A Slice of Orange

I’m on the road (and occasionally in the air) with my family for almost a month, trailing my hubby around the USA as he works, plus taking some vacation time. Our journey includes 10 days meandering in the South. I’m hoping to have lots of lovely reading time…which means I need lots of lovely books!

It makes sense to read some Southern-themed novels, right? To get myself in the mood for the trip, I recently re-read To Kill a Mockingbird, which blew me away with its wonderfulness. Not one false note in that book. Somewhat more contemporary but equally Southern, I just finished Into the Corner, by Marisa Carroll, the latest in the Harlequin NASCAR series – I’m loving this series, and not just because I wrote for it!

I have In This Mountain, by Jan Karon in my suitcase…but I need more! I’m hoping to find The Goddess of Fried Okra, the new book by Jean Brashear, in a bookstore soon, plus the last two books in the current Harlequin NASCAR series, Raising the Stakes by Wendy Etherington, and Crossing the Line, by Jean Brashear, both April releases.

Anyone got any great ideas for other Southern-themed books to help me along my way?

April is just around the corner, and a few days later, the April 10th Contest Deadline.

If you are planning to enter and have your writing reviewed by the many fabulous published author volunteers, please ensure that you allow for sufficient mailing time.

Thank you to those contestants who have already submitted their entr(ies).

This is shaping up to be a fantastic contest year,

Lynn Nissen
2010 Orange Rose Contest Coordinator

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Twenty-Seventh Annual Orange Rose Contest for Unpublished Writers

NEW! Electronic Entries for RWA Members who reside outside the continental
United States

Deadline: April 10, 2010 – Limited to the first 150 entries

Enter: Synopsis and beginning of unpublished manuscript (first 55 pages maximum)

Categories:

* Contemporary Category Romance

* Erotic Romance

* Historical & Regency

* Inspirational

* Mainstream with Romantic Elements

* Paranormal/Time Travel/Fantasy

* Romantic Suspense

* Single Title Romance (over 70,000 words)

Fees: OCCRWA Members: $25.00, Other RWA Members: $35.00

First Round Judges: 3 published authors

Top ten finalists will be announced July 10, 2010 and are chosen by their

overall score, NOT by category.

Finalist manuscripts are judged by two editors who acquire in the appropriate category for the finalist entry(ies) and are selected AFTER the finalists are determined.

The final round editor/judges in 2009 were:

* Beth Adams, Guidepost Books

* Alicia Condon, Dorchester

* Selina McLemore, Grand Central

* Talia Platz, NAL

* Danielle Poiesz, Pocket Books

* Emily Rodmell, Steeple Hill

* Diana Ventimiglia, Harlequin

* Deb Werksman, Sourcebooks

* Adam Wilson, MIRA/HQN

Cash prizes: 1st – $100, 2nd – $75, 3rd – $50, 4th – $25

Rules/Entry Form and Sample Score Sheet: http://www.occrwa.org/orangerose.html
Questions: Contest Coordinator: Lynn Nissen. Email: orangerose@occrwa.org

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Hi everyone! Check out the exciting online classes offered by the
Orange County Chapter of RWA!

“Tapping Into the Secrets Behind the Success
of Nora Roberts, Stephen King, and J.K. Rowling
and Every Best Seller and Blockbuster Film”
with Carol Hughes

April 12 to May 8, 2010

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassApril10.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members
If you have specific questions, email occrwaonlineclass@yahoo.com

ABOUT THE CLASS:

What does Nora Roberts, Stephen King, George Lucas and all of those other blockbuster creators know about writing that makes them the mega stars that they are?

Learn about the 18 scenes that every story contains, no matter its length or genre. Find out how to identify your character’s mental gender and what impact that has upon readers. Discover how your character’s arc drives your story and how your story drives your character’s arc. Learn the four throughlines of every story and how to weave them together.

Every successful story contains characters who come alive for the reader. Every successful story is built on a solid, easy-to-master, story structure that works every single time. Every successful story lives on in the hearts and minds of readers because their authors have mastered the simple secrets needed to turn them into writing super stars. And you can, too.

ABOUT THE INSTRUCTOR:

Award winning writer, poet, journalist, filmmaker Carol Hughes has a lot more in common with Jason Bourne than Matt Damon. But Matt Damon is definitely cuter. So she’s now turning her real life adventures into fictional stories – much to the consternation of former colleagues.

Enrollment Information at http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclassApr10.html
COST: $20 for OCC members, $30 for non-members

Coming in May 2010–

“Another Time, Another Place”
with Terry Blain

Historical romances should transport readers to another time and another place. This workshop will help you with the tools you need to transport your readers. The class will cover all the elements that make a historical romance historical – from how to do the research to incorporating that information into your story through the craft of writing.

http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html. Check out our full list of workshops.

Want to be notified personally two weeks before each class? Be sure
you’re signed up for our Online Class Notices Yahoo Group! Sign up at
the bottom of http://www.occrwa.org/onlineclasses.html or send a blank
email to OCCRWAOnlineClassNotices-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

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Publishing has changed since I started writing seriously back in the last century. At that time, there were a handful of big houses in New York who might buy your book, as well as a few small presses. Electronic publishing was barely a gleam in anyone’s eye. The web was in its infancy. Chats, blogs, Facebook, Twitter–an author did not have to worry about these things like she does today. Now the big publishing houses have consolidated and been bought out so many times that there are only about three corporations running the whole publishing industry in New York. Numerous small presses have come into being, as well as many electronic presses. The options for a writer to sell her work have expanded tremendously. Our market today is very different than it was back in the 1990’s. And yet it seems to be getting harder and harder to sell that first book.

But one thing has not changed. Even with the advent of new technologies, shrinking markets and increased expectations for authors, the single most important thing a writer can bring to the table is perserverance.

In order to get your work published, you must write. The more you write, the more you hone your craft. You must keep striving towards your goal, attending classes and conferences, getting feedback on your writing, constantly making it better. And you must submit.

Some truths about publishing:

• If you submit your work, you may well get rejected
• If you do not submit, you will never get published.
• If you stop submitting–if you give up–you will never get published.

Getting published requires the writer to be in the right place at the right time with the right manuscript. That may seem a tricky proposition, but it has happened over and over again in this business. I know writers who sold almost immediately. Other writers, like me, who sold after only a few years. And I know still others who took ten, twelve, twenty years to make that first sale.

What if the writer who sold after twenty years had given up after ten years of trying? She would never have realized her dream.

I know sometimes it may seem impossible. Insurmountable even. But if you have faith in your own abilities and keep trying, you will create the best opportunities for eventually selling your work. Perservere, and success is sure to follow.

Linda McLaughlin and I went to EPICon in New Orleans the first week of March. I had the best time. It was really the first time I had been to New Orleans. When the RWA conferences were there, I was unable to attend.

Linda told you about our first day and our plantation tours. There was a tremendous amount of walking and I don’t walk so well. I took my walker and my cane with me, which worked out well. At Oak Alley I scared one of the women who worked there since I insisted upon going upstairs, cane and all. I could tell she knew I was going to fall down the stairs and sue. I didn’t. Falling down stairs doesn’t seem the best thing to do.

We spent lots of time in the French Quarter. It was right across from our hotel. One of you daughter-in-laws wanted voodoo stuff. That was easier said than done. I found some, but it was quite a bit of walking to find anything. The doors to many of the shops in the French Quarter are very narrow. I had to fold up the walker to get in the door.

The conference was fun. It is a small conference, so I had a chance to talk to almost everyone there. I sat with one of my publishers at the awards banquet.

Linda and I gave a workshop on writing and researching historical novels. It went well except for the fact that the only microphone was attached to the podium and we were sitting at a table. The microphone wouldn’t come off, so we talked loud. For me, that is no problem. Linda ended up with no voice.

I am still having trouble getting back into my normal routine and haven’t done much writing since I returned. Hopefully, that will get better.