Touching down in New England town…(Name that Tune)

Um, yes I have New England on the brain right now.  If you stopped by here Monday you know why I’m waxing poetic about my home.  Yesterday, I promised to post a list of the finalists in the 2009 New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award.   They are as follows:

Short Contemporary Finalists

The Ride of Her Life – Natasha Moore

The Catcher and The Lie – Rita Oberlies

A Christmas Wedding – Tracy Wolff 

Long Contemporary Finalists

Blame It On Paris – Jennifer Greene

Just One of the Guys – Kristan Higgins***

Just Breathe – Susan Wiggs 

Historical Finalists

Enticing the Prince – Patricia Grasso***

Frontier Courtship – Valerie Hansen

A Knight Well Spent – Jackie Ivie 

Romantic Suspense Finalists

Bed of Lies – Pam Champagne***

Under Fire – Beth Cornelison

Pitch Black – Susan Crandall 

Erotica Finalists

Prince’s Fire – Cara Carnes

Immortal Kiss – J.K. Coi

Forbidden: The Revolution – Samantha Sommersby 

Future/Fantasy/Time Travel/Paranormal Finalists

Red Fire: A Gods of Midnight Novel – Deidre Knight

Prey – Melina Morel

King of Sword and Sky – C.L. Wilson

 

I’d like to promise that I won’t mention this again in the next few weeks, but I know my limitations    Still undecided about attending the conference….I’m a bit of an introvert, so I tend to stress about participating in large functions where everyone is a stranger!!!!

And the Oscar Goes To…

Lately I’ve been in a slump.  Before I ever submitted anything (anywhere) I said that I would be happy if just one person enjoyed the story I attempted to tell.  I think I might have been lying to myself just a little. When my first book released in November I held my breath.  Family and friends (that are easy to bribe) were quite kind with their feedback.  The notoriously funny MRS GIGGLES was slightly less gentle with her commentary. (Although she didn’t eviscerate me, she wasn’t exactly glowing with praise).

 

That’s reality.  That’s the way it should be. Then something unexpected happened Friday night.  I received a phone call advising me that I had finaled in the 2009 New England Reader’s Choice Bean Pot Award.  I WAS FLABBERGASTED.  My voice and hands shook as I listened to the extremely kind representative from the New England Chapter of RWA explain the process.  Next month at their annual conference they will announce the actual winners and the second and third place entries within each category.

 

For some reason that night I felt like a ‘real’ writer for the first time.  In my category, short contemporary, I’m up against a Harlequin author and a fellow Samhain writer.  I’m probably not going to walk away with first prize.  And, that’s okay.  This time I’m really happy knowing that my writing was good enough to even place.  It’s a step forward for me.  A leap really.

 

I’m grateful…really, really grateful.  So, thank you to the readers/judges of New England RWA.  And a special thank you to my Samhain Editor, Tera.  She contracted the book and worked hard at correcting all of my many mistakes and story holes.  Not an easy task, trust me.

 

Come back tomorrow…when I’ll post a list of all the finalists J

 

Oh, by the way…Kristan Higgins is a finalist in the long contemporary category.  SQUEEEE!  She is pretty much at the top of my favorite author list.  So to see my name mentioned in the same email announcement from the contest coordinator made my palms sweat.  Actually, just typing this made my hands perspire all over again….NOW I AM EMBARASSING MYSELF J

 

Free-For-All-Friday…

Sometimes a week will past where I accomplish none of my writing goals.  This has been one of those weeks.  Instead of being disappointed I’m actually relieved.  My focus has been on my kids, houseguests, and my TBR pile.  Shopping. Late night movies.  Favorite restaurants.  Bowling.  All in all an ideal way to spend School Break.

 

After a prolonged drought of mediocre reading, I read several books this week that I would give two thumbs up:

 

Kristan Higgins – Too Good to be True (contemporary)

Carolyn Jewel – Scandal (historical)

Dave Ramsey – Total Money Makeover (finance)

Candace Camp – The Courtship Dance (historical)

 

Watched the latest Clint Eastwood movie, Grand Torino, and was pleasantly surprised by how much I LOVED IT.  Although I was slightly leery that violence or a sad ending might minimize my enjoyment of this flick, I walked away awed by Eastwood’s far reaching talent.  He’s a genius when it comes to filmmaking. Despite the serious theme, this movie kept me laughing throughout.  If you like Eastwood even just a little, put this movie on your future rental list.

Tomorrow my special guests (nieces, sister, & mom) will return home to the Boston area.  I’m grateful that they chose to spend a good portion of their vacation visiting my home.  This brings me to some sad news.

 

This past week Dee Tenorio, an author with Samhain and a prolific member of the on-line community, suffered the unexpected loss of a sibling.  Words and prayers seem so small of an offering during such a difficult period.  Dee’s sister leaves behind four children who will likely need assistance in the weeks and months that follow.  If you have a chance and want to read about their story, stop by her blog:

 

   http://www.deetenorio.com/Blog/

 

Sometimes even the smallest assistance can mean the world to a family in need.

 

Hugs!

 

Valentine Contest…Winner Announced

A grand winner was announced for the Valentine Contest.  Hop on over to Editor Tera’s blog for the details:

http://editortera.wordpress.com/

And, thanks to everyone that participated.

Sleeping Through History Class…

Although I never actually slept through any class, at least to the point of drooling, I must have missed some talking points in high school history.  Courtesy of the History Channel I discovered the following:

Stealing Lincoln’s Body (Airs tonight at 9:00)

 

“Before Lincoln finally came to rest in a steel-and-concrete-reinforced underground vault in Springfield, the President’s body was repeatedly exhumed and moved, his coffin frequently opened. In 1876, eleven years after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, a band of Chicago counterfeiters plotted to steal Lincoln’s body and hold it for ransom. Their plan was to demand $200,000 and the release of the gang’s master engraver, who was in prison in Illinois. The Secret Service–recently formed to deal with the country’s ballooning counterfeiting problem–infiltrated the gang with an informer. It also set in motion a cringe-inducing chain of events in which a group of well-intentioned, self-appointed guardians took it upon themselves to protect Lincoln’s remains by any means necessary. This strange story of Lincoln at un-rest reveals how important this man was to so many, and perhaps our reluctance to let such a beloved and visionary leader go.”  History Chnl

I think I’ll be tuning in tonight to find out more about this kooky bit of American History.

A Special Day…

Happy Birthday…Dan and Kate

We think that you’re great

Born on a special day

That we celebrate today

 

I’m full of great shame

‘Cause this rhyme is quite lame

Time for me to go shop

So this verse must now stop

(Thank Goodness!)

XOXOX

Love all the peeps in the house!

Hmmm…?

 

http://www.raincitystory.com/flash/screenclean.swf

Judge a Book By Its Cover….

Several weeks back I decided to enter the cover of my first book, The Catcher and the Lie, in an RWA Chapter Contest. The Houston Bay Area Chapter runs a yearly contest where booksellers from the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand select the top cover in a variety of categories.

 

Today the results were announced…and my cover placed fourth in the contemporary series category.  Considering the fact that almost every single cover that won or placed in the top five came from huge publishing houses (Silhouette, Kensington, Dorchester) — I’m pleased as punch!

 

Here’s a link if you want to check it out!

http://jabbic.hbarwa.com/winners_cat.php?y=2008&cat=1

Fourth Place

The Catcher and the Lie Rita Oberlies 1605042358 Samhain Publishing November 2008

 

Having a Great Time…Wish You Were Here!

Actually, I wish I was there.  This is a snapshot my husband sent me of the view from his hotel balcony in the Bahamas.  Now, I thought about showing you a snapshot of the dirty, melting snow out my front window…but it is Monday.  Who needs to fuel the depression?

In between my normal weekend activity, I accomplished NOTHING.  Seriously, I thought a great deal about what I want to do in terms of writing goals…I just didn’t sit my butt down in front of the computer.  Frankly, I’m not expecting this to be a banner week in terms of output.  Four of my nearest and dearest are celebrating birthdays (a brother and a sister on the 10^th and my husband and niece on the 14^th).  Oh, and it’s Valentine’s Day on Saturday.  Hmm, someone needs to do some shopping!!!

 

ONE thing I will find time to complete —thorough review of my print galley for The Catcher and the Lie.  My goal is to have it back in the hands of Samhain by Friday (at the latest). 

 This might sound strange, but now that the book is published in e-format it makes me squeamish to read it from cover to cover.  It’s sitting in an open folder on my computer right now but I keep finding an excuse not to start reviewing it for errors.

 

Just a reminder…the Valentine Contest continues. Still a few days to enter for a chance to win the Grand Prize: 

 

http://editortera.wordpress.com

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

S*A*T*U*R*D*A*Y….

Guess how I started my day?  After a restless night (my four year old spent most of the night arguing with his brother in his sleep) I crept out of the house at 6:30am and hit my local Dunkin Donuts.  HOT COFFEE.  FRESH MUNCHKINS.  Does it get any better?

 

Tomorrow my husband boards an airplane for the Bahamas.  I’m still working through my jealousy J.  Since we didn’t want to pull the kids from school for a week, I’ll be staying behind in snow encrusted W. New York.

 

Report cards came out yesterday and they are both doing extremely well.  This is something I always worry about, so it’s a huge relief to hear all good things.  My biggest concerns center on behavior (polite, hard working, kind to classmates).  If they have difficulty in a particular subject it’s not such a huge deal (right now they have no struggles but that will likely change in the years ahead).

 

More good news….just received a print release date for The Catcher and the Lie.  It will be available on September 1^st….How COOL is that? Thanks to my editor Tera.

 

A few links caught my interest this week: 

 

http://edittorrent.blogspot.com/2009/02/form-rejections-bad-form.html

 

While no one likes rejection, it’s a fact of life for most aspiring writers (some letters I keep to remind me to try harder; others I toss because they fuel depression J).  The truth is I have never encountered anything but professional treatment from any editor.  Ultimately, I know it could be my writing, the story itself, the current needs of the publisher, or about a hundred other things. 

 

http://www.jaimerush.com/index.php?id=5#entries

 

I love first line contests.  Author Jaime Rush is currently running one on her website.  It’s fun to see the unique/crazy things people come up with.  The contest runs through March 1^st if you’re interested in sharing your muse.

 

http://editortera.wordpress.com/

 

The Valentine Contest continues.  Today you can find an excerpt from Living Lies by Dawn Brown.  Stop by and enter for your chance to win.

 

Okay, time for me to hit the supermarket and then the mall.  Have a great weekend!