2010 CALENDAR DATES

Mark your calendars for the New Year! 
Our meeting dates are as follows:

January 9
February 6
March 6
April 10
May 1 -- Chapter Tea
June 5
July 10 -- Chapter Outing
August 7
September 11
October 2
November 6
December 4 -- Holiday Party

Chapter meetings are on Saturday at TRS (44 East 32nd Street, 11 floor), 12 noon, unless otherwise specified.

Critique sessions are optional and will follow the monthly general meeting.  Anyone interested in participating in the critique session should contact President Karen Cino before the meeting. Her email is karencino@aol.com.

The Keynotes newsletter deadline is the 15th of the every month.  Send in your member news, bookcovers, articles, blurbs, reviews, notes, et al, to editor Maria Ferrer at ferrerm@aol.com.

Happy 2010!

SETTING CAREER GOALS FOR 2010

By Maria Ferrer

It’s that time of the year, time to make New Year’s resolutions and time to set my career goals for 2010. Ever since our Chapter President Karen Cino mentioned that our first meeting of the year on January 9th would be about setting goals, I have been thinking about mine.

The first, of course, is a no brainer--to write.

But, I need to be more specific in setting my goals this year, give myself a deadline, and I need to make my goals “bite size” so they are easy to accomplish. I want more than just to write. I want to finish my projects in progress, and I want to submit them to publishers to reach the ultimate goal of publication.

So my career goals for 2010 are simple: write, finish, submit, quarterly. Short, sweet and to the point, with a deadline and very manageable.

And for inspiration, I will look to our chapter members who have set wonderful examples this past year. Like Pat Mihailoff, who always inspires with her success and her words of wisdom. Like Jeanine McAdam, who set a goal of writing a confession every month and submitting it. Her commitment to her writing resulted in numerous publications. Like Leanna Hieber, who turned into a publicity powerhouse with the debut of her first paper book. Like Elizabeth Mahon, whose “sensual” blog has sold and become a non-fiction book. Like Lis Eng, whose book will be coming out in the New Year and who already has her blog at the ready. Like Jerrica Knight-Catana, who had not one but two great productions this year – a book and a baby. Like Ed Rand, who started writing late in life but with gusto. Like Thea Devine, Dee Davis, Wendy Corsi Staub and Isabo Kelly who are still writing and publishing after 10 years.

In fact, all our members inspire me with their dedication, their commitment, their submissions, and their continued success. I would like to list all of them, but I’d have to include the whole member roster here. (Please consider Yourself included, even if I haven’t mentioned You by name. I was thinking of you. I was.)

So, as you set your career goals for 2010, remember to keep them simple, to make them easy to accomplish, and if you need inspiration just look towards the many members of RWA/NYC who have set great examples and make good mentors.

I look forward to seeing you all at our next Chapter Meeting on Saturday, January 9th, at noon at TRS. Our meeting will be about Setting Our Career Goals for 2010. Plus, there will be a Time Capsule Ceremony. Every member will be encouraged to submit a goal into the time capsule, which will be sealed and opened in November. It will be fun to see how many of us will have met our goals by then.

Join us on January 9th. Until then, Happy Writing and Happy New Year.


P.S., Do let us know which RWA/NYC member(s) inspire you the most.

I Want You!

This is the second time that I post after a dinner out with friends on the train coming home. It was a night for trying new things with friends, and I am thinking to myself that this could be what I blog about, but instead it is going to be a blatant plug for the upcoming February Keynotes. In case you have not gotten the e-mail I sent RWA-NYC wide, I am going to be the editor for the upcoming issue of Keynotes, and it is all about love--love, love and more love! We are Romance Writers of America, and we are living in one of the most romantic cities in the world. People come to New York for honeymoons, and for that matter, to fulfill any romantic notions in their heads. In that vein, I expect that I should be flooded with pitches and real life romances which I know a lot of you have. There--I just brainstormed--give me your real life love stories. Romance is not just a notion swirling in our heads like clouds, and Tina Turner was wrong--love has a lot to do with it. As per my lovely chat with Hope for my last Bits and Pieces, the entire night I who have so much going on in my life--believe me putting Keynotes together is a very multi-layered process--spent a lot of the night like most nights with the girls talking about our love lives or lack thereof. Love makes the world go 'round; the people who pooh pooh that fact are the ones who are afraid of its power. I want this Keynotes dripping with romance: the candy and flowers kind, the kind that holds your hand when you are sick. I want it all, and much like Uncle Sam, I am pointing my finger at you, RWA-NYC. I want you. I want you to make this the best love issue of RWA-NYC ever!

Requiescat in pace.

by Lise Horton. The end of year wrap-ups of "farewells" will soon begin - highlights of the famous and infamous who died during the year from every field of endeavor. Many wonderful writers died relatively unheralded in 2009. Sadly their passing, and their achievements, did not garner the same spotlight that some other more notorious celebrities did. I thought I’d take a moment to revisit some of the literary luminaries who left us in 2009, along with mentions of just some of their works and accolades. In no particular order: John Updike, 76. Creator of Harry “Rabbit” Angstrom. Poet, novelist, short story writer. “My subject is the American Protestant small-town middle class,” Mr. Updike told Jane Howard in a 1966 interview for Life magazine. “I like middles,” he continued. “It is in middles that extremes clash, where ambiguity restlessly rules.” Larry Gelbart, 81. Developer of M*A*S*H. Writer for “Caesar’s Hour” with Sid Caesar. Co-writer of “Tootsie” and “A Funny Thing Happened on the Way To the Forum” "The main thing about Larry, he was a comedy prodigy who developed into a national treasure. The man was one of the most gifted satirists who ever lived." Carl Reiner Dominick Dunne, 83. Journalist, Vanity Fair author, father of murdered actress, Dominique Dunne, and author of the memoir “Another City, Not My Own” that covered the retelling of the OJ Simpson trial. Horton Foote, 92. Playwright and screenwriter. Pulitzer Prize winner for his play “The Young Man From Atlanta” and Academy Award winning author of the screenplays for “To Kill A Mockingbird” and “Tender Mercies”. Winner, National Medal of Arts. "His writing is like rural Chekhov, simple but deep. . . you can't push it. You have to just let it lay there." --- Robert Duvall, the star of Horton Foote's second Oscar winning screenplay Tender Mercies Frank McCourt, 78. Pulitzer Prize-winning Author of “Angela’s Ashes”. American WWII Serviceman, New York City High School Teacher. ‘ "When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived it all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood." William Safire, 79. Pultizer Prize-winning New York Times writer and acclaimed columnist of the NY Times language column, “On Language”. Speechwriter, Richard Nixon, author of political novels Full Disclosure and Scandalmonger. Winner, Presidential Medal of Freedom. "The acceleration of shortspeak forces us to confront the seamy side of semiotics, which is the study of nonverbal signs and symbols in semantics and syntactics. I have no objection to time- and space-saving signals that convey instant instruction: red and green lights are better than the words “stop” and “go”; a skull and crossbones is a visual reminder not to drink the iodine; a simple arrow beats “this way to the egress.” (An icon of a pair of pants on a lavatory door, however, is confusing to both slacks-clad women and slack-jawed men.)" Budd Schulberg, 95. Screenwriter, Oscar winner for “On The Waterfront”, and also "A Star is Born", "A Face in the Crowd” and others, and novelist. Member, Office of Strategic Services. Along with director Elia Kazan, an unapologetic informant to HUAC. "These people, if they had it in them, could have written books and plays. There was not a blacklist in publishing. There was not a blacklist in the theater. They could have written about the forces that drove them into the Communist Party....They're interested in their own problems and in the protection of the Party." David Eddings, 77. Author of numerous sci-fi and fantasy novels, including The Belgariad series. Of himself he said: "I am here to teach a generation or two how to read. After they've finished with me and I don't challenge them any more, they can move on to somebody important like Homer or Milton.". Jane Aiken Hodge, 91. Romance novelist of “The Master of Penrose” and numerous other novels, and non-fiction biographer of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer. Death by suicide. Marilyn French, 79. Feminist and novelist, author of “The Woman’s Room” and non-fiction author. Hans Holzer, 89. College professor. Ghost hunter. Author of over 100 non-fiction and fiction titles, including "Murder in Amityville". Novelist of paranormal titles including the Randy Knowles, Psychic Detective series. Television and film writer and producer of “In Search Of” television series. Barbara Parker, 62. Lawyer. New York Times Best Selling Mystery Fiction Author. JG Ballard, 78. “A giant on the world literary scene.” Short story author and novelist including several made into films: “Crash” (David Cronenberg), “Empire of the Sun” (Steven Spielberg). Single parent of three following his wife’s death. Philip Jose Farmer, 91. Sci-fiction novelist. Grand Master Award for Science Fiction, 2001. Supporter of the Peoria, Illinois Library and co-author of the charity title, “Naked Came the Farmer” for same. Jack Kemp, 73. Football player, politician and author of several non-fiction works, including “An American Rennaissance”. David Herbert Donald, 88. Pulitzer Prize-winning historian of numerous books, including “Look Homeward: A Life of Thomas Wolfe” and “Lincoln”. Joan Rice 89, Short Story author and memoirist of her years as a WWII WAAF “Sand In My Shoes”. Walter Cronkite, 92. Journalist, war reporter and member of the “Writing 69th”, newsman, television anchor. Author of his autobiography, “A Reporter’s Life” “If I’ve lost Cronkite, I’ve lost America.” Lyndon B. Johnson and Cronkite, in his own words: "President Kennedy died at 1 p.m. Central Standard Time.2 o'clock Eastern Standard Time, some 38 minutes ago." Hortense Calisher, 97. Short story and fiction author, including the novels “Textures of Life” and “Journal From Ellipsia”. “Among contemporary writers of distinction Hortense Calisher has always been a strangely elusive presence,” Joyce Carol Oates Robert Holdstock, 61. Science-fiction/fantasy author of “Necromancer” and “Mythago Wood”; multiple award winner of the World Fantasy Award and British Science Fiction Award. E-coli complications. E. Lynn Harris, 54. Novelist and chronicler of American gay male life in fiction. "We have a 'don't ask, don't tell' policy in the black community," Boykin said. "E. Lynn Harris encouraged people to ask and to tell." Godspeed, ladies and gentlemen.

PEARLS: NATURE’S GIFT FROM THE SEA

By Polly Guerin, The Fashion Historian




Genuine pearls are truly nature’s gift from the sea and as such have been valued throughout the ages not only by royalty, but as accessories in important works of art. However, before the 20th century, the hunt for genuine pearls was more or less by chance. Pearl divers dove into the depths of the sea to manually pull oysters from the ocean bottom. It was a laborious and difficult process, and it could take nearly one ton of oysters to produce only three or four perfect round pearls. Pearls were traded as a valuable commodity and people paid astonishing prices for a pearl necklace. Morton Freeman Plant (son of railroad tycoon Henry B. Plant) knew the value of a pearl necklace and in 1917 he traded the Plant’s Neo-Renaissance mansion in exchange for $100 in cash and a double-strand natural pearl necklace valued at the time at $1 million dollars. This mansion is the site of the New York branch of Cartier at 653 Fifth Avenue.

BIRTH OF NATURAL PEARLS

Like Venus rising from the sea a natural pearl can take many years to achieve near-perfect condition and for them to grow in size. The birth of a natural pearl begins when an oyster is invaded by a foreign object. An oyster’s natural defense to the intrusion of this small foreign object, lodged in its mantle tissue, (a grain of sand or parasite) is to encase the object in layers of ‘Nacre’ (nay’ker), which forms a smooth, iridescent mother-of-pearl protective coating. It can take from two to five years for a quality pearl to fully develop in the oyster. Many are not perfectly round and their odd shape has given rise to a style called ‘Baroque.”

JAPANESE PEARL DIVERS

In ancient times it was not uncommon for slaves to be anchored with a rock tied around their leg and thrown into the sea to collect precious pearls from oysters. It was a treacherous business. However, traditionally in Japan pearl the process was more civilized and diving was done by women who were called “Ama,” a word which literally meant “sea woman.” This Japanese tradition dates back 2000 years and as recently as the 1960s, Ama divers wore only a loincloth. They are known to have incredible “free-diving” and “breath-hold” skills. Even today, Ama dive without scuba gear, using these free-diving techniques and can descend to depths of over 100 feet on a single breath. Today, a bit of modesty prevails and divers at tourist attractions wear, white, partially transparent suits to dive in. The harvesting of natural pearls continues to be a costly process. The difference between “Natural” and “cultured pearls” is man’s intervention or to put it more simply, by artificial insemination.

CULTURED PEARLS DEBUT

If you own a pearl necklace today you are wearing ‘cultured pearls,” a result of pearl farming. Modern-day cultured pearls are primarily the result of discovers made in the late 19th and early 20th centuries by Japanese researchers. They discovered a specific technique for inducing the creation of a round pearl within the gonad of an oyster. They simply inserted a foreign object into the farmed oysters and waited for their production to increase. The first harvest of rounds was produced in 1916, but the technique was patented by Kokichi Mikimoto in the 1930s. Pearl farmers cultivated large numbers of quality pearls in the Akoya oysters under controlled facilities in the shallow ocean waters of Japan. It takes two to three years for pearls to develop in pearl farming. You could say that cultured pearls were designed from the start to be round and flawless. Most importantly by producing thousands of pearls in farming facilities, it brought their cost down to a point where pearls became accessible to large numbers of women throughout the world. Only an X-ray can tell the difference between a cultured and natural pearl. Pearl variety includes Mabe pearls, Tahitian Black pearls, South Sea pearls, and small Biwa and seed-like Keshi pearls.

PEARL TRIVIA

Many legends surround the value of owning pearls as they contain the power of love, money, protection and luck. Ancient legend says that pearls were thought to be the tears of the gods and Greeks believed that wearing pearls would promoted marital bliss and prevent newlywed women from crying. The pearl is the official birthstone for the month of June. It is also the birthstone for the Sun signs of Gemini and Cancer. Freshwater pearls are given on the 1st wedding anniversary and also on the 3rd, 12th and 30th anniversaries. Pearls seem to have a beauty and a versatility all their own. They can be worn with equal ease with daytime business fashions right into evening with a jeweled clasp, and even compliment casual sportswear. Their luminous light compliments most every woman’s complexion and they have that special quality of quiet elegance as personified by celebrities and royals as their signature accessory. ♥



Bio:  Polly Guerin taught Product Knowledge at the Fashion Institute of Technology and pearls were a favorite topic. Earlier as an accessories editor, she wrote about cultured pearl jewelry for the venerable trade newspaper, Women’s Wear Daily and also for Art & Antiques magazine. Her tenure as a vice president of RWA/NYC ends in 2009, but she will continue to regale you with fashion history. Visit Polly at www.pollytalk.com.

BLOGS & WEBSITES FOR WRITERS

By Maria Ferrer

In the past few weeks, I have found numerous blogs and websites that give really good writing and business advice to writers. Some are by industry professionals, while others are by writers who want to share their experiences and their know-how.

My plan is to put together a Directory of Blogs and Websites for Writers. I have included the first three entries below for your perusal. I will continue to add to this directory in future blog posts. AND, if You know or hear of any other good blogs or websites for writers, please email them to me at ferrerm@aol.com, and I will review them here and add them to the directory.  Thank you for your help. ---mcf



DIRECTORY OF BLOGS & WEBSITES FOR WRITERS

http://www.beyondherbook.com/
Type: blog
Category: reviews, resource
Author: Barbara Vey of Publishers’ Weekly
Networks: Facebook

This is a chatty blog from Barbara Vey, a Senior Contributing Editor at PW. She talks about her visits with writers groups and authors, and conferences and contests. Two regular features on her blog are the “WW Ladies Book Club Blurb” – in which she highlights an upcoming book --, and the “YA Readers Book Blurb” – in which she highlights an upcoming YA book. She also does author interviews.


http://www.bookmarketingmaven.com/
Type: Website
Category: resource
Author: Dana Lynn Smith
Networks: Facebook, Twitter

Dana Lynn Smith has a degree in marketing and 15-years of publishing experience. Her website’s tag line is: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Promoting Your Book. This is a very informative website full of tips for the new and the seasoned writer. She sells several book marketing guides like, TWITTER GUIDE FOR AUTHORS and FACEBOOK GUIDE FOR AUTHORS ($12, pdf versions).

Do friend her on Facebook and Twitter, as she gives great tips and links to other marketing and promotional professionals. Recent posts on her website include, “Book Publicity: Five Tips to Writing a Strong Press Release” and “The Golden Rules of Social Networking.”


http://www.chasingheroes.com/
Type: Blog
Category: resource
Authors: Virna Depaul, Misa Ramirez, Lee Lopez, Tonya Kappes and Susan Hatler
Networks: Twitter

The site’s tag line is: In hot pursuit of Mr. Right. This is a funny, creative and informative site for writers by writers. These enterprising Ladies profile hero and heroines from different books. The site features “hero files” and “hot topics.” Plus, it often features guest authors and bloggers. Writers can become “members” of the site (for free!) to receive their signature Cheat Sheets. There is a sample of one on the website: “Sexy Words to Remember When You’re Writing Your Love Scenes.” These Cheat Sheets are a hoot and very helpful.


Do you know of any blogs or websites that should be included in this directory? Let me know.♥



BIO:     Maria Ferrer has been published in short fiction, but that was years ago. She hopes to add to her writing credits in the New Year. Keep your fingers crossed for her.

A Little Visual Stimulation

By Catherine Greenfeder

Where do you get your ideas?

Right by my computer, I have a cork board with a photo montage of what I'd consider cover art hero material. This reminds me a little of my teen years where I'd post magazine photos of male idols I crushed on, it helps me with visual stimulation for story characters. Whether clipped from ads, Avon brochures, or an autographed postcard, such as the one I recently received from the hunky, dark-eyed Billy Freda, the male cover model for Ellora's Cave -- they inspire. It might come out as a scene or in dialogue.

Visual stimulation in nature helps me too. A walk in the park, a hike in the woods, and a stroll along a beach to collect seashells and listen to the surf can all stimulate the subconscious and aid with writing a scene later on. When I wrote WILDFLOWERS, set along the Oregon Trail in the late 1840's, I had not walked the harsh prairie like those courageous pioneers, but I definitely had hiked enough woodlands and mountain trails to get a visual sense of setting and feelings about that. My experience with the hiking, camping, canoeing, and horseback riding definitely gave me more visual stimulation to picture the setting and the scenes that I created for my characters. In addition I toured the Canadian Rockies and danced among Native Americans in a tribal celebration.

When I see images, be it photos I've clipped like my "pin-ups", postcards, or film, it gets engraved on my memory, and then I can use it to create a character, a conflict, or a scene.

The idea for my paranormal ANGELS AMONG US came while visiting the Neapolitan Christmas Tree at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. I focused on one particular angel ornament. It asked me, "When will you write my story?" Somehow the seed got planted. That angel became Eviance in my book, protector and guardian angel of my heroine, Kay Lassiter. In addition, I've made stained glass as a hobby and used this to create the heroine's character who was a gifted artist with psychic ability which she uses to solve the mystery of her parents' death.

Currently I am working on a paranormal set at a Victorian inn in New Jersey. I visited an inn similar to the one of my setting, took photographs of the surrounding homes, beach, and parks. I also visited the historical society's museum and purchased books of vintage photographs. I put the pictures into an album along with my outlines and notes for the novel. So, when I get stuck, I can take a look at a photo and envision the scene enfolding then start to write it.

As a child living in Greenwich Village, New York, I had been surrounded by artists. Frequently sick with bronchial asthma, I found relief in drawing, coloring, and playing with paper dolls. So, it's small wonder that I'm still fascinated by coloring books and paper dolls. Both are good visual stimulators for writing. Coloring books and paper doll books from Dover Publishing are absolutely wonderful for providing ideas for fashion, architecture, and setting. Among my collection are THE VICTORIAN HOUSE COLORING BOOK, illustrated by Daniel Lewis, Written and Researched by Kristin Helberg; ANTIQUE PAPER DOLLS, THE EDWARDIAN ERA, produced by Imagerie Pellerin at Epinal; and Tom Tierney’s GIBSON GIRL PAPER DOLLS in full color.

Also as a child in the Village, I wrote and illustrated my "first book", a picture book, called GOLD DUST, about a girl who loved horses and wanted one to come live with her. My inspiration, I believe came from the rodeo which visited Madison Square Garden and my favorite book and movie, NATIONAL VELVET. That first book, like my Barbie dolls, ended up in a box which got lost during my family's move to Staten Island.

So, visual stimulation has been and is one of my primary sources of inspiration. When I get stuck, I can pull out the "pin-up" guys, glance at some old photographs or postcards, take a walk in the park or along the beach, or watch a movie. Then after a little inspiration I have to get back to the writing! ♥



BIO:    Catherine Greenfeder is a published author of two e-books, WILDFLOWERS and ANGELS AMONG US and has completed work on three other books which she's hoping to publish soon. She holds a B.A. in English from St. John's University, and an M.A. in teaching from Montclair State University. She is an eighth grade literature and writing teacher in Cranford, New Jersey. She’s married to her high school sweetheart, and is the mother of a college-age son. Catherine enjoys writing, travel, and visual stimulation.

The Late Great Me

By Mari Miller-Lamb

I wrote my first short story when I was six. My teacher gave me an A and hung it on the bulletin board in front of the class. She told my beaming parents what a talented young lady I was. When I was eleven my poem about a homeless man in Grand Central won first prize in the local newspaper. My fifth grade teacher remarked that I had a lot of talent and she expected to see many more things published. In high school English classes, I shone. Breezily I read Shakespeare understood it all and wrote my papers without even half thinking about them. I got straight A's. Well, of course I would. I was a genius and everyone told me so. And if everyone was telling me the same thing, it was obviously true. How could it not be? I never questioned that I was meant for greatness. I planned my acceptance speech for the Nobel Prize in Literature, absolutely certain that I was going to win it before age thirty.

The bubble of my greatness burst a little (but only a little) when of my English professors made the remark of "Didn't they teach you to write in high school?" and handed back one of my compositions with a "C" and told me to go back and proof read my work. But she had it in for me or was jealous of my huge writing talent or something. And it didn't matter anyway because I still managed to pull and A in that class. The woman just didn't know what she was talking about. Then one of my guy friends was slightly critical of a piece I wrote for the school newspaper. The fool!!! Did he really think I would be his girlfriend after that remark?! Disgusted with his lack of insight and his utter failure to appreciate true talent, I scorned his friendship and sought out the approving comments of the people in my life that would affirm my greatness, my beautiful prose, the poetry of my writing.....and stroke my enormous ego.

I can't tell you how many years I wasted seeking affirmation and reassurance. And how I got from being certain of my writing genius to humbly acknowledging that I still have much to learn is a story for another day. The first time I got a real critical look at one of my short stories from someone whose opinion actually mattered......well let's just say I cried. We writers are all egomaniacs. Deep down inside we are certain there is no one who call tell a better story that us. Otherwise, how could we go on? We have to believe in ourselves. And we should have people in our lives who affirm our desperate need to believe in and acknowledge our own talent. We need our Mommies, our Hubbies, our BFF's to blithely say "Don't worry dear. You're a wonderful writer!" and then pin our latest endeavor with a big letter "A" circled on the front page to the refrigerator door.

Yeah, but here's the thing: You need the critical kind of friend too. And even worse, if all you've had your whole life is affirmation and reassurance of your greatness, you will never ever grow as a writer. Trust me on this one. I've been there. I remember reading a story about two actors who had been in a play. One actor was fretting about the forthcoming reviews. The other actor turned to him and said: "My dear boy, it's not the bad reviews you should be scared of."

If you think about it, he's right.♥



BIO:   Mari Miller-Lamb is an unpublished writer, shopping around her first historical romance to publishers with no expectations of marketing on their part at all.

Bits & Pieces: Hope Tarr

The best part of doing Bits & Pieces is that I always learn something new and interesting about whomever I profile. Did I expect anything different with Hope Tarr--author extraordinaire--who actually said to me that I inspired her by finishing NaNo? Jokes? My first RWA meeting this past January, Hope was the speaker and she told us how her days went as a writer and even though she poked fun at herself, I want to underscore that there are the twelve days of Christmas and the twelfth novel of Hope Tarr--coincidence? I think not! It was the coolest thing ever to sit opposite Hope on a dreary, rainy day in Starbuck's and have her lighten up the mood of our own conversation--and that of the table next to us (well we are writers and we need fodder!)--about writing and the most important thing of all...romance and how it consumes everything and everyone. Lots of side conversation that does not make it into this post, but here is what does: "TWELVE NIGHTS, my latest Harlequin Blaze release, is my twelfth book, a fun little factoid. I wouldn't say I'm a superstitious person but I do watch the signs. And I believe in astrology just enough. If at all possible, I will not sign a contract during Mercury retrograde. And I read my horoscopes online every day. In one of my books, STROKES OF MIDNIGHT, the heroine who just 'happens' to be a romance novelist, is a big astrology buff. And wouldn't you know it, she's also really into shoes. That's one of the many great things about the writing life--just about everything you do (or don't do) counts as research. Here I was always thinking "I am procrastinating and I should be writing and not spending 45 minutes trolling online astrology sites," and my astrology addiction ends up in a book! My process, if you can even call it that, is that I kind of write in clumps. No matter how early I start a book I end up coming down to the crunch the last two weeks. I do a detailed synopsis but it always changes, which I've come to think of as okay. I like the beginning of the writing process when the story is really just this little seedling. It's like the beginning of a relationship when everything is possible. I also like the ending, when everything is complete, cohesive (I hope!), also like a relationship when you think about it. There were the inevitable obstacles and things that went wrong, or at least off, and still, you stuck with it, worked them out, and can say, 'I think I am really proud of this project'. As to the middle, well, that just sucks. ;) I've run three marathons so far: the Marine Corp twice, lastly in 2007, and the Richmond, VA one once. I joined the New York Runners Club as soon as I moved to NYC, almost two years ago. I've done shorter runs but so far no marathons. I'd love to do the New York City Marathon. Maybe next year? I'm taking aikido again after more than twenty years. I love it so much. I still have my gui from 1989. Christmas in New York City is pretty magical but winter is not my favorite season. I don't like to be indoors. I like to be dong things outside but on my own terms. I can be outside happily running or hiking all day but once nighttime comes, I want to be in a nice hotel or inn, shower and put on pretty clothes, and end the day with a lovely dinner with yes, lovely wine. It's weird seeing my name everywhere ((she paused to finger my Starbuck's cup with 'Hope' printed on it for the holidays)). I had an elementary school teacher whose favorite word was 'hopefully'. When addressing the class, it seemed like she would start every other sentence with 'hope...fully'. Hope-fully this, hope-fully that, I was always dancing in my seat, my arm shooting up in the air, thinking she must be calling on me. It was a little intense for fourth grade. I like movies, anything from chick flicks and other romantic comedies to foreign films, though I don't go nearly enough. The last movie I saw was COCO BEFORE CHANEL, which I thought was fabulous. I'm really fascinated by strong women who are before their time, living in society and yet on the cusp of it. . . Is Virginia is for lovers? Not so much for me... ;) I am originally from Maryland, then moved to Washington, DC to go to graduate school (Catholic University), then graduated and bought a house in VA, first a townhouse in Arlington, a suburb of DC, and then a big Victorian Revival/Arts & Crafts house in the historic district in Fredericksburg, a small town between DC and Richmond. Suburbs are probably my least favorite living environment, but then I've always managed to get the most out of anywhere I've ever lived. I thought I wanted to a psychologist because I am really interested in people. You have no idea how I am eavesdropping on the next table. ((I was, too!)) I started a Tudor romance novel that I wrote when I was twelve, and I still have a copy of it. I wrote it with a typewriter and most of the pages are on erasable bond onion skin paper. It's amazing how that stuff holds up. I was always into history especially the British Isles. Victoria Holt/Phillippa Carr/Jean Plaidy, Anya Seton, Nora Lofts--those writers and other like them were my rock stars. I love the romance genre for many reasons, including its inherent honesty. People, particularly men are always pointing to how overblown the fantasy element is in romance fiction but I disagree. Really, is it so Out There to believe you could meet a wonderful, available, good-looking man who is honorable and treats you decently? Ours is a genre devoted to relationships and really, beyond anything, isn't that what our human lives are about? In the conversations we hear and overhear, by and large people are not talking about pursuing degrees or career advancement but their key relationships--whether they are happy in them or not happy in them, whether their needs are being met or not. A few years ago when Romance Writers of America last had their national conference in San Francisco, I attended a PAN talk given by life coach, Gail Blanke, a New Yorker. She was promoting her book, BETWEEN TRAPEZES: FLYING INTO A NEW LIFE WITH THE GREATEST OF EASE. One point she made particularly stands out. She was recalling an episode where she was called in to counsel former refugees, people who had been through horrible, horrible events--seeing family and friends shot down in front of them, prison camps etc., and her silent thought ran something like, 'Gosh, what can someone like me, someone whose life has been comparatively so privileged and well, easy, have to offer people who have been through so much?' But it turned out that as she got into the interview process, what these folks mainly wanted to talk about was their relationships e.g., Suzie Liu met and fell in love with John Fu at Camp X, then some event or person separated them, anything from something horrible to the appearance of a cute girl acting as camp cook, and now she's not sure if he's still going to want to see her. People wonder why someone who has lost everything still cares, and care tremendously, about how Joe or Jane Smith feels about them. But then relationships, dare I say love, is the meat of everything. Speaking of love, I am totally head-over-heels besotted with this city. After not quite two years here, I really feel like a native New Yorker, but every now and again there is something that will remind me I am a transplant. For example, I will never understand why it is that when New Yorkers see a flight of Subway entrance stairs, invariably somebody will suddenly pull out their cell phone right there--and I do mean right there as in smack in the center of the top step--and start phoning it home, 'it' being a whole bunch of smack. I mean, I get that you won't have a signal down under but really, can't you step to the side, go into the Starbucks or something and take care of your business without blocking all the rest of us? But noooooo, whether it is their baby daddy who apparently needs some what-for or a twenty-year family feud, that drama is going down there and then! It's annoying and hilarious at the same time and well, it sort of segues back to my point about relationships, doesn't it?" Hope Tarr has been a RWA/NYC chapter member for longer than two years--she joined before actually moving to New York and is very glad she did. For excerpts of TWELFTH NIGHT or her other books, historical and contemporary, visit her web site and blog at www.hopetarr.com.

RWA/NYC Annual Holiday Brunch

By Chapter President Karen Cino



Our Annual Holiday Party was this past Saturday, December 5th at Kennedy’s. Once again, it was a wonderful way to spend quality time with members of our Chapter. The atmosphere was warm, and we were blessed with snowflakes on our trip home.

The staff was warm and accommodating, and the presence of Jack brought us all into the holiday spirit. Jack reminded us of the true meaning of the holidays, sharing it with family and friends.

This has been a wonderful year -- full of new and exciting programs. Our Author of the Month and hands-on workshops have been a success. Next year, I’m hoping to broaden and expand those programs. My goal for the Chapter this coming year is to get more members involved.

From my family to yours, I wish everyone a happy and healthy holiday season, full of love, happiness and success!

THE MYSTIQUE OF THE HERMES SCARF ©

By Polly Guerin, the Fashion Historian



Hermes wasn’t always a kingpin of scarf makers. This global purveyor of luxury good’s first customer was the horse. When the company was founded in 1837 by Tierry Hermes it was a saddle and harness workshop in the Paris neighborhood known as the Grand Boulevards, in close proximity to the wealthy clientele whose majestic carriage teams frequented the Champs-Elysees. Soon he provided aristocratic stables all over the world with saddles and harnesses. However, as the 20th Century got underway and with the advent of the automobile, Emile-Maurice, who succeeded his father, perceived that the demand for saddlery was bound to diminish, and wisely steered the firm into “saddle stitched” leather goods and trunks for the growing number of customers traveling by car, train, ship and eventually airplanes.

THE BIRTH OF THE HERMES SCARF

The silk used for jockey’s jackets gave rise to the first scarf, “Jeu des Omnibus et Dames blanches,” which debuted in 1937. The design was inspired by a parlor game similar to the “Game of Goose” from the 19th century, with the “Dames blanches” in the center of the scarf surrounded by two circles of the first horse-drawn buses. Today this silk twill scarf is a mainstay of the product line. Originals of the Omnibus scarf fetch high stakes at the auction block, however, the first Omnibus is housed in the Hermes museum at their flagship store in Paris, 24 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore. This petit museum is only open to Hermes’ design staff and by special permission. Passionately interested in everything equine, Emile-Maurice attend sales at the Paris auction house Drouot and eventually acquired a collection of exceptional pieces that serve as inspiration for Hermes’ craftsmen and designers: antique saddles, rare paintings (such as an equestrian portrait of Louis XIV, one of seven replicas ordered by the king for his foreign ambassadors), 16th- to 18th century equestrian books, toys and objets d’art. Menehould de Bazelaire, the curator of the Hermes private collection says, “It is still being added to with exceptional finds brought in by members of the Hermes family.” On a rare occasion and with special permission, which I acquired, several years ago I took a group of fashion students from the Fashion Institute of Technology to visit Hermes and we had a brief visit to the famed museum.

DESIGNING THE HERMES SCARF

Every year, approximately 20 new designs are added to the silk twill scarf collection, and earlier models are frequently reinterpreted in fresh styles and colors. Ever wonder why a Hermes scarf is so expensive. Well, just consider this--each scarf is crafted using a multi-step process that can require up to 800 hours of engraving and thousands of colors in a single scarf. Since 1987 Hermes concerived an annual theme for each calendar year. The highly collectible silk scarves include “Year of the River” (2005), a river theme of blues and greens; “Paris in the Air” (2006), a celebration of Paris that included a historical map; and “Shall We Dance…?” (2007). In creating new scarf designs Hermes often partners with independent artists. At an art fair in Waco, Texas Jean-Louis Dumas-Hermes, who took over the reins of management in 1978, discovered Texas painter Kermit Oliver and commissioned him to create printed scarf designs, including “Les Mythologies des Hommes Rouges,” which reflects the spirit of the American Indians, their culture and the horse. Special-edition scarves have commemorated many events in American life. In 1986, the centennial of the Statue of liberty was marked by the production of a “Liberty” scarf. “Envol,” issued in 1995, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the United Nations. Le Salon Dore was issued in 1996 for the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. Responding to popular demand, in 2007 Le Salon Dore was reissued, with proceeds benefiting the rebuilding of the New Orleans’ historic City Park carousel, which had been demanded by Hurricane Katrina, which was yet another Hermes nod to its equine roots.

HOW TO WEAR A HERMES SCARF



There’s something “je n’est ce pas” special about how Parisian women seem to instinctively know how to wear a scarf, and there is no doubt that a quality silk scarf is easily recognizable on the wearer. Replicas of the famed Hermes and other couture makers have been made to mimic their celebrity, but their quality is never up to the standards of a luxury brand. When you invest in a quality silk scarf it can become a collectible, so much so, that some people even put an especially beautiful design in a large glass protected frame and exhibit it on their wall. Far from being limited to wear a scarf on your head, one can also belt it around the waist, tie it onto a quality handbag, buy two and make a blouse or a skirt, buy one and tie it around your neck halter style. If your imagination fails, books are available that give directions how to extend your scarf into a fashion item.

A BIT OF SCARF TRIVIA

The evolvement of the silk scarf into a fashion item also had its incarnation when the dancer Isadora Duncan captivated audiences with her long white silk scarves floating on the air of breathtaking movement. However, when she wore one of these long scarves around her neck whilst driving her convertible, long flowing scarf flew in the wind and caught in one of the wheels of her car and “yes” it strangled her. Let not forget those “Rosie the Riveter,” women who during World War II worked in the munitions factories to aid the war effort. They made practical application of the scarf and wrapped it around their heads to protect their hair, and prevent their hair getting caught in machines. Movie stars, models, women of rank also did their bit to promote the scarf. Who can forget Jackie ‘O’s iconic look wearing a quality silk scarf or when Sophie Loren covered her locks with a scarf, Grace Kelly called it her own and Brigitte Bardot knotted a small scarf under her chin it became the rage. If you like to wear silk scarves may you find the perfect quality silk to build a collectible collection.

Bio: Polly Guerin indulged and purchased a Hermes silk scarf in Paris and still wears it decades later. As a fashion historian and former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology she taught “Product Knowledge,” and accessories were a major topic. Early on she was an accessories editor at Women’s Wear Daily. Polly is stepping down as a vice president of RWA/NYC at the end of 2009, but will continue to write fashion history on the RWA/NYC blog.

Location, Location, Location

By Anne Mohr Okay, I’m not trying to sell you a prime piece of real estate. And, before I start, I want to mention, opinions are like, well, you know . . . everyone has one and this is mine. By now we all have a pretty good idea of what a story’s setting can do to affect even the nature of our characters. Geographical location - small town as opposed to a booming city and long dark musty hallways versus sunshine lit rooms - can set the stage for how our characters feel and act, but, what of the location of where we writers choose to create our stories?

Wouldn't it be great if we could all have what Stephen King has, a spacious private office where we can escape and create our great novels? For many, this isn’t possible. The crystal ball, however, can be easy enough to acquire. (Yes, that is a crystal ball on the desk, right next to the Jack in the box.) If you are into that sort of thing, depending on one’s frame of mind, it can help suck in that good energy out there in the universe and channel it into your psyche. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had a private office at two of my previous homes, but I have to admit the space did little to help further my writing career. When the muse visits and I am compelled to get an idea down on paper before it pops out of my head, it doesn’t matter where I am. This would be a good time to divulge that using any implement (including eye liner when I didn’t have a pen handy) and any kind of paper, such as bar napkins, has resulted in years' worth of notes stuffed into a folder marked "miscellaneous story notes". A recent look through this treasure trove of ideas taught me that what might have been a brilliant thought at the time amounted to scribbled lines that didn’t add up to much of anything. Questions like, “Now what did I mean by this?” and “Well, this sounds good but I have no idea where I planned for it to go,” abounded. Also, I had a heck of a time reading my own handwriting.

Now, when it comes to working on the manuscript, what matters most? A fantastic office is insignificant if your head isn’t in the right place. It really isn’t about the space where you sit and write. It’s mostly about the space between your ears. When you’ve decided that nothing will get in the way of your process then you will have reached the place where you can write without challenge. ♥ Bio: Anne Mohr has been a member of RWA/NYC since 1993. Having lived in Fort Lee, New Jersey most of her life, she recently relocated to California, just because. Currently she is a real estate agent in both California and New Jersey. Many of her colleagues ask her to help write property descriptions and all of her clients love her emails. She writes as Jacqueline Stewart, Helen St. James and Max St. James and is published in short fiction (magazines.) She continues her work on “the book.”