A Slice of Orange

Home

President’s Message

MEETING MEMBERS AT NATIONAL CONFERENCE

by OCC Co-President Sandy Novy-Chvostal

Opportunity–Creativity–Community. OCC embodies them all.

Opportunity, in all areas of your writing life, is something all OCC Boards work hard to provide. Creativity comes from within. Community, however, can only be achieved by reaching out and connecting with your fellow members.

The perfect opportunity to do so with both new and old, local and long-distance members, is at National Conference. Once again OCC will be hosting a Hospitality Suite and once again Michelle Thorne — past RWA Bookseller of the year, past OCC president and longtime member — will be serving as our Conference Coordinator and Suite Hostess.

Our scheduled Suite Events include the Book Buyers Best Awards, celebrated with a Chocolate and Champagne Party on Wednesday night. We will also be hosting the first annual Presidentsâ€™ Tea on Thursday, and a â€œSalonâ€ following the RITA/ Golden Heart Awards Ceremony. (For dates and times, please see page 4).

If you are a published member and will be signing at the literary event, please contact Michelle at agreatreadoccrwa@aol.com to be included in any plans concerning that activity.

This year, Michelle is also planning to capture as many OCC members as possible in â€œPostcard Podcastsâ€ to be used up on our website throughout the year. So check in with Michelle at the Suite to participate in that project.

And most of all, donâ€™t hesitate to use the Suite to sit down and relax, to put your feet up in between lectures and take the time to chat with your fellow writers. Writing is basically a solitary profession, but even so, you donâ€™t always need to go it alone.

Happy Writing,

Sandy

Sandy Novy-Chvostal (aka Sandra Paul) has a degree in journalism, but prefers to write from the heart. She is married to her high school sweetheart and they have three children, three cats, and one overgrown “puppy.” Her 2006 Silhouette Romance DOMESTICATING LUC is a finalist in this year’s RITA Awards.

0 0 Read more

CyberTalk

July 4, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as CyberTalk

with Gina Black

Maybe I should title retitle my monthly column CyberTrek because once again I’m sending you all out into the internet, mice in hand. It’s the easiest way to travel. No standing in line. No exorbitant fares. No nasty airplane food. And lots and lots of good info.

Everybody got their coffee? Good. Let’s go.

First stop: Claire Delacroix’s post on Surviving the Copy/Line Edit
Claire is a member of one of my online groups (and fellow knitter extraordinaire) who blogs often on Very Useful Subjects. This is one of them.

Second stop: Diana Peterfreund’s post (on The Knight Agency blog) about Writing a Series
Diana’s own blog is a daily stop for me. She doesn’t shy away from controversy, so things can get lively–which I like. She also does an excellent job of explaining this business. Check out her posts on Primer Part one and Primer Part Two (Glossary). Excellent information and advice, as always.

Third stop: Agent Jessica Faust blogs about the Bad Agent
The Bookends, LLC blog has been up and running for a bit over a year now and it’s well worth spending some time digging through the archives. Recently, Jessica did a series of Query Critiques (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10. wrap-up, and follow-up).

Fourth stop: Ever wonder who reps who?
Querytracker.net purports to have the answer and so far–from what I know–they seem to have it right. There’s also a system of tracking queries built into the site that I haven’t looked in to, but I know some people who have and they like it. Even without that function, when querying an agent you really need to know at least some of who their other clients are.

Just a note, if you stop by someone’s blog and you enjoy the entry, leave a comment. If you really enjoy the entry, buy their book. 😉

That’s it for this month. I hope you enjoyed the ride!

Somehow, Gina manages to work some writing time in around her internet adventures. In addition to posting here, she blogs on The Gina Channel, Romancing the Skein, and Title Wave.

And yes, her computer screen really has burned itself into her glasses.

2 0 Read more

Winners of “My Last First Date”

June 28, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Last First Date tagged as Contest-Last First Date

OCC member and USA Today Bestselling author Susan Mallery is proud to announce the winners of “My Last First Date” contest.

First Place:

The Zone by Jenny Hansen

Second Place:

Better Late Than Never by Gillian Doyle

Third Place:

Next Time, You Pick the Movie by Tanya Hanson

First place winner, Jenny Hansen, will receive a signed copy of Susanâ€™s June release, HER LAST FIRST DATE, and a Starbucks gift card.

0 0 Read more

Pop Culture Report: San Diego Comic Con

June 26, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Pop Culture

by Sara Black

For those of you looking for a cool blast of Pop Culture this hot summer there is no better place to overdose than at the San Diego Comic Convention.

Don’t let the name fool you, there will be a lot more than comics filling up the ample space of the San Diego Convention Center. Marvel Comics, Dark Horse, DC Comics and all their friends will be there, but so will the Sci-Fi Channel, cast and producers from Heroes, Nintendo, Laurell K. Hamilton and so many more.

Besides the endless booths of enticing comics, art and toys there are the panels and presentations. Upstairs small rooms show animation all day to exhausted convention goers, larger rooms offer anything from workshops on sculpting to discussions with artists, and in the largest rooms big studios share what they’ve got up their sleeves and put on panels with the stars.

All that is a ton of fun, but my favorite part of the comic convention is the small and independent press area. This is the best place to meet artists and writers (often they are both) and talk about their craft.

I always stop by Lark Pien’s booth for her adorable Long Tail Kitty Comics, and she remembers me every year. Top Shelf usually has several authors there, my favorite is James Kochalka and his meditative American Elf series. Last year he even had comics drawn by his three year old son. Dumbrella is a collective of artists who besides writing comics have an impressive line of T-shirts.

The comic con runs from Thursday, July 26th to Sunday the 29th. Typically Saturday is the busiest day and the wide aisles look like the Los Angeles freeway during rush hour. For this reason I recommend, if possible, you go on Thursday or Friday. Saturday can have some of the best panels and presentations however, and Sunday is the best day to bring kids. Best to come early to find parking somewhere near the convention center.

Sara Black has a degree in Cinema/Television from USC. She watches far too much television, eats way too much sushi and is always writing a romance novel. For someone who religiously stays out of the mainstream, she knows an awful lot about Pop Culture. This is the fourth in a series of posts on the subject.

0 0 Read more

Location, location, locationâ€¦

June 23, 2007 by A Slice of Orange in category Archives tagged as Confessions of a Podcast Goddess

by Jina Bacarr

Planes, trains, and–

–gondolas?

When you read this, I’ll be in sunny Venice, Italy, where I’ve been invited to speak at the historic La Biennale arts festival regarding my books, The Japanese Art of Sex and The Blonde Geisha (they’ve both been translated into Italian) about–you guessed it, sex! I’ll be taking lots of pix and shooting video of the festival to turn into video podcasts when I return home.

So, how do you podcast on location when you’re a one-woman crew?

Here are my Top 10 Tips for Podcasting on Location:

1. Get a digital camera with video capabilities. Most 5- to 7-megapixel point-and-shoot cameras are not made to film long videos, but they work well for short filming. One-to-three minute segments work great, but don’t worry about the length when you’re “in the moment.” Just shoot it!! You can always edit yourself hanging over the Eiffel Tower later at home.

2. A digital audio recorder is perfect to record your thoughts, observations, and interview interesting people you meet on your trip.

3. Always carry a backup battery pack for your digital camera (about $30) since many digital cameras don’t give you much warning when the charge is low; also, carry extra AA batteries for your digital audio recorder.

4. Learn how to use the “10-second delay” feature on your camera to shoot pix of yourself alone or with interesting people in the shot. Warning–do NOT leave the camera where a thief can grab it or a bystander can knock it over (you don’t want your $350 camera floating down the Nile).

5. Practice holding your camera in front of you to frame the shot so you can video yourself. It looks weird to passers-by (who often stop to try to figure out what the heck you’re doing), but if you’re podcasting solo, you want to video yourself “in action” to add the personal touch to your on-location podcast.

6. Shoot anything that looks interesting–you can always erase it (though I don’t recommend it–it may look better on your computer screen than on the small camera screen) and edit the best parts together at home.

7. Memory cards–stock up!! They’re lower in price than they’ve ever been. I use 2-Gig cards, but 1-Gig cards work okay, too. I carry post-its with me and put the “full” memory card into a snack-size plastic bag with a post-it containing short notes of what I shot with the date, place, etc..

8. No one’s face is exactly symmetrical, so know your best side. Practice shooting video of yourself with your camera to find your best side.

9. Unless you carry your own lighting (imagine getting lighting equipment through security at the airport), be aware of the light source when you’re videoing yourself. I shoot “test” footage first to check the lighting. Also, learn how to use the lighting settings on your camera.

10. Make-up isn’t just for celebs–apply neutral foundation and neutral eye shadows plus black mascara (be careful not to get that “raccoon” look) for your close-up. Outline your lips with a lip pencil or brush and use lip gloss so your mouth doesn’t “disappear” when you speak. You want the camera to capture your perfect Kodak smile!

That’s it!! I’ll be posting more info about my adventures in Italy at La Biennale arts festival when I return!

Until then, ciao, ciao!

Tune in soon for Part 5 of Confessions of a Podcast Goddess, when I’ll be talking about my adventures inVenice, Italy speaking at La Biennale arts festival.

Jina Bacarr is the author of The Blonde Geisha and coming in July 2007, Naughty Paris. Jina writes erotic adventure for Spice Books. “Get Caught in the Act!”

2 0 Read more