Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Once upon a time a young writer started querying her finished novel to publishers and agents. She finished two more novels, and queried those projects too. Although she got many full requests and very helpful feedback, all the rewrites in the world didn’t what she she so wanted—someone who loved her stories as much as she did. Someone who would help her make it shine bright and deliver it to the world's readers. And then one day, her dream came true! Okay so she wasn’t all that young, but the rest of the story is totally true! ;-) The person who loved my book as much as I did is fabulous editor Cat Clyne. She picked me out of the slush pile and saw something in my immortal Vikings that made her want to shape my story into a proper novel. The book had been rejected 47 times by then. I had rewritten it several times using the feedback I’d gotten from some of those rejections, but that input was very limited compared to what Cat sent me. She included a broad overview of how ...

I'm at the Romance Writers of America conference in New York City this week. I love this conference, not just because I get to catch up with friends and colleagues, but because I get to rub elbows with romance novel royalty. Nora Roberts will be there, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Lisa Kleypas, Julia Quinn, Jude Devereaux, and more... Recently the world was focused on another sort of royalty--British royalty! Princess Charlotte was christened earlier this month, and it was a royally classy affair. The baby princess What an adorable baby. She has an adorable family as well. What a lucky little girl to have a big brother who looks like he's so much fun. And the fashionable mom and dad. I absolutely adore the christening gown. And it wouldn't be a christening without a shot of all the generations. Of course, this family has a queen... The Galen household has been celebrating too. We added a new member. Sparky   And Princess Galen has now h...

Do you ever notice how some books can make you hungry? For example, I'm a fairly healthy eater, but I can't read any of Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series without craving fast food. Fries, fried chicken, pizza, cake. Stephanie Plum can pack it away! I think I gain five pounds just reading about all she eats. In my upcoming The Great Estate, the hero learns to cook. Not a typical skill for an Edwardian earl, but there it is. He makes gnocchi with sage butter to impress his estranged wife. Desperate times... You can find a similar recipe here and make it yourself, just in case you're craving gnocchi after reading (and I apologize in advance). Martha Stewart's Gnocchi with Brown Butter and Sage  The Great Estate is coming on August 4th, but you can preorder now: Amazon:  http://ow.ly/P3M9T BN:  http://ow.ly/LP1gG   iTunes:  http://ow.ly/LP1lc BAM:  http://ow.ly/P3NiR   It took nearly losing Sophia for Gabriel to realize he had allowe...

My youngest child turns 21 today. Which is no excuse for my forgetting that it's my turn to blog (oops). She's working in New York City and I won't get to see her on her special day. Bummer! But I am thinking of her. And not much else since my brain is still in a fog following the annual Romance Writer's of America conference. Elissa, then. Elissa, now. The sweet girl actually called me at her time of birth. "Hooray, I'm really 21!" And I remembered holding her for the first time all those years ago. And I remembered turning 21. It was the year I graduated from college. And got married. Same year. Which seems kind of crazy looking back, but it worked for me then. I'll celebrate my 25th wedding anniversary next year. For my daughter, it's also the year she will graduate from college-- and she wants to work in publishing! She's currently an editorial intern, a job she loves, and I hope she lands her dream job following her graduation....

I'm more than a little bit green with jealousy this week because many of my Casa Buddies are at RT and this year it's in New Orleans. But alas, my granddaughter is graduating and it just wouldn't be right for her Nene (that's pronounced Knee-Knee) not to be there to hear her salutatorian speech. But thinking about conference time and looking forward to RWA in San Antonio this year, I thought I'd welcome all y'all to my birth state...TEXAS! As you all know, Texas is not only my birth state but also my "setting" state. At least half of my books have been set in Texas...there's just something drool worthy about a Texas cowboy! Here to welcome you as you drive into the state are the blue bonnets...the Texas state flower! And if you are driving from one side of the state to the other, don't forget to reset your clocks when you go past the time zone. Driving in Texas is exhilarating with the wide open spaces but slow down, darlin', an...

By Danielle Dresser  It’s that time of year when romance authors take flight and gather together over the next few months to meet with readers, industry professionals, and other authors… yes, it’s conference season! There are so many different ways for authors to interact and meet readers and others, and Sourcebooks will be at a bunch this season: Public Library Association Conference; Indianapolis, IN Wednesday, March 12-Friday, March 14 (yes, I’m here RIGHT NOW) I’m attending my first PLA conference this year, and couldn’t be more excited. Public Librarians do a great job of getting the word out about all books, but they are also among the most romance-friendly librarians in the business. Along with some fabulous marketing and sales colleagues, we’re going to have a busy booth with signings each day, book giveaways, and a lot of fun. Chicago-North Spring Fling Conference; Hoffman Estates, IL Friday, April 25-Saturday, April 26 This is one of my f...

RWA Conference in Atlanta! Now it's over and we're all on our way home or we've already landed and staring at a blank screen. For me, it means I'm driving home, in a nice quiet car reliving the memories and looking forward to next year in San Antonio! Here are some fabulous authors arriving at the hotel!   Cheryl stole my thunder on Saturday with her wonderful post and pictures. But hey, one can never have too many memories of four wonderful days spent in the company of awesome authors. I'll will say they wouldn't let me and Cheryl sit together at the Sourcebooks dinner and now I'm banned from sitting beside Jade Lee. In a few years they will put a chair outside the door with a lap tray for me! But they did let us sit together at conference. There is a non-disclosure thing that we have to sign in blood saying we will not reveal what we were talking about! The wonderful Cathy Genna from New Jersey was awarded Bookseller of the Year and meeting her...