Join Us! HOD Reader's Luncheon

They say variety is the spice of life. NY Times and USA Today best-selling author Lora Leigh has learned this lesson well, giving readers more than eighty novels in four subgenres and fifteen different series. She has created worlds we long to return to again and again, and enduring characters full of flaws and failures and the strength to rise above. From the formidable undercover agents of her Elite Ops series to the reckless affection of the Nauti Boys and the genetically enhanced drive to mate in her ever-popular Breeds series, Leigh has offered a buffet of searing hot romance that captivates readers from all over the world. And this May, she’ll be here to share it all with us.



Leigh will be the featured speaker at the 15th Annual Readers’ Luncheon hosted by Heart of Dixie, the north Alabama chapter of Romance Writers of America. This annual event celebrates romance and literacy in the north Alabama community. Registration is now open for the event, held at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL, on May 5, 2012, from 11am until 3pm.



Special guest author Lora Leigh will share tales from her prolific world of writing during the keynote speech. She, along with over twenty other favorite romance authors, will host a table for lucky romance readers and sign books at this year’s event. Other attending authors include Linda Howard, Linda Winstead Jones, Peggy Webb, Rhonda Nelson, Lynn Raye Harris, Kimberly Lang, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Kira Sinclair, and Melanie Dickerson.



HOD's Annual Luncheon includes lunch with guest authors, door prizes, raffles, and much more. A book fair and autograph session with the attending authors following the luncheon is open and free to the public at 2pm. Profits from this year’s book fair will be donated to the Hackleburg School for their library, helping encourage children in this area devastated by last year’s tornados to embrace literacy and the love of reading.



Join us as we celebrate romance in all its various forms! Registration is $25 and must be received by April 21st. Seating is limited, so register today. More information and registration forms can be found at www.heartofdixie.org or call 703-861-4271.

Join Us! HOD Reader's Luncheon

They say variety is the spice of life. NY Times and USA Today best-selling author Lora Leigh has learned this lesson well, giving readers more than eighty novels in four subgenres and fifteen different series. She has created worlds we long to return to again and again, and enduring characters full of flaws and failures and the strength to rise above. From the formidable undercover agents of her Elite Ops series to the reckless affection of the Nauti Boys and the genetically enhanced drive to mate in her ever-popular Breeds series, Leigh has offered a buffet of searing hot romance that captivates readers from all over the world. And this May, she’ll be here to share it all with us.



Leigh will be the featured speaker at the 15th Annual Readers’ Luncheon hosted by Heart of Dixie, the north Alabama chapter of Romance Writers of America. This annual event celebrates romance and literacy in the north Alabama community. Registration is now open for the event, held at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville, AL, on May 5, 2012, from 11am until 3pm.



Special guest author Lora Leigh will share tales from her prolific world of writing during the keynote speech. She, along with over twenty other favorite romance authors, will host a table for lucky romance readers and sign books at this year’s event. Other attending authors include Linda Howard, Linda Winstead Jones, Peggy Webb, Rhonda Nelson, Lynn Raye Harris, Kimberly Lang, Vicki Lewis Thompson, Kira Sinclair, and Melanie Dickerson.



HOD's Annual Luncheon includes lunch with guest authors, door prizes, raffles, and much more. A book fair and autograph session with the attending authors following the luncheon is open and free to the public at 2pm. Profits from this year’s book fair will be donated to the Hackleburg School for their library, helping encourage children in this area devastated by last year’s tornados to embrace literacy and the love of reading.



Join us as we celebrate romance in all its various forms! Registration is $25 and must be received by April 21st. Seating is limited, so register today. More information and registration forms can be found at www.heartofdixie.org or call 703-861-4271.

Romance Withdrawal

So many books, so little time… This used to be my mantra as a reader. I read a wide variety of romance sub-genres and even some non-fiction, along with magazines when I felt like buying them. I couldn't get enough of reading, even going so far as to teach myself to hold a book while I was nursing Little Man. After all, if I was gonna have to sit there for 40 minutes several times a day (mine were both slow nursers), I might as well do something for myself while I'm at it, right?

But now… Well, its gotten much harder for me to read as I've grown as a writer. My time is extremely limited at this stage of my life, as I'm sure many of you can relate to (what do people do after work when they aren't scraping out time to write?!?!). As a result, I give up on books much quicker than I did before. I used to push through until the book became really interesting, but now, you'd better hook me in some way during the first chapter, or I'm outta there. Knowledge of writing techniques has made me extremely judgmental (I'll be the first to admit it). With the wealth of online resources, freelance editors, etc., there is no excuse for multiple grammatical or spelling errors.

And I find that a lot of storylines don't appeal to me anymore – for instance, I'm SO not a fan of the bitchy heroine. She seems to be everywhere these days. Strong – yes. Kickass – sure. Bitchy and critical of everyone around her – not so much! It’s a fine line that I'm pickier about that most people. Plus I can't read anything like what I'm plotting or writing at the moment, because I don't want to be unconsciously influenced by it. Sigh.

And the biggest issue? When I do find a really good book, I don't want to stop reading it. I know it may not seem like it, but that is a problem. I feel like I should be writing during that time, rather than reading. During the week, it can take me a couple of evenings to read a single title length, even though I'm a fast reader. After all, dinner has to be cooked and I've often got chores, children to pay attention to, etc., before I fall asleep just from sitting still. Weekends too.

I still read the occasional magazine (usually during dinner or right before bed), and I pick up anthologies once in a while. But I miss the depth of single title length books. So what's a former romance addict to do?

Right now I'm using really good books as a reward for getting large chunks of writing done. I've just spent 3 long months doing a complete rewrite of a previous book, and I've decided there will be no more writing until I finish the 2 books I just bought. One is from an author that I've read before and loved. One is a new to me author, but I read a few of the first pages just to check if I liked her voice – I already knew I liked the story idea.

I'm going to give my brain a few days to recover and rejuvenate (something I affectionately call refilling the well), and hopefully indulge my romance addiction at the same time! If you're a writer, do you find yourself having these same issues? What about you readers? How do you make time for your favorite addiction? :)

Angel

PS. Today is stop 4 on Andrea's blog tour. Pop in to read her call story and comment on expecting the unexpected to get another entry for her sea glass locket!

Creative Outlets

My quest to find balance between my day job, writing, and family life has led me to say “no” quite often this year. “No, I can’t take off work to go on that field trip.” “No, I can’t do all the chores by myself.” “No, I don’t have time to cook tonight.” I've even set aside some much beloved activities in order to pursue my writing, like keeping my scrapbooks up-to-date.

But I’ve found there are some things I don’t want to give up yet. One of these is basket making.

No, I don’t mean literally. I mean decoratively. For years I’ve been in charge of assembling the raffle baskets for our local RWA chapter’s annual Readers’ Luncheon. I also assemble some for authors who provide baskets as door prizes.

I admit, I’m addicted to the creative process of finding the perfect goodies and putting them together into something eye-catching and appealing to our romance readers. This is the “Mental Health” basket I put together for Problem Child this year:



She’s a big “hot tea” fan, so I included a sturdy teacup and tea, salt candle, bath stuff, gel eye mask, and a book with 1001 ways to relax. For Instigator, I searched far and wide for “peach” themed items, because her newest book was set on a peach farm. And while I love the end result, I’ve asked her that we never do this particular one again. I never realized how hard it was to find peach stuff anymore!



I found peach tea, peach antibacterial hand soap, a peach sachet, a peach candle (that I had to search 5 stores to find) and peach preserves with cornbread crackers (this is the south, after all). Playground Monitor found me some sparkling peach juice at World Market in Birmingham.

I’ve also assembled the “official” Published Author basket for our chapter, which features books from all our published authors (23 books in all). This year’s theme is “summer fun” so it contained lantern candle holders, a beach towel, after sun gel, sunglasses, and freezable drink mixes, among other things.



So much fun, but I’ll admit that it bites into my spare time (not that I have spare time anyway). And sometimes I feel guilty for enjoying this creative outlet when I feel like I should be channeling that energy into my writing.

So tell me, what do you say “no” to in the name of balance? What is one thing you simply can’t give up?

Angel

Going Fan-grrl…

I’m a relatively new author – two books out and three more in the pipeline; I’m still considered wet behind the ears – but of all the things I’ve learned in the last year and a half, one lesson is really sticking with me: I’ve become a more appreciative reader.

Let me explain…

Not long ago, I went to a booksigning and a woman I’d never met before came up to me, introduced herself, shook my hand, and said the magic words: “I just love your books.” Before I could even say “thanks,” she made a face and shook her head. “I bet you get tired of hearing that,” she said.

Um, in a word, NO. Those five words made my day. My week. Heck, my whole month of staring at the keyboard hoping I could whip my hero and heroine into line was suddenly shining in a whole new light.

Let me tell you – I don’t think any author gets tired of hearing that.

As a reader, I expect an author to entertain me. I expect to like the book I’ve plunked down my hard-earned cash for. That’s her job. We have a business relationship: she writes the books; I devour them. But honestly, it rarely occurred to me to drop an author an email and let her know that I enjoyed it. After all, she’s probably drowning in email from folks gushing about how much they loved the book.

Maybe some authors are. I can think of several authors with forums full of rabid fans gushing about how much they loved the book. But I can’t imagine anyone ever getting tired of hearing someone loved something they created. That’s like getting tired of someone telling you how smart and beautiful your child is (just because you agree, that doesn’t mean you don’t want to hear it ~g~). Still, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d sent an email to an author letting her know how much I enjoyed her book.

The more I thought about it, the worse I felt. I thanked the server who refilled my drink at the restaurant. I thanked the toll-both operator when she handed me my change. I thanked the clerk at the grocery store who helped carry my bags to my car. Heck, I even thanked the police officer who wrote me a speeding ticket. These folks were all doing their jobs, and I thanked them for it. (Maybe I’m just too Southern…). But a book – the wonder and glory of a book that swept me away, made me laugh and cry, gave me hours of pleasure after a not-fun day – I’d let that go by without even thinking about the person who created it.

Now, before anyone thinks I’m simply fishing for compliments here or advocating the ego-stroking of authors, let me be straight about one thing: I’m a writer, yes, but I was a reader first. And I’m still a reader. I will always be a reader. But I’m a more appreciative reader now.

So I started sending emails. If I enjoyed the book, I sent the author a quick email letting her know it. Nothing long, nothing complicated, no in-depth analysis or critique. Sometimes, they were just a sentence or two long: “Dear Author, I just finished THE BOOK YOU SPENT MONTHS CREATING, and wanted to let you know how much I enjoyed it. Thank you.”

Sometimes, they wrote me back. Sometimes they didn’t. But I felt better for it, and maybe I made that author’s day with my email. Maybe my email was able to counteract that snotty email from the reader who despised the entire book because they’re vegetarian and the heroine ate a cheeseburger, and how could the author be so dense and cruel to ignore the plight of animals…

People are quick to criticize, but very slow to compliment. And since gratitude is good for the soul, I figure it’s a win-win all the way around.

So, tell us in the comment tail who you’re reading and loving. (Your comment will pop up on the author’s Google alert – if she has one – and she’ll get a little smile for knowing you were willing to tell others how much you enjoyed the book.)

To earn Karmic Extra Points, then go to the author’s website (or even her Facebook page) and tell her how much you enjoy her books.

I promise you – it will put a smile on her face.

PC

**And I'm blogging over at Tote Bags 'n Blogs today! Come visit!

Being The Author

Monday night, I went out as an Author. I know, I’m an author every day, but in my world, being an author involves tattered sweatpants and much swearing at a computer screen because I’m sure I’m a talentless hack whose career will be over if I can’t get those two to a HEA. It ain’t glamorous, that’s for sure.

But a local book club chose The Secret Mistress Arrangement as their book this month and invited me to their meeting. I was The Author—the guest of honor. I’d heard of such things happening, but hadn’t really counted on it happening to me any time soon.

Bear with me for a minute – you have to understand that life on the Playground is a little surreal at times (in many ways, yes, but stay on this track with me). Pretty much everyone I know writes books. Many of them have written way more and far better books. So, saying “I’m a writer” has about as much punch as saying “I breathe air.” Finishing a book is always met with a cheer around here, but there’s always the undertone of “Thank dog, if you’d whined about that winery one more time we were going to string you up by your toenails.” The Playfriends are pleased and proud, but they’re not terribly impressed by it. After all, it’s what we do. (It’s a tough crowd on the Playground!)

Even the friends I have who don’t write aren’t terribly impressed any more. It’s cool and all, but I’m still just plain ol’ me and now writing is just my job. The “Wow-how-nifty” factor wore off about the time I posted my fifth cover on Facebook.

I’ve lived in this world for so long, I’ve kind of forgotten that not everyone on earth knows a writer and has them on speed dial. And let’s not forget how low on the totem pole I am – why on earth would anyone want to meet ME? (I’m still reeling from the fact people sat with me at the Readers’ Luncheon on purpose –not just because they were overflow from Rhonda Nelson’s table.) I’m not that interesting, I tend to obsess a lot over small things, and I’m known to stick my foot in my mouth without even trying.

But the book club wanted The Author, so I put on pretty shoes and went to the book club meeting.

And I had a blast.

It’s amazing how much I learned about my own book – what their expectations were, what they were hoping I’d deliver, questions they had about the characters. (Like why my heroine broke up with her last boyfriend – I had to admit that honestly, I didn’t know. Hadn’t thought about it. Unfortunately, I also found out my heroine’s last boyfriend has the same name as a character in my 3^rd book. I really need to get to work on that spreadsheet I mentioned yesterday. And get a baby name book…)

Most of the group was new to romance, but they were enthusiastic and so much fun to talk to. And I guess I wasn’t too boring or too much of a dork because they’ve invited me back. The food was so good, and the conversation so great, I’m definitely in.

While everyone thanked me for coming and really made me feel like they’d enjoyed meeting “The Author,” I’m the one thanking them. Suddenly, all that time I spent staring at the screen and cursing became very worth it. These ladies enjoyed my book. I made them happy.

That’s awesome.

I love this gig.

Would you want the author of the book at your book club meeting? Would you feel you had to act differently because she was there?

Let the Chaos Begin

As you all know, the Playfriends are all very involved in our RWA chapter - Heart of Dixie. We love our chapter and do everything we can to make it successful. We hold board positions, do the website, the promo, chair events... we're just that way.

Today and tomorrow, however, are the biggest days in our chaper's calendar - our Annual Romance Reader's Luncheon. Every May, Heart of Dixie brings in a special guest speaker and a slew of other authors for an afternoon of romance, laughter, books and dessert. As the chapter Events Chairperson, I am not technically in charge of the luncheon, but I oversee the fabulous person who is and assist and guide as needed. This is my first year involved with the luncheon in this capacity and I have to admit I'm a little stressed about it. I much preferred when it fell squarely in PC's ballywick.

This year, the lovely Vicki Lewis Thompson is our guest speaker. We're all very excited to have Queen Vicki visiting us. We've been preparing for months to make this the best event possible for her and our 180-some attendees. Today is officially crunch time. Today, all the baskets Angel has been assembling for weeks must get taken to the conference center. All the promotional items and books must be schlepped. Goodie bags must be stuffed. Catering and setup confirmed for the 18th time. Author gifts and centerpieces arranged. Don't even ask me what I'm going to wear. Ack.

Once all that's done - everyone is off for dinner and a drink. Or three, as the case may require. :)

Most of us stay in the conference hotel so we can be there first thing in the AM to start setting up. It's chaos. Anarchy. But once its over and the stress is passed, I have to admit its also a heck of a lot of fun, too.

We hope you've got your tickets to join us tomorrow. We'll all be vanishing sometime this afternoon and won't surface until sometime late Saturday night. In the meantime, what author would you like to meet? You never know who might pop up at a future HOD luncheon...

SP

Guest Blogger: Kati Dancy

The Romance Conversion

Playground Monitor here, with today's guest blogger. I "met" Kati at the blog of our mutual friend Michelle Buonfiglio. Kati lives in Washington, D.C. where she's an event planner for an environmental organization. She's been reading romance for over 25 years and is active in several romance communities. She is a reviewer and columnist for Romance Novel TV. You can visit her at her blog, Adventures in Katidom. Please give a big Playground welcome to our guest today.



I’ve been reading romance a long time, over 25 years. And those who know me well know there is little more that I enjoy than recommending books that I think they’ll love. But these are experienced romance readers. What happens when it’s someone who has never read romance? Or what if they have a disdain (that generally they can’t explain) for romance? What happens then? How do we get them to give the genre that we love so much a chance?

For me, I base my recommendations on what I know about them. If they read sci-fi, I might recommend someone like Ann Aguirre, who wrote the amazing Grimspace and its follow-up, Wanderlust. Both books are set in a gritty future-world where space travel is the norm and there are certain people who are gifted with an almost psychic ability to “jump” space ships from place to place. Or Linnea Sinclair, who writes wonderful sci-fi romances that feature strong, tremendously smart heroines and the sexy, domineering men who love them.


If the person is a fantasy reader, I might suggest C.L. Wilson’s incomparable Tairen Soul series. The series is deeply imaginative and magical and it captures the essence of “if you can dream it, you can make it so” of fantasy writing. Or, perhaps I’d suggest Elizabeth Vaughan’s Warlords of the Plains series, which are some of my all time favorite books. The books are set in a slightly alternate world that has a Native American flavor to it. The story is both a love story between a man and a woman, but also a nuanced portrayal of a woman who is a fish out of water and trying desperately to adjust and thrive in a new and foreign land. As readers, we discover her new world as she does.


If the potential reader loves mysteries, I might suggest the In Death series by J.D. Robb, which features a slightly future world, and a gritty homicide cop, her billionaire husband (one of the greatest heroes ever written in romance) and the beloved cast of secondary characters who work with her. The series has over 30 books in it and describes some pretty vivid murders, so it might appeal to a lover of the gory mystery book. If they want something with a little more heat, I’d recommend Dying to Please or Mr. Perfect by Linda Howard. Both have great mysteries, a very strong romance component, and Howard’s trademark sexual tension.

My latest conversion was my best friend, Amy. She was always slightly derisive of my love of romance. Not in a mean way, but more in that, “Kati, I can’t believe how much romance you read” kind of way. But this year, as she was getting ready to go on a business trip, she called me from Books-A-Million. She was casting around for something to read and wanted a suggestion. Amy happens to have been an art history major. So I suggested Nora Roberts’ The Three Fates. The book surrounds the search for three small, priceless pieces d’arte, the Three Fates. It also features some of the things that Roberts does best: strong smart heroines and delicious, Irish (!) heroes. Amy bought it, read it practically in one sitting, and called again. Now she needed something to read while on vacation. I handed over Homeport by Roberts again. She gobbled that one up, and came back to me. Now it was time to change it up. I’d recently read Just One of the Guys by Kristan Higgins, a new to me author who had recently won the RITA award for one of her books. I’d thoroughly enjoyed Just One of the Guys, and thought Amy might too. She called me and said, “I was crying on the plane over the book. And I finished it! Now I’ve got to find something to read for the trip home!” Last week, I brought her four more romances.

And there you have it. A romance reader is born. Do I expect that she’ll only read romance? Absolutely not. But she gave it a try, and with a couple of well placed recommendations, I was able to convince someone who had never even considered reading romance a shot.

So, my question is this, what books would you use to “convert” someone? How do you make your book recommendations to friends who are willing to give romance a chance? Have you ever converted someone to romance? How did you do it?