contemporary romance, THE TROUBLE WITH TESSA and her chick lit romance COZUMEL KARMA
2) Proposal critique (3 chapters and a synopsis) any genre except Steampunk
Tina Burns-Publisher-Liquid Silver Books:
1) a critique of 1st 3 chapters & synopsis
2) 3 e-book prizes for 3 different winners! Winners choice of any one e-book download from LSB library.
Mima:
Winner’s choice of one e-book from her backlist-see her website for booklist.
Taneasha: handmade jewelry by our own Taneasha-details to come!
Barbara Sheridan
:
1) Winners choice of one e-book from her backlist-see her website for booklist.
2) Critique of up to 20 pages of either M/M, or M/F romance or erotic romance in various subgenres (contemporary, historical, paranormal or suspense/mystery)
David Bridger:
A copy of his ebook BEAUTY AND THE BASTARD
Victoria Janssen:
3 print books TBA (whatever she finds at the RWA Conference)
Gemma Halliday:
Signed copy of SCANDAL SHEET
Jennifer Leeland/Jennifer McKenzie:
1) copy of her e-book MARKED FOR PLEASURE (Kindle version available upon request)
2) copy of her e-book MARKED FOR DESIRE (Releasing June 29th) (Kindle version available upon request)
3) copy of her e-books The Command Series (Trilogy)
4)copy of her BDSM e-book series (3 from TWRP and 1 from Samhain)
Emily Ryan-Davis:
1) Critique of novella-length (up to 30k) manuscript; any time period, m/f, menage, f/f (m/m not her area of expertise)
2) signed print copies of her anthology: MATING CALL, DRAGON DANCE and DRAGON BOUND
3) e-book copy of CHANGING THUMBELINA
Sabrina Darby:
1) Signed copy of her erotic historical novel, ON THESE SILKEN SHEETS
2) Critique of first thirty pages of any Regency (erotic or non erotic fine, but m/m outside my area of expertise)
Alina Morgan:
1) copy of her e-book The Twilight Deception
2) copy of her e-book The Shadow Unveiled
Debbie Mumford:
1) Critique of a synopsis
2) Winner’s choice of any e-book from her back list.
Kimberly Troutte:
1) copy of her e-book SOUL STEALER
2) copy of her e-book CATCH ME IN CASTILE
Sasha Devlin:
1 pair of hand made writing mitts or gloves-style and color TBD by the winner
Julia Knight
Winner’s choice of one copy of any of her books available in e-book format

C’est tout!
Devon

Dixie Kane Contest

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My local RWA chapter is hosting the 5th annual Dixie Kane contest for writers. I entered last year but didn’t win which was OK. I didn’t expect to win but I did better than I thought I would. I also received wonderful feedback from the judges which has helped me to realize where I need improvement and also shown me what I did right (I was excited to see these comments ). Anyway, the contest is open now and will be ending soon so get your entries in.

The Dixie Kane Memorial Contest is a literary contest in honor of the late Linda Kay West, attorney, who wrote as Dixie Kane. A member of SOLA and RWA for many years, Linda served in numerous board positions. She shared her knowledge of writing, publishing, and law generously as a speaker at SOLA’s meetings and conferences. SOLA created the Dixie Kane Memorial Contest to encourage aspiring writers to hone their craft and submit their work.

Sponsor: SOLA, the Southern Louisiana Chapter of RWA

Fee: $15.00

Deadline: July 15, 2010

Eligibility: Entrants do not need to be members of Romance Writers of America to enter.

Enter: Just a taste–the first five (5) pages double spaced and a synopsis (one page, single-spaced, not judged). No electronic submissions.  Contest Entry Form

Categories:

  • Short/long series contemporary
  • Single title contemporary
  • Historical romance
  • Paranormal
  • Inspirational
  • Novel w/ strong romantic elements
  • Romantic suspense
  • Erotic romance

Also our monthly SOLA meeting will be next Saturday, July 17. We will have Dr. Jeffrey Long there to speak about near-death experiences and his book “Evidence of the Afterlife: The Science of Near-Death Experiences”. You never know, you might find some inspiration for your next book while here. You can get information about the meeting on SOLA’s website.

C’est tout!
Devon

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Here’s another new release. It’s Kaily Hart’s first!

Desperate and young, Jillian Moore did something she knew would one day come back to bite her in the A**. She’d posed nude. For money. Years later, and on the fast track to a successful career, she’s still haunted by her mistake. She can’t help but wonder when her past will catch up with her.

Samuel Steele is not short on female attention, but the women who warm his bed pale in comparison to the fantasy he’s created of the seductive temptress in the painting hanging prominently in his bedroom. A fantasy that has ruined his once-satisfying sex life. When he discovers that her exact likeness works in his building—works for him, in fact—things get interesting. Perhaps there’s hope for his sex life after all…

Read an excerpt here.

Click here to purchase.

For more information on the author, visit her website.

Demon Blood by Meljean Brook

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I just finished reading an ARC of Demon Blood by Meljean Brook and loved it. This was the first I’ve read by this author even though she has many books in print. She was already on my TBR list of authors so when I won an ARC from her, I was very excited.

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Demon Blood is the latest book in Meljean Brooks’ Guardian series. It’s the story of Rosalia and Deacon, two people who desperately need love but avoid it. Deacon is the perfect tortured hero who doesn’t believe he deserves love even though he is probably the most deserving of it. Rosalia is a wonderful heroine who loves deeply but never had a love of her own.

They come together to execute a simple yet intricate plan to destroy demons. Working together, they come to know, trust, and eventually love each other deeply.

Meljean has created intriguing characters who come to life for the reader. Her story draws you in and you don’t want to stop reading. She gives just enough back story so the reader knows what happened to get Deacon and Rosalia to this point but she also makes it interesting enough that you want to know more if you haven’t read the previous books.

I thoroughly enjoyed Demon Blood and recommend it to anyone who loves the paranormal genre. I will be getting Meljean’s backlist of books and putting them at the top of my TBR pile.

To buy Demon Blood click here

To see Meljean’s book list click here

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Fellow author Annie Nicholas has a new book out and it sounds awesome. What do you think?

BLURB:

Someone is about to get some Spice in his life.

Spice has nothing but the clothes on her back when she returns to Chicago. She’s looking for a better life, and that means reuniting with her estranged twin sister, Sugar. She isn’t thrilled to find out Sugar’s boyfriend is a vampire. But then she meets Eric, once the bottle-cap-glasses wearing nerd next door – now grown into the kind of man she’d love to snuggle with on this cold winter night…and he’s offered her his room in Sugar’s house.

Eric can’t believe Spice has returned. He’d given up hope of ever seeing her again, let alone having her stare at him as if he’s sex on a stick. But now that all of his fantasies for them are coming true, reality rears her ugly head and Eric must tell Spice his intimate secret; he’s actually an Alpha werewolf looking for his mate and he thinks he’s found her.

Buy 

Excerpt:

Sugar had everything Spice wanted; a loving man, friends, and a home.

“Daedalus let you cut your hair?” A short man built like a bodybuilder approached her.

The awe in his voice snapped Spice out of her self-pity and the protector inside reared its head. This was the second reference to someone allowing her little sister to do something. “What do you mean ‘let me’?”

What kind of relationship did Sugar have? She needed permission to cut her hair? Maybe destiny brought her back to Chicago to save her little sister from some monster. Again. All those bad things happening to drive her here couldn’t be coincidental.

She crossed her arms over her chest. “Where is my sister, and what are you doing in her house?”

They glanced at each other, confusion apparent on their faces. “What?”

The man in the kitchen stuck his head out of the door, chocolate brown eyes wide as he stared at her. “Spice?” The smile he’d given to her when he thought she was Sugar returned but wider.

Her heart skipped a beat. In the light his face seemed familiar as well. “I know you.”

“You should, we were only neighbors forever as kids.”

“Eric!” He had grown. Stupid, of course he’s changed. But she never expected that the skinny, lanky bottle-cap-glasses-wearing nerd would develop into a charming, handsome I-wanna-snuggle-you-on-a-cold-night kind of man. “Hi.” The jobs as a hostess, a bartender, and the most recent, a stripper taught her how to talk to men the way they liked. But with him grinning at her like a happy puppy, her mind went blank.

He swept her into his arms in a bone-cracking hug.

“Wow, I’d forgotten Sugar had a twin.” The redhead scratched his chin. “You look exactly alike, except your hair is short.”

Eric set her back on her feet. “Let me take your coat.” He tugged on the belt and untied it. To her surprise, the small action sparked warmth between her thighs. Not like he took off her clothes but she began to wonder what it would feel like if he did.

Their eyes met. His pupils dilated, the chocolate brown faded to amber, and something feral peeked at her.

She gasped and stepped back.

The pretty oriental girl took her arm and dragged her into the living room. She chattered about making tea, but Spice’s attention riveted on Eric as he stood with the men surrounding him.

What the heck? She’d seen need in men’s eyes before but this was darker, deeper, and so much more alluring.

The redhead tried to take Eric’s arm, but he shook it off and stomped out of sight.

Spice sat on the overstuffed couch. “What did you say your name was?”

“Katrina.”

A dainty, petite girl with long black hair to her knees, yet she gave Spice the impression of great strength. Life in Vegas taught her to be an excellent judge of character. Too bad it had taken her so long to learn.

“I’ll be back in a minute. You stay while I make tea.” Katrina slipped away to the kitchen.

Every flat surface in the living room held a book. Soft cover, hard cover, tattered, or new, Sugar loved her books. The walls were lined with shelves filled with them. Spice picked up the closest one and smelled it. The scent of paper always reminded her of her twin.

The large, square coffee table in front of her held the game Risk. Different colored pieces lay scattered on the thick blue carpet.

Game night at Sugar’s house. She glanced at the hallway. With Eric. Many questions formulated in her head. What happened to her reclusive sister over the past two years? When did she get friends? Probably when her only one, me, left town. Did she hook up with Eric?

Hope sprung in Spice’s heart. Her attraction to him was out of character. She usually loved them tough and bad. Maybe he could be the new beginning she’d come home for.

Annie Nicholas

http://www.annienicholas.com/

http://www.annienicholas.blogspot.com/

Mental notes on plots

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Well, for those who didn’t know, Gorgeous and I went out of town for the evening and visited with one of his old high school friends. I’d never met him or his wife but they were wonderful people and we had a great time. We rode the Harley but unfortunately had a little problem with it so we had to stop at a dealership for repairs which took a few hours. The ride home today was great, no problems, just hit one major rain storm but hey, what’s a little water when you’re riding :)

What’s all this have to do with mental notes on plots? Actually, a lot. My i-pod wasn’t charged so I had a lot of quiet time to think about where Annie’s story is going and made a few changes for the next scene. Also have a few new scenes to add too. Now I’m jotting them down since I wasn’t able to write anything while riding on the back of a Harley (haven’t figured that one out yet LOL). Also, Gorgeous was very helpful when I started asking questions about the various Harleys we got to see at the dealership. Annie’s HEA, Royce, rides one on occasion so the information was great. (I now realize Royce was on the wrong bike the whole time, no wonder he didn’t want to ride it)

So I didn’t get to do any writing but did get a lot of information from the hero and heroine so I’m going to get busy tonight and put some of it in the WIP. I hope everyone is having a great weekend and come back soon.

C’est tout!
Devon

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