THE WRITE STUFF: Internet Research

By Margaret Birth

My older son has just come home with yet another school project involving Internet research. Of course, it’s not only students who need to do research. Writers are among those who also need to do so—yes, sometimes even authors of contemporary fiction. (For my published stories, I’ve researched topics as diverse as spinal cord injuries, patterns of behavior of both aggressor and victim in teen dating abuse, and custody laws pertaining to non-family-member guardians.) Sadly, many people who do research— students, writers, and others—don’t know how to evaluate sources properly; my casual observations lead me to believe that this is particularly true of research using Internet sites.

In my job as a manuscript reader for a major romance publisher, I’ve encountered more than a few submissions in which I caught errors in the writing— errors in areas that the authors, in their cover letters, claimed to have researched. If you’ve been reading my column for a while now, you may recall that I wrote about anachronisms and malapropisms some time ago; as with anachronisms, a writer never knows when a reader or an editor may have specialized knowledge about a time-period or a topic—and, if that’s the case, and the reader or editor finds egregious mistakes, then that’s a strike—sometimes a major strike—against the possibility of the manuscript being accepted for publication. There are steps you can take to assure yourself that the Internet sources you use for research are most likely giving you accurate information:

● Don’t believe everything you read. Anyone can post anything they want to on the Internet. People can easily lie about credentials or claim expertise they possess.

● Do double-check any credentials a person claims to have. If a person claims, on their personally owned Victorian England Web site, to be a history professor at Harvard, for instance, you should go to the Harvard Web site and verify that they’re among the History Department faculty (current or emeritus) listed there. If they’re not, then your Victorian England “expert” may be a fraud. By the same token, you can go to college and university Web sites to verify whether or not a person has the B.A., M.B.A., M.A., Ph.D., M.D., etc., they claim to have been awarded by that particular institution.

● Don’t assume that information must be correct if you’ve read it on two or more Web sites. Sometimes wrong-headed people copy incorrect information from other wrong-headed people.

● Do begin your research by going to Web sites for colleges and universities, governmental agencies, public and academic institution libraries, major companies, well-known magazines and newspapers, and major organizations that you know to have legitimate reputations.


You can’t necessarily trust fan-based or commercial Web sites, or the person who claims to be a government astrophysicist on their own Web site (although some of those are fine, too), but you can trust that governmental agency Web sites should have valid information, and may lead you to reliable links for other agencies, universities, and organizations—maybe even to real governmental astrophysicists’ personally owned Web sites!

To give but one example, a couple of summers ago, my boys and I decided to make weather our summer science topic. When we wanted to learn about hurricanes and tornadoes, we went straight to the NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) Web site. Next time there’s severe weather, just see if you don’t hear a meteorologist talk about information they’ve learned from NOAA!

You know the American Medical Association and the Romance Writers of America are two legitimate organizations, that the Boston Globe is a newspaper with a national reputation, and that Xerox is a well-known technology company; these are more examples of the kinds of Web sites that should have valid information and that might provide links to lead you to other legitimate Web sites—sites that are worthy sources for your research. Not only do good, legitimate Web sites often provide links to other good, legitimate Web sites, but some of them also provide bibliographies about the topics they cover on their sites; these bibliographies can lead you to book titles that might be helpful, too. Of course, you can then look up those book titles on a library Web site, to see if you can find a library nearby to check them out! ♥




Margaret Birth is a Christian writer who has been widely published in short fiction, short nonfiction, and poetry, both in the U.S. and abroad; in addition to working as a freelance writer, she's spent over a decade freelancing for multiple publishers as a manuscript reader, proofreader, and copy editor. It's all of this experience on both sides of the publishing desk that has inspired her column, "The Write Stuff," which has appeared regularly in RWA/NYC's newsletter, Keynotes, for the past ten years.

Punto in Aria, LACE MAKES A COMEBACK

by Polly Guerin

Lace has charmed and dazzled men and women for centuries. Think of sixteenth- and early seventeenth-century portraits of royal figures framed in exquisite lace ruffs, lace stiffened into jeweled fans, magnificent gowns lavished with lace, or the towering lace headdresses that became the rage in the court of Louis XIV. The production of lace was tedious and required dexterous hands to ply the needles or accelerate the wooden bobbins to create such works of beauty in pillow lace. So tedious and such an eye strain was the work that girls in convents were said to go blind creating these costly fabrics. Today incredible computerized machinery makes it possible to replicate handmade lace and the production renders an affordable product that every modern woman can wear.

THE CRAFT OF PUNTO IN ARIA

Knowledge of the craft of lace making, ‘Punto in Aria,’ stitches in air, as the Venetians called the fabric, was jealously guarded in the Royal workrooms. Many nations depended on handmade laces for revenue, and pattern books were state treasures. In time, as laces came to be seen as the privilege of noble adornment, it became much in demand, and lace making spread throughout Europe. By the middle of the seventeenth century lace became a great luxury and an item of commerce and the craft was established as an industry. Lace literally overwhelmed the fashion taste of the period and was used with abandon on collar, cuffs, caps and even the tops of boots. The Puritans, however, give up lace believing it to be “a temptation of Satan.”

LACE GOES UNDERGROUND

No one know for sure when lace went underground, that is, from outerwear to underwear, but when Catherine de Medici went to France to wed Henry II in 1533, her bridal trousseau included ‘calecons,’ a Renaissance term for lace drawers. Taking the lead from Catherine, men and women of high rank began wearing elaborate lace trimmings on perfumed undergarments as an expression of their superior rank. Always sensitive to the aesthetics and luxury, the French began, early on, to combine lace with silk to make luxurious lingerie.

LACE TERMINOLOGY

The Venetian lace industry spread to France and thrived. Places like Valenciennes, Alencon, Argentan, Calais and Chantilly Polly became identified and known for their particular style of delicate yet complex lace patterns. Valencienne also called Val lace, is a flat bobbin lace of linen, Alencon, also called Point d’Alencon, is a delicate needlepoint lace and machine production with a cordlike outline of the design started in 1855, Chantilly Polly appears to be the most elaborate with a scalloped design along one edge, often having an outline design of scrolls or vases baskets of flowers. It is widely used for bridal gowns and evening wear.

LACY FASHIONS PREVAIL

Victorian women seem to have coveted lace not only for their gowns but also to decorate their parlor armchairs and tables. Flounces of lace were also used in runners that were placed on the mantle shelf or to adorn pillows. Such was the luxury of a bygone era, but the modern woman is no less endowed and fancies ‘Punto in Aria’ not only for her delicate undergarments, but also for daytime and evening fashions. Created in a wide assortment of colors, and black, re-embroidered with gold or silver threads these luxurious garments are the prerogative of women everywhere. ♥



Polly Guerin honed her skills as an Accessories Editor at the trade fashion bible, Women’s Wear Daily and later taught product knowledge as professor at The Fashion Institute of Technology, where her definitive textbook and video production, Creative Fashion Presentations, is used even today. In 2009 she was a vice-president of RWA/NYC and currently serves as a board liaison. Visit her at http://www.pollytalk.com./

THE UNINSPIRED POST

This is the "I am not ashamed to have nothing in particular to write about" post. I am feet-out-of-my-sandals on the train and typing on my iPod, as I go home to layout the newsletter.

This post is uninspired not because I am uninspired but because there is not a theme here, a rhyme or a reason. I am just coming from meeting with my newest writers group, where someone Googled me and saw a poem that I wrote over twenty years ago. I barely write poetry now even though I bring the book in which I could write poems every day in my bag--maybe as a hope, a reminder or a memorial? I have not written a poem in such a long time. I was going to try to write a poem tonight, if I finish this post maybe I might try.

I remember when I used to chain write poems like some people chain smoke cigarettes. In my early twenties, I would sit in a cafe listening to Joni Mitchell's 'The Last Time I Saw Richard,' for example, writing a ton of poems, variations on the same things over and over. Every angle something I believed to be original, but it was the same thing over and over. At that time I did not need such heavy inspiration, I wrote what was in my heart, wrote because it was what I needed to do. Wrote because I could not not write.


The secret I do not even tell you
Who sees me like no one else ever gets to
My eyes on yours looking for the instruction in your
Silence
In your nothingness the
Plan the what will
Happen
I wait with bated breath
For the command


I decided just to experiment--whatever was inside me and not let it be blocked. Be inspired where I did not know there was inspiration. Maybe now I will carry the half empty book where I write poetry as a celebration instead of as a memorial.♥

WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU WEAR TOO MANY HATS? (includes book excerpt and giveaway)

by Rebecca Savage
Bestselling Author of 2009


Do you take one off, put another on, switch here and there...hmmmm...

I'm a busy person. How about you?

When is too much...too much? When do you learn when to say know?

I know...too many rhetorical questions for one paragraph, right? But seriously, in our busy world, we work ourselves into the ground and into a frenzy, and we have a hard time slowing down or coming to a stop. I very seldom say no. I took on two foreign exchange students who've enriched my life tremendously this year, but geez, what a work load on top of my own teenage daughter who thinks her boyfriend should live with us 24/7. And then there's my full time teaching job and my coaching efforts of German Club, Mock Trial, Model United Nations and National History Day...I should've said no at least once this year.

What about you? Are you that busy? And if so, when do you write? Or read?

I tend to write in the summer, but I'm leaving for the beach in two days...geez, can't wait. When I get back, I have to move into a new house and divorce my husband... oops... shouldn't have said that. I'm a romance author...but not a negative one. I still believe in true love even if the characters start out jaded and unhappy. I know there can be romance and HEA's somewhere out there over the rainbow...LOL

Don't you?

Hope springs eternal. :)

I also teach night classes two nights a week for a college, and I see lots of returning students who are trying to better themselves through the president's economic stimulus package.

No, I'm not gonna turn this into a political debate. I'm glad they'll get their educations. Even if there are no jobs out there when they earn their degrees, people become more well rounded and fulfilled when they go to college. That doesn't mean if you don't go to college, you're not happy. I know lots of happy people who never step foot into higher education, and you know what, they might even be better off, but everyone should have that opportunity, and if I can help....yeah! :)

Anyway, when do you find time to write or read?

My hope would be that the whole world would find the joy of reading, but such a small portion of the population actually reads avidly. It's hard work if you don't practice at reading. It's a skill. Some people find it easier than others, but it's like riding a bike or bowling. You have to be good at it to like it...which is why I don't ride bikes or bowl.  LOL

Anyway, enjoy the journey, because you may never actually reach your destination, depending on what you think your destination is. If you keep searching, you might not figure out the end or get there. Just enjoy the ride. If it's going to college to be a teacher...don't just struggle and hate college and wait to be a teacher. Enjoy the college experience.

That's just one example.

Don't just write and write and write...then freak out if you don't get published. Enjoy the writing experience. You might never get published...ugh...did I say that? LOL. Of course, you'll get published. :)

Anyway, I hope you enjoy my work, and if you want a sample, enter the contest.  Leave a comment here and one on my contact page email form on my webpage and be entered to win a free copy of any one of my books on pdf.  Thanks for playing along!

Never let anything hold you down! Rise above it! ♥


Rebecca Savage just won the "Bestselling Author of 2009" award from Champagne Books.  She is an avid reader and a prolific writer.  She reads all kinds of romances, but only writes contemporary suspense/intrigue. Rebecca had a top secret clearance in the Air Force, when she served as a Morse Code operator/supervisor. That and her Masters in History are why she seldom does research. Rebecca sold her first trilogy to The Wild Rose Press; her second to Champagne Books. Her latest novel, GUARD MY BODY, was released by Double Dragon/Carnal Desires. Visit her at http://www.rebeccasavage.com./

GUARD MY BODY
By Rebecca Savage
Double Dragon/Carnal Desires


BOOK BLURB
A hard core CIA covert ops expert like Nash Kincaid takes everything seriously. A librarian with a wild side could throw a ringer into his plans, but Ayden Devlin takes most things seriously, too, even when she decides to live out the lives of the characters in the books she reads by helping her sister Leigh, a spy for the CIA.

Nash and Ayden meet in a biker bar, and a hit man tries to kill Ayden. When she comes to, she and Nash have to establish trust. They don’t know each other, and the mission has gone awry. It takes time to convince each other of their respective honesty and identity. It takes no time at all for them to realize they’re hot for each other. Love blooms, stoked by building passion, the flames rising higher with each new dangerous encounter. Will they survive to share their love and lives?

                                        *************

BOOK EXCERPT
Who the hell sends a librarian to do the job of an undercover CIA agent?

Covert Operation Expert Nash Kincaid - at least that's what his latest passport said - sat in a seedy biker bar, sipping on his tap beer, waiting impatiently for a librarian - of all people - to show up and make a Top Secret information drop.

He scowled and scoffed silently into his foamy brew at the very balls of his friend and fellow comrade in arms, the man who'd set up this preposterous rendezvous. How the hell had Ace ever gotten it in his head that some stuffy old bookworm would be suitable for a transfer of classified information? So what if this Ayden person happened to be Ace's partner Leigh's sister? That didn't mean she could pull off something like this.

And who the hell is the amazing-looking chick that just walked in the door?

Nash's eyes widened and his blood simmered beneath the surface. He let his eyes wander down, and then roam back up, the woman's sexy form. Her slim but amply curved silhouette stood out against the shadows of the barroom. Bright neon lights poured over her sexy outline, illuminating her body in vibrant red and yellow hues, cascading over and around her like waterfalls of color for her to bask in. She wore a skin-tight muscle shirt and a short leather skirt. The shiny, sequined material clung to curvy hips, stopped inches above shapely knees, and topped off endless, toned legs. Her fiery hair hung loose, reaching her narrow waistline, flowing like a billowing sea of red. Nash wanted to grip her waist with one hand, run his other through all that mass of organized tangles, hold on tight, and plow into her beckoning body like a madman.

Okay, so maybe her body didn't beckon him, but he sure as hell wanted it to.

                                          *************

HOW COMPUTERS BRING FAMILIES TOGETHER

by Rosalie Brinn

There is nothing like one working computer and three people who need to use it right now to bring a family to the same place at the same time -- at melting point. In addition, please include one person, my husband Louis, who took five years to learn how to use the VCR, but who continually gets what he calls "messages" re real estate deals and possible employment on e-mail and periodically, demands to know if the President wants him to come to Washington to solve everything.

Has anyone wondered why Lady Alyse (my heroine) took so long to get down from that damned tree? It goes something like this:

"Why does he have to go into my room?"
"Because his computer is done and he has e-mails coming in from work."
"Why can't he go to the library?"
"Why can't he use your computer?"

This of course is a stupid redundant question. Older brother and younger sister have taken up the cudgels dropped since first daughter left for good and even had the last of her debris dropped off at her apt.

I offer, "It is my internet service," adding the explanation, "because I pay for it."

Nobody pays any attention. They know that anything paid for by hapless parents is theirs, as is anything they pay for is theirs.

The play continues.

"He leaves his soda cans and pens up there.”

“He doesn't push back the chair and he smells."

I wonder why they are acting like the sum of their digits with the internal reply, Why not?

I then take what for me is action. I buy another laptop and announce that it belongs to ME. No one else will be allowed to use it.

Actually no one uses it because it stays in its box. Yet the sight of the computer in its box brings peace for a while. This wears off and I proceed to the next step. Elder brother is cajoled to take it out of the box and open it. He does and says it is a fine computer. He looks longingly at it, but I ignore him. The computer stays out of the box but is not used but stays a mute reminder of what potential it contains.

Life moves on and elder brother's computer crashes for the last time. The laptop disappears and is anxiously searched for.

I have been cleaning up the house and that means things go where lost socks retire to. Rumors are generated that elder brother has purloined or it’s been borrowed by younger sister. This proves to be true and is retrieved.

I up the ante by announcing that not only am I purchasing a printer for the laptop, but also an internet service that will never go down. I will get an iPhone, a blackberry and be connected all over the place and I will never share. I might even yank the internet service on the disputed laptop in younger sister’s room, and they will have to beg on hands and knees for usage privileges if they can't get to the library.

Lady Alyse will be joined by its sequel. I will neglect everyone; indeed I will never see anyone because I will be writing twelve hours a day. Two or three books a year will be produced and published. I will be draped in diamonds like Danielle Steele, and own a penthouse in New York and a summer home in the Hudson River Valley.

Everyone stops dead in their tracks. It is then that I realize the truth. The computer is the only thing that connects us as a family. My husband inquiries about his e-mails always end in a walk and a snack. The two feuding siblings enact their relationship via their need for the computer with me acting as moderator. If I fulfill Lady Alyse's destiny and then Lady Julia's in two best selling books, movie rights and a TV show -- not to mention doll and Lego (for the castles) peripherals -- then the whole family structure will collapse. And then what will we all do on Mother's Day?♥


***  How I spent Mother's Day: Older brother stayed home in charge of his sister who is still recovering from being run over by a car. Despite their frequent reenactments of famous Biblical siblings, there was a deep rooted affection that emerged so that Louis and I could go to NYC. There we celebrated Oldest Daughter's first Mother's Day with her adorable nine month old baby girl, Pemberley, and her amazing husband. Obviously someone read all those romance novels floating about the house and put them to good advantage when it came to picking out names.  ***



Rosalie Brinn lives in Long Island. She has been in invitationals at Bennington, Barnard, the 92nd Street Y (twice for poetry) and New York University (twice for poetry tutorial). She likes writing poetry because it sharpens her writing skills. Rosalie has been a social worker at a day care center and a management consultant to her husband's practice; she’s played the stock and commodity markets, and has been a principle in commercial real estate deals. Rosalie is a wife, mother of adult children, grandmother and former caretaker of all elderly relatives. She started writing as a child and now considers it her passion and true vocation.

NOT TONIGHT, DEAR...I'M ON DEADLINE

By Maria Ferrer

This is the tag line of the new Newseum, a private museum in Washington D.C., devoted to the "news." Their tagline is appropriate for writers everywhere.

The operative word in that tag being not. “No.”  I just need to learn to say it more often.

Life keeps interrupting my writing schedule. If it's not one thing, it's another - my family, the job, my travel schedule, the dogs, my friends, the chapter, and my family (they are twice as bad!).

I just finished reading Kathy Cano-Murillo’s WAKING UP IN THE LAND OF GLITTER. It’s a fun, fast read with great characters, which inspires one to get crafty. And Kathy is inspiring herself. She is busy working on her second novel and running her "Crafty Chica" empire. She has published 7 craft books, done numerous show-and-tell videos, and has a full line of craft items. Plus, there's a website, a Facebook fan page and a craft cruise. Not to mention her husband of 12 years and two kids. You can check her out at http://www.craftychica.com/.

When ask how she finds time to be with her family and write and be all she can be as the "Crafty Chica," Kathy replied: "If it's important to me, I make time to do it."

That's an even better tag line for a writer than the Newseum one, and one that I need to take more to heart.

But forget the tags and their appropriateness. The $64 million question is: Is writing important to me?

Yes.

Then WHY am I not doing more of it? WHY am I letting people, things, life interrupt?! WHY am I not published already?!!!  Do I want to be a "real" writer or not? ("real” writer = "published" writer)

Yes. Yes.

Since my answer is Yes, then I have to learn to say No more often...to outside interruptions, to too many outings with family and friends, to any extra projects.

So family and friends, I hereby give you notice. I am scheduling my writing first. So unless it's an important birthday or a special occasion, don't expect me. Trips to the mall will be restricted to 2 hours. Doctors' visits will be consolidated to happen all on the same day. (That's going to take a miracle but I'll try.) Movies and concerts will only be attended if writing pages have been accumulated.

I know. I know. These are great resolutions, all well and good on paper, but it's the follow through that counts.

So please feel free to email me directly and ask about my progress and word count. And if you have any tips on time management or inspirational tag lines you'd like to share, I welcome those too. 

Just not tonight, I'm working on my novel.♥

Maria Ferrer is busy writing.  Please leave a comment and she will respond soon.

THE MUSE AND THE SINGLE WRITER: In Search of Real and Fictional Heroes

By Melina Kantor

Hello, Everyone!   How lovely to be here today. We romance novel fans are a close-knit bunch. So I’m sure you won’t mind if I talk a bit about my love life. Right? Here it goes.

Raise your hand if you can relate:

It’s Saturday night. You’ve got a date, but it’s with your dog. Handsome and adorable though he may be, he could use a bit of grooming. Your destination? Your lumpy couch. You turn on the TV and stop flipping through the channels when you land on HGTV. There’s a perky couple shopping for / renovating / decorating their first house.

They’re younger than you are.

You’re already in a mood because an old friend from high school found you on Facebook, and her profile picture is of her in a wedding gown. Or worse – holding a cute little baby.

The jealousy makes you want to stick a fork in your eye.

Okay. I'm raising my hand. High.

The thing is -- if you happen to be a writer, those moments when you feel like your heart has been ripped out and run through a cheese grater aren’t as isolating as you might think.

That's right. You've got company.

It's a party, right there in your head. Stephen King refers to his mental company as “The Boys In The Basement." I refer to my mental company as "The Basement Divas." For other writers, it’s simply "The Girls."

But we're all talking about the same thing -- The Muses.

In response to my worst moments of heartbreak and despair (and there have been several since my colleagues started "The Search for The Lucky Mr. Mel”), The Basement Divas adjust their tiaras, lean back on their divans, take a sip of their mimosas, and bask in the schadenfreude.

I know, I know. They sound mean. But really, we’ve got quite the symbiotic relationship.

You see, I give in to their demands for pretty sticky notes and pens with glittery ink and let them take control of my iTunes account, and in return, they take the juiciest pieces of the mess that is my love life and tuck them neatly into the plot of the story I’m writing.

Here, dear friends, are some highlights:


Cyrano aka Synagogue Guy

So I was seeing this guy. I wasn’t planning to go out with him, but a mutual friend from our synagogue insisted that I should.

I did. He said and did some sweet things, so I continued to give him second chances, even after I realized that, in addition of his lack of manners, there was a definite lack of sparkage.

Fast-forward to the night my dog Hamudi (aka “Creature”) jumped onto his lap. I grabbed my camera so I could take a picture of my men. Then, Mr. Wishes-He-Were-Lucky-Enough-To-Be Mr. Mel proceeded to push Creature off his lap and ask to borrow my lint roller.

Exactly. Uh-oh.

He also told me he wasn’t a fan of garlic, which meant he wouldn’t appreciate my fabulous hummus. Yeah. He was toast. Or, quite possibly, a vampire. Whatever. I dumped him. And then I found out that our friend had spoon-fed him 90% of his sweet lines. So much for that. However….How cool was the Cyrano thing? It gave me at least a thousand words.

I’m thrilled to report that the hero pushing the heroine’s dog off his lap worked like a charm. Talk about your internal conflict! (I promise, the story got deeper than that, but it was a start.)  And here’s some gossip for you. Last I heard, Synagogue Guy is engaged, which, I’m sorry, is nothing but proof that there is, in fact, a lid for every pot.


Beta Firemen and Alpha Locksmiths

True story: Personally, I blame old New York City buildings for this, but I don’t have the best history with locks.  Which is why, last December, I had an unfortunate incident wherein I found myself stranded on my stoop at midnight. Now, we won’t talk about the fact that I’m never, ever out so late. Actually, except for work and dog walks, I’m never even out. But I digress.

Point is, it was midnight, and I was exhausted, freezing and alone. I ended up at the fire station (long story) where I had the fortune to be in the same room with a bunch of firefighters dressed in FDNY t-shirts and boxers.

(Shall I give us all a moment to enjoy the mental image of this and pick our jaws up off the floor?)

Anyway, the two hunky Nice (Possibly) Jewish Firemen were completely useless when faced with the broken lock. Plus, it turns out they weren’t so nice after all. They left me standing there to freeze to death.
Enter Noah, the Nice (Definitely) Jewish Locksmith who arrived at 2 a.m. and wowed me with his sexy Brooklyn accent and lock picking abilities. He also hit it off with Creature, once the door was open.

Some say I should’ve invited him up for a cup of tea. Alas, I did not, and barring more lock troubles, he’s gone from my life. Just when I accepted the fact that with my luck, it would behoove me to marry a locksmith. . .

But wouldn’t it be a blast to rewrite history and turn all that into a novel?

In the novel version, the firemen on that freezing night don’t leave the heroine stranded on her stoop (and who are we kidding – initially, when the heroine finds them at the station, they’re wearing only boxers due to a broken radiator or midnight workout).

The locksmith and the heroine happen to run into each other the next morning as they’re walking their adorable dogs. And when the firemen show up to rescue the heroine from a smoking waffle iron, she looks gorgeous in a flowy nightgown and her curls are magically non-Medusa-like even though it’s 5:30 in the morning.   Oy, the possibilities!


The Techie and the Geek

So my colleagues want I should get married. I teach in a tiny Hebrew day school in Brooklyn, if that helps you paint a picture. Anyway, I should be so lucky.

As I said, I teach, and I happen to be the computer teacher. So you can see where I’d think it might be nice to find a Giles to my Ms. Calendar. (And I work in a library, a natural habitat for a Giles.)

I didn’t think much of it when I first started working there last year, but there was a kind of Giles-like (meaning a little geeky) teacher next door to me. There were comments made, and power of suggestion caused me to realize that he did indeed meet a lot of The Lucky Mr. Mel Criteria: 1. He preferred Mac to PC (fine, so I’m a geek too), 2. Our religious practices weren’t so far apart, and 3. He was a musician (which I would not have known if I hadn’t accidentally found a playlist of his band’s songs on one of the school’s laptops. Which I accidently blasted in front of the entire school. Whoops.).

I was willing to overlook the fact that he wasn’t that tall (I need a tall guy – how else am I supposed to reach high stuff?) and his last name wasn’t easy to spell (a necessity seeing as the Greek monstrosity of a last name I grew up with was 11 letters long).

There were people who thought our relationship would make a nice story, and those people didn’t keep their mouths shut. (From an eighth grader: “With his red hair and your brown hair, imagine your children!”)

Which made for an interesting and extremely tense year, especially when he turned a bit red whenever we talked, and especially when he made promises that could be taken in, shall we say, multiple ways. Those promises were topped off by a shockingly sweet and unexpected speech he made to me in the hallway on the last day of school.

I can’t tell you more than that here, even though the rest isn’t all that interesting. But if you ever want to meet for margaritas, I’ll happily fill you in.

Then – get this - he left the country, never to be seen again. Actually, I think he’s on his way back but I’m trying not to dwell on that.  Even worse? Like his predecessor, Synagogue Guy, he’s engaged. Which I’m only telling you in case you need to finish proving the “lid for every pot” theorem. Yeah, ouch.

No worries though! During NaNoWriMo, the Divas kindly suggested that I import a photo of him into my Scrivener file and label it “villain.” I complied. I divided his desirable and less desirable qualities over two character profiles, and made him the hero and the villain.

Best of all, the accidental playlist scenario ended up turning into one of my favorite storylines ever. I even included a few of the songs from the original playlist into the writing soundtrack for that particular WIP, even though they’re difficult to listen to.

Do I feel guilty about any of this? Eh. . . no. That’s what you get for messing with a romance writer. He’s just lucky I don’t write romantic suspense. . .

He’s supposed to make an appearance at graduation. That should be loads of fun. Whatever happens though, I know I’ve got the divas looking out for me. If there’s drama to be had, it’ll just make this upcoming NaNo all that more fun.

Eventually, the real life elements The Divas mix into my stories fade until they’re almost unrecognizable and the heroes turn into their own people. What sticks to the page are heroes who evoke the same emotions as their real life counterparts.

And the best part, of course, is that The Divas always allow the writer to create a happy ending.

So, my fellow readers and writers, what do you look for in a hero?

(Oh, if you’d like to meet for those afore mentioned margaritas, I believe we’ve established that I’m free Saturday nights.) ♥




Melina writes contemporary romance with a pinch of oregano and a dash of chutzpah. She lives in Park Slope with her dog and a bunch of semi-imaginary divas. For her anti-vampire hummus recipe, more stories about her quest for The Lucky Mr. Mel, and her affinity for locksmiths, visit http://melinakantor.com/.

WRW RETREAT: IN THE COMPANY OF WRITERS

By Louise Fury


A few weeks ago, I had the fortunate pleasure of attending the Washington RWA's chapter retreat. From the minute I stepped into the historic Carradoc Hall Inn in Leesburg, Virginia, it was as if I had been transported into another world. The hotel itself is attached to a stately 1747 mansion home, one filled with old world ambiance; rocking chairs, secret underground rooms and on this occasion, many wonderfully talented and extremely generous romance writers.

I was not there but 5 minutes when the fabulous author Mary Blaney spied the ribbon declaring me a first timer and proceeded to buy me a drink, declared us friends and then introduced me to the lovely Mary Lenaburg. And for three wonderful days, it was all new friends, copious amounts of alcohol, book swapping, games, shared secrets and fun.

Roxanne St. Claire kicked off the conference with a fun drinking game disguised as a speech and had everyone chugging their drinks and splitting their seams with her version of the RWA food pyramid for writers ---- Swedish fish, Diet Coke, cheezits, coffee and pringles...this woman knows her stuff and looks hot to boot. I'm in!

Charlaine Harris and her editor Ginger Buchanan mingled with everyone and spent a lot of time chatting with guests over meals about writing, family and the 20-year myth of "instant success."

But honestly, I had the most fun chatting with Cathy Maxwell, Deb B. and Mary Blaney about Life, Lust and Love. Secrets were spilled and quickly buried in the vault, before we took the questions out of the ballroom and into the hallways.

I spent the next hour gasping at the deliciously scandalous tales of many of my favorite romance writers, it is no accident that their books are so good!

This entire experience was like being at summer camp, I cannot wait for 2011! So keep your eyes out for next year's dates, because this is one retreat you shouldn't miss. ♥




Louise Fury is a Literary Agent with the L. Perkins Agency. She is currently building her list. Find her on the web at http://www.louisefury.blogspot.com/.

BITS & PIECES: DEE DAVIS

Dee Davis is a ray of sunshine. She has a smile that is infectious and an energy, wit and humor that completely engage you. When I met her at an RWA meeting she was just my nice neighbor who I was talking with, and then she said who she was and that she was the author of the month. Her talk was funny, inspiring and displayed the many facets of her personality.
        She encouraged me to eat my meal at the cozy diner in Midtown that she recommended we meet at for this column, but it was hard to eat because she is so full of energy, her presence is charged with an energy that crackles, and there is a constant fascinating anecdote or perspective that she has. But I managed to eat, and get all of the bits that I wanted down on paper.
         Dee has the kind of professionalism and stamina that I only wish to have a quarter of in my career. In addition to be one of the most gracious people I have ever met, Dee embraces every bit of life and is so comfortable in her own skin. I love that she is an implanted New Yorker with a love for the city that rivals my own. She told me things about the city I did not know as a native and made me see things that I did not know. That is the magic of her as a person and as a storyteller. I was completely inspired by her and entertained. With her many incarnations in her other professional and creative endeavors, she is quite the entertainer and one smart cookie. And as I told her, she does not have a bad angle, and look at how photogenic she is! Read on for her bits and pieces.



“Oklahoma. Texas. Arkansas. Chicago. My father worked for International Harvester, and it was like being an army brat. We moved every two years my whole life. My dad actually had a commission in the army but my mom said not "no" but "&^% no". So we figure that after that he interviewed for jobs that moved more than the army.

“Every experience you have makes you the person you are. At any moment in time, if you turn left your whole world would be different than if you had turned right.

“I am obsessively curious about everything--I have never had a class I did not like or a topic that I did not find fascinating.

“I am also a product of my family. Tenacity is in my blood. And patience. My mom only had one piece of gum during WWII. How tenacious she must have been to have hung onto it so long. My grandfather lived through the depression and the Second World War. And as a result he was very frugal. He saved rubber bands. Every doorknob in his house was covered with them. And he reused foil and bought day-old bread. I don't do any of that. But I do save wrapping paper. And I know how to conserve. It's in my bones.

“When I finished my first novel, I gave myself five years to get published and then I had to get a day job-fortunately, I made the deadline.

“Something about spring time always makes me want bacon, lettuce and tomato sandwiches. When I was a kid, my mom would pile the platter high will bacon and fresh veggies and we'd pig out. My father was a gardener, and there is nothing like a fresh tomato. I miss having a garden in New York. But my new apartment has a terrace. So with a little luck this summer I'll have fresh tomatoes.

“There are more chances of running into someone interesting in New York. Everyone here has an interesting story to tell.

“I'm a theatre kid. Started theater when I was in 2nd or 3rd grade, and acted all the way through high school. I have one adult show to my credit; a local production of the ‘Seven Year Itch.’

“I am a split brain person: both creative and analytical, and those two people are always at war inside me. When I decided to write, it was the first time since high school that I allowed the creative side of me to be in charge. It's good to honor both sides of yourself. And I think finding a balance can lead to true happiness.

“There is a little bit of a sci-fi geek in me.

“Lady GaGa is a young Madonna. I am really impressed when someone knows how to work the system.

“I was eight when I got my first transistor radio (the iPod of today) and always feel asleep listening to it. My parents also always played music. So many times a song evokes a memory for me. It elicits emotion. I'm eclectic when it comes to music -- from Willie Nelson to U2 to Handel. I always wanted to be a rock star or a movie star or a Broadway star. Star being the operative word. LOL

“Daughter had her iPod in her ears and she would take them off and sing along and then put hers back on when it is over. (Again no idea what we were talking about but I think it was riding in the car and plugging in my husband or my iPod and listening on shuffle -- great invention.)

“My mother is musical as well -- pianist and vocalist.

“Life is too short to let it get to you.

“When we went on our honeymoon in Paris, my mom asked us to go to Shakespeare and Co. We asked a French woman working in the American Express office how to get there. And she draws us an intricate map and we are on the backstreets of Paris thinking we're in the know. Paris like a native. So finally after traversing through back streets and alleys we find the bookstore and it's across from Notre Dame. I figure the woman is out there somewhere still laughing about how she got one over on the Americans.

“I moved every two years all of my young life. So after living somewhere two to four years I get a little ansty, but it's okay because now I have my family and wherever we go, we go together.

“The closest you will ever be to your child is when they're growing inside of you and every step after that they are growing away from you. It's bittersweet, but it's as it should be.

“Only a few places left on my bucket list. Mary Stewart set a lot of her books in Greece. And I want to go there to see the white cliffs, the azure ocean and the flowers. And I've always wanted to go to Machu Pichu.

“People always ask me why I started with Time Travels and then switched to Romantic Suspense. But my three time travels were romantic suspense. I took a break and wrote two Chick Lit novels, mainly to stretch myself as a writer. But also because I'd never really written anything using my "true" voice and writing contemporary comedy allowed for that. Vanessa in A MATCH MADE ON MADISON is afraid of revolving doors and so am I. And it was fun writing something where no one dies.

“My job is to entertain someone, and I am making a covenant with my reader to take them on a certain kind of ride. Be it time travel, romantic suspense or chick lit.

“The most important thing about writing is doing your homework. When I had a notion I might write a book, I did a lot of research both on writing and on publishing as an industry. At the beginning of a story it's all a blank page, but every decision you make narrows the focus until you get to the end and there's only one place left to go.

“When I first decided I wanted to write a book, I had a vague idea of what I wanted to write. But to understand the market, I went to the library and took out all the books so I could see what was selling, what they were writing about, what worked for me and what didn't. It helped me as I began to focus in on what story I wanted to tell. In this business, you have to do your homework. It's the same skill set you use in college for research papers, or in business to prepare for a meeting or situation. It's all problem solving. Mine are just all in my head.

“I have always been very comfortable with stillness. I crave stillness sometimes. I'm one of those people who is ‘on’ when it's called for so am delighted with downtime. I understand my rhythms. I think that calmness can be an illusion, but it's still important to find that center and hold onto it.

“I am fascinated watching people. And listening in. I think that's part of what makes a good writer. Curiosity. But it also killed the cat.

“I was born an optimist, I will die an optimist. Can't help it. I'm wired that way.

“Writing is cathartic, sometimes you are writing about things in your life and you're not even aware that you're doing so. Using the story to deal with the things happening in your life. It may occur in a slightly different format on paper, but your characters are reflecting your experiences. You write from the collected experiences of your life. That's where your characters come from. Their thoughts, their opinions and sometimes the messes they get themselves into.”♥

MY GOLDEN HEART ADVENTURE

By Katrina Snow

I’ve been asked to share a bit about my adventure as one of this year’s RWA Golden Heart® Finalists. While I’ve never been one to cry “Look at me!” when it comes to good fortune, the RWA has played such a significant role in my writing journey, that I couldn’t refuse the request and thought I’d take this opportunity to talk up the benefits of this career-aiding contest.

In order of appearance, the first huge benefit is the December deadline. I completely sacrificed my social life last Fall finishing my rewrite, combing over the pages and writing the synopsis. Of all the steps involved, putting that synopsis together was the most difficult. By the time December hit, I had what I hoped was a solid manuscript and a workable synopsis.

The second benefit is that meeting the above-mentioned deadline puts you in a great place for working on queries to send out after the holidays. And that’s just what I did. Over December and January, I honed my query letter, running that all-important story blurb past my writers group more times than I did scenes in my manuscript. In February, I unleashed my magnificent query on well-researched agents whom I hoped would love my work. Alas, they didn’t. Still, the letter was in great shape for another round in March, and as I researched who I should send it to next, I hoped I’d soon have some good contest news to add. And I did!

Which brings me to benefit number three—a taste of what it will be like to receive The Call someday. That magical Golden Heart phone call came in on my cell phone the morning of March 25th at 9:31 AM. I was at work, so I calmly responded to the news although I was doing cartwheels on the inside. And my surprise at hearing I was a finalist was heightened by the fact that I had thought I’d be notified by mail within a couple of days. I guess I misread the contest information. Thrilling, exciting, surreal and a host of other adjectives all describe the moment.

Fourth, I became a part of another writing family. Someone immediately set up an email loop for all of the 2010 GH Finalists and we’ve been sharing the joys and hardships of our writing journeys, as well as answering all-important questions like, “What are you wearing to the awards dinner?” And this past week, you can bet we exchanged hundreds of emails about the conference move from Country Music’s Nashville to Mickey’s pad in Orlando.

Lastly, is the stamp of approval the Golden Heart gives a writer. I hadn’t realized how respected the contest was until an editor and agent congratulated me with great enthusiasm on being a Finalist. Of course, those agents who had passed in February didn’t suddenly realize their mistake and contact me, and editors didn’t send me impassioned pleas to send them my manuscript, however, I think it played a roll in drawing the attention of one vivacious agent.

A combination of Golden Heart magic and fate, or the gods, or some other benevolent force, kept throwing her in my path—or maybe me in her path—and as a result I now have a fantastic agent who is very excited about my work, which makes me very excited about her. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect fit than Louise Fury from L. Perkins Agency and I’m thrilled to be working with her.

To those who have entered and not made it to the Finals, I encourage you keep trying. One writer in that loop I spoke of earlier said she entered three years in a row and didn’t Final until this year. The competition is tough and many excellent entries don’t make it. A woman on another loop said that she entered the paranormal romance category (my category) and didn’t make the Finals with a score of 42.1. The highest score possible is 45. For those not quick with the math, her score was only 2.9 points below a perfect score.

The high level of writing in this competition and the fact that I’m in that paranormal romance category with the tight point spread are why I’m not anticipating a win. I entered with the hope that I would be a Finalist, and accomplishing that has me feeling like a winner already. It’s sort of like when the Oscar nominees say they are just happy to be nominated. I never really believed them, but I’m more inclined to going forward. Just being a Finalist in the Golden Hearts is a thrill and it’s enough. Of course, if I do manage to win, I’ll be giddy beyond reason.

As I’m hoping you’re curious about my manuscript, I thought I’d include the blurb from my query letter for your amusement.

In this single title, 110,000 word, medieval paranormal romance, THE PERFECT ADVENTURE, shares the lively tale of evil sorcerers and catty princesses, daring duels and steamy kisses, bandits and spells, sacrifice and passion, and a high-spirited Bachelor-style competition for the hand of a prince.

A gifted sorceress with no illusions of love or fairy-tale heroes flees to a distant kingdom to escape her sinister uncle and new husband. As using her powers is essential in their plot to rule the land, Kate’s life depends upon avoiding capture this time. Unfortunately, her plan to vanish into the life of a servant falls apart when a mischievous prince forces her to compete for his hand in a ridiculous festival. While she scrambles to hide her identity and to battle snooty royals in embarrassing games, Kate must face a truly horrific circumstance—not that she has been discovered, but that she is falling in love with the intriguing prince. She needs to disappear, find a new position, and keep watch for her uncle’s men, not get distracted by a man she can’t hope to have a future with. But life never hands her what she needs. Or does it?

The prince of Florian lives for adventure and revels in exploring exotic lands, cultures and women. A wife is the last thing he needs or wants—until his father severs his funding. To resume his quests abroad, Bregovi is forced to consent to a ludicrous contest designed to secure him a dowry-rich bride. As any of the entrants will do, he resigns himself to his fate and spends his last shackle-free days pursuing his latest amusement—a feisty maiden with a sharp tongue and soft lips. But what begins as mere sport turns into something disturbingly more. Kate captivates him, and each encounter with her gives him the same thrill as discovering a new shore. Unfortunately, loving the penniless maiden, marrying her, will destroy his life. He’ll never explore again. But losing her just might shatter his heart. Could she possibly be THE PERFECT ADVENTURE?

If you’d like to read more, I’ve posted an excerpt from the manuscript on my website at www.katrinasnow.com.

Adventures seem to be a prevalent theme in my life and my stories, and it feels like this Golden Heart journey is turning into a perfect adventure as well.

I wish you all the best of luck with your own writing adventures and hope to see you in Orlando! ♥




Katrina Snow’s THE PERFECT ADVENTURE is a finalist in RWA’s Golden Heart contest. Winners will be announced at the RWA National Conference in Orlando, Florida, this July.

LES GENS DE COULEUR LIBRE

By Maureen Osborne



Though color of skin may differ, mothers throughout history share the same concern for their single daughters. So much so that free and enslaved mothers of 18th-century New Orleans held balls to present their daughters, not to prospective grooms for their hand in marriage, but for a left-handed marriage, where a woman was “placed” in a union with an unmarried man (plaçage). These remarkable balls were called Quadroon Balls and le Bel de Cordon Bleu.

The demand for slave labor along with harsh living conditions in Louisiana and the French Caribbean resulted in larger numbers of black women than white women. Since single white Creole and European men did not marry before their 30s, and certainly did not sleep with marriageable white women, they took black women as concubines. The children of these unions were often manumitted at birth along with their mothers. They were neither as free as their fathers nor as black as their mothers. Aligning themselves more with their French heritage, they called themselves Gens de Couleur Libre or Free People of Color.

The French terminology was used throughout the islands of the Caribbean that were claimed by France. Saint-Domingue (Haiti before the slave revolt) possessed as many as 28,000 gens de couleur. They were well educated, Catholic and prosperous, as artisans, shopkeepers and landowners. Due to their pro-slavery stance, many fled to France and the United States during the Haitian Revolution. Those refugees fleeing to the United States understandably gravitated towards the French holding of Louisiana.

In Louisiana, the 1724 Code Noir established that marriage between whites and blacks was illegal. Nevertheless, there were many interracial relationships. Sons were sent to Europe or their father’s holdings to be educated or to work. Girls stayed at home to be raised by their mothers in Creole houses built or bought for them by their fathers. These largely female households were found in the North Rampart area of New Orleans, between the French Quarter and the Tremé.

During the New Orleans social season from October to Ash Wednesday, for a fee of $2.00 men would be admitted into venues such as the Orleans Ballroom and St. Philippe Theatre. While all the women were not young, they were arrayed around the room at tables attended by a mother or chaperone. Men were allowed to address and dance with any woman, but if a woman was not interested she could refuse him. If the man was deemed suitable, by both the woman and the chaperone an agreement would be reached. That agreement would include as much as a $2,000 sum and always a house, notwithstanding future maintenance and gifts.

Even though the woman had now entered a plaçage union and labeled a placée, she would not live or sleep with her protector until the house was prepared. Many young women celebrated with a party before leaving home with her protector in attendance. Their homes were richly decorated and adorned with iron railings and accents crafted by slave labor, in addition, to having their own slaves. Yet once the relationship began in earnest any children would find themselves caught in the same cycle.

There were many successful unions, with some protectors remaining with their placée until they died and others who married white women and continued to visit and support their placée. Eulalie de Mandéville, the daughter of eccentric nobleman, Count Pierre de Mandéville, was taken from her slave mother as a baby. She was raised by her white grandmother and “placed” by her father with Eugene de Macarty, who was the brother of Augustin de Macarty, the 6th Mayor of New Orleans and fought at the Battle of New Orleans. Eulalie remained with the wealthy French-Irishman, for 50 years and married before his death, upon which he left his entire fortune to her and their five children, which she used to educate them.

With little use for education, Rosette Rochon remained illiterate until her death, but left a personal fortune of $100,000. One of five children born to Pierre Rochon, a French shipbuilder and his slave Marianne, Rochon was one of the most beautiful women of her day. She became the consort of several men, and created her fortune by investing in real estate in the French Quarter, selling mortgages and renting out slaves. Her social circle included New Orleans most famous placée, Marie Laveau.

Born, Marie Laveaux, her father Charles Leveaux was a white planter. She married a Creole of color, Santiago Paris in a Catholic ceremony. It is not known whether he abandoned her or died, but she supported her daughter by dressing the hair of white women and calling herself, the Widow Paris. She became the placée of Dumesnil de Glapion, a veteran of the Battle of New Orleans. Although she was a devout Catholic, her knowledge of herbs and nursing, earned her the title of Voodoo Queen.

On the death of a protector, a placée could legally seek a portion of the estate. Though there were incidents of desertion and attacks by jealous wives, the taking of concubines and the balls continued up to the start of the Civil War.

This period of history offers many unexpected stories like those of the gens de couleur. Along with the lore of Marie Laveaux, Andrew Jackson’s military career and the pirate Jean Lafitte, stories can be magical, historical and menacing. Although the Quadroon Balls are now a part of history, the desire of all mothers to see their daughters well-placed continues even today.♥



Books of interest: CREOLE: THE HISTORY AND LEGACY OF LOUISIANA’S FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR edited by Sybil Kein, Louisiana State University Press, and THE FREE PEOPLE OF COLOR OF NEW ORLEANS by Mary Gehman, Margaret Media Inc.



Maureen Osborne was raised in Massachusetts, lived in six additional states and Scotland. She is executive assistant for a Big Four accounting firm. Currently, she is working on a sexy contemporary about three brothers joined, yet pulled apart, by a family tragedy and the women who love them. Her recent trip to New Orleans influenced her research on the Free People of Color, which she will use for a historical romance that takes place at the conclusion of the Battle of New Orleans.

WHEN MOMMA’S WRITING SEX

By Isabo Kelly

I write sexy, often erotic, romance novels with sex on the page and as much sexual tension as I can cram into a story. I don't necessarily have to feel "turned on" to write sex, but romantic scenes flow easier if I'm at least feeling a little sexy and romantic.

And nothing kills my sexiness faster than a hard day as "mom".

Being a mommy is great, but reconciling that role with the role of romance writer can be tough. When your mind is full of toys, nursery rhymes, Dora the Explorer, nap time, dirty diapers and temper tantrums, shutting that down to concentrate on the first bloom of someone else’s love and lust is not easy. I mean, how sexy would you feel after changing a particularly dirty diaper and having a fight with your kids when trying to put them to bed. Not to mention the shear exhaustion that can so quickly rob you of the need for anything but sleep!

Also for a lot of women, once firmly in the role of mommy, they stop considering themselves sexual creatures. They can even forget what it’s like to be something other than mom. But as a writer of romance, I have to remember how it feels to be a woman and a lover or I can’t write what I need to.

So what do I do? Fake it. That's right. Sometimes, I fake it.

You know you've done it too.

I rely on my craft and I motor through the sexy stuff. I get down the basic choreography, I try to infuse some of the emotional depth the scene needs, and I rely heavily on my skill with words to make sure the scene doesn't have to be thrown out completely when I get to editing. I don’t feel the emotions or sexiness, but I write out what I know is supposed to be happening.

There are other tricks to ramping up your romantic feelings to get through writing a sex scene—taking a bubble bath, lighting a pretty scented candle, wearing sexy lingerie—and if those work for you, go for it. Personally, though, when all I want to do is get my words on the page so I can get to bed for some much needed sleep, most of the extra stuff takes too much time. And really, I'm too tired.

So I've become a big believer in faking it. I get the words down and worry about making sure they're really sexy later. The funny thing is, when I do this, when I'm relying totally on my craft over my mood, the scenes usually turn out pretty damned good. Much better than I anticipate when I go back to edit.

Good lesson for all writing. We aren't always in the "mood" or feeling inspired. So sometimes we just have to write, relying on the skill we've spent years developing, and get words on the page.

Turns out, faking it can bring some really satisfying results.♥



Isabo Kelly (aka Katrina Tipton) has won awards and garnered many excellent reviews for her sexy, romantic science fiction and fantasy stores—despite her mood while writing those books! Her latest paperback release, SIREN SINGING, won the 2009 Prism award for best erotic romance, so something she’s doing must be working. For more on Isabo’s books, visit her at www.isabokelly.com

RWANYC MAY BRUNCH: Keynote Speaker Suzanne Brockmann

By Karen Cino

We couldn’t have asked for a better day Saturday to have our annual RWANYC May Brunch at Kennedy’s Restaurant. While many New Yorkers jammed into local taverns early to secure their front row seat to watch the Kentucky Derby, rifling through local newspapers in search of a winner, we relaxed in the private library room getting our own special writing tips. What made our day special was having Suzanne Brockmann sitting in our winner’s circle giving us the tips of the writing trade.

Suzanne rocked the house with her intimate stories ranging from how she began her career as a category writer to how she too dealt with those famous rejection letters.

Like me, Suzanne is a plotter and loves to write those long outlines. And like the rest of us, she admits to getting lost in cyberspace. “I surf through the internet and the next thing I know it is six hours later,” Suzanne admitted, causing everyone to chuckle. Oh yes, we are all guilty of losing writing time thanks to email, yahoo loops and don’t forget about facebook.

“Set daily goals,” Suzanne suggested, “And, reward yourself when you are finished your project. Don’t set your goals too high or else your brain will work against you.” She went on to tell us that the key is to keep track of your daily accomplishments.

I left the brunch with recharged energy. I only wished I was able to come home and sit behind my computer and get writing and revisions done. For this month’s BIAW, I am going to use the week to get myself back on track and get those goals accomplished.

I’d like to thank Suzanne Brockmann once again for being our Keynote speaker for the afternoon. I wish her success with her play, “Looking for Billy Hayes,” and look forward to the release of her next novel.♥




Presently, Karen is serving as President of the RWA New York City Chapter. She keeps her muse alive by walking every morning down at the boardwalk. Currently, she is shopping for a home for her novel ROSES, and is working on her next novel, MYSTICAL WONDERS.