Wendy Goes Hunting For Authors

In a moment of pure insanity, yes I did it. Yes, I volunteered, for the 5th year running, to help scare up authors for my library's literary event next April. Then I proceeded to spend a fair amount of time banging my head against my desk in my wee lil' office cubicle. This year proved to be a challenge on the romance front, because I realized recently that the RT Convention, which will be in L.A. this next year, is the same weekend as my library's event. Sigh. Granted my library's wing-ding is one day (an all day affair, but we don't ask authors to "commit" beyond their panel discussion and booksigning session) - but finding authors willing to break away from RT proved to be a little tricky. But I did! I persevered! And I gotta say, I think the romance panel is gonna be all sorts of awesome. Here's who we've got lined up:


Zoe Archer, who will be talking about her new Victorian historical/adventure/fantasy series, The Blades Of The Rose. "Adventure stories" are a bit of a rare bird in the romance genre, so I'm really excited to have Zoe on our panel. Also, there's been a bit of "time off" for her between releases - and I always like to mix in some "publishing stuff" into these panels - if only to give readers the inside scoop. You'd be amazed how many people think that getting your book published = set for life! Ha!




Laura Wright, who has written a slew of books for Silhouette Desire, but has a new vampire series kicking off for Signet in October. I keep hearing from various corners that "vampires are dead" (no pun intended) - but then I see these books flying off the shelves at many libraries and think "Yeah, sure they are." And in a bit of perfect timing, the second book in this series is slated for an April release.






Judy Duarte, who I was happy to find after two other authors turned me down because of RT. And in a bit of good fortune, Judy signing on makes this panel a hugely interesting mix of books and styles. Her single titles for Kensington are in the vein of "inspirational women's fiction" and she writes "home and hearth" type books for Silhouette Special Edition.




So we have historical fantasy adventure, sexy vampires, and feel-good home and hearth. One thing is for sure, my "homework reading" for this panel shouldn't be boring! Also, it should be scads of fun to come up with discussion questions for the panelists. I've had some great panels in the past, with lots of variety, but I think I might have hit it out of the park with this one. Of course I won't know for sure until April.

In other news? We got us some kickass mystery/suspense folks as well. Christopher Reich, Paul Levine, Dianne Emley, Barbara Hambly, Jeri Westerson, just to name a few. Now all I need to figure out is what I'm going to do about RT. I'm still going to put in an appearance, just not sure when and for how many days. Because being anywhere near L.A. that Saturday is definitely out of the question now.

Mom Was Right, I Am A Winner!

I'm here to tell ya girls - it pays to be nice to your mother-in-law. As some of you may recall, I read and reviewed Deeanne Gist's latest book, Maid To Match, back in June. I really enjoyed the story, and the one constant thought that was running through my tiny pea brain while I was reading it was "My Man's Mom would really like this story." So I checked the RWA web site, and saw that Gist was going to be at the Literacy Signing and decided to buy a copy for her then.

While chatting with the author about the book she mentioned that she was giving away accommodations to one lucky RWA attendee for a weekend getaway she's hosting at the Biltmore Estate (where the book is set) in late September. I knew about the getaway (it's advertised in the back of the book), and absentmindedly filled out a entry form not thinking anymore about it. I mean, the Biltmore is in North Carolina. I'm in California. And then there's the small matter of me never winning anything. I wouldn't say I have "bad" luck - more like no luck at all. And that, I figured, was that.

Until Friday. That's when I got an e-mail from Gist's assistant that....

I won the frackin' contest drawing!

I thought, briefly, about declining the prize. Yes, swank hotel room is covered. Travel expenses are not. I just got back from RWA, and My Man has to fly back to New York this weekend for a family funeral. So yeah. I thought about declining the prize.

Then My Man took one look at the Biltmore web site and said, "Oh no, you're going."


And in an added bit of good fortune? Remember those baseball game tickets My Man got me and my father for my birthday? Well, the game is Saturday, September 25. Check-in for this getaway weekend? Sunday, September 26. So I can do both! I'll go home to Michigan for the week. Hang out with the family. See some friends. And then Sunday I'm off to the Biltmore for a couple of days. How awesome sauce is that?

I plan to take lots of pictures and soak up the free hotel room which looks off-the-hook. The only thing that has me slightly worried? Costume party Sunday night. Uh, Wendy owns nothing that is remotely appropriate for a Gilded Age costume party. Not sure what I'm going to do about that yet. Either 1) not dress up or 2) try to piece something together. Decisions, decisions.....

Random Romance Sunday: A Hot Mess In The Old West

The Book: Outlaw's Kiss by Terri Valentine

The Particulars: Zebra Books, 1991, Out Of Print

The Blurb:

On her way to be reunited with her long-lost father, Serra was terrified by the masked, gun-wielding figure who'd held up an entire train to kidnap her. Yet his sapphire eyes shone with a familiar brilliance; and when she saw his chiseled features, she knew he was Ty Ramsey, a man she'd loved as a child when they'd met on the orphan train. She wondered why he'd abducted her and what he planned for her. Then his powerful arms dragged her against his had planed chest; and soon Serra felt his lips and hands silence all her questions.

Tyler Ramsey had returned to his old outlaw ways for one purpose to kidnap the flame-haired impostor bent on bilking Ty's adoptive father out of his fortune Oh, she'd been convincing enough, posing as a long-lost daughter, but Ty knew she was a lying thief! Then, after he dragged the amber-eyed beauty to his hideout, he was stunned to recognize his childhood love. He had to get to the bottom of her little game of deceit; but first he'd sate his simmering passion. And once he tasted her honey-sweet skin, he wouldn't stop until he'd made her completely his!

Is It In Wendy's TBR?: Even with my tendency to want to rescue Old School historical western romances from the used bookstore....no. No it's not.

Any Reviews?: Uh, 1991. So, no. Not even Amazon "customer" reviews. I got nothing.

Anything Else?: I'm not one of those readers who laments about the "Good Old Days" of historical romance, but I do admit I have a soft spot for Old School westerns. Old School tropes are a bit more tolerable for me in that setting. Not sure why. Maybe because westerns are my favorite? Maybe because I'm inclined to be a tinch more forgiving of jackassery because of the lack of civilization during that time period? Not sure. Anyway....

Reading this back cover blurb is like a treasure trove of Old School western tropes. Innocent red-haired heroine discovering long lost family? Check. Mysterious gunslinger hero who thinks she's a lying ho? Check. Captive storyline? Check. Mention of an orphan train? Check. The only thing missing here is a salty old farm hand/wagon train cook/kindly grandfather-type who dispenses timely advice to either hero, heroine, or both. And honestly? That fella tends to not warrant a back cover mention.

Terri Valentine was fairly prolific in the late 1980s to the mid-1990s, and then nothing. But she apparently has done (is still doing?) some work as a writing instructor, and was (is?) a member of RWA.

And so marks the regular return of the Bat Cave's Random Romance Sunday feature. For those of you who actually enjoy these posts of random goodness - they're baaaaaaack.

The Dorchester News And Why You Should Care

Twitter exploded this morning with the news that Dorchester has decided to dump their current mass market paperback format in favor of a digital then print-on-demand trade paperback platform. The plan, right now, is for titles to first be released digitally with a trade paperback edition being available for purchase 6-8 months down the line. So what does this mean for readers and why should you care? Well, I'm here to tell you.

Historically speaking, Dorchester was one of the very few (dare I say it - the only one?) publishers that was never afraid to push the envelope and explore new frontiers in genre fiction. They were the only publisher doing paranormal romances back before they were "cool." They're one of the few publishers that hasn't abandoned historical western romances or futuristics. They still publish horror, traditional westerns, and they brought us the awesome-sauce Hard Case Crime line.

Now, I'm not saying their shift in models won't work. It has worked, and very successfully, for other publishers. Authors have built nice careers for themselves. Money has been made. Digital then POD can work. Truly. But I'm not sure it's going to work here unless Dorchester hustles their asses off.

Dorchester in mass market stood out in bookstores. Walk into a Borders and try to find an "outside the box" book. Go on, I dare you. Dorchester titles were a bit of a lone wolf there. On the digital front? They have a lot more competition. Competition with strong, robust digital platforms that are very well established (coughSamhaincough). While I don't follow the digital publishing world all that closely, Dorchester has never struck me as a publisher at the forefront of digital. At all. So yeah, they need to hustle. They have a lot of ground to make up.

What does this mean for their various imprints? Well, I think the romance stuff will do just fine. Romance readers have flocked to digital more so than any other genre fiction reader, but that being said? Those who haven't gone digital, don't want to go digital etc. are likely going to resent the hell out of yet another publisher cramming trade paperbacks (and their prices) down their throats. Expect some readers to be unthrilled.

I think this could be a solid move for their horror stuff, because let us be honest - the horror genre has been anything but robust in recent years. Maybe the way to revive that genre a bit is to go digital and market the hell out of them online.

I'm on the fence about Hard Case Crime. I love this imprint, and it was launched largely on a Remember The Good Old Days Of Pulp Crime Fiction platform. I'm not sure what their demographic is, but I'm guessing it skews slightly older. If they play these books up to a younger, hipster crowd - I think they'll do fine as well. Also, this is a crowd that I think would be willing to buy POD trade without shedding too many tears.

I do fear that the funeral dirge for traditional westerns just got louder though. Certainly you have publishers like Forge and FiveStar still publishing the occasional western in hard cover, but Dorchester was releasing them in mass market. I also have a very hard time believing that the folks who buy westerns in mass market are going to move to digital, or wait around and drop more cash on trade paperback releases. This market has been slowly drying up for years now (romance readers, think Traditional Regencies), and I think this is another big nail in the coffin.

In all this upheaval and reorganization, I find myself feeling badly for the authors. There is absolutely nothing wrong with the digital then POD platform, and lots of authors now have great careers because of it, but those who signed with Dorchester, didn't sign up for this platform. Between that, whatever their contracts currently are, who knows what this will mean for them. Lots more work and uncertainty is my guess.

In the end, I'm not really sure how I feel about this. I hope for Dorchester, their staff, their authors, and for readers that it all shakes out in the end. But forgive me as I shed a tear for their mass market platform. I'm a librarian, and we're all about options and formats. I'm not saying digital then POD is "bad" or "icky" - but seeing Dorchester books on bookstore shelves made me a happy girl. It gave me hope, however small, that someone out there was willing to take risks while sticking with a traditional model. I know this is business, and it's adapt or die - but it still leaves me feeling slightly unsettled.

Old crusty fuddy-duddy that I am....

Warped Minds And Extreme Reactions

Spice Briefs are the tasty erotica/erotic romance digital short stories published by Harlequin, and it didn't take long after I received my trusty Sony Reader PRS-505 for me to get well and truly hooked. I've reviewed a number of them for TGTBTU and last year I impulsively clicked "buy" on a paranormal historical story, Tonight, My Love by Tracie Sommers (read full review).

Trust me when I say that story warped my fragile lil' mind. It was hot stuff, extremely well done erotica - but the ending? Wowzers. The ending was like stepping outside naked, in a snow storm, breaking through the ice of a frozen lake, and jumping in. I've been reading erotic stories a long time (over 10 years now) and never before had I read a story that turned me on and disgusted me in equal measure. People who review books always say it's the "extreme" stories they remember the most and that's not idle chatter. I slapped it with a D-, but to this day I still remember that story and my reaction to it. I also remember how difficult that review was to write. Naysayers, it is possible to write your reviews without spoilers. If I could do it with that story, it can be done with any story.

The author took the time to drop me an e-mail to say she actually liked my review. I'm not sure how she felt about that D-, but she knew when she wrote that story that people were going to have an extreme reaction to. They were either going to love it, or hate it with the heat of a thousand blazing suns. Trust me, there is absolutely no in-between. While I certainly fell closer to the "hate it" camp - I was so damn impressed by the reaction her story was able to wring out of me that when she offered to send me a copy of her upcoming release, I said "Hell yeah!"

Blame It On the Moonlight is a much more traditional story that sits firmly on the erotica-as-fantasy platform. The heroine has just caught her sleaze-bag fiance' boinking a skanky Barbie-doll clone, so she hightails it to the woods surrounding her grandfather's cabin to be alone. That's when she has an encounter with a very large wolf. He appears friendly at first, but something in his all-too-human-looking eyes makes her spidey sense tingle. That and her various girly bits. Oooh la la!

Anyone with any experience in paranormal romance knows where this is going. What especially worked well for me was the atmosphere (very gothic-like in the beginning) and the erotic scenes. There are some tinges of lavender prose here, but those erotic moments I admired in Tonight, My Love are equally as strong in this story.

I tend to avoid werewolf stories like the plague because I despise "soul mates," "fated to be mated" and all that nonsense. Color me crazy, but free will is pretty darn sexy. I need the heroine to have some semblance of a "choice," even if all the choices she has stink like 3-week-old fish left rotting in the sun. And this is where Sommers wins me over. Because while we do have the "mate stuff" here, she spins it in such a way that the heroine is not robbed of her free will. Oh happy day! Oh blessed saints! The peasants rejoice!

I know that no author anywhere likes to run up against a negative review, but this is proof positive that they aren't the kiss of death. That first story got a D- from me. Normally a grade like that is enough for me to put an author on my Never Again List. In this instance? My memorable reaction, the author's skill at wringing that reaction out of me, and her response to my response (judging by our e-mail exchange she did not start crafting an army of Little Wendy Voodoo Dolls), moved me to give her a second chance. And I'm glad I did. This was a quick, tasty, steamy (wowzers) story, that had an interesting spin on a trope I normally despise. I know a lot of readers who refuse to read "short" because they feel the stories are somehow "inferior." My response has always been that some authors can, and some cannot. Judging by my reactions to these two short stories? Sommers can.

Final Grade = B

This short story is currently only available as a digital release. It can be purchased at eHarlequin and other fine ebook retail outlets.

The Month That Was July 2010

I've been blogging a long time (life, I don't haz one), but sometimes I still manage to "forget" that there are actual real people out there reading my ramblings. Case in point? When a romance author asked me last week at RWA how my new baby niece was doing. Lemon Drop (the current nickname my Lil' Sis has slapped on her) is now four months old, is getting the hang of sitting up, and spends her days thwarting her Mommy's attempts to capture her smile on camera. Seriously, the kid is devious on that score. So there you have it. A new cute baby picture. All together now - awwwwww.

Now let us get back to book talk, shall we? July is traditionally a slow reading month for me. Work begins to suck my brains out thanks to end of the fiscal year nuttiness and if I'm attending RWA (uh, which I did this year), I lose a whole week of reading. I'm always too tired, busy and brain-dead at conference to do anything other than pet books. Actually read one? Yeah, no can do. Still, I did manage to get five books read this month and look at all those shiny B grades!

Title links will take you to full reviews.

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen, Mystery/Suspense, Part of Series, 2010, Grade = B+

• An excellent addition to a series that has consistently delivered solid suspense threads and interesting characters that are allowed to change and grow while not morphing into pod people. A creepy Stephen-King-esque plot thread, some closure to an on-going personal entanglement, delivered in a book that I didn't want to put down. I did have a minor, silly nit-pick, but this might be my favorite entry in this series over the last couple of books. I don't know though - I really liked The Keepsake a lot too.....

Tipping The Waitress With Diamonds by Nina Harrington, Harlequin Romance, 2010, Grade = B-

• A charming story about a heroine who runs home to her aunt's restaurant and finds her first crush, the hero, in residence. Nice "foodie" back-drop, and likable characters. My only quibble was the punctuation. Lots! Of! Exclamation! Points! Are! Distracting! Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Hero From Wrong Side Of Tracks, Heroine Haunted By Past Relationship Disaster, A Reappearing Ex, Family, Reunited And It Feels So Good.
  

Dark Side Of Dreaming by Ann Bruce, Romantic Suspense Erotic Romance ebook, 2010, Grade = B-

• Former cat burglar heroine and mysterious hero team up to recover a priceless statue. Some light paranormal touches and morally ambiguous characters made for an interesting romance. The erotic romance elements were definitely the strongest here, and the author delivers in the steam department. I would have liked the suspense "stuff" to be fleshed out a bit more - but this was a quick, sizzling read that easily kept me entertained and engaged.
  

Never Love A Lawman by Jo Goodman, Historical Western Romance, 2009, Grade = B

• A well-written western romance that doesn't skimp on character or plot development. I really liked the hero, but it took me longer to warm up to the heroine. Also, while I appreciated what Goodman was doing with this story (taking her time, setting her stage, painting the canvas for the reader), it does take a while for this story to get moving. I admired this story for it's scope, the writing and the rich details - but I didn't love it. And believe you me - I really wanted to love it. That said, I did like it - and have every intention of picking up the next book in this series.
  

Innocent In The Harem by Michelle Willingham, Historical Romance short story ebook, 2010, Grade = B-

• Bedouin princess captured in raid is saved at a slave auction by the hero, who has been summoned to his father's palace for what he fears will be his execution. If you're not a fan of "harem stories" this one is unlikely to change your mind, but the author avoids "forced seduction" (thank goodness!) and evens the playing field somewhat by having the hero fear for his own life. Still, the power dynamic in this story is a bit lop-sided. Harlequin Cheat Sheet: Heroine As Captive, Rescued!, Courtly Intrigue, Prince Hero.

And that, as they say, is that. Now to work on cloning myself. I have so many books that I'm just dying to read like right now! Two or three more me's would be nice - although I'm not sure the world is quite ready for that.

It's The Final Countdown!

Ask anyone at RWA on Saturday and they're likely to tell you they're "ready to go home" or "I'm happy today is the last day." It's a lot of non-stop work, fun and socializing crammed into a few long days, which means everyone begins spinning fantasies of sleeping in their own beds again. I missed My Man, but damn skippy, I really missed our bed.

By Saturday I was beyond toast. Not only was my voice gone, but I woke up congested. Stuffy nose, headache - the works. Which means I wasn't up for much of anything. But I pulled up my big girl panties and hit the five (yes, five) publisher book signings...and I'm glad I did. Because if I had slept in I would have missed the 9AM Ballantine signing and I would have missed Tess Gerritsen. As sometimes happens at RWA, an author won't be "on the books" for the Literacy Signing or to give a workshop. However, they might turn out to socialize and maybe do a publisher signing. It's happened a couple times in the past with Lisa Kleypas, and it happened this year with Gerritsen. She was signing copies of her new hard cover (Ice Cold) and there was lots of promo for the new TV series - Rizzoli And Isles. I was a good girl and did not take a book (hey, I've read it already, loved it already, and I have a signed copy of Body Double at home) and instead went with a picture. I always forget how giant and lumbering I am until I'm taking pictures next to tiny petite people. That was my fangirl moment for the conference and hopefully I didn't make too much of an ass out of myself. Well, more so than usual anyway.

I had already shipped two boxes of books to work, and AztecLady graciously offered to ship another box for me so I wouldn't have to stand in the long shipping line on Saturday. That was exceedingly lovely of her, but I restrained myself and only picked up 7 books. Which means the last of my loot fit in my suitcase.

Saturday evening was the Golden Heart/RITA awards. Not much to say here, other than it was a nice ceremony and it was fun not only to get dressed up, but to people watch everyone else in their finery. I was exceedingly happy that Beth Andrews won a RITA for A Not-So-Perfect Past, a Harlequin SuperRomance that I simply adored. After the ceremony there was a reception, which I skipped out on and headed straight for my room. Rosie and I had an early morning flight, and RWA had warned us to get to the airport early to navigate security. Yeah, no joke there. People rant about LAX, but the Orlando airport reminded me a lot of Chicago O'Hare at Christmas time. Blergh.

It was while at the airport, waiting to get our boarding passes that I realized my cell phone was missing. ARGH! I figured it must have fallen out in the cab...and sure enough it did. But excellent news - it was recovered by Lisabea. Bless her soul, she's mailing it back to me this week. I have a pay-as-you-go phone, so it wouldn't have been the total end of the world had it been lost forever, but all the same, I'm glad it's not.

My Man got hung up in gnarly So. Cal. traffic on the way to pick me up, but he arrived maybe 10 minutes after Rosie's son arrived to whisk her home. Then it was a quick trip out to lunch (seriously, no food in the Bat Cave) and home to unpack. Uh, which basically entailed me opening my suitcase and dumping the entire contents into my laundry basket. I learned a long time ago to take Monday off work after conference, and this year is no exception. Even with a three-hour nap and a full night's sleep, I still feel half brain-dead. Today it's grocery shopping (done!), paying bills (done!), laundry (not even close to done) and catching up on my TV.

I had a fabulous time at RWA. One bestselling author mentioned to me that it seemed very relaxed and that people just seemed happy. I agreed with her. Certainly conference can be filled with travel headaches, worries, and general stress, but there's nothing quite like sharing a space with that many people (over 2000!) who love the romance genre as much as you do. KristieJ has said that it seemed like no time had passed at all since we last saw each other (a year ago!) - and I think that's because 1) we "see" each other online quite a bit and 2) we have that instant connection thanks to the romance genre. So while I'm glad it's now over, and that I'm back home, I would never trade my experiences at any RWA conference for the world.

Remember, I've got photos up on my Flickr account in a special RWA 2010 album. Including a priceless one featuring KristieJ and our waiter the night of the RITAs. How's that for a lead-in?