And the Winner Is...

Isn't that a great cartoon??!

Well, cheers to everyone who's visited and commented here over the past couple of weeks. The first winner of my March Madness blog giveaway, a copy of Jenna Kernan's RITA-nominated historical romance Winter Woman, is...

Marianne! Congrats!!

Keep those comments coming, though, 'cause the next giveaway is just 2 weeks away...

TGIF!

"I have been successful probably because I have always realized that I knew nothing about writing and have merely tried to tell an interesting story entertainingly." ~Edgar Rice Burroughs

I know, I know, I haven't played in a while, so here's the Friday Feast:

Appetizer
On a scale of 1-10 (with 10 as highest), how much do you like your own handwriting?

Actually, I'm going with 10 on this one. I like it, it's legible, and hey - it seems like *not* liking something so trivial about yourself would be silly. We beat ourselves up about everything else, right?

Soup
Do you prefer baths or showers?

Don't know that I have a preference - baths are super-relaxing, but showers are quicker.

Salad
What was the last bad movie you watched?

I"ll go with "Superbad" here - it was AWFUL. I know some people probably found it funny, but it for me, it was just 2 hours of bad humor and bad language and little plot, told from a a group of horny male adolescents' points of view.

Main Course
Name something you are addicted to and describe how it affects your life.

Chocolate! Positive effect: all those endorphins. Negative effect: is there one?

Dessert
Which instrument is your favorite to listen to?

I do like string instruments, but since I play the piano myself, I love listening to a really talented pianist too.

***

Just in case you missed yesterday's announcement, my very first novel, One Night in Boston, is officially available for pre-order on Amazon! It's currently $5.00 off the full price, plus you get an additional 5% off for pre-ordering. Can't go wrong!

***

Finally, just a reminder that since it's halfway through March, I'll be giving away my first of two books by historical romance author Jenna Kernan tomorrow, to one lucky blog commenter. Check back to see who the winner is!

I've Officially Arrived!!

"If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, I wouldn’t brood. I’d type a little faster." ~Isaac Asimov

Well, the moment is here: I officially have a book for sale on Amazon. I know, I know, I was a published author the moment I sent off my signed contract for my first book...but somehow, seeing One Night in Boston available on the giant of all book sites makes me feel as though I've finally arrived in the published-author world!

So I have two requests for you today: first, if you're interested in purchasing One Night in Boston, go on over to Amazon and pre-order it. It's on super-sale right now, nearly $5.00 off the full price they'll charge in May, so you can't really lose. It's scheduled to be in print, and ship, on May 27. And second, if you've already read One Night in Boston, and you enjoyed it, could you leave me a (positive) rating/review on my Amazon page? I'm going to be working on updating it with some author info/a blog soon, but I figure the more activity it gets in the next 2 months, the better.

Finally, a big thanks to you, all my reading/writing/blogging chums (the lurkers too - I love that you're out there!) - I couldn't have gotten this far in my writing journey without every single one of you. ((((Cyber-hugs)))) !!

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview with Patti Shenberger

Welcome to Writers' Wednesday! Today I'm featuring fellow Wild Rose Press author Patti Shenberger. You're in for a treat...enjoy!

Hi, Patti, and welcome! Can you tell us a little about your background?

My background is quite varied. I was raised by my great grandparents who were in their 62 amd 64 yrs old whem they took me in at the ripe old age of 3 months. I learned early how to become a grown-up (my grandfater worked for General Motors and toured the country with the Auto Shows). We traveled around the world visiting and dining with kings, queens, and movie stars. It gave me a lot of fodder for writing romance. After high school, I dabbled at college, dropped out, got married, had two kids and went to work doing whatever would pay the bills. I've done everything from office work, to insurance sales, financial planning, retail, car porter, fabric store manager, real estate admin work and now semi-retired and writing full time. This is my favorite job (G)

Wow, what a cool upbringing! Can you tell us about your latest writing project or published title?

Right now, I am working on a category romance length novel entitled The Billionaire's Royal Houseguest. I am hoping it is something Silhouette Desire will pick up (fingers are crossed) It's the story of a pampered Princess who desparately seeks the assistance of a rich salvage diver to recover artifacts off a sunken vessel to save her small island nation. He has no intention of ever going back in the water after a near fatal shark attack on his last job. Can Princess Annabelle change his mind? And more importantly, can Victor Dragon overcome his past to include the woman of his dreams in his futre??? Stay tuned!!

My latest released title is Take No Prisoners. It's the story of Frankie Canfield who announces to the world that she is returning to her home town of Harmony to marry the man of her dreams, the Sheriff. Little does she know her PR stunt is about to go horribly wrong when a new Sheriff is in charge: the only man Frankie has ever loved and lost.

My last three titles have all been with The Wild Rose Press. You can check them out at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/ or on my web page at http://www.pattishenberger.com/

You've definitely become a successful writer. What advice would you give to new writers just starting out?

I would tell them to read everything they can get their hands on and never give up. Just because one person doesn't like your writing doesn't mean everyone hates it. I've had agents and editors at larger houses reject my work and then a smaller press picks it up and loves it. It's all subjective and you have to remember it's NOT PERSONAL!

Ooh, that's really good advice and important to remember! So what kinds of books do you like to read? Who is your favorite author?

My favorite author is Jude Deveraux, Luncy Monroe, and Lucy Gordon. I love a good romance, but I will read pretty much anything that piques my interest. Right now I'm reading The Secret.

OK, important question: How do you balance writing with the rest of your life?

Writing is very solitary work and very rewarding also. Balancing my writing has been easy for me this past year in the sense that I haven't had a day job to go to. I learned last fall that I had colon cancer and the subsequent months were a flurry of surgery, recovery, chemo, recovery, hysterectomy and now tail end of recovery. I'm fine but it took its toll. I didn't write a word most days but then I would have a spurt where I would write a chapter in a sitting. I also sold three books (granted they were already finished) during this time frame and did revisions and saw they come to fruition. My children are grown and out of the house, my hubby works retail so he's gone 6 days a week, 12 hours a day. The house is mine (G)

Describe your writing space for us...

My writing space is my home office - which used to be my son's bedroom before he moved out and into the Army. It's a total disaster right now! All the furniture from my daughter's room (she moved out) is in here while we paint her old room and turn it into a reading room of sorts with an electric fireplace and two comfy armchairs!

Well, we know you love to write. But what do you like to do when you're not writing?

When I am not weriting, I can be found with my face buried in a book. I love to read. It is my absolute favorite thing to do. Other than that, I love to meet friends for lunch, spend time with them and also travel. Hawaii, the Panaman Canal and Australia are next on my list of places to see.

Is there anything else you’d like to mention for readers today?

This is so cool! Thanks for letting me be a part of it. My web site is http://www.pattishenberger.com/, my titles can be found at http://www.thewildrosepress.com/, and thank you again!!!

Thanks, Patti - it's been a pleasure! And readers, take a look at her website and all those yummy looking short stories. For less than the cost of a Starbucks latte, you can have a quick and satisfying read today!

Sad Stories of Politicians and Royalty Statements

"Physical infidelity is the signal, the notice given, that all fidelities are undermined." ~Katherine Anne Porter

Ah, yes...yet another politician who can't keep it in his pants, this one in my very own home state of New York...

New York Governor Eliot Spitzer Under Pressure to Quit Over Sex Scandal

No wonder women read romance novels - at least the men/the heroes in the pages of those stories stay faithful!

***
On another note, I received my royalty statement from The Wild Rose Press yesterday, for Nov/Dec 2007. Let's just say it wasn't what I had hoped or thought it would be, regarding sales. In fact, I was really surprised. One Night in Boston sold nearly 10 times the number Lost in Paradise did, in the two months after it released! I'm not sure how to take that...Samhain has more purchasers/followers/marketing than TWRP? People wanted to read my first novel but not my second one? It's a little discouraging.

I know it's dificult to promote e-books, and in the last few months I've been doing marketing more with an eye toward the print releases. I've also used up my "Debut Author" angle with the various newspapers I sent press releases to, so I'll have to think of something else.

Guess it's back to the drawing board with a renewed focus on promoting Lost in Paradise, this week. And hey! If you're reading this blog, and you haven't gotten your copy yet, why not think about treating yourself this week? It's gotten some great reviews, and for less than the cost of lunch you can purchase and download it here. By the way, the story is set in the middle of summer...nice and steamy and warm, for all of you who are tired of the winter weather already!!

How Did it Get to be Monday Again??

"Love is what you've been through with somebody." ~James Thurber

I'm convinced that weekends actually go much faster than weekdays...and now that I think about it, with Daylight Savings happening yesterday, I think my theory is right, at least once a year :)

Anyway, here's the trailer I made for Diane Craver's novel Never the Same:



And I'm excited because I'm at 19,500 words on One Night in Napa! Almost a third of where I want to be (I'm aiming for 60,000 and then will hope to add about another 5,000 when I go back through and revise). I did read the first chapter at my RWA meeting over the weekend and got some really good ideas and feedback, though I don't know if I'll read any more 'til I'm finished. It sort of defeats the purpose of "just write from beginning to end without letting your inner editor go back and change things..."

But hey, I'm happy with the progress. I'm hoping to get through another 10,000 this week!

On a totally unrelated note, as I posted today and looked at the date, I realized it's the anniversary of the day hubby and I got engaged, back in 2000. Wow! Does anyone else remember the actual date they got engaged, or is that weird?

Happy Small Press Month!

"The life’s blood of contemporary and modern literature is in the custodianship of so-called small publishers. Without them, there is no future for literature." ~Walter Mosley

I just found out it's National Small Press Month...and since I've been privileged enough to be published by two small presses, I should be celebrating it!

Let me just say, for anyone who doesn't already know, that the experience of being published by Samhain Publishing and The Wild Rose Press, both small presses, has been fantastic. I have learned so much about writing and editing and marketing, on an intimate level, with everyone involved at both houses. I'm so thankful that they exist and are thriving, and that they give authors another option for breaking into publication.

Here's a neat "To Do" list if you're an author published by a small press - or even if you just want to support them and spread the word about this month.

Meanwhile, I'm off to write...and support the efforts of small presses everywhere!