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FAQ Friday

7/31/2009

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Q. Do men ever write romance novels?
A. Well Harold Lowry has hidden behind a very gender-neutral name Leigh Greenwood and has 29 published novels because he heard women made good money writing historical romance.  Tom E. Huff (aka Jennifer Wilde, Edwinna Marlowe) was in the vanguard of historical romance in the 1970s.  Jim McBride, a maverick in the romance field, doesn’t really see himself as a romance author, although his second book, Horsethief Moon was reviewed by Romantic Times, which is a dead giveaway since they only do romance. 
Just last year I came across the works of three impressive African-American contemporary romance writers, Wayne Jordan, Devon Vaughn Archer and Dwayne S. Joseph.  Men are entering the arena left and right, especially in the field of romantic erotica. James Miller and S.L. Carpenter, authors from Ellora’s Cave are men who have found a cozy niche in the field, along with J.W. McKenna and Chris Tanglen.

Q. How has blogging made you a better writer?
A. Well,  I’m gaining so much knowledge researching the romance genre and learning from the RWA members that I know my writing is stronger today than it was earlier this year.   Becoming a published writer is a dream I’ve had since my first literature class in college so blogging is a great way to stay on course and connect with awesome people so please keep the questions and messages coming.

Q. Is writing a romance novel a full-time or part-time job?
A. Writing a romance novel can be completed as a part-time or a full-time career. Every writer is different – and their financial needs and family obligations differ. If you have a job, I strongly recommend that you keep it while you get your romance career established. Luckily, writing romance can be done at your own pace.

Q. What's the best advice you can give to an aspiring writer?
A. Sit down and write. Don't talk about how much time you don't have to write. And learn your craft. Submerse yourself in writer organizations, classes and conferences and learn from everyone.
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Romance novels 101: top 20 romance novelists today

7/29/2009

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The following article is just too good to not re-post.  I love Stephanie's articles and you'll see why.

Romance novels 101: top 20 romance novelists today
Examiner.com article - Written by Stephanie Giancola
(See http://tinyurl.com/memxz9)
For readers new to the genre, navigating their way around the aisles filled with thousands of romance novels and hundreds of best selling authors can be overwhelmng.  Starting with the best of the best-selling authors today is one way to make some smart choices and be introduced to top notch entertainment in romance fiction.
Here's a list of today's 20 best romance novelists according to sales, industry awards and long-standing careers (for a complete list of best sellers go to the
RWA website):

The Queen:
Nora Roberts (pictured at right) is the number one romance writing diva on everyone's list with more number one novels than any other romance novelist, including this week's number one New York Times hardcover best seller, Black Hills.  Ms. Roberts, aka NR to her fans, has won multiple RITA awards from the Romance Writers of America (RWA).  The RWA in fact has an award called the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award given each year to an author with a significant career of more than 15 years who continues to contribute to the genre of romance fiction.  With more than 200 titles to her credit, no one has contributed more than NR.  She's written short contemporary category romances, single title contemporary romances, contemporary romance with paranormal elements and romantic suspense.  Readers won't have trouble finding her books on the shelves in almost any store.

The Queen's court:
Jo Beverly - Bestselling five-time RITA award winning author of historical romances
Suzanne Brockman - NYT bestselling RITA award winning author of romantic suspense including the current NYT bestseler Dark of Night
Sandra Brown - #1 NYT bestselling author of romantic suspense including the upcoming release Smash Cut
Catherine Coulter - #1 NYT bestselling author of historical romances and romantic suspense including Knockout, currently at #14 on the NYT hardcover list
Christine Feehan - #1 NYT bestselling, multiple award winning author of paranormal romance including Hidden Currents, currently at #3 on the NYT paperback list
Jennifer Green - 2009 Recipient of Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, contemporary romances
Linda Howard - NYT Best selling author of romantic suspense including the current NYT bestseller, Burn
Bronwyn Jameson - Bestselling and award winning author of contemporary category (short) romances
Lisa Kleypas - NYT best selling and RITA award winning author of historical and contemporary romances
Jane Ann Krentz - NYT best selling author of contemporary, historical and paranormal romances
Johanna Lindsey - Over 58 million copies of her historical romance novels sold world-wide, including A Rogue of My Own, an NYT bestseller currently on the shelf
Debbie Macomber - #1 NYT bestselling, RITA award winning author of contemporary romances with more than 100 million copies in print including NYT bestseler Right Next Door
Linda Lael Miller - NYT bestselling, RWA Lifetime Achievement Award winning author of historical, contemporary, paranormal, thriller and western romances
Carla Neggers - 2009 RITA Finalist, current NYT Hardcover bestseller, The Mist, romantic suspense
Diana Palmer - Bestselling author of more than 115 historical and contemporary romances
Susan Elizabeth Philips (pictured at left) - #1 NYT bestselling, multi-RITA award winning, Lifetime Achievement award winning author of contemporary romances
Mary Jo Putney - NYT bestselling, RITA award winning author of historical romances including current NYT bestseller Loving a Lost Lord
Jodi Thomas - NYT bestselling, five-time RITA award winning author of historical romances
Sherryl Woods - NYT bestselling author of over 100 novels, writes contemporary romances including the current NYT bestseller, Harbor Lights.
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Writer E. Lynn Harris dies at 54

7/24/2009

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E. Lynn Harris, an African-American writer who wrote about the lives of gay and bisexual black men, has died during a west coast book tour. He was 54.

In a statement to the AJC, Alison Rich, Doubleday executive director of publicity said: “We at Doubleday are deeply shocked and saddened to learn of E. Lynn Harris’ death at too young an age. His pioneering novels and powerful memoir about the black gay experience touched and inspired millions of lives, and he was a gifted
storyteller whose books brought delight and encouragement to readers everywhere.
Lynn was a warm and generous person, beloved by friends, fans, and booksellers
alike, and we mourn his passing.”

A cause of death was not immediately known. Further inquiries were directed to the
Los Angeles coroner’s office.

In January of this year, Harris began the book tour for his 12th best-seller
“Basketball Jones” here in Atlanta with a signing at one of his favorite shops,
Outwrite Books in Midtown.

An inspirational success story, Harris worked for a decade as an IBM executive
before taking up writing, selling the novel "Invisible Life" from his car as he
visited salons and beauty parlors around Atlanta. He had unprecedented success
for an openly gay black author and his strength as a romance writer led some to
call him the "male Terry McMillan."

He went on to mainstream success with works such as the novel "Love of My Own" and the memoir "What Becomes of the Brokenhearted."

His writing fell into several genres, including gay and lesbian fiction, African
American fiction and urban fiction. But he found success in showing readers a
new side of African American life: the secret world of professional, bisexual
black men living as heterosexuals. 

"He was a pioneering voice within the black LGBT community but also resonated with mainstream communities, regardless of race and sexual orientation," said Herndon Davis, a gay advocate and a diversity media consultant in Los Angeles. "Harris painted with eloquent prose and revealing accuracy the lives of African American men and the many complicated struggles they faced reconciling their sexuality and spirituality while rising above societal taboos within the black
community.”

His writings and spirits will be greatly missed.
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Clarity and Purpose

7/23/2009

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There are times when you wake up in the morning and it’s crystal clear what you need to do in your life.  The excuses no longer add up and delusions you’ve casted over your mind fall away like a fallen curtain. 

That’s how I felt when I woke up.  Last night I had a real epiphanic moment.  A person’s actions will tell you all you need to know about the person.  Either their words and actions will be in alignment or they will contradict.  It’s really just that simple.  There’s no need to vain ignorance or question your senses.  You’re intelligent so never question that. 

Remember the universe will give you what you want.  If you want drama and confusion you’ll get it.  If you want purpose, focus and positive people around you it will happen only if you command it.  So just grasp it and make the choice to close the door on the negativity in your life.  Nurture the people that have no problem operating in your life in a manner that is conducive to the person you are becoming.

Yesterday, I thought I was going to have a chance to touch base with someone that I thought was significant in my life.  See, we scheduled time to catch up on the things going on in our lives and I was looking forward to re-connecting.  When the meeting didn’t happen, I was disappointed because I had high hopes for the conversation.  I thought I would walk away with a better understanding of dear friend in my life.  But it just wasn’t mean to be.

So I had two choices: to let this event ruin my already WONDERFUL day or just see the situation as it really was. I choose the latter.  Re-connecting wasn’t a priority for my friend and that wasn’t my fault.   It was just the truth!  So I decided to accept it and move on.  No hard feelings.  The relationship wasn’t advantageous to my growth as a person and our declarations of affection (love you, love you more) were beginning to feel empty with each passing conversation.

When I decided get over it and watch President Obama with my other friends last night I understood that meaning of changing your focus to positive situations and people.  The energy was infectious.  We discussed, laughed and debated over great food and mixed drinks.  I really don’t think my mother’s generation watched a presidential news conference the way me and my friends did.  We had it on the DVR so we could rewind the parts that made us cheer and pause the broadcast when someone had some color commentary that needed to be heard.

At one point in the night someone asked me when the last time I talked to my dear friend was and I told him the truth, “We really haven’t connected in a long time.”  It felt so good to speak the truth.

Have a great summer, everyone.  I know I definitely will.   

Remember that which doesn’t break us will make us stronger.  (And yes, Christina Aguilera’s Fighter is blaring from the earbuds of my iPod as I typing this.)  Man, I just love technology!!

Change your mindset!!  The universe is listening. 

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Gates A Burglar? No way!

7/22/2009

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Last year, former New York Post reporter Leonardo Blair was stopped, frisked and later jailed by New York City police after being accused of trying to steal his own car. Blair sued the department for racial profiling and later won a settlement. Now a strikingly similar incident has occurred involving Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., who was recently mistaken for a burglar at his own home.

Gates, a prominent Harvard scholar of African-American history, was arrested last week at his Cambridge, Mass., home after police were called about a possible break-in.   Now, local officials said the charges would not be pursued, but the whole episode is unsettling for someonewho has written several books on the black experience in America. They include Colored People: A Memoir and In Search of Our Roots: How 19 Extraordinary African Americans Reclaimed Their Past. He also wrote The Signifying Monkey: A Theory of African-American Literary Criticism.

Gates was arrested on a charge of disorderly conduct after a confrontation with an officer at his home, according to news reports. Charles Ogletree, a Harvard Law professor who is Gates' lawyer in the case, told CNN today that Gates had returned from China on Thursday to his home and discovered his front door jammed. He opened his back door with his key and tried unsuccessfully from inside his home to open the front door.

That's when a police officer appeared and asked Gates for identification. Gates apparently became annoyed at being questioned about his own home, and it all spiraled out of control from there.

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Barnes and Noble Returns to Selling eBooks

7/21/2009

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Good news for eBook lovers.  Barnes & Noble announced the launch "the world's largest eBookstore."   The online bookstore boasts 700,000 titles counts about half a million books in the public domain that are available for free download via a partnership with Google.  

Barnes & Noble described an "every-device strategy" in which electronic books purchased from its online store can be read on many devices, the company made no mention of the Kindle in its press release. Instead, it mentioned iPhones, Blackberries and computers.

The book retailer, which operates 777 stores nationwide, also announced a partnership with Plastic Logic, a company that is developing an eBook device that would compete with the Kindle. The Plastic Logic reader, expected to be the length and width of a sheet of notebook paper, would have wireless download capabilities similar to the Kindle and be on the market in early 2010.

So if you love eBooks give Barnes and Noble’s online bookstore a try.  Now Amazon there's a new kid on the playground.  So play nice!

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Life Every Voice and Sing

7/20/2009

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My dear Aunt Elise wanted me to pass along this video of the ' Negro National Anthem' originally screened at the historic African-American Church Inaugural Ball in Washington, DC on January 18th, 2009. Many of the esteemed individuals featured in this video in attendance and we presented with the ' Keepers of the Flame' award for the monumental contributions to social justice.

This version of the song was performed by the Grace Baptist Church Cathedral Choir, conducted by Derrick James. The video was produced and donated by Ascender Communications, LLC (www.ascender-c.com) at the request of The Balm In Gilead, Inc.
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Gorongosa

7/16/2009

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I saw a 60 Minutes piece on Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique in June.  An American entrepreneur and Harvard graduate, Greg Carr is put 40 million into the park over the next 20 years. to promote tourist and help the Mozambique economy.

It use to be the place where royalty and celebrities when on safaris in the 1960s but past civil wars, HIV and malaria epidemics have hurt the park and Carr is hoping to restore it.  Enjoy!

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My Favorite Writer Did What?

7/14/2009

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Okay, we’re all interested in stories about our favorite novelist, right?  Well I came across an article of surprising bestselling author stories complied by Ethan Tex of Mental_Floss.  (See article at http://tinyurl.com/ml8vda)  If you think your favorite writer always had a great voice or knew instinctively how to plot out their stories, you are very mistaken.  Some authors had very interesting professions that added layers to their writing. 

Don’t doubt the steps you are taking to become a writer; you never know how inspiring your journey will be for one of your fans or one of your contemporaries.

Happy writing and reading.

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I Didn't Know My Own Strength

7/13/2009

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Whitney Houston has a new inspirational ballad, "I Didn't Know My Own Strength," in which first-verse downers such as "lost touch with my soul," "lost sight of my dream," and "I had no hope to hold onto".  It was written my one of our musical, songwriting geniuses, Diane Warren. 

Yes, folks, our troubled diva survived her darkest years, held her head up high, and even found the light to light her way out of the dark.  There's something undeniably appealing about hearing Houston's voice with Warren’s lyrics.  This performance somehow feels more restrained, more intimate, and more heartfelt.

What do you think of "I Didn't Know My Own Strength"? Are you loving it, or is it just too 1990s? And what do you make of its chart prospects in a "Boom Boom Pow" world created by the now generation?

The highly anticipated return of Whitney Houston is scheduled for early September, with her seventh studio album 'I Look To You'.  (See http://www.whitneyhouston.com/ for more details.)

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