Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Launch parties are so much fun and now it’s my turn to celebrate the release of Hex in High Heels. It was a given I’d write Blair’s story after writing Stasi’s story in Wicked by Any Other Name . All I can say is it was a total blast to write. So what did I have? A sassy witch gifted in revenge spells. How I’d love having someone like that in my friendship circle! A sexy carpenter (I’d have such a to-do list for him around the house!) that could repair things around the house one day and I could take him to the dog park the next. A small town filled with friends and elves from Hades. Hm, wait a minute? Elves from Hades? Not literally from Hades, but considering they weren’t the cute Santa type, you’d have to wonder just where they did come from. And Jake’s mother pads into town. Let’s just say there’s no warm and fuzzies with that Were mom. No wonder Blair asked Jake if he couldn’t have been adopted. So we have a variety of characters, Fluff and Puff finding a unique way to stay in Moo

Abigail did a beautiful job on hosting my interview at All Things Urban Fantasy and I don't want to disappoint her with a no-showing of commenters....so if anyone has a chance, run by there and comment for another free chance at a book!!! I feel like Santa Claus in a wolf suit. :) http://allthingsurbanfantasy.blogspot.com/2009/09/interview-giveaway-terry-spear-to-tempt.html I'll also be at Dawn Thompson's blog on Oct 2, http://www.terry-spear.blogspot.com/ (I'll post the link here on Friday) and I'll be giving another book away during Bitten by Books October celebration. Again, I'll post the link on my blog. To get with the coming times, since October is nearly here...here's a post of a couple of wolves enjoying a pumpkin treat. :) I was told my werewolves could not eat chocolate. As wolves, probably not. As werewolves in their human form, genetically they are humans. So sure. As women we know what it's like not to have chocolate when we want it, like

by Sharon Lathan I had several ideas of what I was going to blog about this time around, but before I could decide on one and begin writing they were pushed out of my mind. The reason is a tragic one: My mom lost a nearly 20-year battle with numerous illnesses this past Friday. Some of you may recall that we almost lost our mom in July, prompting my entire family to drive 18 hours to New Mexico from our home base in California. My brother and his family did the same, coming from Florida. By God’s divine grace and mercy, mom fought off death once again. It gave us a chance to spend time with her in a positive atmosphere. We all knew it was more than likely our last visit, but anyone who has lost a loved one knows that even after a long illness, it is still a shock. So, I hope I am forgiven for not writing a humorous or enlightening essay. Instead, please allow me to dedicate this column to the woman who raised me, most of the time single-handedly. She was beautiful, loving, cheerful, br

posted by Loucinda McGary aka Aunty Cindy Ahoy Land Lubbers! Aunty isn't really here today, I'm cruising the high seas somewhere off the west coast of Mexico. But I didn't want to miss my turn on the blog, and I definitely didn't want you all to miss ME . So I'm writing this right before I leave and will try to check in whenever we are on land. Yes, the ship has internet but it is pricey and reception is spotty, whereas I know this place in Puerto Vallarta that gives you internet access AND a couple of Coronas. ARRIBA! Back in August, our lovely editor, Deb Werksman posted a blog about writers having a 'career arc.' She wisely advised writers who submitted to her to have a plan about their chosen sub-genre and their books' places within it. This got Aunty to thinking (always a dangerous proposition) ... What kind of advice had I or any of the other CasaBabes received back in the days when we were newbie-writers? What pearls would we pass along now to oth

Well, it is Saturday (yea!) and around the nation, colleges are holding pre-football pep rallies and tailgate parties. So how about a pep rally for Sourcebooks? I have lots of reasons to love Sourcebooks— with 'They bought HEALING LUKE' right at the top! (LOL) But I was recently reminded again of what a great publisher I write for when the Rita Contest, sponsored by Romance Writers of America, opened for submissions. I've been fortunate enough to have five books out in print this year, all of them eligible for the prestigious Rita. (Think Academy Awards of romance books.) But to enter the contest, the author must plunk down a $40 (for RWA members) registration fee and send five copies of the entered book. (Fee + cost of books + postage on books = mega moola) Sure, it is pricey, but for me it is worth it. Finaling in the Rita would be a tremendous honor. In past years, I've had one, maybe two, books to enter. This year ... five! Now I'm not going to tell one of my b

You know you have to do it. If readers aren’t aware of your book’s existence, they aren’t going to buy it. If you don’t know that, you must be dreaming or have a huge fan base to buy your books and do all the selling for you by word of mouth. Yeah, that doesn’t usually happen. Even if you’re with a large publishing house, you’ll be expected to make the occasional public appearance. The bottom line is: if your books don’t sell well, your publisher might not love you anymore. If your publisher doesn’t love you anymore, someone else’s books will be published instead of yours. It’s not like they’ll go under without you or that there aren’t several other authors waiting to step into your shoes. Unless you’re a big deal and you’re publisher loves you for your name, alone, you need to promote your books. Now, what about the new or relatively unknown author? They need to promote their books even harder. Their budget for promotion may be very limited so they have to find venues that a

I spend a lot of time online. We talked about that here recently, and I confessed that I am often overwhelmed by the number of memberships I have: Facebook, Myspace, etc. I'm not very organized at the best of times. Though I always start out with the best of intentions, I invariably fall far short of my organizational goals, and the proliferation of online contacts leaves me... overwhelmed. But I don't know what I would do now without the internet. In a relatively short time it has affected every single area of my life. Apart from medical science and its advancements, I think the most amazing inventions of the last century are the combustion engine (cars), television and the personal computer and internet. So... what did I used to do before going to my computer first thing in the morning to check my email, etcetera, etcetera and spend the rest of the day there? Well, I used to drink a cup of morning coffee while reading the newspaper, the newspaper to which I no longer subscri

I find it amazing that anyone can come up with a tagline like that just from reading a synopsis that isn't even very accurate. If you're like me, it's not over til it's over and the synopsis that I start out with is NOT the one that gets handed in with the finished manuscript. Still, this is the gist of the relationship between Trag and Micayla. And, yes, sports fans, there is a FEMALE Zetithian in this one, and Trag (that engaging other brother in Rogue ) is her Hero. I won't tell you what else he does because that would be too much of a spoiler, but trust me, he's a hero in the truest sense of the word. Harrison Ford's heroes are like that. Just regular guys in extraordinary circumstances who rise to the occasion. I remember in one lesser known and poorly reviewed movie called Hanover Street , Ford plays an American pilot who rescues the husband of his lover, an English nurse. At one point, the husband, played by Christopher Plummer, remarks that Ford is

I was cleaning out my bookshelves and that’s not easy at all since I have so many keeper books. Many written and signed by friends and others that I’m loathe to give up. For me, it’s a story I can read over and over again. Some years ago I picked up a romantic suspense, Ring of Fear by Anne McCaffrey. This was entirely different from her fantasy novels and has a hero in there that any reader will lust over. Finding a second copy wasn’t easy, but I finally did. It’s one I still read from time to time. I highly recommend this for anyone who loves romantic suspense. And there’s a set of time travel novels by June Lund Shiplett Journey to Yesterday and Return to Yesterday. There’s something about the strength of the heroine thrust into the past and how she handles it. My keepers cover all the genres, some are signed, others aren’t, but they’re all books I can reread and find something new there. Or a book that gives you that feel good read. I know if I want to grab a book at the last minut

by Libby Malin www.LibbysBooks.com I find it hard to read while I'm writing. I'm too afraid what I read will influence what I write. Because I'm writing a lot, this is a problem! I just finished edits on my next Sourcebooks release ( My Own Personal Soap Opera ), and am continuing to work on another humorous women's fiction proposal. So, for reading pleasure, I often turn to novels outside the genres in which I write. Luckily, I'm a pretty eclectic reader, so this means I have lots to choose from. Lately, I've been exploring authors I loved as a girl. So when I was given a book gift card in August, one of my selections was F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Crack Up , a collection of essays, notes, and letters about Fitzgerald's life, particularly after he rocketed to fame and fortune as an author and careened down the corresponding slope when alcoholism gripped him and madness ensnared his wife Zelda. It's about the only bit of his writing I'd never r

As I was mulling over ideas for this blog post (and watching Deathtrap with the family), I came across a story online that gave me my idea. Guiding Light has been cancelled. Now for those of you who have watched the soap, this (obviously) comes as no surprise, since today was the last episode. But I've been in my writing cave for a while and missed this announcement. I haven't watched GL in a few years but became hooked way back in college. The East Halls dorms at Penn State only got CBS in the rooms (this would be in the days when rabbit ears were all the rage,and Luke & Laura's wedding was broadcast in the common room in all its standing-room only glory). Anyhow, my roommate and her twin (who lived upstairs with another friend of mine) were hooked on Guiding Light and since it was the only channel, I got hooked along with them. From 1988 until somewhere in the mid 90s I watched Guiding Light and saw Reva through too many husbands/lovers to count. Josh too. Billy &

By Robin Kaye My youngest daughter was born with a very rare genetic disorder (she’s one in a million in more ways than just one.) It took us over a month for her to be diagnosed. My husband and I spent the first three years of Isabelle’s life trying desperately to keep her alive. During that time, it seemed as if there wasn’t a week that went by when we weren’t rushing her to the hospital with pneumonia, 106 degree fever, or seizures. She had five operations between the ages of 6 months and 2 years. Between Isabelle and my other two children (a 4-year-old and 18 month-old), I don’t think I slept a full night in all that time. Before Isabelle was born, I read everything I could get my hands on and I admit to being somewhat of a literary snob. I had eclectic tastes, but I always made it a point to read all of the Oprah books. After I had Izzy, I realized that the Oprah books were, more often than not, depressing. My life was depressing enough. I didn’t need to read about the nasty reali

Since this is the last BIG day of my tour....I'm ready to celebrate, so one lucky commenter can have their pick of To Tempt the Wolf or a book on the backlist! :) Just comment on the question below or ask me a question! I’ve been having a blast on the SciFi Guy’s blog since yesterday, and one thing is fun is seeing comments from folks from all over. One was from Italy and I was delighted! But I have to say that no matter where we’re from, readers unite and love to read many of the same works. Doug had a great idea about asking commenters to either ask me a question, which I love because it gives me something new to talk about, or he asked that folks explain what color of coat would readers prefer as a werewolf and why? Now that’s been intriguing. :) And you know what? We’ve just about got a super sized werewolf pack formed with all kinds of interesting variety!! So if you’d like to stop by and join in on the fun, please do! The contest give-away doesn’t end until Tuesday, Septembe

by Deb Werksman Many times at conferences I hear other editors and agents talk about looking for a "fresh, new voice" or a "strong voice." I've never looked for "voice" myself, because it's too nebulous a term, and "I'll know it when I see it" has never struck me as a particularly useful guideline. I have come to the conclusion that "voice" is actually a code word for several other things: 1) The quality of the writing. The strongest writing is distinctive and memorable--it leaves whole passages in the reader's head and heart after you've finished reading. Examples: After reading a Carolyn Brown cowboy romance my inner voice has a West Texas accent (REALLY incongruous for this East Coast big city girl) . There are entire passages of Georgette Heyer that I can practically recite by heart--two of my instant favorites are in The Foundling when Lord Lionel goes to his son Gideon's and excoriates his so

Just twelve days ago I was here celebrating the release of my second book – Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley . At the time I was up to my eyeballs in blogging appointments all over the web, loving the fun interaction and chance to chat with old and new readers, and feeling the rush of adrenaline coursing through my veins. I am a multi-published author!! Sorry, just had to shout it out one more time. Now, a mere 12 days later, the blog appointments are nearly over. Today I am double-timing it between my normally scheduled day with the CasaBabes and our faithful readers, and A Bibliophile’s Bookshelf – where I am chatting about my secondary characters, so come on over to comment and maybe win copies of my books! On Friday my final blog tour engagement will be at A Lovestruck Novice with an interview. Whew! I am definitely happy to see the light at the end of the very successful touring tunnel. And also happy to report that the adrenaline is steadily at therapeutic levels! M

posted by Aunty Cindy aka Loucinda McGary September 14th is a day of celebration for me. It's like Christmas, only better! You see, two years ago today, September 14, 2007 was a life altering day for me. That was the day I received THE CALL! The day I went from an As Yet Unpublished writer to a Soon To Be Published author, and my life has never been quite the same, in the best ways possible. Has it really only been two years?!?! So much has happened on this exciting journey that sometimes I still have to pinch myself to make sure I'm not dreaming. Only two short years ago, I was struggling with the doubt demons and wondering if I would ever see a book of mine on the shelf. Today I am a multi-published author! GAH! I still can't quite believe it. Yesterday, I celebrated with my second In-Person Launch Party! About thirty-five friends and RWA chapter mates showed up for pizza, cake, and a lot of laughs. Some of them brought as many as ten books for me to sign, citing them as

The last few days, I've been feeling pulled in many different directions. I think it is the fate of any working mom. To make sure I get the most important things done, I often make lists. But what is the most important thing? As a mom, the most important thing to me is my family. Your kids are only young for a little while. My son will leave home in a few years, so taking care of him and being involved in his activities is a focus of my life now. I don't want to miss his youth. But someone else will say, the most important thing is your marriage because once the kids leave home, your spouse is the person you will grow old with. Nurture your marriage. So okay, set aside some time for the kid's activities but also set aside time for the husband. Check. But I'm also an author. My job is important to me. I have commitments with more than one publisher. Other writers will tell you, the most important thing about being a writer is to keep writing, keep putting out quality boo

Or Loving the Supernatural... and Barbie ! Hi everyone. I'm paranormal author Linda Thomas-Sundstrom, and I can't tell you how happy I am to have been asked to join you all this morning, especially since I have a couple of pals with Sourcebooks. Linda W (with the funny slippers), and Judi F, my American Title 3 sista, with her Mer folks (Hi you guys!) So, okay. I wave hello, then I blog. I thought I'd tell you a little about myself first, then hope you'll chat with me about the paranormal, and writing it in as many ways as possible. That is, writing both dark and light supernatural stuff, at once. As in at the same time. Because in my book, that's called "sanity." First of all, "Paranormal" is my middle name. It's true. I have never written anything that isn't paranormal. Ever. Way back when I started trying to get published (we won't mention the year, though I'm not that old), paranormal wasn't in vogue. Though all sorts of e

What do my husband, family and friends think of my writing? This is a question I get frequently in interviews, probably because I write erotic romance. Since I believe in being completely honest (or joking around if I can’t be) I’ll give you the surprising truth. My husband tells me I’m the coolest wife ever. Okay, that’s not so surprising. At first he wasn’t very supportive, thinking this was just another “pipe dream.” But eventually he realized that this writing thing made me happy and I was working my fingers to the bone to succeed. Now he’s a big fan and wants to read all my work as soon as it’s finished. I’m glad I didn’t let his earlier feelings discourage me! He says he even tells the guys at work about it now. They all think I’m the coolest wife ever too. One guy said, “Let’s compare wives. Accountant? Erotica writer? You win.” My daughter vacillates between being proud of me and refusing to acknowledge I’m her mother. “Just don’t tell my friends,” she says. Okay, I

Hello Everyone! The September authors are wrapping up their extensive blog tours, the October authors getting ready for theirs, and I just sent the November authors their tours. Sufficed to say, our authors are saturating the book blogging community! And that’s a good thing! As I’ve mentioned to all of you before, guest blogging has become the newest and easiest way to connect with readers. Yes, it’s a lot of work and yes, it’s hard to come up with topics and yes, it can be totally annoying—but I’ve had many a conversation with industry professionals (including booksellers) who think it’s really great and proactive that our authors are out there talking about their books. So, I’ve put together some tips and info that I think everyone will benefit from! 1) Give Good Blog : Keep your blogs at a conversational length—I think a good length to aim for is 750-800 words, but in general blogs are around 500-1000 words. Anything less than 500 looks like you’re lazy and anything more than 1000