RT Booklovers Convention 2012

Here are some of my photos from the RT convention. The event was so hectic that I often forgot to take pictures, but these will give you a little flavour of the event and the venue. I also want to blog about two of the panels I attended that were a huge inspiration, WRITING STEAMPUNK, and URBAN FANTASY: KICK ASS HEROINES. It'll be a few days before I get to those as I'm still in recovery here, but I will get to them within a week or so. Meanwhile, some piccies!

First up, the card key for the rooms, sponsored by Sabrina Jeffries. Such a great idea, and we got to keep them as a souvenir.

My room at Hyatt O' Hare. A real sanctuary I have to say.

With a place to work too.

This amused me no end, TV screens embedded in the mirrors of the ladies.

All registered!

And ready for business.

With long time online pal, talented superstar Sylvia Day, at the Kensington Mixer.

With the lovely and prolific Cynthia Eden, who I've known since we were published at Red Sage together.

Here I am on the Total-E-Bound stand with publisher Claire Siemaszkiewicz.

With Claire and Heidi from Total-E-Bound.

All ready to go to the Total-E-Bound dinner party.

These are the author gifts we got to take home from the TEB dinner party. I forgot my camera but lots of photos were taken at this event by other people.

And talking of bags.. here is the convention bag (sponsored by Sylvia Day and Shayla Black) and my goth corset bag, which was much admired and asked about during the event. (In fact if I was as popular as my bag, I'd be a bestseller. ;o)

Here I am all ready for the Flapper party, wearing the lovely headress my buddy Portia Da Costa got me to take to the convention.

The Steampunk gaslight gathering was one of the best dressed events!

Loved every moment of this event.

We were even treated to mancandy of the steampunk variety. :)

And I won a prize! A beautiful hair slide, hand made and donated by author Deborah Schneider, along with two of her books. Such a treat!

This is Mindy, who won the Steampunk costume prize. Fabulous outfit, and such attention to detail!

And here I am, all steampunked. Heehee!

One of my highlights was attending a panel that included Charlaine Harris. Total fangirl moment! Here she is seated behind the table, chatting with fans and other panel members.

At my table for the ebook expo signing event. Got to meet so many readers at this event, it was amazing!

With table buddy and long time online pal, the awesome Shiloh Walker.

This is taken at the big Harlequin party on my last night.

The rose centerpieces at the Harlequin party.

And no trip to Chicago would be complete without a photo of the infamous automatic seat covers at the airport loos. We're in the future already!

Can you learn from my mistakes?

Building a career in publishing can be a really tough job, and often it's a long haul too. I'm in a good position now, contracted for a couple of years, (which is the most security a writer can ever bank on) and I work with some terrific people in the industry.

Being where I'm at enables me to look back at my journey. I recently shared some of my thoughts over at the Genreality blog and I'm reposting it here in case it's useful to anyone who calls by. If you want to ask any questions, please do!

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Hi folks, it’s wonderful to be here at Genreality to share some of my writing journey. Can anyone learn from it, I wonder? Hmm. Well, I’m pretty sure someone can learn from my mistakes. ;-)

My first paid work was contracted almost fifteen years ago, and it was a short story for the UK Black Lace line. Since then I’ve had short fiction published in over eighty anthologies. I’ve published ten novels, four of which were trade paper books with New York publishing houses. Most recently I received a new two book contract, this time with the mass-market publishing line HQN. It’s been a winding road, and it’s been quite a journey. I’m now a full time author and I work with some terrific people. I really couldn’t wish for better, but as I look back I confess I take a deep breath and shudder, because I can see the missteps and blundering errors I made along the way, things that took me two steps back after one step forward. For a while there it was quite a catalogue of disasters. How on earth did I manage to stagger through this far?!

Hard work and the love of writing kept me at it, basically. I love to learn and I was constantly learning and honing my craft. I adore the storytelling. I also had tenacity on my side, and…a huge great dollop of luck. Yes, luck. Lucky breaks happen when we submit at the right time for that editor, and we can’t know when that is going to be. I’m hesitant to give aspiring authors advice as a result of my mixed fortunes, but I figured I can share some of the advice I read that worked for me, and some that didn’t.

The first thing I quickly learned was that some of the things you read about publishing may never apply to your individual path. There’s no one way to do this, even though some people might seem to suggest there is. (Their way being the best way, of course ;-) Here are some bits of advice I read that made me fret: “follow the market,” “brand yourself,” and “write the book of your heart.” I heard these things over and over around the time I started to submit novels for consideration. Follow the market — okay, we need to know what editors are buying, but it was actually luck that I was writing the right sub genre when it was required. And yes, the best thing we can do is write the book of our heart because it’ll be the best piece of writing we can do. If we’re enjoying the writing the reader will enjoy it too. If we’re not enjoying it, it shows. That makes sense. But what if the book of my heart doesn’t fit the market, and how could I brand myself when I was writing lots of different subgenres?

Other writers out there had these great slogans about their work but I couldn’t find anything that represented mine. The best thing I could do was to pick out the most consistent theme in my work and offer that as a brand. My work is characterised by eroticism and strong storytelling. That’s the closest I ever got to a brand because I’ve written erotic fantasy, paranormal romance, contemporary erotica, historical romance, even a bit of futuristic. I write a lot of cross genre stories too. My next publication, for example, is a historical paranormal erotic romance set in Scotland. (The Harlot) I’ve written different lengths for different markets in different countries. I’ve sold to the biggest romance publisher in the world and I’ve also had my work published in Penthouse and Bust. Branding what I was doing wasn’t ever going to be easy. Bottom line is I just want to write good stories that readers enjoy. The good news is I got through anyway.

Another piece of advice I read was to make a five-year plan. What, like a five-year dream, I wondered to myself. ;o) I mean, come on..! This isn’t like a regular job where we can study for qualifications and move forward as a matter of course. I was working in an area where things change all the time, not only markets but the whole face of publishing is forever changing. I’m a realistic type and I knew I might never be contracted by a big house. The whole concept of a five-year plan seemed alien to me. The important thing here is to aim high but to keep one foot on the ground, because if we get carried away with the dream the rejections hit very hard (and yes I have a box full of them, it’s been a big learning curve,) and that eats away at our motivation to write. We can make a five-year plan but we need to consider it a guiding star rather than a goal because we need to be flexible and ready to change when the industry changes.

One of the best pieces of advice I read (and I really do want to reiterate this one) is to investigate a publisher as much as you can before you submit, and be wary of new publishers with no history. Yeah, I could really understand that. Trouble is, it’s so tempting. New publishers are eager to fill their slots and things move so much quicker. Very tempting for a new author, and I confess I fell for it. Several times over. Hence the missteps and errors I mentioned earlier. Let me explain.

The first time I erred I’d read the warnings but I figured this one was reasonably safe because it was an established publisher who was opening a new erotic line. My first novel was contracted and I celebrated….and then waited. And waited, and waited. My work was totally locked in, and a year later the line was cancelled having never opened. I didn’t even hear this devastating news directly from the publisher or editor. I heard it from another author. I was never officially notified. I had to contact them and beg for my rights back. In retrospect I consider it a lucky escape. At the time I was gutted about the lost year.

Then a year or so later I did it again. I know, can you believe it?! An exciting new line from a publisher who was interested in fantasy and paranormal romance. I was dazzled by promises of mass-market titles and audio books and exciting growth and development plans. I plunged in and was fast tracked. Shortly after my two titles went to print the line changed direction completely from short fantasy romance to big urban fantasy, and my books and those of several other authors were suddenly wallflowers in warehouses. These things happen, publishing is a business after all. But once again I was a casualty of publishing and it was a huge disappointment. Luckily I did manage to get the rights back and those stories have better homes now.

Then I heard about this exciting new e-publisher starting up in my own country. No way, I said! Not falling for that one again. But…it was here in the UK, and it did sound exciting, and they were actively looking for authors. I held back for a long while, and when I did investigate I went in with extreme caution. I submitted a short story that was a rights returned project. That meant I could investigate without committing any writing time. Yup, finally got the old brain in gear by this point. ;o) As it happens, that new publisher turned out to be a terrific one. I’m still working with them years later and have a substantial backlist there.

On balance I would reiterate this gem of advice: always investigate publishers thoroughly, research on the net and be brave and email other authors asking questions. If there is negativity there you’ll soon hear about it. If it’s a new publisher on the block, be doubly cautious. Let some other fool tread the path first, someone like me. ;o)

In closing, here are some of the best bits of advice I can offer to new writers. Keep your head in the clouds but your feet on the floor. Never stop learning. Love what you do, it’s the love of the craft that will keep you going through the hard times. And my favourite: “read, write, submit, repeat.” If you’re not in you can’t win. Good luck!

What makes a good erotic romance?

I'm over at Tumblr with Harlequin Books today, (isn't it clever how I can be everywhere at once? ;o) taking a quick look at what makes a good erotic romance for me. Click here to go looky.

I'm guest blogging at Genreality today

I'm over at Genreality chatting about my writing journey & some of my mistakes. Click on the banner if you want to call by and see me spill the beans on some of the missteps I made on my writing journey. ;o)

Exciting news for RAMPANT!

Lovely news in today -- RAMPANT, my April Spice novel, is listed in two categories in the Bookie Awards nominations! It's in both the erotic romance and erotica categories, where there are so many fabulous books that I'm thrilled and more than a wee bit over-awed to see it there. :)

Thank you so much to those who nominated my novel!

Coming up for air

We’ve been calling this The Summer of Many Deadlines here. It’s been a busy one, and I’m a bit shell-shocked as I realise I’m almost there. The two novel lengths are done, and my August schedule looks a lot more manageable than the last 3 or 4 months has been.

Now I could really do with a holiday. :) We're not going away until the end of September, however but there will be some reward trips out soon.

If you’re a regular reader of my blog you’ll know I warned that July was going to be a busy month in terms of publications. I had a bunch of stories in anthologies that all seemed to come out at once. I’ve just posted about the final July publication. August sees a couple of reprints, including an erotica collection, (more on that later today) but you will not be deluged. It was kind of amusing to have so many at once, because it made me look a lot more prolific than I really am. lol!

So… I’ve been peeping out at the internet a bit more than I have been able to recently. I’m finding Twitter a bit overwhelming at the moment, which is a shame cos I love it there. Every time I log in I find a bunch of authors telling other authors how to behave. Be chatty, be sparkly, don’t do this, do that, and best of all don’t listen to other authors telling you how to do things. Hmm. It gets kind of confusing :o)

It must be incredibly hard for new authors to come online and find all this stuff. When I started out it was hard to find information, now there’s so much it is overwhelming!

I’m the last person to give advice, but I will say you have to find your own way in this business --> that’s all part of the experience. There’s no magic formula because everybody’s path is different and trying to emulate someone else’s path won’t necessarily work. And…never forget that the writing is the most important thing you do. Enjoy it!

US versus UK covers: Mammoth Book of Threesomes & Moresomes

Here's a fascinating one. The Mammoth Book of Threesomes has just been published in the UK. Yay! It publishes Stateside in November. I'm excited, I have a story in this collection! (More on that another day.)

Check out the yummy covers. The US is on the left, UK on the right. Personally I like them both, but I do think the US cover would be more likely to haul me across a shop to look at it more closely. That's because of the bold eye contact, (always draws me in) the full cover layout, and that dramatic title strap which naughtily suggests both bondage and censorship to me. The UK cover is softer, but it's beautiful in it's own way. Does it indicate the UK is more open to f/f/m, I wonder? Personally, I think we probably are. In the British erotica I grew up reading f/f scenes are fairly common, not so much Stateside. Of course some of us are doing our damndest to change that situation. Ahem. Grin.

Hi honeys, I'm home!

We’re back from the Lake District where we experienced just about every type of weather in just a few short days. Regardless of the typically unreliable conditions we enjoyed amazing scenery and a long overdue break from being on a computer all the time. I've refilled my creative well, which is good news because the next 9 or 10 weeks are all about meeting deadlines.

Came back to lots of good news and a major bummer -- my website had been hacked. Nasty peeps! :( We’ve got it all sorted and running again now, a major task. Many apologies if you called around when it was acting weird.

The good news: first up 2 new short story sales. I’ll have a story in the PASSION anthology, due out in November! This one is erotic romance for women, edited by Rachel Kramer Bussel and published by Cleis Press. In the same batch of email came news that I had a story accepted for THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF HOT ROMANCE! This one is edited by Maxim Jakubowski, due out Spring 2011.

I also received my copy of RT Book Reviews Magazine and found reviews of 3 anthologies that include my work, all due in July. SECRETS VOLUME 29 (Red Sage) and ALISON’S WONDERLAND (edited by Alison Tyler) both got 4 star reviews and FAIRY TALE LUST (edited by Kristina Wright) got a 4.5 review. Very exciting to see them all featured there and so well received.

It also made me realise that I have work in SIX anthologies all being published in July! 5 short stories and a novella. It's just the way it happens, I didn't produce them all in one month, believe me. I wish! :o) But the blog will be featuring each book as it comes out. Lots of new short stories and a novella that I absolutely adored writing, it's an exciting time!

Have a great weekend!

Remembering Peter O’Donnell & Modesty Blaise

I was going to blog about something completely different today, but I heard that Peter O’Donnell had died and it made me think about Modesty Blaise. I grew up reading Peter O’Donnell’s Modesty Blaise books, and I was so enamoured with her character that I actually wanted to BE Modesty. Modesty was a beautiful, sophisticated, intelligent, powerful, ex-criminal, black-clad, secret service agent. What’s not to love? Okay, she was pretty much a female James Bond, so that was quite a high and unattainable aspiration on my part. ;-) However, the desire to read and write heroines who are adventurous, sexy and independent was not such a pipe dream, and it stuck with me.

In the obituary in the UK Times online it states:

“Modesty Blaise was, perhaps, not notably modest. Indeed, one of her favourite ploys, when the villains came to her apartment or hotel room to “get” her, as they always did, was to answer the door completely naked and use the precious moment granted to her by their involuntary open-mouthed admiration of her undraped splendours to knock them all cold.”

That is so true! It was a big part of what I loved about the character. Even though she was independent and intelligent she was prepared to use her looks and her sexuality as a weapon when needs be. Very sexy attitude. The stories were action packed, fun, clever and witty. Great reads.

In one of my own (immodest) creations, the hero is reminded of Modesty Blaise whenever he looks at the heroine, and he thinks about the Modesty Blaise books that used to stand on his bedside table as a teenager. That was a little homage of mine. ;-)

When I heard about Peter O’Donnell’s death it made me want to go back and read the books again, and think about the influence they had over my burgeoning sexuality and my growing desire to write strong heroines of my own. Apparently O’Donnell also used to write Gothic and Victorian romances under the name Madeleine Brent. According to the obituary, those books feature strong heroines as well. I had no idea, and I will definitely be on the lookout for those novels as well

So today I will be mostly thinking about book covers like these, and paying tribute to a great writer who is sadly gone.

Do you want to write erotica?

Then you might consider checking out the upocming class offered by the very talented Shanna Germain. Here are the details:

Sexy On the Page: Writing, Editing and Selling Your Erotic Fiction

Six weekly classes: February 1 – March 8, 2010

Has it always been one of your dreams to write erotic fiction? Or perhaps you already write erotica, but aren’t sure if you’re doing it “right.” Or maybe you just want to get better — and start submitting your stories and getting that sought after “Yes!” from publishers and editors.

Sexy On the Page helps beginning and intermediate writers go from “I wanna!” — whether it’s “I wanna’ write” or “I wanna get better” — to “I am!”

During this six-week class, weekly lessons will provide inspiration and ideas, exercises, suggestions for stretching your boundaries, and tips for improving your stories and your craft. We’ll also look at publication options and opportunities. Because we’ll be walking through erotica writing — starting with ideas and inspirations, progressing through characters and plots, and finalizing with getting those stories written, edited and sent off — you’ll be doing more than just learning. You’ll be accomplishing. Students will leave class with a number of story starts and ideas, half a dozen drafts, and at least one finished, ready-to-submit story.

You will have a weekly writing assignment, which will be shared with other class members via the blog. For my part, I’ll be offering guidance, answering your questions and giving you feedback on your pieces (both in terms of craft and in terms of possible publication opportunities). The blog allows an open, active format just like a traditional, in-person class. One thing to know: Everything on the blog will be password protected, allowing only other students to see the lessons, the comments and your work.

What do you need? You need a desire to write erotic fiction, but you don’t need experience. This class is designed to help you improve no matter what your level of experience. You must be able to use WordPress (you don’t need your own blog — you just need to be able to comment on this one) and you must be able to use Word documents. Ideally, you will also provide me with a short bio and a photo of you (or something that represents you) so that I and the other students can get to know you. Lastly, just like in a real class, you must agree not to share the lessons or the work of other students with anyone outside the class.

How Will You Learn? Classes will be ‘taught’ via the blog and email. Lesson plans and assignments will be posted each week, with additional tricks and suggestions posted during the week. You will receive guided feedback on your work from both myself and from your fellow students.

Cost: This class is being offered for a one-time introductory rate of $125 (the cost in the future will typically be around $200). Students may pay via Paypal or check.

Questions? Ready to register? Visit the website at http://sexyonthepage.wordpress.com/ or contact me at shanna dot germain at gmail dot com

Some thoughts about writing (i.e. why not learn from my mistakes?)

I'm blogging over at eXcessica today. The post is about a few things I've learned along the way, on this writing journey of mine (and wish I'd known earlier!) Click on the link to find out more.

Some thoughts about writing (i.e. why not learn from my mistakes?)

Writing techniques - my experience of layering and dialogue

Over the last few days I’ve been working on an outline for my serial story. If you read a lot of author blogs you’ll often find authors bemoaning the synopsis writing. Anything where we have to condense our opus/imagined opus into a few action-packed and (hopefully) winning lines can be daunting, understandably so! Yes, there was gnashing of teeth.

I got the serial story oultine done but it was with some trepidation that I sent it off -- and great delight that I had it approved! Yay!! So, it’s all systems go on that front, and the story is now tentatively titled YIELD TO ME. I have one other project I want to finish first and then I envisage doing the bulk of the serial story work next week. I have started it though, in fact I’ve been writing the dialogue…First.

When I took a moment to think about it I realised I’d been moving towards this kind of writing technique over the last couple of years. When I start a novel, for example, I’ll often write a couple of key turning points first, in order to get to know my characters quickly. These scenes are ones where conflict is high and emotions rise to the surface, so it’s like diving in at the deep end, having to decide what makes my characters tick, and quickly. I then go back and start at the beginning. These conflict scenes are often jam-packed full of dialogue too. I’m still learning about writing dialogue, but I know I’ve learnt an enormous amount. The key thing is I now know how important dialogue is! ;) It wasn't always that way, I've learnt slowly over the years and I'm getting there. One of the highlights of 2007 for me was seeing this comment in an RT review of my novella in the KINK anthology: “Walker shows a talent for dialogue that is impressive.” Yes, it made me happy. That’s because dialogue engages the reader and moves the story along quickly, bringing it to life. I want to master it.

When I first attempted to write novels one of my first ports of call was Harlequin Blaze. I submitted a partial and had the full requested. I was eventually rejected, but I had a great response from the editor and lots of good advice. The editors wanted to keep the line North American, my voice was too British, and they suggested I look at either Temptation or Spice. Spice had only just been announced and was very much in the concept stage at that point. It’s funny to think that I'm now lucky enough to be able to follow that editor's suggested path and that I'm writing for Spice. I still have to pinch myself...

However, back to Blaze… While I was trying to write for that line I eagerly read books and articles by the Blaze authors. Julie Leto has some great writing advice on her site. Please do go read these gems if you’re an aspiring author. In this one, Julie talks about having to write in short periods of time when there was a lot of other pressing business. A baby on the way, a full-time job, a big family, and… a request for a book! She spent each lunch break writing, and she layered in the story, writing the dialogue first. I can remember reading this article and was amazed to think that she could do that! At that time I was new to writing longer stories, very much learning as I went. The rambling sort of writing I did back then was important to me finding my way, but it was primarily an exploration -- and it was also a luxury.

When you’re writing for a specific line or length, you need to have a much better grasp on where your plot is going and what sort of relationship your characters are going to have. It’s when you have those things in place that you can use layering as a writing technique.

Thinking back to when I read Julie's article and my reaction made me realise I’ve come a long way, because I am able to adopt this practice now. It wasn’t something I consciously set out to do. It’s come as a natural progression for me, as was learning how to write a short story, then a novella, then a novel. I'm still learning how to write more productively and engagingly. Julie’s words of wisdom were definitely bedded in the infrastructure! Do check out her work.

Currently I’m working across several projects and December is looking busy with lots of things I want to finish up. We're planning to proper break around Christmas, so it's a short month in work terms. Gotta get busy!

Things that make me go MMmmmmm!

I grabbed this screen shot a few days ago -- me and my buddy Portia Da Costa rubbing shoulders in the Fictionwise Spice charts! (click for bigger image.) I don't get anywhere near Portia's sales -- her name is synonymous with unbeatably hot erotica, and rightly so. I'm a newbie and still learning in comparison to the talented Black Lace Queen of S & M, but Portia never makes me feel that way, and she is a very good pal to me.


This here newbie is delighted to see her work rub shoulders with the Queen's! The image (brief though it was before my work slid away down the chart!) made me smile, big time.

Tales from the slush pile - WTH?

From time to time I recommend the Edittorrent blog, a terrific craft blog run by two of the editors at Red Sage publishing, Theresa Stevens and Alicia Rasley. If you're a writer, or if you simply want to improve your communication skills, this blog is a must-read. I learn so much there.

However, when we get a post about the slush pile at an erotic romance house, I'm baffled! Check these stats out:

* About 3% thought they were submitting to an agent.

* About 10% submitted work that is not even remotely close to what we publish -- memoirs, religious books, dissertations, cookbooks, etc. (Why is there always a cookbook?)

* About 20% submitted fiction, but not even remotely close to our type of fiction -- hardboiled detective novels, fictionalized childhood memoirs, YA witches and vampires, stories a la Tom Clancy and Louis L'Amour, etc.

Wait, there's more! Go here to read the full post.

Now let me be clear, I'm not pointing the finger because I know I always seem to make slip ups (and anyone who reads my blog knows this. ;-) I omit some vital info, miss a typo -- or worse, let a Dragon Speech Recognition mishear slip through. God knows I try not to, I proof and proof again, but when I read back the next day. Ugh! (Proceed kicking self!)

But a submission that isn't remotely related to the guidelines..? What an absolute waste of time and energy for everyone involved. I'm baffled.

Selling Sex in a Recession: Erotica

I'm just about back up and running after a tough week at the homestead, thank goodness. I came back to interesting news on the industry front. Check out this article from Publishers Weekly. If you're a writer or indeed a reader of erotic fiction, this will interest you. The market for erotica is levelling off, as suspected, but it is still solid.

The article also highlights paranormal, fantasy and unusual historicals with great quotes from Susan Swinwood, amongst others. Susan is my editor at Harlequin Spice. Since those are the genres I have been working in for my longer length books, (as well as several shorts) I'm hoping it bodes well. Fingers crossed, ay! On that note, I must get to work on the current project. I lost nearly a week, yikes.

Hope you're all having a great week.

Industry news via Theresa Stevens

Go to Edittorrent to read industy news from the RWA conference, posted by my Red Sage editor, Theresa Stevens. (If you don't already know Edittorrent and you're a writer who wants to learn skills from top-notch editors, this is the place to hang out!)

The news about erotic romance confirms generally held suspicions, that the readership is capped and the buying spree (as it was, with so many new lines,) is slowing down. The trade paperback news is not good, since most erotic titles come out in trade. I've whinged about this in the past and the expense of the books. I know there is a returns issue with MM, but as a writer who is almost always in trade I can't help but wonder if my work would reach more people in smaller, cheaper mass market versions. Well, thank god for ebooks, ay..

Looking for scorching hot, edgy erotica?

Look no further. Alison Tyler at Pretty Things Press has made two uber-hot titles available as ebooks -- a novella, and an anthology.

Both titles are edgy, explicit erotica. Be warned! Buy direct from Pretty Things Press, or buy the novella at Kindle.

Notes and thoughts from the Romantic Novelists’ Association conference '09

Last year I attended my first writer’s conference, and that was the Romance Writers of America conference in San Francisco. RWA was a baptism by fire, a huge event with around 2,000 attendees! Attending the Romantic Novelists' Association conference here in England was another new and different experience. With around 130 attendees, the venue was smaller and the timetable much less hectic, making it more manageable for me.

Even so, I was horribly nervous as I joined the conference, especially as I was attending this one alone. I needn’t have been nervous, because everyone I met was so friendly and welcoming! I've come away with new friends, and having met pals I knew from online but hadn't met in person before. I’d booked as a day visitor, attending part of the conference, and I would definitely hope to attend again. I have a really warm and fuzzy feeling about the whole RNA experience.

Amongst the people I got to meet was Helen Scott Taylor, who I knew online. (This photo of Helen and I was taken at the Total-E-Bound session.) I hadn’t even realised Helen was going to be at the event so it was a wonderful surprise! Helen and I have a lot in common. We’re both British authors writing for the American market, and we’re both writing paranormal that draws on British and Irish folklore. Helen’s first novel, THE MAGIC KNOT, draws on Irish and Cornish mythology. Helen made my day with her flattering comments about my heroes Zac (in Double Dare) and Nicolas (in Reckless.) I nearly blubbed, but luckily managed to keep my decorum (and my mascara) and gave in to a huge grin instead. Thanks, Helen!

I also got to meet online pals Sue and Graham Rix (who write as a team,) and Jill Reynolds, who had flown in from Spain for the event. I got to spend time with Claire Siemaszkiewicz, my Total-E-Bound publisher, and Victoria Blisse, a fellow Total-E-Bound author. Among the many authors I met was Jenny Haddon, who is an absolute legend with the RNA and a much loved writer as Sophie Weston. Jenny was so much fun to chat with, making me feel absolutely at home. I also had a chance to chat with the president of the RNA, Katie Fforde. Katie is huge name here and I was very nervous about meeting her, but she was so welcoming and adorable that afterwards I felt like a kid who’d met Santa. Katie’s novel LIFE SKILLS is a favourite of mine. I’d love to see this one made into a film.

I also had the chance to spend a bit of time with Harlequin Mills and Boon editors, Jenny Hutton and Meg Lewis, who are acquisitions editors from the London office. The Spice books sell from the Harlequin Mills and Boon UK site, and it was a great opportunity to introduce myself and ask a few questions. Jenny and Meg were so friendly, and I learned a lot about how titles from the US lines are selected to come over to the UK. E-books are only really taking off in the UK now, but Meg and Jenny reported that the Mills & Boon web site is doing exceptionally well, especially the sexy titles, and that we will see more of the Spice (novels and Briefs) titles coming over and being available to UK audience as downloads. This is great news for all Spice and Spice Briefs authors! At the present time a couple of the books have been reprinted for the British audience. (I think these are the Enchanted books by Nancy Madore, not totally sure on that point.) They’ve gone out as a trial, and if they do well there may be more Spice print books on shelves in the UK. This was very exciting to hear!

Just being at the event and getting to meet editors, big-name British authors, and friends from the Internet was worth the trip alone. I also attended several sessions, and I’ll give a brief outline of those next.

As part of the opening of the conference there was a panel featuring five authors from different genres answering questions from the audience. This was a great idea, because there was something in the answers for everyone present. The panel included Melanie Hilton (who writes hot historicals as Louise Allen) Liz Gill (a prolific saga writer) Veronica Henry (a vivacious rom com writer who was previously a scriptwriter on The Archers), Sue Moorcroft (short stories, magazine fiction, anthologies and a much respected writing tutor) and Helen Scott Taylor (paranormal author and winner of the Dorchester American title.) Questions had to be given in the format “how much is too much?” Questions ranged from back-story, research, revisions, advances, and of course how much is too much sex -- which is what we all thought "how much is too much" was about anyway, right?

Jenny Hutton and Meg Lewis from HM&B (who both edited books that are shortlisted for this year's RITAs!) gave an informative and thoughtful presentation about digging deeper and really knowing your characters. They also shared information on the common themes they see in the slush pile. They reported that submissions often fail because the writer has taken a popular storyline and tried to make their characters fit. Our characters must carry the story, rather than trying to shoehorn them into a plot. They are actively seeking new twists on popular themes, and pointed to your character’s emotional conflict and growth as the key way to harness your reader’s imagination. Examples of new twists on favourite themes included (and I’m doing these from memory so if you were there please correct me if I get these wrong!) a heroine who is a workaholic doctor, with her hero being a more laid-back male nurse who presents her with her secret baby and tells her to deal with it. (Got to love that!) There was mention of a playboy story where the heroine was on dialysis and the hero was a childhood friend. They also mentioned a historical with a courtesan heroine and penniless hero. Another featured a hero who is Autistic. Through the examples they gave we were able to see how popular storylines can be taken in new, intriguing directions.

**Updated to include the titles of two of the books mentioned: A Baby for Eve by Maggie Kingsley and Australian Boss, Diamond Ring, by Jennie Adams, which features an autistic hero.*


I also attended a talk by Texan author Jodi Thomas. Jodi gave a fascinating session entitled Romancing American markets, with lots of personal anecdotes alongside hints and general advice about selling your work. Warm, funny, and entertaining, I enjoyed this session immensely. Jodi's tips for the American market included researching the lines, looking at what’s coming out now and seeking new twists, thinking in terms of series, and collaborating with other authors to produce fresh new anthologies. Jodi also reported that her Berkley editor, Wendy McCurdy, spoke highly of submissions from British authors and actively encouraged British authors to send work to her, which (not surprisingly!) was greeted most enthusiastically by the assembled audience.

The Total-E-Bound session was well attended, and Claire Siemaszkiewicz gave a presentation on e-publishing in general as well as Total-E-Bound in particular, putting Total-E-Bound in context. (Photo of Claire and I just before the panel kicked off.) Claire highlighted the differences and advantages of epublishing versus print, and also explained a lot about the technology, handing out e-readers for the attendees to check out. This was enthusiastically and gratefully received by those of us who struggle with it. ;-) Ebooks have really only started to take off in the UK recently, but the feeling I got from both Claire and the HM&B editors was that this is really flourishing as a medium on our shores and it’s only going to get bigger and more accessible.

Claire’s background is in business, and this really shone through. She’s a warm, knowledgable and approachable person with a lot of business savvy, and I know that if I wasn't already working with her I would want to. The session went well and ran over because there was so much to cover. Fellow author Victoria Blisse invited people to e-mail her if they have any questions about going in to epublishing, and the same goes for me. (My email address is linked at the top of the right hand column here on the blog) (Photo of Victoria and I taken at the TEB session.) We didn’t have time for many questions, but we were asked our reasons for going into e-publishing. As we were cut short I’m going to say a little bit about that here. Perhaps with more clarity this time, ay? (As friends can confirm, I often communicate best when I keep my mouth shut. :o)

Ebooks were a way for me to move forward at a time when I needed to validate my attempts at writing a novel. I began as a short story writer and had several publications in anthologies. I had novel length ideas on the go and had begun sending out to publishers. As anyone who has done this knows, it often takes a long time to hear back, and the wait can be very dispiriting. I’d had various encouraging comments and one of my books was about to go to contract (it had been through revisions with the editor) when the line folded. At this time e-publishing was starting to flourish in America, where I’d had shorts and a novella published. The title that almost got to contract was erotic, and I decided to give epublishing a go. I’d heard that there was a fast turnaround, and I was at a point where I needed to know if I had the ability to sustain a whole novel or not. A lot of it was about me getting guidance and motivation to continue. I got that in a much shorter space of time with epublishing. Faster turnarounds and shorter lead in to publication meant that my novel writing career seemed like it might be a going concern. I badly needed that, otherwise I was going to throw in the towel.

Shortly after, a New York print publisher signed me as well. I continue to write for epub submission alongside print, because of the flexibility and the timetabling. I’m currently writing one big title a year for Harlequin Spice and the rest of my time is spent on smaller projects. Epublishing offers the opportunity to put varying length works out, which helps keep me ticking over and means that the few readers I have garnered don't forget me! With Total-E-Bound in particular, the fact that longer titles also become available in POD (print on demand) means that those my print readership can also get hold of my work in a format the works for them. The important thing here is about choice and flexibility.

I would have added that authors considering going into epublishing should keep in mind that your readership really grows in leaps and bounds the more titles you have out. Also, trying out different types of stories and different lengths means you find out very quickly where your skills are – you can see which of your titles is selling much quicker than you can in print because of the monthly statements, and that lets you as an author learn directly from the readers what they want and where your strengths are. What could be better than that!

While I was at the conference there was inevitably talk about the recent Black Lace news. I wanted to say something about this, because I don’t want new (or established) erotic writers to be discouraged.

The news that Black Lace was on hold was devastating for the BL authors and for fans of the line, but we mustn’t take it as an indication that erotica and erotic romance is not selling across the board. With the world recession the publishing industry is inevitably struggling and we have to work even harder to sell books. But Claire Siemaszkiewicz, the Total-E-Bound publisher, confirmed that sexy books sell, and for epublishing the market only seems to grow. My feeling is it’s important to keep in mind that a few years ago Black Lace were simply the only publisher offering women the explicit novel length reads we wanted. There’s a huge amount of competition in the print marketplace now – and that’s before we even get to ebooks. Many new print lines started up over the last few years to satisfy the demands of erotica readers. Our shelves were flooded with choice.

That competition meant the cake had to be shared out. We’ve seen several publishers decide not to move forward with their erotic titles/lines or downsize. Bantam recently decided not to publish any more new erotic titles. Kensington recently downsized from 4 new books a month, back to 2. This doesn’t mean it’s not selling, but perhaps indicated that the readership is capped, and at one point there were simply too many books out there for all of them to be a huge success.

At this point Black Lace acquisitions are going on hold for next year. There may well still be an ongoing BL shelf presence in reprinted titles, and new titles from this year. It’s also important to consider that Virgin recently branded itself as specialists in non-fiction, and that the BL editor, Adam Nevill, garnered a fabulous 2 book deal after his horror novels went to auction. (Go, Adam!)

I just think it’s important to keep all the factors in mind. The BL news doesn’t indicate the erotic market is in a downward spiral. Yes, there has been less being bought Stateside than there was a couple of years back, but that’s partly because of the recession, and partly because a lot of the houses that started lines have now got a core of authors in place. There is still some growth, with several of the houses actively seeking submissions of erotic romance and erotica. Over the time since I was signed at Spice they have signed at least 3 more new-to-them authors, each with 2 book deals. Slow growth is happening in both print and ebook markets, so please don’t be discouraged! I have my fingers crossed that all my pals at Black Lace will be able to find homes for their work AND that we’ll see more Black Lace titles in the future, perhaps (as someone suggested at the conference) under a different publishing umbrella. Black Lace is known and loved by so many of us readers and I for one would hate to think it’s gone forever.

And now for something completely different, to close my Penrith experience notes, I wanted to recommend an eatery! :} The Salsa Mexican bistro in the town is superb, so if anyone is passing through the area, do check it out. Seriously, we’re considering going back just to eat there again! We also had time to squeeze in a wonderful day trip to Keswick. It was heaving with tourists but a treat all the same. Mark, the Real Life Hero, covered a lot of miles on his mountain bike while I was at the conference, and all in all it was a wonderful trip for both of us.

Half way through 2009, taking stock

Phew, it’s been an intense few days here, (weeks even,) while I’ve been completing my latest novel-length, INESCAPABLE. The good news is it’s done and gone to my editor at Total-E-Bound. I’m now in a state of collapse. :o) I’ll post an excerpt from the book soon! I adore the way this story turned out. I think it may be my most intense, most romantic work yet. I hope the editor likes it. Fingers crossed.

I’ve now got a day to get myself ready to go to a conference. Gulp. I was supposed to have longer than that, but you know how it is with this writing novels business…the fictional world takes over. Got to pull myself together because tomorrow morning we’re off to the Lake District for a couple of days break before the conference kicks off. The event is being held at the University of Cumbria in Penrith, and it’s the Romantic Novelists’ Association annual conference. It’s my first time, and I’m very much looking forward to it. Some of the biggest names in UK romance publishing will be there, and editors from several of the UK houses.

Total-E-Bound senior editor, Claire Siemaszkiewicz, will be meeting with authors and giving a presentation on e-books and Total-E-Bound on Saturday afternoon. Fellow erotic romance writer, Victoria Blisse, et moi, will be on the panel. It’s going to be SO good to meet up with people that I’ve known online, and especially my editor Claire, who is a wonderful person to work with.

While I’m at the event, Mark (the Real Life Hero) will be out cycling in the area, doing the Tour de Cumbria, as it were, (ie pretending he’s in France. ;-) It promises to be a hectic few days but a real change of scene, which is always appreciated. I’ll blog about it on my return and I’ll try to remember to take photos!

I’m already excited about my work plans for when I get back. I have a couple of things lined up to work on immediately. A partial for a novella that’s been busting out of my head the whole time I’ve been working on INESCAPABLE. It’ll be great to get that idea down on paper at last. I’m also in negotiations to get UNVEILING THE SORCERESS re-released by small press, with a view to writing books 2 and 3 of the series over the next couple of years. I’m very excited about doing that project in between times! Then, between August and the end of the year, I’ll be working on THE HARLOT, my second Spice novel.

It’s been a good year for the writing so far and while I’m taking stock at the halfway point I am grateful for my author pals, the people I work with, the editors who I learn from, and the opportunities that have come my way. There’s been a lot of bad news in publishing during this difficult world recession. Sales are down, and many avenues have closed. As authors we hope and pray things improve soon, and we treasure what opportunities there are still out there.

See you when I get back from Penrith!

Contest for writers

Get your work in front of an NAL editor!

Manic Readers is pleased to partner with NAL Publishing editor, Becky Vinter, for a romance novel writing contest that will begin January 3, 2009. Readers will determine which 10 entries make it to Becky's desk and she will name one as "editor's choice."

Hop on over to the Manic Readers website for the theme and more details.