Enter the 2009 Chase the Dream Contest

Leah Michaels and Rochelle Chase are getting ready to host their 3rd annual Chase the Dream Contest . They’ve got a great lineup of agents/editors and prizes so hurry and get your 1,000 word unpublished romance novel entry ready. If you follow my blog, you'll remember that I entered Dangerous Desires in last years contest (I sold nearly three months later). I didn't win, but I did receive a very helpful Mini-Critique from both Leah Michaels and Rochelle Chase. This is an awesome contest, and believe me, you don't want to miss it.

Leah Michaels gave a great critique of Dangerous Desires. Here's one thing she said:

"And this is a delightful piece of writing – it’s well-constructed, and it gives us a wonderful portrait of a character."

They'll be accepting entries from soon, so hurry! To learn more about the contest and for contest rules and guidelines, visit Rochelle's blog or the Contest page. Good luck, everyone! Chase the Dream Contest Rochelle Chase's Blog Leah Michaels Website If you're interested, go here (October 23rd Post) to see my blog post about the contest & Mini-Critique I won. *The contest pages says to check back on December 8th for updated information.

Books, Books and More Books

Last Sunday I won a drawing at the Unusual Historicals Blog for a copy of Tracy Garretts Western Historical Romance, TOUCHED BY LOVE! Woo-Hoo! It's been a while since I won anything. I'm so excited. Tracy emailed me and said I should receive my copy this week. I can't wait to get it. It sounds like a totally awesome read, it really does. :) One more book to add to my TBR pile.

Not that I'm don't want to add another book to my TBR pile. It's just that, in addition to winning TBL, in the last month I've bought five Historical/Western Romances, one non-romance (fiction) and two research books. I wish I could read them all at the same time, they all sound so darn good, but that's just not possible. Three books at once is my limit. Any more and I'd never get anything else accomplished. :)

Anyway, I thought I'd share my newest additions. Umm, I mean, last month's newest additions.

• The Gunslinger's Untamed Bride by Stacey Kayne
• The Loner by Geralyn Dawson
• A Wanted Man by Linda Lael Miller
• The Rustler by Linda Lael Miller
• Scandalous Deception by Rosemary Rogers
• Victorian London by Liza Picard
• How the West Was Worn by Chris Enss
• The Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes

Right now I'm alternating between VICTORIAN LONDON (which, by the way is an AWESOME research book. I highly recommend it) and A WANTED MAN by Linda Lael Miller and I sort of thumbed through HOW THE WEST WAS WORN and THE OLD GRINGO. I'm just so impatient when it comes to new books, aren't you?

I have lot's more books in my TBR pile(s), which includes eBooks, too, but I just haven't been able to get to them all. Because my fav's are Research books and Historical Westerns, of course, those are on the top of my list, and I read those first.

So how's your TBR pile? Are you set for the Winter?

Happy reading!

Have A Happy Thanksgiving Day!

Miss Snark's Monthly Secret Agent Contests?

Wow, you learn something new every day. :) Did you guys know about this? I didn't, until today. If you didn't know about Miss Snarks SECRET AGENT CONTESTS either, here's the scoop (I pinched the info from the blog). What are SECRET AGENT contests? By far the most popular event on Miss Snark's First Victim, the Secret Agent: Are You Hooked? contests run monthly (more or less) and include a literary agent on the "critique panel" whose identity remains secret until the close of the contest. Here's how it works: There will be a call for submissions. When the call comes, follow the guidelines carefully and submit your excerpt before the deadline. All submissions will then be posted (anonymously) on the blog, and all readers are invited to leave critiques/feedback. Everyone who has entered the contest is expected to crit a minimum of five entries -- it's the mutual backscratch thing. Our Secret Agent will join the panel of critters (that is, you) and will leave feedback for every entry. When the contest has ended, the Secret Agent will choose a winner or winners. That's it in a nutshell! All excerpts submitted to a Secret Agent: Are You Hooked? contest must be the first 250 pages of your COMPLETED manuscript. Winners of previous contests may not submit the same manuscript in future contests. Previous "Secret Agents" can be found in the labels section of the sidebar under "Unveiling." Questions about the Secret Agent contests can be emailed to Authoress at facelesswords(at)gmail.com. *I suggest signing up for Miss Snark's daily post's by email. There's lot's of great info on the blog, too. Links are below. Miss Snark What Are Secret Agent Contests?

Can't Loose Novel and Memoir Contest

Inspiration for Writers

CAN'T LOOSE NOVEL and MEMOIR CONTEST

Want to bring your writing up to the next level? Enter our Can't Lose Novel and Memoir Contest. Not only will you have the chance to win a prize package that will polish your prose and strengthen your writing skills, every entry receives a detailed critique of the submission package, a comprehensive edit of the first 500 words, and an electronic copy of the Inspiration for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook. Now is the time to invest in your writing--and yourself. Entry fee: $40 ALL ENTRIES receive a complimentary edit of the first 500 words, a detailed critique of the submission package, and an electronic copy of the Inspiration for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook.

• First prize: Gift package worth over $500, including a professional edit and critique of up to 15,000 words (value $450) of a single document; books on the craft of writing, including a bound copy of the Inspiration for Writers Tips and Techniques Workbook complete with reproducible worksheets ($25.00), The Little Brown Compact Handbook by Jane E. Aaron (fifth edition, $62.40), Marc McCutcheon's The Writer's Digest Sourcebook for Building Believable Characters ($14.99), The Writer's Digest Writing Clinic ($21.99); a magnetic copy of The Writer's Prayer ($3.00); set of ten Writer's Prayer note cards ($15.00); and 2 Inspiration for Writers pens ($2.00).
• Second prize: A certificate for 20% off any one service.
• Third prize: A certificate for 20% off any one service.

Entry Deadline: January 15, 2009 Inspiration for Writers will announce the winners on or before March 31, 2009. Submit a one-page synopsis and first three chapters. For additional information, rules and guidelines, please visit www.InspirationForWriters.com/contest.html Good Luck!

Happy Halloween!

Free Comments and Graphics

This N' That

Here's a few things I ran across and thought I'd pass along. Hope you find something useful. :) Grassroots Publishing Co. Inc. is seeking 3-5K short stories that are "contemporary, historic, inspirational, paranormal, or any other theme as long as love and romance are the main thrust of the story", pays $300.00 flat rate for "first global publishing rights and electronic and internet rights in all languages as well as future anthology rights", electronic and snail mail subs okay, see guidelines for more details here (spotted in the November print issue of The Writer.) Manic Readers is hosting a Romance Novel Writing Contest with NAL editor, Becky Vinter judging. Here are the rules: Contest Rules 1. Entries will be accepted between January 3, 2009 and February 28, 2009 2. Entries must be written to the theme of "Men in Uniform". Heat level: Steamy! 3. This is a novel length (80k - 100k) contest. Entry length of the excerpt is 1000 words (computer count). Entries over 1000 words will be disqualified. Excerpt can be any part of the story as long as it follows the above theme. Excerpt must be from a new, not yet published, manuscript. 4. Entrants must be registered with the Manic Readers website 5. All entries will be submitted via a submission form on the Manic Readers website, more info on that coming soon. 6. All entries will be kept anonymous but assigned an entry identification number 7. Beginning March 1, 2009, Manic Readers will post 20% of the entries at the beginning of each of the following weeks: *March 1st *March 8th *March 15th *March 22nd *March 29th 8. Each week registered users can vote for their top two entries (one vote per entry) 9. The top two entries from each week will be posted April 5, 2009 and read by Becky Vinter 10. Contest is open to unpublished writers and published authors not published with NAL Publishing 11. One entry per person – multiple entries will be disqualified Contest Prizes: 1. The top 10 entries receiving the most votes will be read by Becky Vinter 2. The entry with the most votes will be named “Readers’ Choice” 3. Becky Vinter will name one of the top 10 entries “Editor’s Choice” Frequently Asked Questions Q: Does the manuscript have to be finished in order to enter the contest? A: That’s up to you. However, if the editor really loves your excerpt she may ask you for the full manuscript. This might be old news to some of you, but I thought I'd post for those of you who, like me, nearly missed out on. Donald Maass, President of Maass Lit Agency in NY is giving away PDF copies/downloads of his book "The Career Novelist - A Literary Agent Offers Strategies forSuccess" . The book is almost 200 pages and is available for download here: http://www.maassagency.com/books.html Win a professional edit, up to 5,000 words, from FreyasBower/Wild Child Publishing editor Faith Bicknell-Brown. Just answer a couple of questions from her books to enter. Deadline is December 20th. Go here for contest rules. And lastly, you're invited to join the Lyrical Press Author's on Monday, October 27th @ 9:00 PM in our private chat room for fun and prizes! (see announcement below) We do hope to see you there. Happy Writing!

Lyrical Press Looking For Copy Editors

Lyrical Press is currently looking for copy editors. For those of you interested in applying for copy editing positions, please direct your queries to Stephanie McGrath at employment@lyricalpress.com . You will be sent a .pdf chock full of info about the position and instructions on what you need to do next. We’re also looking for volunteer line editors. For more info, email Emma Wayne Porter at editor@lyricalpress.com or emmawayneporter@gmail.com. We've been growing amazingly fast. We have books slotted to December of 09' Awesome, isn't it? To learn more about Lyrical Press, Inc check out the links below. Happy Writing! Lyrical Press Links

• Lyrical Press
• Lyrical Press Blog
• Lyrical Press Forum
• Once Upon A Bookstore

My Apologies

Dear RWW readers, I sincerely apologize for my brief hiatus these past couple of months, but it couldn't be helped. I'm dealing with some minor health issues, which have kept me down for a little while. The good thing is, you can't keep me down for long! Woo-hoo! I'm back and I'm feeling sooo much better! Thanks for sticking around, everyone. I really appreciate it. :)

~Carol

Is Western Historical Romance Dead?

I love Historical Westerns Romances. I love to read them, and I love to write them. However, ever since I got back to writing after a three year hiatus a year ago this past April, I've wondered if the Historical Western Romance was dead. The reason I've asked myself this question is because throughout the years, to my great disappointment, I've been told over and over that they were dead. Long gone. Zip. Zilch. Pouf. But I wrote one anyway. Did I waste my time? I don't think so. And I'll tell you why. First off, what woman doesn't love a strong, sexy Cowboy in tight jeans and leather chaps? Who doesn't love the romanticism of the American Cowboy and the Wild West? You just can't resist it. According to traffic and activity on the western romance sites I frequent, Love Western Romance, and Petticoats & Pistols, the western isn't dead. Oh, no. Just the opposite. It's alive and well. Just take a look at either of these two sites and you'll see. They're chock full of Western Romance info and trivia. New releases, author spotlights, you name it. And check out this Jessica Faust Q&A session I snipped a month or so back from the Bookends blog:

Q. Are there any publishers out there besides Harlequin, Dorchester, and Kensington looking for historical western romance books? Why do those houses seem to have a corner on these types of books?

A. Interesting question because in fact I just had lunch last week with an editor at a house that was not Harlequin, Dorchester, or Kensington who would love to see more historical western romances. The trick is rising above what has traditionally been called historical western. To do this I think you have to make your book stronger and different and bigger. There are a lot of editors out there who love this genre and would love to buy in it, but to break in you really need to write something that transcends everything else. Because that’s an easy task [she says sarcastically].

Good news, right? It is for us Western Romance lovers. :) When I first put pen to paper eight years ago, I knew exactly what I wanted to write. I knew what I loved and I knew what I wanted to read and before long, I began plotting my very first Historical Western Romance, Dangerous Desires, which takes place in 1866 Texas and Mexico. But how and why did I decide to set it during that time? What did I know about this time period? I'll admit, at first, not much. Of course I knew this was just after the Civil War, but what else was happening? I didn't have a clue. I wanted something different for my story. I knew I had a LOT of research to do. I found there are quite a few things happening around this time. In fact, I couldn't make up my mind what I wanted my characters, Mairan O'Donnell and Travis Morrison aka Santa, to be involved in! So I read...and read...and read until finally, I found just the little piece of history I was looking for. There wasn't a lot of American History involved, but there was a lot of Mexican history. Did you know that in 1861, during the Civil War, Mexico was was involved in their own Civil War? France had invaded Mexico and, to the horror of the Mexican people, installed the Austrian Prince Ferdinand Maximilian and his beautiful wife Carlotta, on the Mexican throne. Maximilian had good intentions, but the Mexican people wanted to elect their own leader. They didn't want a foreigner as Emperor. Then a little Indian man named Benito Juarez and his band of rebels, the Juaristas, fought to overthrow the intruders, and with a little help from President Abraham Lincoln, , they won. The French realized the American Civil War was coming to an end, and since the American President, Abraham Lincoln sympathized with the Juaristas and helped them with money and arms, the French figured they'd better split. They moved their troops out of Mexico pronto. Exciting, isn't it? I think so. So when I decided on this part of history to use for my novel, I made sure there was lot's of action and plenty of romance. I bet you could think of a few different plots from this little piece of history, couldn't you? :) Westerns are what I love. To read. To watch. To write. Over and over through the years I've heard the advice, write what you know; write what you love. And that's what I did. That's what I'll always do. I may throw in a contemporary Western here and there, because hey, a cowboy in a pair of tight jeans is a cowboy in a pair of tight jeans, :) but historicals are my first love. And Dangerous Desires is what came out of that love. Whether or not it's something other's love, well, time will only tell. So, do you like Historical Western Romance? If so, what do you like about them? Do you think they're dead and buried or do you think they're making a come back? Come on folks, what do you think? Inquiring minds want to know. :)

*Dangerous Desires has been rescheduled for publication. It will be available in digital format soon, and then in print sometime in the winter of 2009. Watch for it!

Author Banners

Last year I tried my hand at making some author banners. As you can see, my middle name is on a couple of them because at the time, I hadn't made up my mind if I wanted to use it on my books or not. I ended up deciding against it, but I have to admit I sort of like it better with my middle name. And if I really want to use it, it's still not too late. :) Oops. Now I'm getting off track. Anyway...

I messed around and sort of stretched these banners out so you could read what they say, but in doing so, it made the writing on some of them look sort of blurry. So, here's what they say: On banner #1 the bottom line says Hot & Wild Western Romance. Hmmm, I think I really like that one. :) On banner #2 the bottom line says Saddle Up And Take A Ride Down the Hot & Wild Western Romance Trail. Not too bad, but a bit long. I like the first one better. As far as the designs, personally, I like #'s 1, 2, and 5. What about you? What do you think? Which one(s) do you like best?

1.)

2. ) 3.) 4.) 5.)

Win A Sony eReader Contest At Wild Rose Press

If you've never had the chance to use an eReader you are in for a treat! What a pleasure to have your reading material all in one compact "book" that you can take wherever you go. Slim enough to fit into your purse or briefcase or leave on your nightside table, its changed my life! The Wild Rose Press is dedicated to getting SONY eReaders into the hands of every day readers and writers. We are running a contest taht is very simple to enter. You simply purchase a short story or full length book from any of our sponsoring authors and then send your order # to sonyreader@thewildrosepress.com. You can enter as often as you wish. On Labor Day, I will draw a winner from the entrants and that winner will be announced on our usual Tuesday night chat on Tuesday, September 2 at 9:00 p.m. eastern. We will be running this contest again with new authors beginning end of September to give away an eReader just in time for Christmas. For all details, please visit our site and click on SONY contest. Rhonda Penders Editor-in-Chief Wild Rose Press

Call For Submissions - Samhains Cowboy Roundup Anthology

Writing Western Romance? Look what I ran across! *permission to forward granted I'm thrilled to announce my call for submissions for the Samhain Cowboy Roundup! Put on Tim McGraw's "Real Good Man", close your eyes and picture a guy who wears jeans to work and who's real good with his hands, and let your muse have her way. I'm looking for 3 novellas to fit into Samhain's Cowboy Roundup Anthology. This anthology will consist of three novellas to be released individually as eBooks in June 2009 and combined into one print title in 2010. I'm open to any romance genre but the stories must end with a HEA. Submissions are open to all authors previously published with Samhainas well as authors aspiring to publish with Samhain. Submissions must be new material-previously published material will not be considered. Additionally, we will not consider manuscripts previously submitted whether individually or for past anthologies. Please be aware that manuscripts submitted to this anthology cannot be resubmitted at a later date unless by invitation from an editor. To submit, please include the full manuscript of 24,000-30,000 words with a 2-5 page synopsis. Also include a letter of introduction/query letter if you are an author not previously contracted with Samhain. Submissions are open until December 1, 2008, and the final decision will be made by December 24, 2008. Submissions should be sent to editor@samhainpublishing.com. Please put Cowboy Roundup Anthology Submission in the subject line. If you receive an auto response, your submission has been received. Anthologies are special projects exempt to the general closing of submissions. I'm happy to answer questions about this anthology either on the Samhain Author loop, Samhain Café, or by private email at heidi at samhainpublishing dot com Heidi Moore, Editor heidi@samhainpublishing.com For More Information, go to Samhain Submissions Page *permission to forward granted

Deep POV Workshop by Laurie Sanders At Coffee Time Romance Forum

Black Velvet Seductions founder, CEO, and Editor Lau-rie Sanders will present a workshop on deep point of view at the Coffee Time Romance Forum during the month of August 2008. Mark your calendars now for this event. Laurie will cover:

• What fiction readers want
• Connecting the dots – how does deep point of view give readers a satisfying experience? How is the reader‘s experience different with shallow point of view versus a deep point of view?
• How to decide whose point of view to use for key scenes, and how to make the best use of that viewpoint.
• Deciding when and where and how to change point of view. Is changing viewpoint in the middle of a scene always bad?
• Author invisibility -- avoiding author point of view.
• Choosing details that deepen point of view
• Infusing dialogue with point of view.
• Point of view and character motivation – your char-acter has done a bad, bad thing – how can you use point of view to make the reader still root for him or her?

See ? for information.

Long and the Short of It Anniversary Celebration!

~~Permission to Forward Granted and Encouraged~~~ The Long and the Short of It is very excited to be celebrating its ONE YEAR ANNIVERSARY -- and we're giving the gifts! Yep, that's right. On August 27, 2007, the website went live. What better way to celebrate than give away a $50 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com along with a TON of books? From August 1-26 we will be giving away one prize each day from one of our author sponsors. You have to enter ON THAT DAY to win the prize for the day. On August 27, all the daily entries will be included in the Grand Prize Drawing for a $50 Gift Certificate from Amazon.com. Here's an easy way to earn an extra entry into each day's drawing AND the Grand Prize Drawing: Just tell people about us and link to our anniversary page (http://www.longandshortreviews.com/LASR/anniversary1.htm) Once you've posted the announcement on your blog or website, put your link in the Mr. Linky (you must have a corresponding daily entry to qualify for the extra entry)! Thanks for passing the word on!

This n' That

My publisher, Lyrical Press, has put together an awesome forum for author's and readers to chat and find out what's new. You'll be able to participate in drawings and contests and whatever else is happening. If you'd like to check it out (and register), you can do so by going here. Also, did I mention our Senior Editor, Emma Wayne Porter is participating in the PBW Blog(Paperback Writer) Virtual Workshop? Visit Emma's blog to participate in her SELF-EDITING BOOTCAMP. Oh, FYI, Lyrical Press is taking part in the huge week-long BITTEN BY BOOKS extravaganza, BLOGGY CARNIVAL. Lyrical Press will be giving away a total of $50.00 worth of gift certificates to LPI's store, Once Upon A Bookstore! We hope you'll play along for the chance to win gift certificates and other prizes from authors and publishers alike. The fun starts today (Monday, July 28th) so hurry and visit Bitten By Books blog for rules and to enter. Lyrical Press Lyrical Press Forum Once Upon A Bookstore Emma Wayne Porter Bitten By Books Paperback Writer Blog

Not Attending RWA National?

Not going to RWA National? Don't worry, there's lots of FREE virtual workshops to attend right in your own home. I've listed a few below, so make sure you check them out! Happy Conferencing! ROMANCE DIVA'S WORKSHOP PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED Not going to the RWA Conference? The Romance Divas annual Not Going to Conference Conference will make you feel a bit less deprived! Amazing workshops, a star-studded guest list and awesome giveaways, all right here on the Diva forum! Don't miss it! The NGTCC is *free* but you must register with the site in order to participate: http://www.romancedivas.com/ Watch for the special NGCC workshop areas on the general forum and in the Steamy section!Here's a bit of a schedule update for the Q&As and Workshops... Wednesday, July 30 Paula Guran, Editor, Juno Books Q&A on Creating Kick a** Heroines Laurie Rauch, Editor, Samhain Publishing Workshop What Happens After the Contract (aka Editors are PeopleToo!) *Laurie will be at that other conference that I think a few people may be going to so we'll be posting for her and she'll pop in to answer questions that may arise when she can tear herself away from all the horribly boring goings-on. Thursday July 31 Joyce Hart, Hartline Literary Q&A on Inspirational Romance Stories and the Inspy Market Sandra Schwab, Historical Romance Author Workshop on Historical Accuracy and Anachronisms Friday, August 1 Yolanda Sfetsos, Author of Guarded by Stone Q&A on Paranormal and Urban Fantasy World Building Katie MacIver Katie Did Design Workshop on Website Design and Color Selection Saturday, August 2 Joey W. Hill, Erotica Author Workshop on Plotting Erotica and Erotic Romance Rhonda Stapleton, Editor and Author Workshop on Style and Voice *Rhonda will also be at that other conference so we'll be posting for her too. CATANETWORK-WRITER'S E-LOOP Join us for a fabulous workshop by the prolific Susan Meier, category romance author.This is the long awaited workshop that will change how you read and how you write. We are so excited to be able to offer this to everyone. This is an eye opening workshop and Susan Meier is a great teacher. So drop by CataNetwork-Writers' yahoo group, the official group of CataUniversity.com. How to Analyze the Books You Read Writers seeking to break into category, historical and single title romances are always told to READ. Yet many of us have read for years without cracking the code of what editors and publishers want. In How to Analyze the Books You Read, author Susan Meier explains a simple process that can help you analyze books to uncover the requirements, passions and just plain quirks of a publisher and/online, as well as the exceptions to the rules that can trip up even the most savvy analyst. Here's the link to sign up: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CataNetwork-Writers/ It all begins Monday - July 28. PAPERBACK WRITER - LEFT BEHIND & LOVING IT VIRTUAL WORKSHOPS LB&LI Schedule Monday, July 28th, we'll kick off Left Behind & Loving It, my third annual week of virtual workshops here at PBW. For those of you who would like to join in, hold workshops on your blogs and have me link to them, please read this post for all the details. The schedule of my workshops will be as follows: Monday, July 28th: Power Plotting -- plotting techniques; how to use my novel wiring diagram to organize your plot quickly and logically Tuesday, July 29th: Eff the Editing -- my take on editing, and how to keep it efficient and effective Wednesday, July 30th: World-Building I -- the first part of my workshop on world-building within reason Thursday, July 31st: World-Building II -- second part of my workshop on world-building within reason Friday August 1st: Styling -- ways to use your personal style to market your work Saturday, August 2nd: Brand Me -- creating a memorable brand for your work, your blog, or yourself Sunday, August 3rd: Write the Life -- avoiding burnout, coping with the biz and living the writer's life that you want Monday, August 4th: Ask PBW Anything -- Open Q&A where you can grill me on anything writing- or biz-related. Each day I will be holding a giveaway for my usual LB&LI goodie bags, filled with books, gadgets, and neat writer junk. *Don't forget to check the PBW Blog for schedule of participating workshops.

MySpace Aggravation - Grrrr!

First of all, I'd like to apologize for my very long blog hiatus. I've been real busy with my book and I just haven't had the time to post. I hope you'll forgive me. And thanks to everyone who sent an email, asking if I was alright. It's nice to know you have friends out here in cyber space, even if you've never met face to face. Thanks so much for you concern. I really do appreciate it. :) Now, on to my rant... For those of you who have a MySpace account, have you ever tried to change your email address? If you haven't, you'd better listen up. Last month I switched IP's. As I'm sure most of you do, when I switched my service, I also switched my email address. Unless you use a Yahoo or Google email address, where you don't have to bother to update your account every time you switch your service (which I've learned to do), that's all good and fine... until you need to switch your MySpace email address. In order to switch your MySpace email address, MS support is required to send an email to your OLD addy. After you receive the email, you hit reply and send the whole email back, and that's how your change is confirmed. But I didn't know this. I switched my email address BEFORE I changed my MS account, therefore I didn't have access to my old email address, so I was unable to update my account. Now what? I figured there had to be some kind of back-up plan for people like me who didn't know this, so I checked the faq's where there they tell you to fill out the email form with the promise they'll get back to you; I filled out the form and a couple of minutes later (I will say I received a fast reply) I received this response:

If you do not have access to your old email account, please reply to this email with a salute and the email address to which you want it changed.

Here is how to create a salute: 1. Create a handwritten sign that says MySpace.com and your friend ID. Your friend ID is the number between ID= and &mytoken in your profile's URL/web address. 2. Take a picture of yourself with this hand written sign and reply to this email with the salute as an email attachment, or as an e-mail link to where it is uploaded.

Is it just me, or is this the craziest thing you've ever heard of? At first I thought they were kidding. I honestly did. I scrolled down and quickly scanned the email, looking for the part that said it was a joke. LOL I can just see myself holding that sign up and snapping a picture. I've come to the conclusion that this is some kind of punishment for those of us who don't change their MySpace email BEFORE they get rid of their old address. Go figure. Well, I'm off to make my sign and use the dh's camera phone. Wish me luck...

The Trash Talking Romance Novelists Video

I snipped this video from Cheryl St. Johns Blog. It's entitled " RWA TRASH TALK VIDEO". It's hilarous. Enjoy!

Here's the Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ab1l2TwFp8

Desire Editor Pitch Challenge

I snipped this from Harlequin.com. For those of you who are targeting Harliquin/Desire, this is a wonderful opportunity to get your foot in the door. Good Luck! We're at it again! And this time, we've got another of your favorite lines for you to send your sassy, steamy entries to! Desire is looking for YOUR manuscript and Editor Diana Ventimiglia will be on hand to take your pitch! To enter, send a 1 to 2 line logline of your manuscript to Hosty Rae by June 30th. Five entries will be chosen by Diana and those will be announced July 3rd. Pitches will happen July 15th, at 10 am EST. But read the rules below to ensure your entry can be accepted. • You MUST be able to enter and post inside the eHarlequin.com chat room. If you are unable to use the chat room and your submission is chosen, we will be unable to offer you another venue option and it will be unfair to an entrant who is able. • You MUST have a completed manuscript that is targeted to Desire. Editors have the option to request partials or fulls but aren't accepting across the board. • You MUST be available at the given chat time. As stated above, we will be unable to offer another venue or time option. • Please include your member name, your full name along with your submission. Logline Specifications Challenge Specifics: This challenge is 1 or 2 lines (as written by the author, please gramatically ensure the sentences do not run-on in order to fit more in.). This should not look like a large paragraph. Challenge Description: A logline is a 1 or 2 line description of your ENTIRE ms, primarily what marketing hooks each ms might have (ie: Beauty & The Boss, Cowboy Lover, Pregnant Bride) but it's more than that. You will need to lay out the hooks, the conflicts, the characters and the plot premise concisely. In a query, it would go at the top of the letter, for a pitch, it might be all you use, and you have a better chance of getting editorial attention if you know this skill well because they now have a speedy way of discerning what you're trying to do in the story. Also loglines help keep the query pages short and you can be more expanisive in the synop. (I've also found that if you put it all into those two lines, you now have a small thesis statement from which to build the synop itself.) EX When pregnant Lindsay Lawson is left at the altar, no one is more suprised than Hank Handler, the man she works for, that he steps in as the role of the groom. But is the handsome, quiet rancher there to help her save face...or does it have something to do with the long-standing rivalry between their families?

Workshop Correction

I made a mistake on yesterdays workshop post. The Bookworm workshop was incorrect. Here is the correct workshop info. Sorry, folks. :) *Permission for forward, share or pass along. Wondering how you can use "goody bags" (or Bookworm Bags) to promote your books? Not sure how to go about getting materials for them or creating them or even where to distribute them? Then join me on the Marketing For Romance Writers loop to learn more! (Then stay for the great info!) This class is not limited to one particular “type” of romance or even romance at all. This one to two hour class will cover topics as: What is a goody bag and why should I spend my time making them? It’s not just a business card – or how to make your contribution stand outI have too many things to do already – how to find time to make your bags (or how to press your friends and family members into unpaid labor *grin*)Where to find bags and where to send them. Because it’s a loop chat, I’ll gladly answer questions afterwards in case our “time” runs out. So don’t worry about missing a thing! (And if you can't join me sign up anyway. It's a loop class so everything will be archived for you to read when you can!) FREE 06/19/2008 7 pm CST (lasting 1-2 hours) WHERE: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MarketingForRomanceWriters/ Who the heck is Mary and why is she teaching this class? Glad you asked! Mary Winter is the author of over 20 erotic romance stories from several publishers (you can find out all about them on her website). She founded Bookworm Bags (www.bookwormbags.com) as a way to cross-pollinate and share promotional material with authors and events. Since then, Bookworm Bags have been seen at a number of events, including RT, Ignite Your Muse, and other conferences, AND, it’s a large group of authors with one thing in common – promoting books! For more information about Mary, please visit her website at http://www.marywinter.com and for information about Bookworm Bags visit http://www.bookwormbags.com

A Couple of Free Workshops

On June 9th, the EroticRomanceWorkshop eloop and Sascha Illyvich will present WRITING FROM THE MALE POINT OF VIEW WORKSHOP. Here's the workshop info: WRITING FROM THE MALE POINT OF VIEW In this updated version, learn the ins and outs of character creation from a side of romance we rarely hear from, the male romance reader/writer! Paranormal Romance author Sascha Illyvich shares with us tips on how to create more memorable heroes, avoid some common pitfalls and have more fun with our writing! What you'll learn from this class • Male Archetypes and how they affect our characters • How (il)logical men think and why they act the way they do • How to take any male character from any movie/story and modify him to fit your story • How to get your man to express his true "self" • What men REALLY care about and how to work with that for your characters* • A man's self view* • The GAY MALE Viewpoint* • The Male Cycle of Emotions and how it compares to the female cycle of emotions • A man's journey in life • What men really think A few extras Using character creations sheets (don't groan!) that have all the relevant information you'll need, you'll be able to craft male characters that are just as deep as your female characters. Getting inside the heads of your male characters is the most important aspect of "how to write" them. Cross gender writing can make or break an author's career if they cannot portray the opposite gender clearly and accurately. With the growing popularity of M/M romances, it's becoming increasingly important for males to be portrayed in the proper light! We'll cover all that here and a lot more over the next week. This is a great workshop and will be really helpful, even if you don't write erotic romance. Membership is FREE. To sign up, go to the group homepage at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EroticRomanceWorkshop/ . Sascha Illyvich Website Also, check out Bookworm Bags on June 19th at 8:00 PM EST and attend a one-hour workshop on how to put together goody bags for conferences, book signings, giveaways, etc. Visit http://www.bookwormbags.com for more information. Happy Writing!

My Very First Author Spotlight!

My good friend Judith graciously offered to do my very first author spotlight on her blog, J.Kaye's Book Blog. Judith does author interviews and book review's, and she also holds a weekly book raffle. She really did an awesome job with my author spotlight. If you'd like to check it out, you and do so by going here. Thanks, Judith! J.Kaye's Book Blog

Samhain Call For Submissions: Cowboy Roundup!

Call for Submissions: Cowboy Roundup! (Deadline 12/1) I'm thrilled to announce my call for submissions for the Samhain Cowboy Roundup Put on Tim McGraw's "Real Good Man", close your eyes and picture a guy who wears jeans to work and who's real good with his hands, and let your muse have her way. I'm looking for 3 novellas to fit intoSamhain's Cowboy Roundup Anthology. This anthology will consist of three novellas to be released individually as eBooks in June 2009 and combined into one print title in 2010. I'm open to any romance genre but the stories must end with a HEA. Submissions are open to all authors previously published with Samhain as well as authors aspiring to publish with Samhain. Submissions must be new material—previously published material will not be considered. Additionally, we will not consider manuscripts previously submitted whether individually or for past anthologies. Please be aware that manuscripts submitted to this anthology cannot be resubmitted at a later date unless by invitation from an editor. To submit, please include the full manuscript of 24,000–30,000 words with a 2–5 page synopsis. Also include a letter of introduction/ query letter if you are an author not previously contracted with Samhain. Submissions are open until December 1, 2008, and the final decision will be made by December 24, 2008. Submissions should be sent to mailto:editor@samhainpublishing.com . Please put Cowboy Roundup Anthology Submission in the subject line. If you receive an auto response, your submission has been received. Anthologies are special projects exempt to the general closing of submissions. I'm happy to answer questions about this anthology either by private email at heidi at samhainpublishing dot com Heidi Moore http://moorethanwor%20ds.wordpress.%20com/ *permission to forward granted

First Annual Short Story Contest

****PERMISSION TO FORWARD GRANTED**** First Annual Short Story Contest It's said everyone has at least one story inside them. This is your chance to let yours out. The Long and the Short of It is seeking the best new short story 1,000 words or less.So... put on your thinking cap, dial up your muse, and give it a shot. The story must be a romance and must end with a HEA. PG-13 or less, please. You can see samples of the types of stories we're looking for by checking the short story archive at the bottom of this page. The Grand Prize Winner will receive (a $155 value!): Publication on The Long and the Short of It website A banner for their blog or website One year free book cover/banner advertising Six months of author pages An award certificate suitable for framing. The First prize Winner will receive (an $85 value!): Publication on The Long and the Short of It website A banner for their blog or website Six months of author pages Three month free book cover/ banner advertising An award certificate suitable for framing. The Second Prize Winner will receive (a $40 value!): Publication on The Long and the Short of It website A banner for their blog or website Three months book cover/banner advertising An award certificate suitable for framing. Five honorable mentions will receive (a $20 value!): Publication on The Long and the Short of It website A banner for their blog or website An award certificate suitable for framing. Twelve Door Prizes (randomly drawn from all participants): One copy of Beginnings, Middles & Ends by Nancy Kress Six autographed books Five goodie bags RULES: Submit your entry via email with the subject line: Short Story Contest: NAME OF STORY. Your entry will be provided to our judges with all identifying names removed and will be scored by a rating system. Deadline for entry to this contest is June 14, 2008. The winners and runners up will be notified via email and posted on our website on July 1, 2008. By entering the contest, you agree to allow The Long and the Short of It to publish your entry on the LASR website, regardless of whether it is selected as a winner. All stories chosen to be published will be archived for a period of six months following publication. All rights revert back to the author, at the author's written request, and the story will be pulled from our archives at that time.

Happy Memorial Day!

Hot! Myspace Comments

A Little Bit of Everything

Here's an awesome contest. Answer the following question for a chance to win a Chapter Critique by Leisure author Emily Bryan. In whose POV does PLEASURING THE PIRATE start? For contest details and to enter, visit Emily's contest page. My friend Maria Zannini's fantasy romance, TOUCH OF FIRE is now available in digital format from Samhain. If you'd like to learn more about Maria and her debut novel, visit Maria's blog or website, links are on my sidebar, or visit Maya Reynold's blog and check out Maria's interview. Leave a comment and you'll be entered in a drawing for a chance to win a download of TOUCH OF FIRE. Congratulations on your release, Maria! On Monday, May 26th EPIC-eWorkshop Yahoo Group will be giving a short research workshop. Here's the workshop description: Research:Yes You Have To Do It And No It Isn't That Hard A short workshop on research. A necessary that really isn't evil. How to do it, where to do it, why to do it, and even when to do it. Go here to join EPIC-eWorkshop Yahoogroup. Here's a new author promotional Yahoo group I ran across recently: Infinite Possiblilites Yahoo Group: Are you an erotic or romance author? Any books published, reviews received? Perhaps you have an excerpt you'd like to share? Or maybe you're a reader who wants to check out some of the most amazing authors around? Infinite Possibilities wants to know about them. We are a Yahoo Group moderated by erotic/romance authors for erotic/romance authors. We're interested in helping each other get the promotions and publicity needed to succeed. So if you want to show off a hot excerpt or if you have a review, we want to see it. Reviews can come from any recognised source, we want to see them all, every author likes to show them off, don't we? So come and join us because, like you, writing hot stories is our second favourite pastime. Join us and who knows where it could lead – the Possibilities are Infinite. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/Infinite_Possibilities Lyrical Press, now has an official podcast site. Please take a minute and check out our very first podcast. And don't forget to stop by the Lyrical Press Website and check out all our new releases!

A Few Interesting Articles and Blog Posts

I've been having a hard time coming up with blog posts lately. To try and shake loose an idea, I surfed a few blogs today, and although my tactic didn't work the way I wanted it to, I did run across a few interesting posts. So, to make my life easier, instead of racking my tired brain for a subject to blog about, I decided to take the easy (or lazy) way out and do a blanket post of my finds. Enjoy! Jennifer On Writing did a really interesting blog today. In her post, Reflections of a 5.5 Year Career, Jennifer shared some of what she learned in her five year career as an author. I especially liked her views on what did and didn't work for her promotional-wise. Very informative. If you're a new author, like me, who's trying to figure out what to do about promotion, you should take a look-see. This isn't the only great post, either. Make sure you visit this blog, especially if you're a new and aspiring author. You'll be glad you did. The girls over at The Gab Wagon are talking about the good and bad points of epublishings' image, and what we can do to change it. Interesting article, especially if you're in the epublishing industry. Lenore Rose Burkhard has an awesome Regency website complete with a mini-regency glossary. While you're there, read one of her wonderful articles and sign up for Upon My Word, Lenores Regency newsletter. If you'd rather read a sample before signing on, you can chose a past issue right there from the website. Awesome site. Highly recommended. :) Somewhere I ran across this article, which talks about the new Harper Collins social networking site for aspiring authors. Hmmm, verrrry interresting... Eric Maisel is once again offering 16 weeks of FREE creativity coaching for his coach-in-training program. I snipped the following info from his newsletter: Quick note: It is time to sign up to be a free client to a creativity coach-in-training, if that interests you. The next training begins June 16th and coaches will work, via email, with free clients for the 16 weeks of the training. If you would like a little help with any art-related or creativity-related issue—blocks, procrastination, career issues, motivation issues, etc.—just send me a paragraph about you and a paragraph about what you would like to work on with a creativity coach. If you’ve been a free client before, you are welcome to come aboard again. Send that info to me at ericmaisel@hotmail.com Visit Eric's website for further information. Author Gail Gaymer Martin talks about dialogue. Gayle's blog, Writing Fiction Right is a great source of information on the writing craft. It's one of my fav's. Maura Anderson has a great article on her website about Storyboarding complete with photos and step by step instructions. Check it out here. And last but not least, check out J.Kaye's Book Blog, where I'll be having an author spotlight soon. J.Kaye's Book Blog does book reviews and also holds a monthly book raffle, where all you have to do is leave a comment to win. Hope you enjoyed the links. Have a wonderful weekend!

Lyrical Press Call For Submissions: Pendora's Box

This is the first of two Lyrical Romance Collections in development. We're also planning non- or lighter-romantic element collections, but for today, we're focusing on Pandora. Pandora’s Box Special Project Pandora’s box was said to have contained all the evils in the world, as well as the world’s greatest gift: hope. Lost to all but Greek legend, the box has now been found...and opened. It may be opened by a main character, or someone else may have simply opened it by mistake. Either way, evil personified has now manifested on Earth. Submission guidelines:

• Submissions deadline: No deadline. This will be an ongoing, stand-alone title collection.
• Word count: minimum of 30,000 words
• Genre: Paranormal Romance
• Plot: an evil or evils have escaped from Pandora’s Box and must be returned in some form or fashion. You may use any evil including sins, diseases, famous or infamous murderers, etc.
• Conflict: Good vs evil, protagonist vs antagonist, but the main character(s) don't necessarily have to be the good guy(s)
• Ending: must be HEA or HEA-for-now.
• Sensuality Level: any (mainstream or erotica but erotica must focus on the plot)
• Time Period: any
• Prop that must be included: the box

These stories should have a sharp focus on the lore and legend of Pandora's Box, a well-rounded, well-developed cast, and a strong romantic element. Be sure you've edited to the best of your ability before submitting.

Please send submissions to submissions@lyricalpress.com. Include the words "Pandora" or "Pandora's Box" in the subject line. Permission to forward granted.

Questions may also be asked here on the blog, or sent to submissions@lyricalpress.com.

Happy Mother's Day!

Business of Writing Workshop

Pauline Baird Jones and Jamie Engle will be presenting a workshop on The Business of Writing all week long on the WRW (World Romanc Writers) Yahoo group. To join, go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/WRWlist/ Membership is free.

Lyrical Press Grand Opening!

Tomorrow (Monday, May 5th) is the Lyrical Press, Inc Grand Opening. And to celebrate, we're having a week-long party! Woo-hoo! That's right! All week long chat with LP authors and staff, read experts, win prizes, books, gift certificates and more! Sound like fun? I thought so. :) To join the celebration, all you have to do is sign up for the Lyrical Press Yahoo group. That's it! In addition to the LP official launch party (05/05/08) Lyrical Press authors will be chatting at the Joyfully Reviewed yahoo group and, from 7:00 am until noon, we'll be at Alternative Read. http://tjbook-list.blogspot.com/ Phew! That's a LOT of partying! Don't forget Lyrical Press is currently accepting submissions for all genres as well as for our new ghost story anthologies, TALES FROM THE SHADOWS. For more information visit the Lyrical Press website. While you're there, sign up for our monthly newsletter, THE LYRICAL PRESS. Find out what's new, read all about upcoming releases, and get to know our authors. And don't forget to check out Once Upon A Bookstore, our brand spanking new bookstore! Woo-hoo! May releases and $5 & $10 gift certificates are available for purchase (Note: June releases are up, but not available yet). Everyone at Lyrical is thrilled and excited about our launch party, as we've been patiently waiting for this day! We have lot's of fun things coming up, so come on over and join the fun - links are below! Lyrical Press Website Lyrical Press Blog Lyrical Press Yahoo Group Once Upon A Bookstore Joyfully Reviewed Alternative Read

New Agency Accepting Romance

New literary agency, BresslerScoggins Literary Management, is shifting their attention from a large array of subject to a narrower focus. Specifically, romance. "After receiving hundreds upon hundreds of submissions, we have decided to specialize in romance categories, including romantic suspense, paranormal romance, contemporary romance and young adult romance. We also are looking for women's fiction and a very select amount of women's nonfiction (parenting, motivational, business written for women). This also fits in with our new partnership with Mamapalooza." In case you're wondering, Mamapalooza, Inc. is: A company by Women, Promoting (M)others for cultural, social and economic benefit. Dedicated to serving, promoting, celebrating, encouraging, inspiring and awakening ALL mothers through the media and performing fine arts. Musicians, authors, comics, dancers, filmmakers, designers, craftswomen, educators, and community leaders coming together in a collaborative effort to highlight the challenges of motherhood in an ever-evolving personal, social, cultural, sexual and political landscape. Our mission is to empower, encourage and enlighten all women to claim their voice. Establish a new art form that speaks to the unique and collective perspective of women who are mothers, while sharing this with the world. Act as a resource and lifestyle guide for mothers seeking support in mainstream and alternative settings. To support the choices mothers have made, and educate them financially, in order to support these choices. I've heard of Mamapalooza, as my cousin's band, The Mydols, who I blogged about recently, played at a Mamapalooza Festival, but I really didn't know what it was all about. To learn more, visit the Official Mamapalooza website . For guidelines and submission information, visit Bessler/Scroggins Literary Management.

CataUniversity Novella in a Nonth Challenge

25,000 words in 31 days. Are you in? Beginning May 1st, CataUniversity will host a 31 day "Novella in a Month" challenge. You'll have the whole month of May to gear up and write 25, 000 words. To help you along, there will be weekly check-ins and daily inspirational posts from one of five author's who will host the challenge. If you want to be on the official Challenger list, go here and leave a post with your email and/or blog address. You'll be linked on the CataU site, and fellow challengers and Co-Hosts can drop by and give encouragement. Check-Ins will be on Monday and Friday and progress reports will be posted on the CataU sign-up page for all to see. :) Sound like fun? If so, go the the CataU Challenge page and sign up. Below is a little info I snipped from the site:

We are counting down to the Novella in a Month Writing Challenge at CataUniversity. You'll have 31 days to write 25,000 words. Are you up to the challenge?

Join a supportive (and challenging) environment with Co-Hosts, weekly check-ins and daily Inspirational posts. Official Co-Hosts include:

• Gail Barrett
• Leila Brown
• Nicola Marsh
• Isabel Sharpe
• Linda Wisdom

To Sign Up: http://catauniversity.com/?p=126

Get ready to write!

EREC First Line Contest

The EREC Blog (Erotic Romance E-Publisher Comparison Site) is having a first line contest for published and unpublished authors! To enter, email the first line from your published book or manuscript to: ERECMAIL AT GMAIL.COM with FIRST LINE ENTRY in the subject line. In the body of the email paste the first sentence only of your book (if published) or manuscript (if unpublished) along with the title and your pen name. Entries will remain open for at least a week and until at least 10 entries have been received in each category. The entries will be posted anonymously for visitors to the blog to vote on. The winner in each category will win a $20 Barnes & Noble gift certificate. There is a 50 entry limit in each category. As of Friday, April 25th there were only two (2) published entries, and two (2) unpublished entries, so hurry and get your first line in! Good Luck! EREC Blog EREC Website

Want A FREE Query Critique?

Agent Janet Reid is critiquing query letters over at Query Shark. I snipped the following from the QS blog: How Query Shark Works You can send a query letter to the Shark. It might get posted and critiqued. It might not. You'll know either way. You can send a revised query letter after the critique. It will be posted and critiqued as well. To send work to the shark: email your query letter to janet at fineprintlit dot com You MUST put Query Shark in the subject line to have it be considered for the blog. Not all queries will be critiqued. Visit Janet Reid's official blog to learn more about agent's, query letters and other interesting stuff. Happy Writing! Janet Reid's blog http://jetreidliterary.blogspot.com/ Janet Reid's Query Shark http://queryshark.blogspot.com/

My Apologies...

It's been quite a while since I posted, and I want to apologize. I've been so busy, I just haven't had the time. Before I signed on with LPI, I posted once, twice a week, sometimes more. Now I'm down do zilch. I just can't keep up with all the groups and blogs like I did before. And that's where I got most of my information. When I do take the time to play catch up, the posts are old news. I'm not complaining, mind you. The reason for my slacking off is a good one. :) It's just that I feel so guilty, like I'm letting someone down. And I don't like that feeling. So, I decided to make the time to post at lease once a week. If you can just bare with me, I'd appreciate it. Phew, I feel much better now that I've got that off my chest! Happy writing, everyone!

Lyrical Press: Call For Submissions

LYRICAL PRESS GOES GHOST HUNTING… Scare us. We dare you. We’re planning two anthologies featuring classic ghost story themes. Be they dark, steamy, humorous, sentimental or downright creepy, we want your ghost stories. Tip Sheet:

• Suggested submission length: 20-25k
• Romantic elements preferred, but not required for either holiday-themed anthology.
• Holiday (Halloween or Christmas) theme preferred, but not necessarily required. If the story’s compelling enough, we won’t discriminate.
• Meta data: Straight-up, good old-fashioned “tales told ‘round the campfire”; folklore and ghost stories; Haunted houses, visitations, Dickens; Legends (but not necessarily myths); Rather more “Things that go bump in the night” than “Things that hump in the night”.
• Be sure you edit very carefully before submitting. (I'm not horribly forgiving, I'm finding) All submissions should be sent to: submissions AT lyricalpress DOT com, SUBJECT: Ghost Story
• See below for submission deadlines:

TALES FROM THE SHADOWS Release Date: October 20, 2008 Submission Deadline: June 1, 2008 Genre: Paranormal Sensuality Level: Any ONCE UPON A MIDNIGHT CLEAR Release Date: December 15, 2008 Submission Deadline: June 15, 2008 Genre: Paranormal Sensuality Level: Any Lyrical Press Questions? Send them to: editor AT lyricalpress DOT com Visit Lyrical's Anthology Submission page for more details Lyrical Press has a Yahoo Group! The Lyrical Press Yahhoo group is a place were you can interact with readers and all of the Lyrical authors and editors. To join, go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lyricalpress/

Characterization Workshop on Erotic Romance Workshop This Week

Erotic Romance Workshop eloop is once again presenting writer's workshops. They stopped for a while, but they're back at it. Which is great. Right now author Tambra Kendall is presenting a Characterization Workshop: Writing strong characters and viewpoint Plot: Stimulus and Response. Tambra teaches workshops for Earthly Charms as well as various RWA chapters, and is an author with Whiskey Creek Press. This workshop began on March 31st, but continues through April 11th. All workshop lessons are archived in the files section on the group website, so if you join late you still won't miss out. You can always backtrack and read the group messages, too. That's what great about online workshops. The workshop schedule and info is posted on the group website, links are below. Lots of useful information to be had, you don't want to miss this class. Here's a brief overview: Celtic Knotwork: Weaving Together Characterization and Plot Copyright 2008 Pollyanna Williamson. Not to be used without permission. Blurb Learn how characterization and plotting weave together to make your story come alive. Course level This course is for intermediate level writers on up. OVERVIEW Outline of lessons and discussion topics: Characterization Lessons 1. Character profile questions and interviewing your characters 2. Creating backstory: when and to use it 3. Character is Action 4. GMC: Goal, motivation and conflict. This will also be discussed in the plot section. 5. Writing strong characters and viewpoint 6. Three Dimensional Characters 7. Writing sexual tension Plot Lessons 1. What is Plot? What does it do? 2. Plot is Action 3. GMC: Goal, motivation and conflict 4. Stimulus and Response 5. No Sagging Middles 6. Scene and sequel 7. Plotting Methods 8. How character and plot work together. Examples will be given throughout the course and a list of resources will also be given. To join EroticRomanceWorkshop go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/EroticRomanceWorkshop/ Tambra's Website www.tambrakendall.com Tambra's MySpace www.myspace.com/tambrakendal Author Marie Roy is the Erotic Romance Workshop list mom. Check out her website at: http://www.freewebs.com/mariearoy

Author BookMarker Contest

I ran across this contest, which is hosted by Author and Editor of Stepping Stones Magazine, Rita Gerlach, and thought I'd share. I thought this contest was kind of cute and different. I can't remember ever running across a contest for Author bookmarks before. Here's the info from the site:

Each month on Stepping Stones Magazine for Writers, an author's bookmarker will be chosen as the marker of the month'. The author's marker, if available as a jpg, and website will be included in that month's issue of SSMW. Enter by sending an email to Rita Gerlach at rpkg at comcast.net She will provide instructions. Bookmarkers will be judged by: Content Beauty Layout Information Professionalism Quality All bookmarkers mailed in will be judged by a group of avid readers, and then given to a local bookstore in the judges' area, either Waldenbooks or Borders.

Stepping Stone Magazine Rita Gerlach

Personal request from The Wild Rose Press

This was posted by Debby from Romance ebooks in a MySpace bulletin earlier today. I thought some of you may be interested.

If you have written an unpublished story set in the 1900's, editor Nancy Swanson from the Vintage Rose line at The Wild Rose Press, is looking for authors, aspiring and established, and would very much welcome you to submit to her.

Her very words to me were -

'...as long as it has a romance in it, is set back a ways, some mystery or time travel, clean or spicy - whatever. So much happened then...all the wars, all the music and dance changes, the Hippies and Free Love, etc. And of course almost any romance is timeless and can be set then, with a few details thrown in for flavor...'

Nancy is a fab editor who worked with me on 'Hibiscus Bay' now published by The Wild Rose Press. She has sinced moved from Champagne Rose line and now edits for the Vintage Rose line.So go check out the website and submission details at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ - she's waiting to hear from you.

Please mention that you heard this information from Debby at the 'Romance ebooks' myspace profile as recomendation for yourself.

Debby http://debbyallen.blogspot.com/

Eternal Press Now Open For Submissions

Short stories, novellas, and full-length manuscripts, from 5,000-105,000 words —erotica, gay, all sub genres of romance as well as mystery, sci-fi, paranormal, historical, suspense, horror, women's fiction, fantasy, and thrillers. Submit your short story or a synopsis and the first three chapters of your novel to our Senior Submissions Editor, Fran Tann at franklinwrite@gmail.com

Open to new writers but please follow our guidelines

• Submit your manuscript in a Word .doc or .rtf file. We cannot accept a .pdf file or a hard copy.
• Your manuscript should contain either 1-1/2 or double spacing and one inch margins. Use 12 pt. legible font.
• If we accept your manuscript for publication, we will supply you with specific formatting guidelines. You must be able to do edits in track changes.

A word from the owner of Eternal Press

Eternal Press is not a vanity or a subsidy publisher, but rather mainly an e-book publisher

We will give certain authors the option of releasing their e-book in print when we launch into POD. There will be a one-time printer set-up fee (to be determined by the printer) for every book released in print. This fee will be paid by the author to the printer. This will vary depending on the length of the book. Minimum length for POD is 65,000 words.

Eternal Press does not profit from this set-up fee. There are no fees assessed to any of our authors at any time to publish in e-format and it's perfectly acceptable not to execute your option to release in print. And you are not obligated to purchase books in any format.

Eternal Press

Rock Star Mommy & The Mydols - Following Your Dream

My second cousin, Kara really has it going on. She's a wife, mother and successful make-up artist. All the local Detroit area newspapers have done write-ups on her, and in the January 2004 issue of Allure Magazine, Kara was named best make-up artist in Detroit. And those aren't the only things Kara's doing. Not only is Kara a wife, mother and successful make-up artist, she's also the lead singer of the all female band here in Michigan, THE MYDOLS. Some of you may have heard of Mydols, because they're becoming quite popular. Just this month they were interviewed by Donny Deutsch of CNBC's THE BIG IDEA Show. They were on INSIDE EDITION, THE TODAY SHOW, CBS EARLY MORNING and featured in WALL STREET JOURNAL. They play all over Michigan and out of state, too. They have so many things happening, it's unbelievable. When I want to visit my cousin, I basically have to make an appointment! The last time we got together was just before Christmas. But, I understand. I really do, because Kara and her band members are busy living their dream. And they're doing a good job of it. Band member Judy Davids wrote a book about her journey entitled, ROCK STAR MOMMY, which has recently been released and is doing quite well. Judy will be presenting workshops at some of Michigan's local library's (Royal Oak Library, for those of you in the area), she has lots of upcoming book signings scheduled (she'll be at the Royal Oak B&N May 5th), and she has an upcoming interview with some of the local TV new stations and newspapers. She's done podcasts, radio interviews and she'll even be doing a book signing at my city library next month. She's really got this promotion stuff together. Hopefully, she'll give me a few pointers when my book releases. :)

It's hard to believe that not one of these four women ever played an instrument before in their life. They were't singers and they've never been on stage. One day they just got together and decided to start a band. Now they're on national TV, touring all over the place, and writing books. Talk about living your dream! If you're interested in reading about my cousin Kara, the Mydols and their road to stardom, you can do so by going to the band's Official Website or MySpace page. And if you want to learn about Judy Davids and her book, Rock Star Mommy, here's the link to her website and her blog, where Judy's upcoming book signings, workshops and appearances are listed. If you do happen to visit any of the MySpace sites, make sure you check out the pictures. Especially Kara's MySpace page. She has tons of pictures and you can see and read her feature make-up magazine articles and newspaper clippings. See what can happen if you follow your dreams? The Mydols Website The Mydols on MySpace Kara's MySpace Judy Davids Blog Judy Davids Website

New Promotional Resource and Tips Yahoogroup

There's a new group for promotional tips and resources. It's called Writers Promo Tips (writerspromotips) and the group was put together by authors Karin Tabke, Tawny Weber and Edie Ramer. Here's the description from the group homepage:

This group is for writers who want to promote their books. It's a place to share promo ideas or tips to make promoting our books easier. If someone is blogging about promotion, post the link. If you have a promotion question, ask it. If there's something you tried that didn't work, let the rest of us know. If there's something you tried that worked, let the rest of us know. We want to know and share the new promotion ideas and opportunities that are popping up, and we want to know and share the old ones.

I joined a few days ago, created a sub-folder in my Outlook Express, formatted all my writerpromotips emails to download directly into the folder, then forgot all about it (I'm really bad about doing that). When I did remember to check my folder a couple of days later, there was already over 250 emails! This is a hopping group, people. 250 emails in two, three days - whoa! There's some really good resources in that eloop, too. I started a promotional file and it's packed with tips and ideas. So, if you're a newly published author (like me) and you don't know how or where to start when it comes to promotion, or even if you're a old pro at the game, this group is for you. I highly recommend it. :) To join, send a blank email to writerspromotips-subscribe@yahoogroups.com or by going to the group home page writerspromotips homepage http://groups.yahoo.com/group/writerspromotips/?yguid=327010276

I Have A New Website

I’ve taken the plunge and created a website. It’s nothing special, just one of those do-it-yourself jobs, but, hey, it’s better than nothing. I’d love to have it professionally done, but, man, have you seen the prices for that? Gee, whiz, it’s expensive. Maybe I should get into web design instead of writing. No, I wouldn’t trade writing for the world, but if I was going for money instead of love, I suppose I’d look into it. Maybe I should look into it anyway. Hmmm, something to think about... I did enter a contest for new and aspiring authors to win a professional website design, but there isn’t a drawing date, and I haven’t heard anything more about it. Maybe I should check on it. Who knows, maybe I won. :) Anyhow, my new website addy is www.carolburge.weebly.com Come on over and take a look-see!

Happy Easter

Myspace Comments

Check Out the Contest(s) at Lyrical Press!

Renee Lyons, my publisher (I love saying that!) blogged over at Title Magic a couple of days ago. Renee talked about what a Lyrical Press author can expect when contracted with Lyrical Press, what LP is looking for, and about their upcoming contests. If you're interested, you can read Renee's blog post here. I blogged about Lyrical's American Title contest a couple of weeks ago. For those of you who missed it, here's a brief re-cap:

Lyrical Press is hosting a Best First Kiss Contest, and the winner will receive a contract with Lyrical Press, Inc! Visit the Lyrical Idol page to read the official contest rules.

Sound good? If that's not enough to get your creative juices flowing, Lyrical Press is putting together another contest! I don't know all the details, but I do know that Renee designed a Gothic/Medieval book cover, and I believe the contestants are to send in a story to go with the cover. As I mentioned, the official rules aren't posted on the website yet, so this info may change, but you can read about the contest in Renee's Title Magic blog post. If you'd like to see the book cover and get a head-start on your entry, here it is. :)

Happy Contesting!

Lyrical Press

Lyrical Idol Contest

Title Magic Blog