Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

OK, seriously this is the most awesome day! Yes, I am celebrating the launch of my latest novel - and that alone is super - but to be with my Casablanca Sisters again is FANTASTIC!! Some of you are new and may not remember me. Sharon Lathan here and even though I bid the blog adieu a year ago now to focus on my new group blog Austen Authors , once a Casa Babe always a Casa Babe! I joined this amazing fellowship of Sourcebooks published romance novelists way back in the autumn of 2008. I wasn’t one of the original group but close to it. Terry, Linda, Marie Force, Loucinda McGary, Mary Margaret, Amelia, Cheryl, and Robin welcomed me with virtual open arms. Judi joined the merry band at the same time as me, remember Judi? It was my first experience with a group blog and as part of a fellowship of authors. I could go on and on recounting the fun we had and sharing how difficult it was for me to say good-bye. All of that can be read by searching through the archives.  Today I am not h...

One day in July 2008 I walked into the lobby of the Marriott in San Francisco and encountered something terrifying. Hitting me like a shockwave was the cacophony of hundreds of voices coming from the hundreds of women gathered in one place to celebrate the romance novel. It was the Romance Writers of America National Conference and this non-RWA member was in town to meet her publicist and editor for the first time. My debut novel was scheduled for release some eight months in the future and up to that moment I had never spoken with another author let alone actually met one. I was absolutely terrified. By the end of the next day I not only had met my editor and publicist, the amazing Deb Werksman and Danielle Jackson respectively, but also my publisher Dominique Raccah - that being a breathtaking surprise I never anticipated. Adding to the surprises in store for me was the wonder of community among romance novelists (I joined the RWA immediately upon returning home), the feeling of be...

"They are all of one mind, their hearts are set upon song, and their spirit is free from care. He (she) is happy whom the Muses love. For though man (woman) has sorrow and 
grief in his soul, when the Muses sing, at once he forgets his dark thoughts 
and remembers not his troubles. Such is the holy gift of the Muses." Hesiod Once upon a time it was a universal belief that creativity in the areas of art, poetry, philosophy, music, dancing, writing, science, and history was inspired by the goddesses known as the Muses. Greek mythology originally referred to three goddesses born to Zeus and Mnemosyne, the goddess of memory, but very early on the number was increased to nine. Legends vary, as legends always do, but the existence of the Muses was part of oral history for centuries before the Greeks indelibly immortalized them in poetry and written myths. According to the prevailing legends, the muses were brought to life to make the world disremember the evil, relieve t...

Two guys walked into a bar , no wait, it’s a priest and a rabbi entered a bar , um, no that’s a cop and a monkey are in a car and the monkey says, um… OK, I can’t remember jokes for the life of me. Five minutes after the punch line I would be hard pressed to retell the joke to someone else, and if I did remember how it went I would not be able to deliver it right. Guess I am just not a funny gal. Sarcastic, yes, and witty at times, but not funny. Some people are born with the gift. My sister’s second husband could have made millions as a stand up comedian. He was, hand’s down, the funniest person I have ever known. Watching a B-movie with him was a hysterical experience! He had the gift. His son, my nephew, inherited that gift and is almost as funny as his dad. One thing I learned hanging around with the jokesters of our family is not only will you have a great time, but everyone becomes funny! It is like the funny-aura oozes out and infects those surrounding until we are all bursting...

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...

Yes indeed! The third novel in my Darcy Saga series published by Sourcebooks is now available! Whoo Hoo!! This makes 3 releases in 10 months – talk about crazy! But Oh So Much Fun! And all along I have been able to share the joy with my fellow CasaBabes and our loyal fans. What a tremendous honor. My author’s copies arrived and the shouts of joy were surely heard several houses away. Here I am holding my newest baby. Ah, how sweet! Truly, there is nothing quite like seeing the completely finished product for the first time. I love this photo of all three of them together. Absolutely stunning! My Dearest Mr. Darcy follows immediately in line with Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy and Loving Mr. Darcy . These three books leisurely cover one year of marriage for Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth Darcy of Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice.” The novels are meant to be read in sequence, as a series, so no matter how intriguing this one may sound to you, I urge you to read the first one instead. T...

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...

All together now: AWESOME! Yep indeedy, the day has finally arrived. That date we authors circle on the calendar in bright red felt-ink months in advance. Then we watch it c-r-e-e-e-e-e-p Oh-so gradually until … BAM! … We are hit with guest blogs, interviews, reviews, more guest blogs, launch parties, book signings, and a dozen more guest blogs until our head explodes! Yet none of the craziness takes away from the joy of seeing your book on a shelf and hearing from fans when they get their pre-orders. My author’s copies arrived yesterday - *insert hysterical screaming and giddy dancing here* - and the emails started the day before: “I got my copy today from Barnes & Noble in Clifton, NJ. They had to go get it from the back because they hadn't unpa cked it yet! Will start reading it tonight!” “It is already on the shelves in 2 Barnes & Nobles in Cincinnati!” “My book arrived today. It looks fabulous!!” “My copy has arrived - and is gorgeous!!” “Saw it at B&N at Por...

by Sharon Lathan Studying a past place or era is a challenge to be sure, but also lots of fun. One has to immerse into the atmosphere as much as possible. Luckily for those of us who write in the Regency – that 9 year span of time encompassed by the far longer Georgian Era – we have hundreds of website resources to help us get it right. Everything from the clothing to the language to the lifestyle to the places and more can be found somewhere if you dig far enough. My newest novel, Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley , does as the subtitle implies; that is, takes the reader away from the confines of their honeymoon country Manor house to the broader world of England. My first chore was to tackle learning about London of the day. May sound tough, but it really wasn’t. This city – simply called “Town” - was the European hub for the Industrial Revolution. She was a city on the move, and because of that and so many other realities, life in Town was thrilling. And it was wonder...

The day before I flew off to DC for the RWA National Conference, our wonderful and adorable publicist Danielle Jackson sent me the preliminary list of websites that have agreed to host me for blogs or interviews as part of the “Loving Mr. Darcy: Journeys Beyond Pemberley” launch. The official date of release is September 1, but as we all know, the blog blitz virtual tour begins several weeks prior! I thanked Danielle, but also told her that, all things considered, I refused to more than glance at the list until after the conference and family vacations were over! Well, the time has come and I can no longer find excuses to procrastinate. Well, I could – LOL – but I shall attempt to be a responsible, good little author and start writing my blogs ASAP so I shan’t be doing what I am doing at this very second, i.e. writing my essay some six hours before it is due to post! Ha!! I have thought a great deal on the themes for the bulk of my blogs when “Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy” was rele...

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...

I was all set to write up today’s blog on the Lathan summer vacation plans. I had the first paragraph written in my head and was going to open it up for folks to talk about their favorite holiday spots. But then I came home from teaching the preschoolers at church, a typical Sunday morning of no special significance, and discovered sitting on my desk the carnations you see in this photo with a card that says: “Just thinking about you and how much I love us.” Inside my husband wrote: “I could say these flowers and this card are for no special occasion, but that would be a lie. You’re my heart’s constant thought. XXOO, Steve” OK, say aah! Yes, he is a really wonderful guy and I know I am incredibly blessed. And yes I could brag on and on about how often he expresses his love with similar gestures. He would LOVE to hear you all praise his thoughtfulness! LOL! It is entirely true and I do not have to exaggerate in how marvelously romantic my own Mr. Darcy is. But I am not writing this to b...

Loving Mr. Darcy ~ Journeys Beyond Pemberley will not be released until September – and that seems so far away still – but as we know in the publishing world, stuff starts happening way before the actual release date! So while my head has been wrapped up in finishing my fourth novel in the Darcy Saga series, almost to the point where I had forgotten that September was creeping upon me, it was wonderful to receive the printed pages of Loving Mr. Darcy yesterday. Naturally I was thrilled and not in the least surprised to see that the Sourcebooks crew had marvelously put the chapters together. Opening the PDF and seeing my title page was enough to give me sweet tingles of happiness! I am proud of all my books, of the life I have given to Fitzwilliam and Elizabeth, but I have always felt that this second installment is where the tale takes flight. Mr. and Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy centered almost exclusively on the newlywed couple. This was on purpose, of course, and they are forever the...