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Writers and Events

May 6, 2012 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , , , ,

I just returned home a couple of days ago from a trip east–to two wonderful writers’ events.
One was Malice Domestic, in Bethesda, Maryland. It’s themed around traditional mysteries, and both authors and fans attend. There are dinners and panels and Agatha Awards and more! I was on a panel called Must Love Dogs–obviously featuring authors with pet mysteries. My wonderful co-panelists were Sparkle Abbey (two delightful women who write under one pseudonym that is–what else?–the names of their pets!), Esri Allbritten, and Neil S. Plakcy. It was really fun and we got to talk about not only our books but our dogs, too.

That was followed by the Festival of Mystery in Oakmont, Pennsylvania, which was presented by the Mystery Lovers Bookshop. It began with a library tea, followed by a massive book sales event where authors are introduced and lots of mysteries are sold. A highlight this year was the introduction of the store’s new owner. The current owners, a wonderful and dedicated couple, had gone public a couple of months ago about looking for a buyer. In these days when so many bookstores, both independents and major chains, are going out of business, I feared the worst–possibly the end of that store. But, no–they found a buyer who seems perfect! She’s a former Texas librarian and bookseller with family ties to the Pittsburgh area. She was at both the tea and the Festival meeting authors and seeing how the current owners ran the event. That makes me hopeful that not only the store, but the Festival of Mystery, will continue in the future.

For the moment, I have some time to breathe–and to write–before my next major conference, the Romance Writers of America National Conference. More minor events–well, they never stop. In fact, I’m looking forward to the Pasadena LitFest next weekend. Unfortunately it conflicts with the OCC meeting. It was rescheduled after being rained out (!) in March.

Oh, and I can’t resist mentioning that it’s May–and I’m part of Read Humaneâ„¢ this month! A new version of my first Pet Rescue Mystery BEAGLEMANIA has recently been printed with the Read Humane seal on it. Read Humane is a special program created by Penguin Group (USA) Inc., parent of Berkley Prime Crime. Penguin has made a substantial donation to the Humane Society of The United States® in support of its Animal Rescue Team, and is also shipping 50,000 books starring furry friends, both dogs and cats, which encourage readers to learn more and donate to the Humane Society and its Animal Rescue Team. Participating authors besides me include Rebecca M. Hale, Alison Pace, Miranda James and Sofie Kelly–and I’m especially excited to report that the Read Humane spokesperson is Nora Roberts.

How about you–any conferences or other exciting events in your recent past or future? Will you be attending RWA National?

Berkley Prime Crime
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Conversations with Barb and Jann

May 2, 2012 by in category Jann says . . . tagged as , , , ,

What do you read during your WIP?

Jann:   Barb, when you’re starting a new WIP, do you only read books in the genre you’re writing?
Barb:  I like to read the genre I’m writing in because it gets me in that frame of mind, that contemporary world. I especially like reading humor, which I try to write. Susan Elizabeth Phillips and Jennifer Crusie both know how to construct a laugh-out-loud scene. For category romance, our own Sandra Paul (aka Sandy Chvostal) has always tickled my funny bone. I still find myself pulling out her Reluctant Hero and Domesticating Luc to see how she incorporates animals in her stories, and Linda Johnston also, with her pet sitter and pet rescue stories.
Jann:  Totally agree. You know I’m writing a series category romance, but I read anything and everything romance–historical, paranormal, urban fantasy, contemporary. But I find it’s easier to plot when I read only series romance for at least a couple of weeks before I work on a story idea.
Barb:  Since we were discussing this subject, I asked the Orange County Chapter Pros what they read while they’re writing. Ottilia Scherschel, who writes suspense, is of like mind. She says, “I always read some suspense to get my juices flowing.” She also reads craft books, and interestingly enough, her husband’s magazine American Hunter. She likes the website artofmanliness.com for “anything a man does or ever wanted to do.”  Gotta check that one out!
 Joyce Ward also stayed within her genre when she started writing paranormals, but like you, enjoys a change of pace with other genres. Erin Pryor says, “I tend to read things that are related to whatever I’m struggling with while writing…so, if I’m working on a mystery element I’ll read full-on mysteries, if I’m working on an action scene I often turn to sci-fi/fantasy. Contemporaries for friendship and banter, 19th century novels when I’m worried about tone and manners.”
Jann:  Erin has a good idea mixing the genres to draw on their various strengths. 
  
Barb:  Now, Mary Kozlowski writes contemporaries, but loves reading Regencies. She says she can keep a pretty consistent voice, so is not affected by reading in another genre. And this reading your husband’s magazines must be catching on. She reads her husband’s VFW, American Legion and NRA mags because “they have lots of interesting articles about real heroes.”
Roy (Griff) Griffis also reads outside his genre. As he says, “I don’t want to read anything in a
similar genre to avoid contaminating my vision and voice.” Research is the focus of Dolores Else’s reading, both for accurate historical information and to get a feel for the time period. 
Jann:  I have a couple of story ideas that require substantial research, and have put them aside for awhile. What I need to be doing is “writing what I know” for now. Research can be a lot of fun, but it can be very time consuming if you’re not careful.
Barb:  I know what you mean. Been there. Researching is not writing. 
Shauna Roberts, who I know would use her time wisely, finds herself so interested in some of her background research topics that she will keep reading about them after her book is finished.  She also will read articles and how-to books on the craft of writing to reinforce her writing skills.   She reads in different genres regardless of her writing, so I assume they don’t influence her voice.  

Jann:  The Pros have some great comments, and it’s interesting to see what others do. I better get back to my WIP. Remember those goals we talked about a couple of months ago? Well, I just set one with our critique group at our last gathering that I’ve got to make.

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A Fantasy Life by Janet Quinn Cornelow

April 28, 2012 by in category A Fantasy Life by Janet Cornelow tagged as ,

Life has gotten extremely busy lately. I have an extra class to teach and of course, OCC contest entries to judge.
My book, The Kilted Governess, will be up on a Kindle and Nook with a new look next week, thanks to Lex Valentine. She made me the new cover. 
Eirica MacDougall’s ailing father promises her in marriage to a line of suitors who want her farm and are willing to overlook “the incident” that ruined her reputation at sixteen.  Also, her father hires Duncan MacKinnon as governess to her young sister and he steals Eirica’s heart. 
Then her father dies and the suitors become more adamant that she chose one.  Duncan steps in to help her run the farm.  But someone wants her inheritance and threatens her family. She must convince him to marry her to save her from the suitors. Duncan, having nothing to offer but his love, refuses. Then he must save her reputation and her life.
My youngest son, Rob, who some of you know, is going to be a father in September. They are having a little boy and for the moment, they are going to name him Elijah. Of course, they may be changing their minds before then.
My granddaughter turns one the end of next week. The time goes by so fast.
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Things That Make Me Go Mmmruh!

April 8, 2012 by in category Columns tagged as
If a Blog Fell in the Forest…
“Just as long as we have we!” – Dr. Seuss and Albert Hague
In OCC lurks great power, but we do not harness it, nor do we wield it.
We have 175 members, 110 published authors, and myriad experts on everything from computer technostuff to cover design to contracts to self-publishing. And what makes the whole of OCC so much stronger than the sum of these amazing parts? Our interconnectedness, our willingness to share and communicate. So…our A Slice of Orange Blog should rock much more than it does.
We have the power to make A Slice of Orange grow into a cornucopia of talent, resource, tidbits, and discussion that romance readers and writers will consume voraciously. But when many of our published authors have a book coming out, they guest blog somewhere else. And many of our experts have their own blogs, and they ask OCC members to go there to read a good blog. Can we bring some of this love home to OCC? I think we can, and when we do, A Slice of Orange will be so much mightier than the sum of its parts.
-If you have your own blog, perhaps you can pick a blog day on A Slice of Orange (Marianne Donley has the master list of available blog dates mariannedonley@gmail.com). Then, on that day, on your own blog, instead of blogging, you can have a link to A Slice of Orange where your blog will appear that day.
-If you are a published author, you can blog about your upcoming book and add charming stories. Check out Jina Bacarr’s recent Titanic blogs.
-You can feature your upcoming book and add tidbits from your personal life. Check out Janet Cornelow’s latest blog. That is the kind of stuff reader’s LOVE! To feel they KNOW an author!
-Linda O. Johnston and Monica Stoner provide insight into the life of a writer – pure gold to fledgling writers tying to get to know the biz.
-Rebecca Forster’s recent blog on characters and Barb DeLong’s conversations with Jann Audiss offer such fodder for readers and writers alike to talk about the things readers and writers love to discuss!
-Louisa Bacio’s and Kitty Bucholtz’s blogs are always choc full of info info info about everything that a writer would want to know about. Calls for Submissions, details about self publishing, reading recommendations and more and more and more…
We need more participation to make A Slice of Orange as strong as it has the potential to be. And not just writing the blogs. Do you read the blogs? Comment! Check those boxes at the bottom if you found it interesting or funny or cool or great! Do you write blogs? Comment back – get discussions going. I think it would be great if the commenters even got into discussions with each other. For instance, today Laura Drake posted a link to a great blog by Larry Brooks, Storyfix. I looked 10 minutes ago, and he had 44 comments – I want that kind of interaction on A Slice of Orange!
Are you too busy to blog? You can pitch in by reading the blogs, checking the boxes, and commenting! We can all share and build our collective strength.
Why would this be such a great thing?
-A popular blog home base where you can publicize an upcoming release could be very useful – so the bigger our readership, the better.
-If you are self published and you blog about your book on our widely read blog, the more books you will sell.
-If you are not yet published, you can fortify your profile as a potential author who can sell her or his name by showing that you are a regular blogger on a popular blog.
-If you write your own blog, having it linked to such a strong hub can only increase your readership.
-If you are writer who feels unconnected, isolated or clueless, you can tune in to read about and chat with writers who love to share.
-If you are a reader, you can peek inside the world you love so much and get a heads up about what books are coming soon from some of your favorite authors. Or you might discover new favorites.
-Anyone in OCC can blog. Send Marianne Donley a request.
-Everyone in OCC and beyond can read and comment and discuss. But it has to start with us.
We need more OCC members writing, reading, commenting, commenting back, commenting back and forth, and telling others about our blogs in order to drive A Slice of Orange to its fierce destiny!
And even though many blogs are up for only a day before the next blog goes up, remember, the blogs don’t go anywhere! You just have to scroll down and you can keep the conversation going. For my Davy Jones blog, I was commenting back and forth for 4 days, even though Kitty’s blog posted above mine on day 2. And yes, I shamelessly asked some of you to read my blog and please comment so I could light a fire under my blog, and this flurry of comments brought in 8 unsolicited comments – but I want us all to have more than 8 every time! If we check in on the blogs and scroll through and comment and keep checking and commenting back, we can really get something going.
In OCC beats the power of its incredible membership. We need to harness and wield this power for the good of our careers. Unleashing such power will also enhance the vivacity and might of the romance community of readers and writers. And gleaning power from love and from loving what we do is good for everyone.
Mmmrh!
Please, let’s discuss. Let’s make this happen. All comments, pros and cons, will be welcomed, considered and discussed! And I hope we all discuss: commenters with me and commenters with other commenters.
Where better to discuss blogging than in a blog?
-Geralyn Ruane
To check out Geralyn’s other OCC posts:
Ger’s Things That Make Me Go Mmmruh column

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Career Milestones

April 6, 2012 by in category Pets, Romance & Lots of Suspense by Linda O. Johnston tagged as , , ,

By Linda O Johnston


Every author’s writing career is different. We all share one thing in common, though. We remember our milestones.

Maybe we don’t recall exactly when each occurred, but we think about the time that we stopped telling ourselves we would like to write and instead actually began writing. We think about the first time we finished a chapter. And then a whole manuscript.

If we’re lucky enough to pursue our careers and succeed, we also recall our first publications. Our first agent. Whatever other things were meaningful to who and what we are as writers.

I’m bringing this up because I have just reached a couple of milestones. First, my new release HOUNDS ABOUND, my third Pet Rescue Mystery for Berkley Prime Crime, is my thirtieth published novel.

I also was recognized in a Harlequin newsletter for having published my fifteenth Harlequin story. They count novellas in that, so my Nocturne Bites were included, although I hadn’t added them to my novel count. I’m delighted about that, too!

I do recall some of those earlier milestones as well. I’d tried my hand at writing before but had stopped while going to law school. Even so, I kept telling my husband I wanted to write again. He finally said, “Well, write, then,” and I did–and kept going.

Of course I recall my first published fiction–a short story in Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine. I’d have remembered it anyway, but it was especially exciting since it also won the Robert L. Fish Memorial Award for best first mystery short story of the year. Plus, it was published again in an anthology.

Then there was my first published novel, A GLIMPSE OF FOREVER–a time travel romance published by Dorchester. I’ve been really sorry to hear of that company’s recent struggles.

I remember signing with my first agent, and then with the one I’ve been with for many years and adore. I recall my first Harlequin sale, my first mystery sale, and more. It’s always so much fun to revisit those times!

How about you? What are your favorite writing milestones?

Linda O Johnston’s Pet Rescue Mysteries, a spinoff from her Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery series for Berkley Prime Crime, feature Lauren Vancouver, a determined pet rescuer who runs a no-kill shelter. Of course, in this cozy mystery series, “no-kill” refers to the animals, not people! Her most recent Pet Rescue Mystery is  HOUNDS ABOUND , an April 2012 release.

Visit Linda at www.LindaOJohnston.com  or KillerHobbies.blogspot.com



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