July 31, 2008

RWA National San Francisco

Greetings from chilly (and extremely windy) San Francisco. It’s my first visit here and I’m just loving it. The Professor and I came in on Monday and we’ve been doing the tourist thing - I have my obligatory pictures of the Golden Gate bridge (on a clear day, thank you, very much). Tonight was the first official event of the conference, the big literacy signing. So for your viewing pleasure here are the Jaunty Quills (minus Shirley who didn’t join us this year).

Here are Anne and Margo. I’m pretty sure they gabbed the whole night.

Cindy who’s been working her tail off as one of RWA’s Board Members and she still looks fantastic.

Emily with the littlest romance reader.

Here’s Shane with her pretty blue RITA Finalist flag. Notice how none of the rest of us have one of those…

Here’s me eagerly awaiting the line of adoring fans.

And here’s pretty much what we all look like now after 2 hours of a crowded ballroom.

July 30, 2008

Auctions

By the time you read this blog, most of the Jaunty Quills will be in San Francisco or on our way there. The big RWA conference starts tonight with the literacy signing. I’m really looking forward to seeing everyone. I couldn’t go last year, so this will be a time to catch up with friends and what’s going on in the romance industry. If you’re at the literacy signing tonight, stop by and say hi.

Last week I took a day off writing and did something exciting. USF and I bought a new car. Well, it’s not new. It’s a 2005 Mercury Mariner.

I know people buy cars everyday, but the unique thing about this was that we bought the car at an auction. We’d never bought such a big item at an auction before, but we had the cash and we were curious, so we decided to give it a try.

We got a list of the cars that would be auctioned off the night before and researched the blue book value and which had the best gas mileage. Since these were all SUVs, none had great gas mileage, but we wanted something that wouldn’t bankrupt us.

The next day we went to the auction and looked at all the cars on our list. Some we crossed off because the interior didn’t look good or their were dents on the exterior or we (I) didn’t like the color.

Finally the auction started. It takes place in an open warehouse, and there are three lanes with cars and trucks going through—three separate auctions going on at the same time.

We had a few SUVs on our list that we didn’t want to buy. We just wanted to see what they’d go for. They went for more than we’d expected, which was kind of disappointing because we’d set our budget and couldn’t offer more.

Finally, a few of the SUVs we were interested in came up, and we started to bid. Unfortunately, the auctioneer said we bid too low. The lease company auctioning the vehicles had a minimum it would accept. We waited as SUV after SUV went by and finally we saw the Mercury Mariner we’d been thinking about.

USF asked if he should go for it, and I said yes. And about a minute later it was “Sold!” How crazy! All of a sudden we owned a new car.

I know sometimes books are sold at auctions (not in warehouses, I imagine), and I wonder if those authors and the publishers bidding get as excited as we did when we were buying our new vehicle.

Have you ever bought anything at an auction?

July 29, 2008

My RWA Greatest Hits

I’m writing this blog early because by the time it posts, I’ll be in San Francisco at the RWA National Conference. National is one of my favorite times of the year, second only to Thanksgiving and Christmas (or would that be third only?).

So what exactly do I love about National? Besides the general feeling that it’s the best pajama party ever, I just love being with that many people that love books—romance in particular—as much as I do. I love being somewhere where you can strike up a conversation with almost any random stranger and have something in common with them. Love being able to start a conversation with the question, “So Darcy or Knightly?” and have people know just what I’m talk about. Or for that matter, “Morelli or Ranger?” (For the record, I fall firmly in the Morelli camp, but love both Darcy and Knightly so much, it’s impossible to choose.)

But in addition to all those wonderful reasons to love National, I also love randomly running into famous writers. Or even the not-so-famous ones that I just happen to love. So here’s a quick list of the authors I’ve met and gushed over:

            • Judith Arnold – At my very first national (Dallas ’96), practically trembling with excitement, I walked up to Judith Arnold’s spot at the booksigning and poured out to her how much I adored her book, Loverboy. We’re talking a good five or ten minutes of gushing. Only to have the person sitting behind her name tent say, “Judith just left to go to the bathroom. She’ll be right back.”  I slunk away, embarrassed. It was another seven years before I had the courage to approach the real Judith Arnold and tell her how much I loved her book.

            • Rita Clay Estrada – Yep, that’s one of the Ritas that the award was named after. I ran into her on the elevator at the New Orleans conference in 2001, where I was proudly sporting my Golden Heart pin. It was truly an honor to meet her.

            • SEP – That same year I sat just two people down from Susan Elizabeth Philips at the Rita ceremony when she won her third Rita and made it into the RWA Hall of Fame. That Rita got carried down the row past me. I was proud just to be there.

            • Iris Johansen – I ran into her on the way to a “first-timers” workshop, asked her directions and then asked if she was going there too. Only then did I glance down, see her name tag, and realize my faux pas. Thankfully, she was very gracious.

And I guess that’s the thing I really love most about National. Every time I turn around, I’m meeting someone who is talented and absolutely amazing. Someone I’ve admired for most of my career and in some cases, most of the life. Someone who doesn’t have to be kind and gracious to complete strangers, but who is anyway.

In short, National reminds me over and over again that romance writers (and readers!) are just the best people out there.

Now, if only I could get them to serve turkey and dressing …

So what about you? Who would you gush over if you could?

July 28, 2008

The Wilhelm Scream

Blerarghra!!!

I saw this video the other week and it made me giggle. And having seen the latest Indiana Jones film a few weeks back, I suppose the Wilhelm has been on my mind. A good Monday video if you need to let out a little scream.

If you aren’t familiar with this movie staple, the Wilhelm scream is a movie sound effect of a “man being eaten by an alligator” — a sound which first showed up in 1951 and has turned into a Hollywood staple (the Star Wars and Indiana Jones series’ are filled with Wilhelms, and may be where you might recognize it best). In fact, it’s become so recognizable, that it often pulls me out of a movie (usually with a snort or laugh) when I hear it now. But that doesn’t mean it’s not funny. Especially when shown in quick succession. Here is a compilation to catch up anyone unfamiliar.

More information on the Wilhelm: http://hollywoodlostandfound.net/wilhelm/

Have you ever tried to reproduce this doozy of an effect? Quick, look around, if no one is about, go for it.

July 26, 2008

Michele Dunaway succumbs to e-Bay’s lure

In first grade Michele Dunaway knew she wanted to be a teacher when she grew up, and by second grade she wanted to be an author. By third grade she determined to have her cake and eat it too, and before her high school reunion, she succeeded. In addition to writing 20 Harlequin novels in eight years, Michele has authored several nonfiction educational journal articles, and she is a nationally recognized high school journalism instructor who teaches full time and sponsors both the yearbook and newspaper.

Born and raised in St. Louis, Michele has traveled extensively, with the cities and places she’s visited often becoming settings for her stories. Described as a woman who does too much but doesn’t know how to stop, Michele gardens five acres in her spare time and shares her home with two daughters and six lazy indoor cats who think they really rule the roost.

Michele’s current release is Out of Line, part of the Harlequin NASCAR line. Upcoming books include her September 2008 Harlequin NASCAR book Tailspin, and in March 2009, her twentieth book, Twins for the Teacher from Harlequin American Romance.

I have discovered eBay. I know; I’m a little late to the party. Most people have been buying and selling things on eBay and being PayPal gurus for years. Not me. Bombarded long ago by all those fake emails, I’ve stayed away.

I’ve started to slowly come back as eBay has some stuff I just can’t find in stores. I bought a set of Fruits Basket videos for my daughter. I just bought a Harvest Moon game for her Nintendo DS. For both I sat there in the last hour and refreshed my screen a dozen times in dread that I might get outbid and not get the emails in time. (I’m thinking that in the beginning the sellers are the ones bidding against me to get the price up, but that’s another blog.) I did get both items for a fair price. So that’s my entire eBay experience. I still don’t have a PayPal account. I pay as I go.

I’m guess I’m also leery of eBay because I am not a used-item shopper. Perhaps it comes from all those used cars I had in my teens. The timing belt of my Mercury Lynx broke, twice. After the second time, the car was dead. My mom paid $50 to have it hauled away. My next car was a Ford Maverick that would die at every intersection during the winter. I could get out, pop the hood, stick a screwdriver in the carburetor, shoot starter fluid and crank the engine all in less than two minutes (or while the light was still red). When I finally got my first brand-new car, the dealer gave me $50 to take my Maverick away.

Used things freak me out. I have this prejudiced paranoia. I like selling at garage sales, but I rarely buy anything unless it’s something I can wash with extremely hot water, bleach or Windex.

Being curious about books on eBay, I plugged in my name into the search field. On July 5, four items were up for auction, starting at 99 cents. In the “buy it now” store, I found 43 items. One was a brand new Michele Dunaway Legally Tender book for $6.01, plus $3.99 for priority shipping. That doesn’t include the $1.30 for insurance.

That got me thinking. Sure, that book is off the shelves. However, Legally Tender never cost $6.01. It was, at most, $4.99. Perhaps the upcharge is for some kind of shrink-wrap, for the seller says the book comes sealed. I don’t get my author copies sealed, as Harlequin doesn’t ship my books that way and the ones I’ve gotten off eharlequin haven’t been sealed. I’m not curious enough click the “ask the seller” icon and find out what she means.

I also found, for $1 buy-it-now, A Little Office Romance, my very first book. I only have two copies in my possession. This seller says the cost to ship will be $3.23 media. However, one book first class in a plain 6×9 envelope costs under $2. Perhaps the extra money is being spent on delivery confirmation. But I don’t think you can get DC for media mail, but I might be wrong.

That brings me to another reason I am eBaying slowly. I’ve discovered that it’s very easy to overpay, and in this economy every nickel and dime counts. My daughter wanted a Wii. She earned most of the money selling all our used junk at a garage sale. However, we couldn’t find a Wii console in the store anywhere. Toys-R-Us said we could come get in line early Sunday morning for a chance, but church services took precedent. So we tried eBay. The price mark up was close to $100, before shipping. I told my daughter no way to eBay and that, if we were supposed to have a Wii, we would walk into Target (where we had a $10 off coupon and $65 in gift cards) and the game console would be there waiting for us.

Amazingly, that’s exactly what happened. Less than three weeks later, my daughter and I went to Target for something else, checked the electronics section, and there were two Wiis on the shelf. We now have our Wii, for the regular retail price of $249, and we used our gift cards and coupon.

So those are my eBay experiences. As a newbie, help me out. Enlighten me! I want to hear your eBay stories: the good, the bad, the ugly, the happy and the horrible. I’ll be responding to your comments this afternoon and tomorrow, so share with me, the eBay novice. I really want to know.

July 25, 2008

Debut Author: Delilah Marvelle

I joined RWA in 1998 thinking I knew everything there was to know about writing a romance and that all I really needed was to find an editor for the book I’d written. How hard could it be to sell my very first book? Yeah. Go ahead. It’s okay to laugh. I know I still laugh about it.

Honestly, I didn’t know a gosh darn thing. About characterization. About dialog. About presentation. My first book was 800 pages long. Single spaced. Yes, I was every editor’s nightmare. Eventually, I started figuring out some of the rules. But it took me a while. I kept writing book after book after book (I’ve written WAY too many to put a number on it. Really.). And I wondered. Why weren’t the editors and agents wanting my story?

So I started eyeing contests thinking maybe I just needed a track record. At the very least I’d get feedback. And boy did I ever! One judge told me that she hated my heroine but hated my hero even more than my heroine. And she hadn’t even gotten to my writing yet. I never told a soul about that one judge because I feared that this person had to be right. But I was stubborn. Like the heroines I love to write about. Give up? Me? Never! I was developing a tough skin. I already had a huge rejection pile (and by huge, people, I mean over 200 rejections when it was all said and done). Contest after contest, I never seemed to go anywhere. And the Golden Heart? What a dream that was. But I entered it year after year after year. And year after year I waited by the phone all day only to figure out by the weekend that I wasn’t a finalist…again.

And then…things started happening. Slow. Definitely slow. But at least it was happening. I finaled in my first contest! Never mind that I took last place. I finaled! It made me throw myself into my writing all the more. The next thing I knew, I went from placing last to placing first. And then in 2005 I found out I was a Golden Heart finalist in the Short Historical Category. I sobbed my thank yous to the gal that called me and quickly called up my critique partner, Maire Jolie, even though it was only 6 something in the morning. Talk about a wonderful experience.

Even though I didn’t win the Golden Heart, I met so many amazingly talented writers. And their story with regards to trying to get published reflected my story. But even though I was a Golden Heart finalist, I still didn’t sell. Everyone kept telling me to hang in there. So I did. I even decided to take a trip to London with my critique partner and see the place that I’ve been dreaming about all my life. I came back from the dream trip of my life to a personal nightmare that happened on the way back from the airport. My husband was brutally attacked by two men (strangers) in front of me and my two kids. He almost died. Lost a lot of blood and consciousness. If it weren’t for me taking on the two guys before the police arrived (and taking repeated blows to the head and body), I am told he most certainly would have died.

Taking blows for the person you love takes on a whole new meaning. And it changed my writing forever. At first I couldn’t write. Didn’t want to write. All I wanted to do was to make sure that my family was being cherished. Taken care of. I started thinking about the grim reality that if my husband had died, how would I have taken care of the kids? Writing is not a way to put bread on the table unless you’re a bestselling author. And here, I wasn’t even published. So I turned my back on my writing and followed my second love. Cooking. I went to culinary school and felt as if my life were starting all over. I missed writing but a part of me knew that it wasn’t practical anymore. And with me being in school I had an excuse not to write.

In the end,a huge part of me was suffering because of it. I turned my back on myself without knowing it. And this is where the fates stepped in. I’d hardly started school when I found out that I was a 2007 Golden Heart Finalist. My husband insisted that I go to National even though we were short on funds. So I went to National and even though I didn’t win, it was this sense of how awesome it was just to be part of the excitement. To be noticed after all these years of writing. After the Golden Heart/Ritas, at the reception, I saw my 2005 Golden Heart buddy Victoria Dahl and we started chatting. The sweetheart that she is, she starts asking about my writing, what I write, what I currently have to offer and after hearing the “pitch” for the last book I wrote before my husband‘s attack, she suggested that I submit to her editor and that she would slip in a good word for me.

I was beside myself. I realize in this industry it’s difficult to put your name on the line and more often than not people shy away from “recommendations” for both reasons of time/commitment and fear of what will happen to the relationship between two friends once the rejection comes. So anyway, Vicki e-mails her editor, John Scognamiglio, and God knows what the woman said, but he actually requested the full right off the bat. I didn’t expect much of it but I still appreciated the opportunity. I sent it off August 8,2007. It arrived in New York August 10, 2007. (I keep a calender and write everything down, in case you were wondering). I then get a call on August 16 from John. The editor. Only I’m not there to take the call. I was in Powell’s (the greatest used and new book store in the world!) loading up on books that I kept telling myself I needed to keep me in the game.

I came home and there’s a message. It’s from John at Kensington and he wants me to call him. But he says he won’t be in the office on Friday (it was a Thursday when he called). So I called him ASAP, about 40 minutes after he did, but he had already left the office. Talk about torture. I left a polite message or at least I think I did because I was so freaked out of my freakin’ mind, I still don’t remember what I babbled out. And then I start thinking, Could this really be it? No. Wait. It’s way too soon. And gosh darn it, I didn’t include a synopsis with the complete!! But then I started really hashing it out with my husband. He kept telling me to at least try and be prepared. Start thinking positive. Start looking into agents. Just in case. So here I was calling around telling agents, “You know, I think I sold, but I’m not sure because I haven’t really touched base with the editor and won’t until Monday. You interested???”

Pam Hopkins, who is represented by one of my chapter friends (Su Lute), told me to send the first three chapters but that she wasn’t promising anything, because even if the book is a sold book she needs to love the book. Which I absolutely loved about her. So anyway, I spent the whole weekend AGONIZING about what Kensington had called about. I didn’t want to tell myself I sold and then have that taken away.

Come Monday, Pam calls the house and leaves a message that she really liked the first three chapters, loved my voice, and wanted to see the rest before making a decision. I get home from culinary school and still no word from John. So I take a deep breath, knowing it’s already 4 o’clock in New York and call him and leave another message saying that I was going to be home. And I wait. He calls within the hour and introduces himself and says he wants to buy the book.

I was still in shock, even though I knew the possibility of him wanting the book was “sorta” there. Hell, I’m STILL in shock. I somehow gained my wits about me and told him that I wanted to go into this with an agent. Right after I got off the phone, I talked to Pam Hopkins for awhile and well, she’s my agent!

SOOOO…the deal? I got a two book deal with Kensington. My historical romance, Mistress of Pleasure will debut this September 2, 2008. Mistress of Pleasure is book one in the five-book School of Gallantry series about men enrolling in a very special school that educates them in the art of love and seduction. I am still throwing up butterflies just thinking about it (I don’t think you ever quite get over it). And in the end, I have all of my friends and my critique partner to thank. For keeping me afloat even though I thought I had already drowned.

The lesson of this story? Don’t ever give up on your writing or your dreams. Ever. EVER.

http://www.DelilahMarvelle.com
http://www.DelilahMarvelle.blogspot.com

July 24, 2008

What Makes you “Antsy”?

I have a confession to make. I can’t watch a movie more than once. I can’t read the same book more than once every few … er, several … years. I can’t sit still for speeches. What happens when I do all these things? My legs start to twitch and I get this really weird sensation running up and down my spine. Sort of like …

I used to think I had Restless Legs Syndrome. Now I realize I get it only when I’m watching a movie that we just watched a week (or three) ago. Or I’m reading the same passage from a book in which I’ve lost my place. Or how about waiting rooms? If I don’t have a book, a magazine, anything to read, my skin starts to crawl! I don’t know what comes over me, or why. But I just can’t sit through it.

But yet I can do other repetitive, boring jobs without being bothered by them. I can clear the table and fill the dishwasher (just as I’ve done 90 million times before). Or walk the same 2.5 mile route every morning. Or go grocery shopping at the same store every week.

What gives? Why can I do some repetitive things, but not others? Am I the only one, or do you have certain things along these lines that make you want to pull your hair out?

July 23, 2008

Mommy-ADD

After an exhausting day of wrangling a one-year-old who just discovered he can stand up and now will try to pull himself up on almost anything (including a lightweight plant stand that used to be home to three houseplants) I was ready to shut everything down for the night and thought I’d check the calendar to see how many days were left to research a really cool idea for a blog post … and discovered the answer was zero. Oops. For some reason I was thinking my turn to blog was Thursday.

I’ll have to get back to you on what Napoleon, peach preserves and champagne bottles have in common. Until then, I present some deep thoughts and insights into the feline condition.

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I’m still trying to hit the trifecta of having the camera, fresh batteries, and good timing to catch Daniel cuddling with the cat. Our red tabby stays close though just out of his reach, but the Himalayan will come and lay right beside Daniel, knowing full well his fur will be pulled. Sometimes Daniel resists the siren call of grabbing fistfuls of fur and instead lays his head on Dakarai, his arms wrapped around the fluffy kitty … but only for a brief moment. You’ll have to take my word for it …

July 22, 2008

Stick-with-it-ness

As an aspiring writer, I wanted to give up on my dream of being published about a hundred times. People close to me even encouraged me to give up. But each time I was really serious about calling it quits, something would happen to encourage me. I’d final in a contest or get a note of encouragement from an agent or hear something really motivational in a workshop.

I stuck with it for four years and realized my dream.

Of course, I didn’t know that I’d realize my dream in four years. I can’t see the future any more than any of you, and for all I knew, four years could have been ten or fifteen or never.

But I would have never known that I could realize my dream if I hadn’t stuck with it.

If any of you are feeling like giving up, let me give you some stick-with-it-ness tips:

1) Set achievable goals. Plan to write 3 days a week or 5 pages a day. Maybe you want to find a critique partner or submit to 2 agents a month. When you achieve your goals, you’ll feel like you’re making progress.

2) Celebrate small victories. If you write 5 pages a day for a week, treat yourself to a movie or your favorite snack or a day off.

3) Focus on what you can and are doing, not what you can’t control. You cannot control whether your dream agent takes you on as a client. You cannot control whether your book finals in a contest or whether you sell by the end of the year. You can control your book, your characters, and your writing schedule. Feel good about that.

4) Keep moving forward. If you get a rejection or you realize that a book you’ve spent 6 months on just is not salvageable (happened to me and not very long ago), don’t give up. Write another book. Query another agent. Published writers are persistent.

5) Get some support. I’m lucky to have a husband who really takes an interest in my career. He cares about how many pages I write a day and whether or not I need a sub-plot. Maybe your DH isn’t as supportive. Maybe no one in your family gets why your dream is so important to you. Find a writing group and friends who do. When you don’t have to rely solely on family for support, you take the pressure off them and you.

Good luck!

July 21, 2008

The Good Fight

I was just seventeen years old when the world media turned its attention to the student protest in Tiananmen Square. I remember vividly seeing that photo of that lone protestor facing down a line of tanks, tears in my eyes and my heart lodged in my throat. I was in awe of that person’s courage and determination in the face of insurmountable strength.

Oddly, I was also a little sad. In the late-eighties prosperity and comfort of middle America, it seemed as if the need and the opportunity for such displays were a thing of the distant past. Long ago, Americans fought for the rights the Chinese students now wanted, and we won. Which is a good thing … and yet, romantic teenager that I was, I yearned for the chance to make a difference in the world. To fight for something in which I believed totally. To fight the good fight.

Fast forward nearly twenty years to the weeks following the birth of my son this past January. Some people suffer from post-partum depression, but me? I gotta be unique. I suffered from post-partum panic. (And, yes, this is something my obgyn diagnosed me with). I lied awake for weeks on end—not because my newborn wouldn’t let me sleep—but feeling nervous and panicky, most of my fears stemming from things I’d read or heard about declining oil reserves. Here I had these two beautiful children, but I’d born them into a world of burgeoning population, dwindling natural resources, and potential environmental catastrophes.

So how did I snap out of my funk? One night while chopping vegetables, trying to keep the panic at bay, I remembered those Chinese students from 1989, braving facing down their government for the basic rights all humans should have. And that’s when it hit me. In terms of big causes and worthy fights, it doesn’t get any bigger than saving the earth and the human race. I’d wanted a good fight. Well, maybe this was it. The environment could be my Tiananmen Square.

Now, the Geek and I are already pretty environmentally aware. We drive fuel efficient cars and we recycle anything that doesn’t move. Still we needed to do more. Bringing those green tote bags to the grocery store just didn’t seem like enough. So we’re looking into putting solar cells on our house and I’ve started to hang our clothes out on the line to dry. Still I’ve been itching to do more. To find a flag to rally behind.

Friday afternoon, I found it when I watched Al Gore’s speech challenging America to produce all of its energy from clean sources within the next ten years. Now, I know we don’t usually talk politics. But to me even though Al Gore is a former democratic VP, this isn’t a political issue. It’s a human race issue.

Gore’s speech was inspiring and the challenge is a daunting one. But I’m excited by the prospect of our nation joining together to do something great. If you haven’t seen Gore’s speech, you can watch see the highlights at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idlJDcr669o

Okay, I’m off my soapbox now. Back to our regularly scheduled programming of fun and romance.