Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

I am excited to announce that I'll be attending   The Novel Experience Convention  and book signing in Las Vegas in April! Aside from writing, READERS are my major priority this year. This convention will be the perfect opportunity for me to meet and interact with bloggers and fellow bookworms. There will be parties and dinners and a lot of opportunities to just hang out. I'm planning on bringing some fun swag and I'm going to take somebody out to Bubba Gump Shrimp because I don't want to eat alone. I will also be joining a group of historical authors to treat readers to wine and appetizers Friday evening. There will also be authors hosting dinners, taking readers on Vegas tours and checking out some awesome shows. I hear there's even going to be a pub crawl!  The signing is free and open to the public. It will be my first time signing at an event and I'm nervous and excited. I have some really cool goodies planned for my table, and of course I will have ...

By Anita Clenney We all know that the writing business is tough, whether you're just starting out and waiting for The Call or a veteran author, as I learned in my retreat this weekend at the published authors' roundtable discussion. Getting published opens up another set of fears. What if it doesn't sell? What if I can't write another book as good as the first? What if it gets bad reviews? How am I going to promote? What is I can't stay published? And for me a biggie was, what about booksignings? I imagined this nightmarish image of me sitting in a big bookstore, my face pale, looking like a deer in headlights as people walked through the door and past my little table. My experience was anything but. First, let me start with the day before. My dear friend and critique partner, Dana Rodgers and I headed to Boonsboro, Maryland, where Nora Roberts husband's bookstore is located. What a drive. It was gorgeous, the storms from the night before were fading away. And i...

Let’s start with a heartfelt, very loud, “Whew!” That is how I felt after my first solo book signing this past Saturday. I was also strangely exhausted and my jaws hurt from continuous smiling and talking. But it was all good. Really! No complaints are intended as it was loads of fun and very successful. But let me just say I am glad I am not expected to do this every weekend! So far in my 10 months of being a published author I have been a part of four signings. The first two were while in Washington at the RWA convention and I was in a room with lots of other authors and lines of ecstatic ladies dying to get their hands on free books, in some cases no matter who the author was! My third was a group signing in Sacramento with several romance novelists – including our own Loucinda McGary – and a few other fiction and non-fiction writers. In each of these cases I was among friends, surrounded by other authors to socialize with, and in a setting where people knew what was happening. Ther...

by Sharon Lathan My first conference, EVER!!! Yep, I am very excited. Naturally it has been a big thought in my mind for the past few, well, months…. But especially now since D-Day is literally around the corner. I am typing this while sitting in my trailer in the California Gold Country foothills on our family vacation, trying to enjoy our togetherness and NOT think about Nationals too much! It isn’t too hard as we are having a great time, but I am a planner at heart, so naturally I can’t stop plotting just a bit. And of course the fact that I am ultra organized and one of those Type-A personality people who wants to have everything detailed to the tiniest degree, I am struggling to find the “happy medium.” LOL! I’m not all that fond of surprises and being out of my element, so I have been chatting with previous conference attendees to get a handle on what to expect and what to bring. Best advice: bring an extra empty suitcase for the goodies and books picked up and purchased, have a...

By Sharon Lathan I'm a planner. Drives my husband insane, as he is the spontaneous type. You know, one of those get up one day, throw stuff in the car, and go type of guys. That is well and fine, as long as I know we are planning to do it several days in advance! This character trait is one reason why I am already rifling through the information for the RWA National conference in Washington DC that is 2 months from now. Frankly it is driving me insane that it is still a whole two months away. That is AGES from now! I suppose that means that the other reason I am already studying the scheduled workshops and speakers is because I am impatient. But I can’t help it! I am giddy with excitement. You see, this is my first conference - ever. I always wanted to go to one of the numerous nursing conferences that are held all over the place. I have thought of it for years, but for some reason I never took the plunge. Part of that may be that no matter how much I adore my chosen field, attendi...

By Robin Kaye The Romantic Times Convention was the perfect time to launch Too Hot To Handle ! Since not everyone was able to attend RT, I’m hosting a virtual launch party. Join the fun and have a cyber-toast with me. Everyone who comments today and tomorrow will be entered into a drawing for two signed copies of Too Hot To Handle. Two winners will be picked from those who comment. The contest ends at 11:59 PM EST May 2, 2009. Dr. Mike Flynn sure would LOVE to have a woman to take care of…To Dr. Mike, there’s nothing like vacuuming or doing a few dishes to help a guy relax. Annabelle Ronaldi would never cook if she could order takeout. When they meet at her sister’s wedding, Mike is sure this is the woman he wants to take care of forever. While Mike sets to work wooing Annabelle, she becomes determined to sniff out the truth of the convoluted family secret that’s going to turn both their lives upside down… Too Hot to Handle is the second of my Domestic Gods series. I thought the thril...

I’m sitting in the sun in Orlando working at the Romantic Times Convention while ducks walk under the tables looking for scraps and the Ellora’s Cave cavemen strut by looking yummy. It’s difficult to concentrate, so forgive me if I pause every now and then to fan myself. Too Hot to Handle is being released a bit early at the book signing on Saturday, April 25, 2009—which is also, as luck would have it, my birthday! What a fabulous birthday present. I’m thrilled with the wonderful reviews my newest book has received. Here are just a few to wet your appetite. Book Loons gave it a 3/3 Robin Kaye strikes gold in this follow up to her Domestic Gods series. Between Annabelle's old-fashioned Italian family's well-meaning interference and Mike's own trials and tribulations once he discovers his true roots, there are complications aplenty. Neither of their family's antics, however, detracts from Mike and Annabelle's thoroughly engaging characterizations or their love story...

Amazing. Just a couple of years ago, I would never have believed that I'd be in this picture. And yet there I was on Saturday, signing my books alongside the lovely Marie Force and Robin Kaye at the B&N in Baltimore's inner harbor (and by the way, Robin and Marie, you guys are SO much fun, and I'm so glad I got to hang out with you!). It was a little slow, since it was windy and freezing outside (and eventually, snowing), but I don't think I could ever be bored in company like that. If ever there were two women born to write witty contemporary romance, it's Marie and Robin. The laughter kept me warm. Which is good, since we were seated very near the front doors. That's me on the right, with the big smile and the frozen cleavage, shortly before I mooched Robin's scarf. Casa Babes rock even more in person. DC is going to be a blast this year! But anyway, as I sat there on Saturday, sampling our buffet of Hershey's kisses and dishing about every...