Friday Fun Facts: Preparing for a Writers' Conference

So I'm off this weekend for the Eastern NY SCBWI Falling Leaves Master Retreat - and I'm pretty excited (and a little nervous too), because I'll be spending the weekend with a variety of other published authors and NYC editors. We had to submit a writing sample back in the summer to be accepted, and we've been assigned actual homework (!) to prepare for our writing work this weekend. I expect it to be an intensive discussion of Young Adult novel writing, and I'm hoping to get a lot out of it. I've been to a few other writers' conferences and am trying to use my previous experiences to prepare:

~Be open to meeting new people. All kinds of people attend conferences, at all different points in their writing careers. There's always someone else to learn from, and someone else who wants to learn from you. Be frank, kind, and polite when talking to other writers.

~Be prepared to talk about your work. For almost every homework assignment, I had to prepare an "elevator pitch" of my novel - the 1-2 sentence description of my book I could chat up while riding in an elevator with an editor/agent/colleague. Always be prepared to talk about your work (and why it's brilliant!) in a succinct, interesting fashion,

~Take breaks when necessary. I've found that sometimes, writers' conferences can be overwhelming and exhausting. It's good for me to take breaks every so often to recharge, in my hotel room or even a quiet corner of the lobby. Staying well hydrated and snacking when needed is key too.

~Be tough. If you're attending a critique session or otherwise sharing your work, be ready for and open to constructive criticism. Remember that, like readers and reviewers, some people will respond positively to your work, and some might not. Take in everyone's opinions, and then go home and mull over which are solid criticisms that you can use to make your writing better.

~Look forward to learning more about the trade. This is the time to soak in everything you can from other people who are working in the industry. Ask questions, attend as many sessions as you can, and take notes.

~Be inspired! I hope to come away from this weekend knowing more about the YA novel-writing industry. I also hope to get some feedback on my own project and, maybe, make some connections with other writers and editors in the genre. Incidentally, here are the 5 editors that will be working with us this weekend:

Aubrey Poole, Associate Editor at Sourcebooks
Mallory Kass, Editor at Scholastic Books
Katherine Jacobs, Editor at Roaring Book Press
Kathy Dawson of Kathy Dawson Books, imprint at Penguin Young Readers
Michelle Poploff, Executive Editor at Delacorte Books (division of Random House)

I can't wait to tell you all about it!

Writers' Wednesday: Beacon of Love Now Available in Print!

Exciting news! Beacon of Love is now available in print! This is your chance to read the first book in the Hometown Heroes series, before Inferno of Love comes out in January. Beacon of Love has 4+ stars on Amazon, and reviewers have called it "a tale of intrigue and suspense, of the past colliding with the future, of loved ones lost and new love taking root" and "a romantic mystery that captures your attention right from the beginning."

Enjoy!

Monday Mentionables: A Veterans' Day Remembrance

Happy Veterans' Day, everyone! Thank you to everyone who has served this country and who keeps us safe.

"Nov. 11, 1918 was the day the guns fell silent at the end of the Great War."

In Flanders Fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

 

 

 

Writers' Wednesday: It's Time for a Cover Reveal!

OK folks, I was going to wait until next month, but I figured what the heck? It's November, there's a chill in the air, Daylight Savings Time means it now gets dark before 5:00....so that means we need some heat, right?

Drum roll....here's the fabulous cover for my upcoming release, Inferno of Love. What do you think?

(P.S. - If you want to read the blurb, it was featured here last week. Take a peek!)

Monday Mentionables: Happy Thoughts for a Monday

Writers' Wednesday: Introducing Inferno of Love!

Well, I'm working on the final edits for Inferno of Love, which should have an early 2014 release date. Are you excited?? I am. Here's a draft of the blurb - it might be tweaked between now and release time, but it'll give you an idea of what you can expect from the second story in the Hometown Heroes stories of Lindsey Point:

What happens when your soul mate returns after twelve long years – and has no idea who you are?

Aubrey Anderson is a pediatric occupational therapist who’s spent the last twelve years rebuilding her life after a car accident killed her boyfriend and crushed her legs. A series of strokes on the way to the hospital left her with no memory of either the accident or the weeks leading up to it, so when she starts having nightmares she can’t explain, she decides to return to the scene to see if she can piece together her past.

Finn Cavallo is Lindsey Point's resident playboy, owner of a popular bar, and hero of the Cove Fire, when he pulled seven people from a burning building twelve years earlier. But his flirtatious personality hides the heart of a man who lost his soul mate the night of the fire. When Aubrey walks into his bar with no memory of who he is or what they had, he’s stunned – and it takes everything he has not to tell her about the summer they spent falling in love.

It's only a matter of time before bar conversation turns to passion on the beach and more. But when a series of events raises suspicion that Finn himself might have started the Cove Fire, Aubrey is forced to do whatever she can to discover the truth about both their pasts, including going back to the spot where it all began...

Stay tuned! Over the next couple of months, I'll be posting excerpts, teasers, and the official cover right here on Wednesdays - with chance for you to win fun stuff! Hope you'll join me :)

Monday Mentionables: Beacon of Love is Releasing in Print!

Exciting news this morning, folks: my recent digital release, Beacon of Love, will be available in print this November! Stay tuned for the exact date, price, and all the details!

Welcome to Lindsey Point, Connecticut: suspicious of outsiders, loyal to tradition, and absolutely devoted to its local legends.

Enter Sophie Smithwaite, travel show host, in town to film an episode about Lindsey Point’s haunted lighthouse. But digging into the story of a tragic murder-suicide and love gone wrong reveals startling connections to Sophie’s own past. When a gorgeous local handyman fills in behind the camera, Sophie’s life gets complicated by more than just her family history.

Part-time paramedic, handyman, seasonal Santa... Lucas Oakes does it all--except get attached. He’s still reeling from the death of his best friend ten years ago and the more recent infidelity of his ex-fiancee. Yet despite Sophie’s big-city nosiness and her insistence on chasing long-dead ghosts, he’s drawn to her.

But mixing with an outsider means questioning people and traditions Lucas has always defended. When a series of attacks seem to be connected to Sophie’s investigation, both Sophie and Lucas must decide if they are willing to risk everything to uncover the town’s secrets...and their own.

CONTENT WARNING: Contains one barb-slinging travel show host, one hunky handyman who knows exactly how to use his tools, and a small town brimming with secrets...

5-STARS
"The connection between Lucas and Sophie is amazing and the power they have over each other is remarkable...Beacon of Love was an amazing tale of a small town with a hot romance built into it. It tested beliefs, friendship and faith. This book gave me everything a great read could give. It had the romance, mystery, suspense and hot handy man all wrapped into one and I loved it!" —5-Star Amazon Review

"Beacon of Love has likable characters, lively dialogue and a local mystery which needs to be solved. Well paced with just the right amount of humor, I found myself turning the pages to see just what was going to happen next...the scenes between Sophie and Lucas are fun, light and full of sexual tension..." —Queen of the Night Reviews

4-STARS
"I really enjoyed the premises of this story. True love...Secrets....New Love....Wonderful!" —4-Star Amazon Review

"Beacon of Love by Allie Boniface was the perfect slice of heaven for me! Not only did we get a nice romance, but we also got to dig into an old mystery and try to solve a 50 year-old murder..." —Romance Addict Book Blog

Friday Fun Facts: Why I'm in Love with Nashville

So fall television has started...with mixed reviews, I hear. CBS has already shuffled shows around (and canceled some). Hubby and I have tried a few of the new sitcoms, but I can't say I'm loving any of them.

Mom - the subject matter of a single mother who's openly cheating with her married boss (and that's just the beginning of the dysfunction), doesn't reach humor even though it tries with the daughter-sneaking-around-and-then-getting-pregnant plotline or the estranged-mother-of-central-character-reappears-in-therapy-and-tries-to-make-nice plotline.

The Crazy Ones - It certainly has promise with Robin Williams as a main character, and I'd probably watch it just to see what he does. But Sarah Michelle Gellar doesn't work for me as the put-upon working daughter trying to save her father's totally ambitious but floundering career in advertising.

The Millers - Couldn't make it past the first five minutes. The whole premise of a newly divorced middle-aged man moving in with his newly divorced parents (who apparently still live together) tries to rest on a lot of raunchy humor. But, um, no. Didn't work for me.

So what do we watch in this house? Hubby loves his reality TV, especially Duck Dynasty (it has its moments, but I have yet to watch an entire episode), Pawn Stars, and American Pickers. I will say the history of both those shows is kind of cool. We do watch Survivor religiously (we haven't missed an episode in 27 seasons), always entertained and fascinated by the personalities thrown together on the island and how they interact - or don't.

We tune into The Big Bang Theory and Two Broke Girls for laughs and Person of Interest and The Mentalist for drama/who-dun-it mysteries.

But my latest addiction is the very soapy Wednesday night drama Nashville. Anyone else watch it? Yes it's campy, yes it's far-fetched, and yes it pulls out every possible plot contrivance. But something about it has drawn me in. Perhaps it's the characters and the way they are continually tormented by the next  thing that can go wrong. (Among other things, the season 1 finale featured an alcohol-fueled car crash, a surprise pregnancy, an in-the-closet-out-of-the-closet gay character, a marriage proposal, and a mother's suicide to protect her celebrity daughter from a sex tape scandal. Told you it was soapy!)

Perhaps it's the actors themselves: Hayden Panetierre, Connie Britton, and Charles Esten are simply captivating on screen (and easy on the eyes).  Perhaps it's the music, original country songs written for every episode that just ooze angst and heartache and hope. All together, there's really nothing about Nashville I don't like. And getting attached to the characters and watching the way the writers create captivating story lines has influenced my own writing as well.

So what about you? What do you watch?

Writers' Wednesday: Story Ideas are Everywhere

While I was getting a manicure over the weekend (in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month - do you like it?), the nail tech and I got to talking. She asked the inevitable question: where do you get your ideas? And I told her, as I usually do, that all I have to do is read the paper or turn on the news. Case in point, headlines from the last couple of weeks that got me thinking:

Family Friend Arrested After Teacher Finds Pot in 3-Year Old's Backpack

Massive Hunt for Missing Autistic Boy in NYC

Hawaii Surfer Throws Punches to Escape Shark

Groom Who Halted Own Wedding with Bomb Threat Jailed

In fact, here's a great website that collects these kinds of headlines. If you're a writer and you're stuck for ideas, get to browsing. It's crazy what a true-life story might inspire in your own fiction!

Monday Mentionables: A Romance Ezine and a Call for Erotic Category Romance

Happy Monday! The Romance Reviews just released its October 2013 ezine, and Beacon of Love is featured on page 20. Check out this link for all kinds of great romance reads!

AND, for all writers, Lyrical Press just released this announcement:

Going forward, Lyrical is going to focus on erotic romance, with a tremendous push of category erotic romance. Sure, we know other houses are doing category, but we're going where not many have ventured. As Penny and I talked about, Lyrical will dare to put a new spin on classic category romance. Rather than fear putting a toe past the invisible line and stop at steamy, we're going straight to erotic romance. 

Since Lyrical loves breaking rules, we're increasing the ‘traditional’ category word count to 50,000 - 80,000 words. This ensures every category book will have a simultaneous digital and print release.

In fact, every Lyrical book over 50,000 words will be have a simultaneous digital and print release beginning November 2013. Yes, you read that right. Every book over 50,000 words will be released digitally and in print at the same time.

Each category line will be a fully branded and unique Lyrical Press imprint. 

Category erotic romance

• Entice: Category contemporary erotic romance
• Enigma: Category contemporary suspense erotic romance 
• Fervor: LGBT category contemporary erotic romance

Will we still publish non-erotic romance? Absolutely. Non-erotic romance will be published under the umbrella of Lyrical Presents: Romance. 

Lyrical will also open our house to erotic romance serials. These are books 90,000 - 150,000 words. Serials will be released monthly in 25,000 word installments, attractively priced at $1.99 each. 

We want danger, excitement. Shock us. I dare you.

If you write erotic romance, you can check out Lyrical's website for all the details!

Friday Fun Facts: What Women Want Expo on December 1st - Mark Your Calendars!

Great Friday news! Just in time for the holidays (I know you don't want to hear it, but it will be gift shopping time before you know it) I and fellow romance/women's fiction authors Liz Matis and Marianne Sciucco will be at the What Women Want Expo on Sunday, December 1, at the Homewood Suites in New Windsor, NY. All kinds of vendors will be there, plus Safe Homes of Orange County will receive a portion of the proceeds in addition to all of the toys collected at the event.

If you're local to Orange County, please join us!!

Writers' Wednesday: Happy Hump Day!

Monday Mentionables: Have You Liked my Facebook Page Yet?

Happy Columbus Day! (do we still celebrate this? I know it's become a little less politically correct to do so.). Well, okay, happy Monday instead! And if you happen to have this day off, then I hope you're enjoying it. Around here, we're trying to do the late-fall clean up: empty planters of the last remnants of summer flowers, move deck furniture inside, spruce up the sign post at the bottom of our driveway with some fall decorations and mums.

Oh, and write! Did I mention write? The tentative release date for Inferno of Love is January 2014, and I have lots to do before then! Will be sharing the cover with you in December, and I can't wait. I promise some teasers and excerpts as well. So get ready for a brand new story featuring the folks in Lindsey Point, CT. And in the meantime, have you liked my Facebook page? (yes, I'm sneaking in some shameless self-promotion today) I'm only 5 away from 300 Likes, and I'd love to jump that hurdle this week :)

Thank you!!

Friday Fun Facts: My Final Thoughts on the Convention

Happy Friday, everyone! A few thoughts on the writer's convention that I didn't share on Wednesday's blog:

1. People love series. I didn't realize this quite so much until the convention, when both readers and writers talked about how well books in series sell. Readers become attached to characters and love to see them get their own story or a new story in the next book that comes out. Glad Inferno of Love will continue the Lindsey Point tradition from Beacon of Love for me!

2. Erotic is still one of the hottest-selling sub genres of romance. There was a panel at the convention (I missed it because I came in late on Friday) about BDSM and the different toys used in the bedroom - and apparently it was the best attended panel of the weekend! It's interesting: ebooks and ereaders have really accelerated, or at least perpetuated, this love of erotic stories. People no longer have to worry about hiding book covers or titles, because no one can see what you're reading on that Kindle (one woman, a manager of some company, told me that very fact, that she read Fifty Shades at work and no one knew it).

3. Connecting with readers, esp. online, is key. Social media makes it easier that ever to meet and chat with, to virtually become friends with, so many people from around the globe. Readers love to check in with authors' Facebook or Twitter pages, or attend a Goodreads event and talk about books. Of course, this means that authors have to be ever-vigilant with updating these sites and maintaining a near-constant presence on them. Which brings me to my final point...

4. Writing is a full-time job. At least, it almost has to be if you want to sell big. I didn't meet anyone else at the convention who worked full-time outside the house and wrote full-time. All the authors, both the big sellers and the newbies putting out their first title, either worked part-time, were stay-at-home moms, were retired, or didn't work at all outside the house and instead wrote full-time. I was really, really surprised. And it made me both a little discouraged, that perhaps my dream of being a best-selling author won't happen while I'm also a full-time English teacher, and a little reassured: I don't put out 3 books a year because I'm simply doing other things. I love teaching. I do wish I had more time for writing. But at least I can be a little less hard on myself for not keeping up with all these other authors I see who are producing and selling books like mad. There really are only 24 hours in a day...

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!!

Writers' Wednesday: Blogging Over at The Romance Studio!

Happy Hump Day, everyone! I'm blogging over at The Romance Studio today about my thoughts after last weekend's writing conference - please stop by and join me!

Monday Mentionables: Recovering After Indie RomCon!

I made it back from Nashville! The Indie Romance Convention was a good experience - I learned a lot and can't wait to share it with you. Today, however, I'm up to my ears in my day job, and catching up with home stuff after a weekend away, so I'll have more details for you back here on Wednesday. (Biggest piece of info that surprised me: there are very few of us who work full-time day jobs and are also published authors trying to grow our careers. When I bemoan the fact that there aren't enough hours in the day, I found that, in fact, that might be true - for everything I want to do. But more about that later.)

Until then, here are a couple of pictures from the weekend:

One of the ads I purchased, on a display placard in the main meeting room (it worked!)

Visited downtown Nashville on my Sunday down time

Friday Fun Facts: Planning a Trip to Tennessee

Fun facts about my trip to the 1st Annual Indie Romance Convention this weekend:

1. I have to fly west in order to get south (the convention is in Tennessee). Don't you just love airline routes?

2. The town where the convention is being held is home to the largest, and the original, Cracker Barrel restaurant.

3. The "fun unknown fact" about me that I sent in for the Saturday evening game/giveaway is that I don't like & don't eat any kind of cooked fruit. This includes apple pie, blueberry muffins, oatmeal raisin cookies...

4. I'm looking forward to meeting new readers and writers!

See you back here next week with a full report...

Monday Mentionables: Getting Ready for a Convention!

5 days and counting until I'm off to the 1st Annual Indie Romance Convention in  Lebanon, Tennessee! Very much looking forward to chatting with other indie writers and readers and learning more about the industry! For anyone who's in the area (I'm told it's about 20 miles outside of Nashville), there will be a book signing open to the public on Saturday afternoon, at the Comfort Inn in Lebanon, from 3:30 - 5:00. For all the details, click here.

Also, I'm giving away an Autumn Tote filled with goodies, as part of the charity raffle at the convention. Looks fun, right?

And over the weekend, I treated myself to a specially-designed manicure, in honor of all things romance (yes, those are hearts, if you look closely):

I'm ready to go! Will make sure to tell you all about it next week :)

Writers' Wednesday: An Interview!

I'm being interviewed over at Joyfully Reviewed - check it out!

Monday Mentionables: Congratulations Contest Winners!

Thank you to everyone who entered my recent giveaway....and now...drum roll....congrats to the lucky winners!

The Promise of Paradise Audio Books (2 winners) - Sebella Blue and Coleen Burright!

Choice of any signed print book from my backlist - Amy Hart!

(Amy, Sebella and Coleen, email me at allieb@allieboniface.com to confirm your email/choice of book - and thanks so much for participating!)

Don't worry, more contests to come in the upcoming months :) Always something to celebrate when books are being written!

Happy Monday, everyone~