AUGUST HAPPENINGS

Romance Divas
Author of the Month : Gemma Halliday – Contests workshop from the Golden Heart winner
Aug 5-7: Paranormal Event with Carrie Vaughn, LA Banks, CT Adams/Cathy Clamp, Gena Showalter, and Kelley Armstrong.
Aug 11 Jessica Faust: Bookends-inc agent in the Chatroom. 9 Eastern
August 8-18 :: Getting To Know The Voices in Your Head Workshop with Jo Ann Ferguson/Jocelyn Kelley
Aug 18 :: Theresa Meyers: PR/Promo in the Chatroom.
August 25 :: Ann Christopher, Patricia Sargeant, Maureen Smith and Sophia Shaw Multi-cultural Authors Chat

eHarlequin
• July 31-Aug 4: "Introducing Hotel Marchand!" with Jean Brashear, Kristi Gold, Kara Lennox, Shirley Jump & Lori Wilde!
• Aug 7-11: Q&A: "Writing an Expert Character -- Even When You're Not an Expert Yourself" with Samantha Hunter
• Aug 14-18: "What Cost Career?" with Michele Dunaway

RWA recaps

I didn't make it to RWA Nationals in Atlanta this year, but this article sums it up nicely.

Michelle Willingham will have workshop notes from the Harlequin spotlight, as well as other workshops on her blog all week.

DELICIOUS - Julie Cohen - Modern Extra

When English teacher Elisabeth Read finds celebrity chef Angus MacAllister standing in the middle of a group of students, holding a chicken of all things, she's not sure about anything - except her instant attraction. Terrified of showing her reaction to the man, she retreats, only to learn that she'll be working very closely with him to prepare two students for an upcoming cooking competition.

Angus volunteered to help the kids for the publicity, but the school and Elisabeth aren't interested in allowing the kids to be used as props. He agrees to help anyway because of a commraderie he feels with the two students, and his curiosity about Elisabeth's seeming disdain for him. Unable to settle for someone not liking him, especially someone he's attracted to, Angus does all he can for the kids, knowing it is the only way to get Elisabeth to see his as more than his playboy public personna, carefully crafted by his publicist.

With every cooking lesson she attends as the children's chaperone, Elisabeth feels Angus chip away at the wall she's built up. Though she warms to him, she still refuses to go out with him, until he makes he an offer she can't refuse - taking the kids to the best restaurant in London.

Deciding to enjoy the moment, Elisabeth goes home with Angus and enjoys a magical weekend. Can she let down her guard completely and let him into her heart? Julie Cohen has told another sensual pairing of complicated characters, caught in a heart-tugging set of circumstances. A wonderfully witty, pleasure drenched story.

SuperMom and WriterChick do not happily coexist

There is only so much time in the day, and limited energy thanks to my latest health funk - so I haven't written anything....though I did take the babes to the zoo, out to lunch, and for a playdate. Then today was the science museum that had a great new robot exhibit.

But writing? Um...not so much.

Romance Writers Report : Part Tres

HUMOR: WHAT IT IS AND WHAT IT ISN'T - Jane McBride Choate

Use embarrassing situations from life to bring levity - toilet paper on the shoe, panty hose runs...
but...but...but...humor is not one liners!?! Ah, man. Come on! I like those. I can do those. Geesh. Back to the drawing board.

BREAKING UP WITH THE BAD IDEA - Betina Krahn

She had me from "beware the spellbinding title." I am such a victim of that! If it is OK for Betina King and her 26 book deep backlist to throw in the towel on a book, we all can!

IDENTIFYING YOUR CORE STORY - Julie Rowe

Many writers gave the same underlying concept in all their stories - well, most of them. This core story is what comes naturally to you.

Great. Either I don't have a core story, or it has multiple personalities.

• JUST ONE SPARK - healing
• BREAKING HIS RULES - rescue
• STRIPPED - acceptance
• THE GIRL SHE USED TO BE - 2nd chance
• IF YOU SAY SO - acceptance
• FOR KICKS - healing
• COME FOR DINNER - rescue

The 'healing' is easiest for me to write, 'acceptance' the most rewarding, 'rescue' the most fun...I don't fit neatly. More of an accepting and healing while saving them from themselves.

More Blog Fun

I found another fun thing in the blogsphere. Alison Kent is having a daily scavenger hunt. What a great idea. Paperbackwriter is planning on havine virtual writing workshops on Cross-genre writing, Extending your writing range, Trend tracking versus jumping, Writing to concept. And there is even a blog for those of us who need a fix of RWA National!

About That Business Plan...

Yeah, well...I've written a business plan before. Loved it each time. But I'm balking at the idea of my writing being a business. I know, I know..your name is your brand. But...I'm just a chick who writes stories. Sure, I idolize VLT, but I don't have the time right now! I mean, BabyBoy refuses to potty train, BigBoy can read (I've caught him) but won't let on, HubbaBubba works so hard I have to push him out the door to play golf for a release, and have you seen my house? No? Well, lemme tell ya, it's filthy. Well, 2 rooms and the garage are clean, but for the rest 'lived in' is being kind.

So...what I want my career to be in 10 years and what I want for it for the next 10 are quite different, which makes this business plan thing rough. but here goes:

Mission Statement (who you are) : I want to write sassy, fun romance novels with a quirky edge.
Vision Statement (who you want to be) : I want to have a few books each year make it on my readers' keeper shelves.
Industry Research (the market & your place in it) : I'm lucky that Mills & Boon decided to create a line for what I like to write and read (it's all about me, not their own industry research, decades of experience, and readers pleading)...this was luck, timing, and perseverence - not industry research. That said, I think I can weave humor and sensuality in a quirky way this is a bit different.
Company Description (your strengths) : My dedication to category romance isn't a passing fancy. I'm addicted. I want to be a longtime category author, with enough titles to fill an 'other books by' page. I'm determined, and undaunted. Well, rejections sting, but don't deter me. I'm also able to brainstorm ideas, revise stories, and write quickly.
Money Tree (fees, dues, computer, internet, postage, supplies, classes) : Oh, this is comical. There is no money. Heck, I'm proud that I had money left over from my last advance (after I paid DH back for the list of things I've spent on in the name of seeing my name on a book) to buy a fridge when ours conked out. But now I'm back to having to ask for everythink I can't squeeze out of my grocery budget. There is no money.
Action (timeline) : 2006 -

1. Submit every completed romance novel until it sells. (every one is under consideration but If You Say So)
2. Complete 4 more novels and submit them as well. (only Cooking Up A Storm so far)
3. Enter 3 contests. (Romance Junkies, Great Beginnings, ...)
4. Attend 1 RWA conference. (Emerald Valley - October)
5. Lead 2 workshops (RD's Targeting Category Romance - May, eHQ's NaNoWriMo - November)
6. Submit short stories for pay if possible, publicity if not. (3 published this year)

So...according to my business plan I'm doing great in most areas - except money and writing new novels this year. Hopefully the money table will turn if I write more :)

Up next... Laughing, Bad Ideas, and Working Your Core