Sourcebooks Casablanca Romance Authors

Every year I set goals. For the past couple of years one of them has been to come up with a Christmas themed story. After three years I still have nothing. Zip. Nada. Not a hint of an idea. I can get ideas from the weirdest of places. I was talking to a friend about good names for heroes and she mentioned her grandfather’s unusual name. I got a whole story in about 10 seconds. Mad scribbling ensued and the idea is pinned to my board. The most recent ads for the Western Australian Opera  were very inspirational (not that I’ve written that story yet either). A conversation on a plane about ménages and what made them work or not (in our opinion) triggered another story (which is now on my pile to polish up). However Christmas is eluding me. I see all the Christmas stories and the novella anthologies coming out. I like reading them. I love A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I loved the Doctor Who version with the flying fish in the fog (it’s awesome even if you don’t ...

What would be the most common question I receive as a writer? No, it's not, "I have this great idea for a book, if you'd help me finish it I could share some of my royalties with you." That is the most common, but it usually comes as a statement not a question. So that doesn't count, even when paired up with, "I have this book I've been working on for 'xxx' decades, would you mind looking it over?" This, while it is an interrogative, has its total diluted by the statement form of the same thought. No, the most common question I receive is the dreaded, "Where do you get your ideas?" This is especially prevalent whenever I release a new book. In the next week or so, book #2 of my contemporary Angelo's Hearth series will be out. (#1 Where Dreams Are Born [note the post title above], #2 Where Dreams Reside). So, right now, I'm hearing this question a lot. Now, I've heard some great answers to that one. "I keep th...

By Robin Kaye Last April, I was at the Washington Romance Writers Retreat and I heard P.C. Cast talking about her writers’ journey. She’s had one heck of a trip and has since become one of my heroes. But that’s a story for another blog. One of the many things that made a huge impression on me was when P.C. spoke about her dream board. P.C. Cast put all her dreams on a poster board and looked at it often. The day she hit the USA Today Best Sellers List, she thought to herself that when she hit the NY Times list, she’d have to make a new dream board because she would have accomplished all the dreams she put on it. P.C. took another look at her dream board and realized that she’d put the USA Today List, not that NY Times List! It was time for P.C. Cast to make a new dream board. I went right home and started on my very own dream board because, like P.C. Cast, I want to achieve my dreams. I want to see my book on the NY Times List, to vacation at the beach, take my kids to Europe, move ba...

I'm gearing up for the blog tour for Wild Blue Under which releases November 1, but I'm already working months ahead. That's how it works in this business; something you wrote months ago hits the shelves while you're writing to your next deadline. I'm thrilled to say that I have a next deadline! :) My big news of the week was that I accepted an offer to write another series, this one about genies. Still the same tongue-in-cheek, light-hearted paranormal tone, but think I Dream of Jeannie meets Indiana Jones . I have half of the first story done and I have to say I'm having as much fun with this story as I did with the Mer ones, though it was hard to leave Mariana (Reel, Rod, and Angel's sister) treading water in the South Pacific. She's got her story to tell and I'm working on that one around the contracted stories, so here's hoping there are more underwater tales to come. People ask me where I get my ideas and what happens if I run out. Hopef...

by Danielle Jackson In light of our little focus on pitching—I thought I’d talk about what essentially I do all day: PITCH YOUR BOOKS! Really, I do! I’m presenting your books to reviewers, bloggers, etc., making sure they know what makes your books special and different and worth reading. And that’s what I do. I try to pick out that one thing that makes your book special, so whether it’s humanoids with interesting capabilities in the bedroom or a Navy SEAL with a heart of gold, I’m going to hone in on that unique trait, and expand on that! Now of course, that doesn’t always work the first time around. Generally, I write more than one pitch for every book—some only need one—but others need different angles for the various intended audiences. For example, let’s take Sharon ’s book: Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy . Now Sharon , don’t think I’m singling you out for any reason—your book just lends itself easily to this demonstration. Sharon ’s book is great bec...

Blogging has become something we're all used to now- but I know not so long ago, there were some of us that hadn't the slightest inclination to write something for literally the whole world to see, and for the purpose of promoting, of all things, romance novels... But surprisingly, blogs, author interviews, character q&a's, etc. have become an ideal, easy and CHEAP way to connect with your readers. Not only are readers given an opportunity to find out random, interesting facts about their favorite authors, but they also get to see yet another aspect of your profession of author. I think that blogging bridges a gap that's often between readers and authors- so often as a reader, I find myself wondering about the stranger who wrote the literature I'm enjoying. The offbeat anecdotes or heartwarming mentions of family that come up in these blogs make authors seem hum- a far cry from the superhero writing machines that churn out books every season. As your publicist, ...