THE HANKIE, A FASHIONABLE COQUETTE ©

By Polly Guerin, RWA Fashion Historian

Fragile and delicate, imbued with feminine coquetry, the handkerchief, a mere square of linen, commanded a major role in designating royal favor or marking the bonds of love and even marriage. Early in the sixteenth century we begin to recognize handkerchiefs under that name, but they were confined to the nobility and upper classes. Who else could afford the extremely rich silks trimmed with luxurious Venice gold lace which Henry VII carried to demonstrate his noblesse oblige? An early fashion trendsetter, the King elevated the handkerchief to royal status and it has remained a fashion accessory ever since.

SQUAREING OFF ON SHAPE

It is rumored in fashion history that Marie Antoinette (1755-1793) had to trouble her pretty head about handkerchiefs, which were offered in so many shapes that she had to put a stop to it. Her husband, King Louis XVI (1754-1793), made it a law and all handkerchiefs remained square. A fine lady or gentleman gave to their favorites, as a token of their love, little three to four inch square handkerchiefs. By the seventeenth century, lace covered the fashion silhouette at the throat and wrists, and even the tops of boots. Handkerchiefs did not escape this extravagance and were edged with deep flounces of lace and were extremely costly.

DROPPING A HINT
As a communicator of love’s intrigue the handkerchief of finely crafted linen and lace was given, accepted, worn or even purposefully dropped to catch a lover’s attention. Many a lover could communicate their intention by the mere drop in the right place. However, there is the case of poor Anne Boleyn and her indiscriminate dropping of a handkerchief at the feet of a favorite courtier after a joust, and you know what happened, her demise was foretold. Then there’s negative side of handkerchief lore. In Shakespeare’s Othello, Iago manipulates a handkerchief to ignite Othello’s jealous rage. On the Orient Express a handkerchief with an embroidered initial, left at the scene of a crime, plays an important part in the investigation of a murder.

HANKY PANKY MEN’S FASHION
Men got into the handkerchief craze with noticeable flourish. The almost universal use of snuff in the eighteenth century offered many opportunities for the display of a fine handkerchief and their demonstrated use was a sign of good breeding. The First World War saw a curious revival of the handkerchief as a decorative accessory for men. As the breast pocket on men’s suits were now made on the outside it became fashionable to show a protruding handkerchief, which was sometimes colored to match the tie. In the nineteenth century the handkerchief spread to all classes.

HANDKERCHIEF CURIOSITIES
Children’s hankies were embroidered with the days of the week and during the 1920s and 1930s, several handkerchief books were produced depicting artist, Gladys Peto’s artwork. These charming publications contained six square children’s handkerchiefs made from Irish Linen, and covered subjects such as school time, nursery rhymes and Alice in Wonderland. Women found ingenious ways to use the handkerchief creatively and sewed several handkerchiefs together to make a fancy apron. The handkerchief hem on a skirt takes its cue from the handkerchief as does ordering a handkerchief table, a corner table in a restaurant where lovers can have some privacy.

DEMISE OF THE HANDKERCHIEF
Though people no longer dangle a handkerchief to catch a lover’s eye, women of good taste do carry a handkerchief in their purse or tuck it like a flower in the breast pocket of their suit. However, for most people today the Golden Years of the handkerchief have vanished giving way to the economy and hygiene of disposable soft paper handkerchiefs to use not only for colds but also for drying wet eyes during a soppy movie. But I’m old-fashioned and still carry a handkerchief as my feminine right to having something beautiful in my purse and on occasion to flourish before an admiring public.♥



Polly Guerin honed her skills as a fashion writer at Women’s Wear Daily where her accessories columns dominated the Friday pages. She is a former professor at the Fashion Institute of Technology. Currently her historical “The Tale of Two Sisters,” will be featured in Vintage magazine’s fall/winter issue. Visit her at http://www.pollytalk.com/.

HOW TO AVOID WRITING

By Rosalie Brinn

Right off the bat, I want you to know a few things. This is big time stuff. It’s true that I played a few rounds of Spider Solitaire before I started, but that was just to warm up the computer. Older son was on the computer when I wanted to start. But that’s for amateurs. I just spell checked because I wasn’t sure how to spell ‘amateurs’ but that’s small potatoes. This is the Triple Crown of how to avoid writing. So here goes.

This piece is not due until the middle of July. I kid you not. I am writing this blog on how to avoid writing over one month before the usual mad dash to use the computer with everyone sensing that there is an important deadline for me to meet and so dreaming up anything to avoid meeting my deadline: A major fight between the other two contenders for the computer, involving the neighbors calling the police, a local blackout, a eastern seaboard blackout, or a total crash of the computer with no other computer available. The library closed, all friends on vacation or better yet, tired of my constant begging to use their laptops, and finally saying no, are also popular choices for avoiding writing.

How can I write this with a straight face, totally sincere and without blowing my credibility? Read on and learn.

The first thing that should have tipped you off is that this piece is due in about six weeks. What does that say to you? Well, if you have been following my blog posts you should be aware that I am writing a romance novel called, A KNIGHT TO REMEMBER. I reported Lady Alyse was surrounded by wolves circling the tree she climbed to avoid becoming wolf Purina. You might also know that two warriors, one a noble lord, the other his faithful companion approached. Obviously Lady Alyse has to come down from that tree so that she and one of the two men can fall in love.

Well I did get Lady Alyse down and she made the acquaintance of these two men. But there has to be more. And there is. The only problem is she has to come out of her pretend coma so the plot can continue to twist its merry way to a happy ending. Can anyone see where this is going? If so, when the book is completed and published, an autographed copy will be yours postage paid on request. Honor system for this contest, please.

I know exactly what is going to happen. It is all written, but alas, for bad fortune’s sake, it is still in my head and not in the computer. If I would finish it, I could enter it in a contest or attend the RWA convention and pitch it to an editor, sell it, and see it for sale in bookstores everywhere. But I haven’t written it, although I will.

Then there is my new romance novel, SWEPT AWAY. I know the names of all my main characters and their characteristics. I know all about the setting of the book, where my characters live, what they wear, their hopes and dreams. I know how the hero and heroine will find true love. But I am the only one who knows --my husband doesn’t count! --, as I have written a total of two sentences. Since I am not Julia Quinn, I will need more, much much more to make a sale.

Then there is my children’s story, in rhyme, PET PEEVES, which became mangled when I tried to convert it into an attachment. I really need someone to fix the computer because I promised to email the story so that it can be critiqued into perfection, and then sent off to a publishing house.

I also recently wrote a poem, which I did not entrust to the safety of my computer. It is hand-written on the back of an envelope, which I am using as a bookmark. Something should be done about it immediately. The last word should be a major clue, if not a give away.

Anyway, here it is: Out of all the writing projects that are troubling me and making it almost impossible for me to enjoy watching “Young Victoria” and do my needlepoint (neglecting the new knitting project that I purchased the other day -- knitted two rows, one in the knitting store -- and then abandoned it for a while), I picked the one project whose deadline is the furthest away. So I both did some writing, which is almost finished, while still not writing.♥

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.

Q&A WITH AGENT LOUISE FURY

Maria Ferrer caught up with Agent Louise Fury of the L.Perkins Literary Agency after the latter's return from RomCon.  Here's the scoop!

Q:   What was the atmosphere like at RomCon -- beneath the excitement of being in Denver and being in a crowd of writers and industry professionals?

The first day everyone was adjusting to the altitude (it is a mile up in the mountains) so we were all a little worse for wear, but even that could not stop us from gathering together to talk about books and authors. Every once in a while you would hear squeals from readers who had just met Julia Quinn or Courtney Milan. I met readers in elevators and hallways and their energy was so palpable that even those of us feeling under the weather could not help but perk up at the sight of their enjoyment.


Q:   What are editors looking for? And are more of them requiring agents than ever before?

Editors are still looking for well written stories. That never changes. I will say that the requests for Young Adult and Middle Grade manuscripts are astounding – there is a definite opening in the market. With regards to romance, editors seem to also be on the lookout for debut authors with fresh ideas, unique voices and great hooks. Steampunk is still in the game, as are vampires.


Q:    Did you speak at RomCon? If so, what was the gist of your speech? What types of books are YOU looking for? Do you foresee any new trends taking off? For examples, more medievals, more romantic suspense, less vampyres.

I did not speak at RomCon, believe it or not. I was there as a reader first and an agent second. I wanted to meet the readers and see what they were looking for, to listen to the booksellers and bloggers and to connect with editors in a fun environment. I was the only agent there, so I felt kind of special. I am looking for fun, imaginative and engaging Middle Grade. Think humor, adventure and mystery. As for YA and adult romance, I love historicals and am searching for unique paranormal and all forms of steampunk. I accept submissions at lfury@lperkinsagency.com


Q:    I heard that book reviews were a hot topic at RomCon? Did you hear the same? What do you think of book reviews in magazines and blogs /websites? Are they effective? Do readers really buy based on book reviews?

I love people who review books, because it means that they are reading and I love readers. I especially love readers who are also encouraging others to read. There were quite a few bloggers and reviewers at RomCon and while some people insist that readers don’t buy books from blogs or review sites, after being at RomCon I will beg to differ. Many of the readers I met were just as excited to meet the book bloggers as they were to meet the authors, and many I chatted with have spent a great deal of money buying books reviewed by their favorite sites. I admit that I have bought many books based on reviews, tweets and Facebook updates. I have a background in marketing and as a consumer I believe that negative or positive, sometimes a book review stays with you and you just have to buy the book to see if you agree one way or the other. I believe that any exposure, especially on the web, is a free though effective tool for authors. Book bloggers, reviewers are also readers and are a very important asset to the publishing industry.


Q:    Was there talk about e-books and kindles and nooks? Any new E-pubs launching lines?

I did not see a lot of talk about e-publishing, but that might just mean that I wasn’t paying attention to that part of the conference. I was too busy chasing down Julia Quinn and chatting to readers about books. Oh, and then there were fortune tellers and a buzzing craft market.


Q:   Any advice for new writers?

Don’t give up. Read, write, edit and submit. If given the opportunity, revise and resubmit. Be open to learning how to develop and refine your craft, but most importantly don’t forget that even the bestselling authors were once unpublished writers looking for their big break. I am in awe of anyone who completes a manuscript. It is a difficult job to do and if you have managed to string up to 100,000 words on a page and they make some semblance of sense, I am already impressed.

Any advice for established writers?

Don’t get involved in online bickering. Promote yourself and help promote others whose books you love – it will all come back to you.



Q:   What is new at the Lori Perkins Literary Agency?

There are four agents currently accepting manuscript submissions: Sandy Lu, Saritza Hernandez, Marisa Corvisiero (also an established lawyer) and myself. We have recently signed on some wonderful Middle Grade and YA authors, I am shopping around some books to be written by Fabio – yes, THE FABIO.  Sandy is on fire, her sales have been amazing, and we now have an e-publishing agent, Saritza, who represents authors who are looking to establish themselves in the digital-first marketplace. She has even made deals with an e-publisher based in South Africa! Lori Perkins is no longer accepting submissions, but was delighted to have been awarded RWANYC Golden Apple Award for the 2010 Agent of the year. Most of all, each one of us is grateful to be given the opportunity to work with authors. I seriously feel blessed! There is no better job in the world than helping people to achieve their dreams.



Louise Fury is a Literary Agent at the L. Perkins Literary Agency. You can find out more about her on her blog at LouiseFury.blogspot.com and follow her on Twitter @LouiseFury.


Enjoy these pictures from RomCon:

HQN Panel

Louise as Pin Up Model

Princes Charming

TURN UP THE HEAT

by Anne Mohr

Maybe it’s because now that I live in Southern California and it really is sunny most of the time, I’ve been thinking about the sun a lot lately and I wondered. What if a nuclear weapon was fired at it?  What would happen to the sun? I theorize that being the hot ball of fire that nothing would happen to it. I think the weapon would disintegrate and basically fizzle out before it got anywhere near the surface. Now I’m not a scientist and I don’t know any that I can ask, but I think my theory is reasonable and here’s how I’d like to apply it to writing.

Imagine having the kind of power within to ward off any bad thing that comes your way, or conversely, the ability to disperse warmth and light that allows life to flourish in your own galaxy. Whether we know it or not, this strength is within our capacity. And, as writers, we should draw on it to help create our stories and get them published.

While we can work out every detail and try to plan for every eventuality, the truth is that there are no guarantees. You can write the best story making certain that it is as close to perfect as a story can be, submit it to the editor that is absolutely looking for the type of story you wrote, maybe even asked you to send it to her, and still get a rejection.

Regarding rejection, if we can blow away the aspect of rejection that can sometimes be felling, we can then focus on only the part(s), if there is/are any, that we can learn from. This leaves us free to do what Albert Einstein defined as insanity, “doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.” Of course when writers submit again and again, it’s not insanity. Well maybe it’s a little insane. However, we call it perseverance. As an unknown author put it, “when the world says, give up, hope whispers, try it one more time.”

Just like when writing, we have command of the worlds we create in our stories, we absolutely have the ability to control how we react to what is going on around us. Be it passion, money, fame, all of these things or just some, whatever motivates us to write, we have to be dogged in the pursuit of perfecting not only our work but our reactions to how that work is received. By making ourselves impervious to the things that may hinder our ability to write, we can focus on what is in each of us that compels us to continue writing. It is not arrogance when we take control and decide that nothing bad will stop us. It is a conscious effort to keep moving forward regardless.♥

Anne Mohr has been a member of RWA/NYC since 1993. She lives in Southern California, and is a real estate agent in both California and New Jersey. She writes as Jacqueline Stewart, Helen St. James and Max St. James, and is published in short fiction (magazines.) At the forefront of several writing projects, she is currently writing a screenplay.

DREADED AUTHOR QUESTION: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS?

By Isabo Kelly

This isn’t a dreaded question because authors don’t like to answer it, it’s dreaded because it’s so hard to answer. Where do we get our ideas? The easy answer is: everywhere. And that’s true as far as it goes. But it doesn’t really explain things for readers and non-writers. They’ll continue to ask more questions if you give them this answer, forcing to try and explain the inexplicable, chemical, even magical formation of a new story idea.

How do we come up with those plot twists, compelling characters, enchanting settings, dynamic climaxes? Where do we start? That’s probably the hardest of all the questions to answer—where do we start?

Because every author starts differently. No two authors come up with story ideas in the exact same way. An individual author may not even come up with their ideas in the same way each time.

You could call the process inspiration, but that’s often too ephemeral an explanation. And it still doesn’t quite cover the truth of the matter. Of course there’s some inspiration involved. But where does that inspiration come from?

You can see why this question is dreaded. The more you try to explain, the more confusing the process can sound.

I was considering this question a few

years ago when my mom, also an artist, set me a challenge. We were both experiencing a bit of an artist funk at the same time. So we decided to take a week and come up with three new ideas each.

The challenge forced me to create possible, viable fiction ideas in a set timeline. I couldn’t just wait around to be inspired. I had to have something to report back. So I started mulling over possibilities. And I was forced to really analyze “where I get my ideas.”

I discovered that I have to start with characters. I’d never realized that before. I need at least one character and some sense of their personality. With personality comes a vague idea of their situation in life. Are they rich, poor, artist, sorcerer, pilot, queen, thief? Then the setting of their life starts to come into

focus—in my case, these settings usually fall into my favorite genres: science fiction, fantasy or paranormal worlds. I might also hear a bit of opening dialogue, some teasing lines that bring up all kinds of possibilities for the direction of the story. If the initial character gives me dialogue at this early stage, I usually uncover a second character as well.

From this start, I then consider what will cause a complete upheaval in the characters’ lives. This is what fiction is about after all. Without change and challenge, there is no story. The upheaval gives me my conflict, or at least some of my conflict. If the first few lines of dialogue came to me, then my conflict might already have presented itself. If not, I consider what might cause the most problems for the type of character I’m considering.

And from there, my story grows. Easy right?

Okay, we all know it’s never an easy process. But it is a process that can be explained. There might be a different pattern to each new novel, but once you start to analyze how you create a new idea, you’ll discover certain things remain consistent. My need to start with a character is a case in point. Figuring out “where I get my ideas” made it possible to brainstorm ideas at the spur of the moment, which in turn gives me more options in my publishing career, allowing me to take advantage of opportunities when presented.

There’s still a bit of alchemy involved, ideas whose origin an author can’t explain. But if you can provide some explanation of the process to a curious questioner, you’re less likely to get further queries you can’t answer!

So when you’re faced with this earnest request from the eager-to-know, tell them to have a seat, make sure to have a good cup of coffee or glass of wine on hand, and prepare for a tale. Because creating fiction is as individual as each new novel. And if they want to hear the real answer, it’s going to take some time to explain.♥


In this monthly series, Isabo talks about the often uncomfortable questions every author gets asked, and how to handle those dreaded inquiries. If you have gotten any of these “dreaded” questions, please share them with us here. If you have an answer, all the better.

Isabo Kelly (aka Katrina Tipton) is the author of multiple science fiction, fantasy and paranormal romances. Her Prism Award Winning novel, SIREN SINGING, has just been released in paperback from Ellora’s Cave (http://www.ellorascave.com/). For more on Isabo’s books, visit her at http://www.isabokelly.com/

BITS & PIECES: LOLA AUGUSTINE BROWN

I "met" Lola Augustine Brown on Twitter. Her tweets are always lively, honest and full of life. Per her Twitter bio, Lola is a freelance writer, single momma, traveler, whisky lover, social media something or another. We spoke via Skype while her daughter Perdida was asleep. The energy that she had online was infectious and completely full of the sentiment that I felt behind her tweets. It made me laugh that she used a voice apparatus to help her since she is not a fast typist--I myself still have to look at the keyboard in spells--but we managed to have a lively exchange as you’ll read below. Lola is the real deal, a writer with a work ethic to model after. A recent tweet said she broke her iPhone but she is still able to use it. Lola truly could make lemonade out of lemons and it would be so sweet....

One day, I saw a book at the University bookstore called MAGAZINE WRITING - THE HOBBY THAT PAYS. I bought the book, followed the directions, wrote a story on spec then sent it away to a magazine. The magazine called and offered me £100 for the story and asked if I'd like to take on a column for them. That was my start.

I think part of the reason I'm able to make a living at being a writer is that I am very diverse. I write about pregnancy and children because that is something that I am experiencing every day. I write about sex, because it is a subject I really enjoy discussing, and I think that my editors recognize that it is something I'm able to communicate about in an easy to read way that doesn't alienate readers.

One of my first regular gigs was actually a sex advice column for FHM in the UK, and then I had a Canadian sex advice column for a magazine called Razor (which is long gone). Giving sex advice is certainly something I love to do. My latest column, the one on Sympatico, a Canadian web portal, is titled “The Love Expert". I was approached by an editor I knew when I was working for Click, the magazine of Lavalife.com. I sometimes worry that because I have no formal qualifications I shouldn't be giving anybody advice so I am actually looking into doing a masters degree in human sexualities.

The column on Sympatico is clean and very vanilla, I don’t really touch on sex, but on the radio show I do here in Halifax, I get to be a little more dirty (in a smart and sassy way, using lots of innuendo, because it is a show that gets listened to by parents and kids).

I am an over sharer, and probably a little TMI at times. Revealing so much on Twitter, it is just an extension of how I am in real life. I am an open book if you're my friend, and I wear my broken heart on my sleeve.

I was named after the Kinks song. I named my daughter Perdida after a character in a couple of Barry Gifford books.  He writes with David Lynch, and wrote WILD AT HEART ; Perdida Durango appears in the movie, played by Isabella Rossellini.

I love to travel and feel very lucky indeed to be a travel writer and get paid to have all these incredible experiences. I really enjoyed Nashville, New Orleans, and Vegas obviously. I had a great experience at a spa in Lapland (Northern Finland); Rome was pretty spectacular. I always love going to Montréal because it is one of the sexiest cities I've ever experienced. The men are fantastic looking and their accents kill me.

On a typical day, I am awoken by my child telling me it's a sunny day, whether it is or not. I make a big pot of coffee and try to be a good mom for the hour before I take her to daycare. Once I get back from dropping her off, I'll sit down and procrastinate for at least half an hour drinking a second cup of coffee. I basically just try and slog my way through whatever I have to do. I work until I pick her up at 4pm, then if I’m on deadline I’ll start working again once she goes to bed.

Although single parenting and being a freelancer are incredibly hard, I do pull it off fairly well. As for advice to others in my situation, I think it's just all about finding your own way. Make sure you surround yourself with positive people who are supportive of what you are doing, get rid of any negativity because you really can't deal with that.

Finding balance is tough, especially when I'm on deadline. I pretty much work all the time, and if I'm not working I'm thinking about working. I know that's pretty sad, but I do really love what I'm doing. When I do take time out, I love to just hang out with friends doing silly stuff like going bowling or going to a karaoke bar. At home I'll watch a movie and knit, or do some canning. I'm a domestic Goddess! I am a great cook, not that my three-year-old appreciates it.

Part of the reason I love being a writer is that I don't want to have to work 40 hours a week. Time is more important than money.♥


Follow her on Twitter:    http://twitter.com/lolaaugustine

PULSE OF POWER

By Anne Elizabeth

PULSE OF POWER began in 1981. Originally, it was a project for my high school English class, but I was so intrigued with my new paranormal world that I expanded it – wrote on it – for many years to come.

The question I posed to future readers and myself was – what if all of your dreams came true? What would you do? How would you handle it? Would it change the basic fabric of who you are? And, could and/or would you step up to the challenge that it might hold? I tackled these answers with my character Tia Stanton. In doing so, I created a brand new superhero that was very human in her thoughts and super-human in her strength and abilities.

Here’s a blurb:

A graduate of The Academy, an exclusive school for girls, Tia DeVere Stanton learned early that proper Greenwich young ladies don’t curse. But knowing a curse or two would certainly come in handy, since Tia spends her days as a stock girl at Vivant, the sentient supernatural store in New York City, and moonlights as a monster-hunting vigilante in her hometown. But now Tia’s jobs – and her life – are about to get a lot more complicated. All of a sudden, she has strange new powers. The dangerously seductive stranger who keeps invading her dreams has just walked into her life. And a powerful enemy is about to strike her in the most unexpected and vulnerable of places… Her heart.


The story is based in my hometown of Greenwich, CT and in the New York City area.

I am a longtime fan of comic books and graphic novels. Some of my favorites include ARCHIE, WONDER WOMAN, SUPERMAN, SPIDER-MAN, and THE HULK. As a child, the visual medium was a way to experience the comprehensiveness of story in an easy-to-digest manner. Yes, novels and anthologies are treasured tomes on my shelf, but having begun the reading path with dyslexia comics gave me a new avenue to understand the make-up of a story. It presented the details in a new light. For this fact alone, even as an adult, visual mediums will always have a special place in my heart, and it is another reason that I am so excited for the release of PULSE.

Dynamite Entertainment and Dabel Brothers LLC are the publishers of PULSE OF POWER. This is the first book of an eight-book series. PULSE OF POWER is a full length graphic novel and will release in July/August, and you can find additional information at http://www.pulseofpower.com/ or on amazon.com at http://tinyurl.com/22v6f28. Remember Tia’s mantra: Destiny is a choice. Power up!

For more information on news about the graphic fiction industry and for insights into the authors, artists, and creators, as well as the hottest comics, manga, and graphic novels, catch my monthly column in Romantic Times' BOOKreviews magazine.♥


WHAT IS NEXT ON HER AGENDA? I’m gearing up for the San Diego Comic Con. It’s going to be a wild ride this year! I will be signing at Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Booth – Mighty Barnacle. Sherry is FAN-TAS-TIC!!! So, for those fans in the area, please come visit. There’s a lot to do to prepare for the event: set up displays, put aside books and promos for each day, polish my stiletto boots, find the box marked “sharpie”... The list is E-normous!
            Also, I will be visiting with several of the reps from companies such as VIZ, Marvel, DC Comics, and BOOM! I’ll be gathering the hottest news on new titles, authors, creators, and artists for my column in RT BOOKreviews. See you there! HOOYAH!   Oh...and if you’re not going, please catch me at RWA National and ask me who I chatted with. Last year I saw Nathan Fillion and had marvelous discussions with Adam Baldwin and Seth Green.

Anne Elizabeth is a romance author and the Columnist for RT BOOK Reviews Magazine covering the topic of comics, manga, and graphic novels each month. This former marketing consultant, with a BS in Business and MS in Communications from Boston University, has published multicultural and romantic fiction with Atria/Simon & Schuster and Highland Press. AE grew up in Greenwich, CT, and currently lives in the mountains above San Diego with her husband, a retired Navy SEAL. He was the inspiration for an anthology line that is published several times a year and contributes to the Special Operations Warrior Foundation (SOWF). As the originator of the SOWF short story project, she follows a mission statement of 1) creating awareness for the SOWF; 2) supporting the troops; 3) celebrating the field of romance; and 4) debuting an aspiring author in each collection. Her graphic novel, PULSE OF POWER, releases through Dynamite Entertainment in August 2010. In her free time, AE is also a serious Amelia Earhart who is always on the hunt for a new adventure. Most recently, she jumped from an airplane and flew a glider. Her motto is “Live boldly.” For more details check out http://www.anneelizabeth.net/ and http://www.pulseofpower.com/.

THE ONE WITH THE MOST BUSINESS CARDS WINS

By Maria Ferrer

Summer conferences have begun – RomCon last week, RWA National around the corner and more yet to come. One of the most important things to pack for a conference is your business cards.

Yes, you need one. A business card is your calling card. It's the second most important card you can carry after your driver’s license, and a great promotional tool.  They are the one thing that you can pass around indiscriminately to editors, agents, other writers, librarians….everyone.

FACE VALUE. Your business card should include your name, pseudonym(s), email, phone, website(s) and blog(s). If you are a published author, you could include a picture of your latest book cover, title and pub date. If you are pre-published, you could include a picture of yourself and the genres you write in. And do add your Facebook and Twitter IDs so people can find you easily. NEW: business card magnets are a fun alternative.

FREE CARDS. There is no need to spend too much on good quality business cards. You can even print them on your home computer with a little creativity. I get mine from vistaprint.com. They are cheap, have great designs, are on good paper, and there are often great specials where you can get 100-250 cards for free. Well, not exactly free since you still have to pay for the shipping, but it’s minimal and worth every penny. Their website is http://www.vistaprint.com/.

ONE FOR ALL. Who gets a business card? Everyone who asks; everyone who offers you one; everyone you meet. Everyone. Your business card may be the only thing another writer/ editor/ agent/ industry professional may keep after the conference. So pass them around like candy. Everyone is a potential fan.

YOUR COLLECTION. You want to collect as many business cards as possible at the conference. Try to take a couple of minutes as you get cards – or when you have a free moment while waiting for an editor or agent appointment or as you are sitting down to lunch – and make notes on them about the card giver. This one shares your love of erotica. This one has a blog full of writing resources. That one knows a good agent you can query. That other is interesting and you can to keep in touch. Make notes so you remember the person and your conversation. It will help weeks later -- heck, it will help hours later -- when you weed through your “collection.” After the conference, try to keep your collected business cards in an index box or a card folder. Label them with conference name and year. If you have a mailing list, add all the cards to that list. If you don’t have a mailing list, you now have enough names to create one.


INQUIRING MINDS WANT TO KNOW: Where do you get your business cards? What’s on it? Do tell. Do leave a comment on this blog. And have fun at your next conference.♥



Maria Ferrer is looking forward to the 2011 RWA National Conference, which will be in her backyard—the Big Apple. Her business cards are ready.

‘RIGID REVIEWER MEETS FREE-STYLING FOODIE’

By Santa Byrnes



That’s the title I’ve come up with for my current manuscript. Yes, friends, that’s the best I could do. I stink at coming up with titles. Ask any of my friends who’ve asked me over the years to help title their books. Clearly, it’s not one of my fortes. I have several friends who are absolute marvels at it. I keep saying I don’t want to bother them, but I’m afraid I’ve no choice in the matter.

I started out with another title that was very clever indeed. So clever, in fact, it was a catch phrase of a popular sitcom, ‘Seinfeld’. Naturally, it was the episode that centered around food. No, it wasn’t the one about the elusive marble rye; and, no, not the one with the mouthwateringly delicious chocolate baklava.

It was the soup Nazi episode and its catch phrase - No Soup For You. That was the working title of my manuscript. Catchy, right? And it fit so perfectly. My book is about a cutting edge female chef whose innovative “café” is effectively shut down by a review she assumed was penned by a no-nonsense – albeit hot - and slightly rigid food reviewer. My chef, Nola, lives her life in the kind of fancy free way which, along with her bewitching smile, drives my ordered food reviewer, Val, slightly insane. Val lived his life in an ordered, methodical kind of way, and he saw Nola as his complete opposite in every way.

They spend most of the book annoyed with one another. Wouldn’t you be if the man you are falling in love with had a hand in breaking your dreams? Never mind that you broke his leg. And just how do you stop someone who frustrates you to no end from claiming your heart? Her friends love her. Your eccentric family loves her. Even that brute of a bartender loves her.

Do you want the high concept angle? Here it is. Think Ryan O’Neill and Barbra Streisand characters from ‘What’s Up, Doc?’. Think Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn’s characters from ‘Taking Care of Baby’ or Cary Grant and Katherine Hepburn’s characters in ‘The Philadelphia Story’ for that matter –except Jimmy Stewart’s character develops an unexpected sinister quality. (More on that another time.)

Still with all those high concepts, I still remain flabbergasted. I know my brilliant chapter mates can come up with better titles than I can. Just glance over at our Members on the Shelf. Clever bunch, aren’t they?

Well, gentle potential reader, given what I’ve stated here, can you come up with a better title than I did? I sure hope so. I’m about ready to let this one out of the proofing oven.♥



My name is Santa Byrnes and I am a contemporary romance writer with one completed manuscript under my belt and one that I am working on at the present. When I am not wearing my writer’s tiara, you can find me at the wheel of my car chauffeuring my children heather and yon to their various activities. I write there. I don my deli diva tiara as co-owner and manager of my family’s gourmet food store. I also write there. As an ardent foodie, I get much of my inspiration for the current series I am working on. My heroines are chefs whose passions for the culinary arts rivals the passions they share with the heroes in their lives.

PHOTO CREDIT:  John Lund

THE TUTOR (and Book Giveaway!)

By Hope Tarr

What would you do if you knew you had seven sexy days and nights in your very near future? We’re talking passion so scalding, so unbridled, and so primal that most mortals never know the like.

The catch: those same seven sexy days and nights are most likely going to have to last you the rest of your life. Oh, and you’re not quite twenty-one which means “the rest of your life” promises to be a very, very long time.

Lady Bea Lindsey confronts that very scenario in THE TUTOR, my Victorian-set romance published with Harlequin’s super sexy Blaze line. At the opening of THE TUTOR, Bea has gotten herself engaged to a very nice, very dull gentleman.

Conventional wisdom counsels that a young woman on the cusp of twenty-one, in this case a young woman of noble birth, purse-poor dowry, and an impulsive nature, dare we say “wild streak” should settle down safely and quickly. But conventional wisdom is not always…wise. And Bea is very much a modern girl—modern in the context of the 1890’s. She may be willing to settle for a dry-as-toast husband at the dining table but when it comes to the boudoir, she is going to need a little jam.

Only a disastrous dry run of the wedding night (pun intended) has demonstrated that if she wants any pleasure in her marriage bed, she’ll have to take the lead. But first she needs to be taught. And who better to take on the role of tutor than the oh-so-sexy Ralph Sylvester, a former East London street rogue and her brother-in-law’s private secretary?

Never did Ralph imagine that the woman of his dreams, a lady born, would proposition him and on the very night her engagement to another gentleman is announced! But when Bea shows up at Ralph’s bedchamber door after midnight wearing a red velvet cape and nothing beneath, he knows she means business. Armed with a contraband copy of The Kama Sutra and nine months’ of shored up lust, he sets about tutoring her in the loving arts. It’s every man’s fantasy, until the pupil surpasses the teacher.

I hope you have fun with THE TUTOR because I certainly enjoyed writing it. I also hope you’ll take two ticks and post your reply here. I’ll be giving away one signed copy of UNTAMED at the day’s end. A simple “hello” will suffice but if you’re inclined to more…

What is the worst (i.e., suckiest) romantic advice you’ve ever received?♥

Hope Tarr is the award-winning author of thirteen historical and contemporary romance novels including THE TUTOR. MY LORD JACK and A ROGUE’S PLEASURE, originally published by Berkley, release digitally with Carina Press on July 12th and August 16th, respectively. “Tomorrow’s Destiny,” her first novella, will appear in a single-title Christmas anthology, A HARLEQUIN CHRISTMAS CAROL, with Jacquie D’Alessandro and Betina Krahn this November 10, 2010. Hope will read THE TUTOR (on July 5th) and TOMORROW’S DESTINY (on December 6th) at Lady Jane’s Salon, which she co-founded. Visit her online at http://www.hopetarr.com/ where you can read her blog and enter her regular contest.

Photo of Hope Tarr by BizUrban.com

WRITING (INTERRACIAL) ROMANCES

By Shara Moon

Scandalous. Intriguing. Expectional. Forbidden.

These are just some of the words that come to mind when reading an interracial romance, and just a fraction of the reasons why I love to write them.

Frankly, I just love to create a world where two people can fall in love and, despite everything, can overcome their internal and external conflicts to be with one another. I know. I just defined the quintessential romance novel. But it’s having these two people find the freedom to love each other and embrace that love that makes the experience that much sweeter.

And though interracial romances are thriving with small print publishers and in e-pubs, there is that one misconception that this subgenre is all about race. And that is a big misconception.

Many interracial romances are not exclusively about race and they aren’t intended to be. As a romance reader and writer, I can appreciate the variety in the romance genre and the multifaceted stories that come from its diversity. In my stories, race is never the core issue. Like my work-in-progress, tentatively titled BEWITCHED, where a beautiful black travel writer finds herself time traveling in the middle of 11th century Scottish Highlands. How interesting is it to see these primeval Highlanders react to this woman, who is not only unusual in her looks and language, but also holds this uncanny influence over them, their powerful laird, and their way of life. It’s just as fascinating for me to write!

But don’t get me wrong. It is not my intention to limit my writing to just interracial romances. Whether the characters are black, white, or candy-apple red, love is love is love. And I fully intend to take advantage, flex my creative muscles, and explore my range as a romance writer.

For now, I’m just happy to see that interracial romances are quickly growing in popularity, and I believe it will soon catch the attention of more major New York publishing houses. I’d like to even think it’ll find a place in the mainstream market someday soon. And if not, I’d be happy just to keep writing it.♥

Shara Moon is currently an unpublished member of RWANYC. Though she is an avid reader of anything with a strong storyline and very alpha hero, she is currently drawn to writing interracial romances with equally strong storylines and very alpha heroes. Early this year, she completed a short interracial romance, originally written for an anthology, called “Because Your Love Me” and is steadily at work between two projects, tentatively titled A BEAUTIFUL LIE and BEWITCHED. When Shara is not writing, she is reading, researching, and conferring with her wayward muse.

BITS & PIECES: KATE McMURRAY

I knew immediately I was going to like Kate McMurray when she suggested meeting in Brooklyn (where we both live) at The Cocoa Bar. Romance and chocolate--you cannot go wrong with the two! Kate says that she cannot imagine that she writes erotica and when you look at her, she is lovely and the epitome of everything pure and innocent in a lovely sundress sitting across from me. Whatever she is, none of it was an accident. A NaNoWriMo veteran and winner, she is smart as a whip and very dedicated to her craft. Writing is a serious business with her, and there is no wonder that IN HOT PURSUIT, which started as an e-book and which will be in print starting this week. You can think that I say this about all of my subjects for Bits and Pieces, and you might be right, but it is the truth--I have never been disappointed with an interview. Kate is a dynamo. Seriously, I do not know how she manages between the writing and playing the violin, but she does. Finding even scarce time to bake and most importantly, being a Yankees fan—she keeps track of all of the stats. She amazed and inspired me, and I think that she will do the same for you as you read below. I am positive too, that she is ready for another round of NaNo! Follow her at her website to see for sure and what she is in pursuit of next! I've participated in NaNo 8 times and won 6 of those times. There's definitely a learning curve. You try it enough times, you figure out what works for you. This published novel is not a NaNo novel, but I've got three manuscripts from NaNo that I think have redeeming qualities. I'm really proud of the novel I wrote last November and hope to polish it up to send around soon. I think I really started reading romance novels when I did a brief stint at a law firm and was reading contracts and newsletters all day--the romance novels were escapist. I am a violinist. I played for ten years, and then stopped. I started taking lessons again two and half years ago. I've done a few recitals now, so next step is orchestra auditions. I had always wanted to start a writers group. The one I'm in now has been really successful. I get a lot out of it. Not only when I am being “workshopped”, but just talking about writing, you learn what works in other people's writing and what you like as a writer. My group has a really strong core of people who participate at every meeting. I write a lot. I made a New Year's resolution a few years ago to write a little every day, even if it is only a few words in the hour before I go to bed. I've stuck to it pretty well. I've had to make some sacrifices to make time for it, but it's worth it. It is such a weird experience to have a book published. I've worked in the publishing industry for almost a decade, so I know what the process is like from the inside, but I do not think I ever appreciated what it takes to send something out. It's really hard work. I have an all new perspective for those writers who did the work to put their novels out there. I have a hard time writing at home, there are many distractions. I like to write in cafes. My favorite is a few blocks from my apartment; they turn off their Wi-Fi on the weekends, so I can't goof around too much. Writing is fun. A lot of my good friends in the area are writers and we get together and write, so we accomplish both writing and social interaction. My cat Molly is hyperactive. I've had her since she was a very tiny kitten and now she is 6. She's kind of a runt, and visitors are always surprised by how small she is. I think this is because everyone has these huge cats now. She makes up for her small size with personality. I threw myself a book party in April. Everyone who attended was someone I knew for the most part. I had never read fiction in front of an audience before. I think it was good to read in front of people I knew, it's like a dress rehearsal for if/when my writing career takes off and have to read in front of strangers. And there was food at the party, mostly brought by party guests. A friend of mine who works in publishing said it was one of the greatest spreads she'd ever seen at a book party. I like baking. I don't have a lot of time for it. I am capable of baking but I do not do it very often. I discovered gay romance a couple of years ago. I like the genre because it doesn't have the same gender essentialism you find in some romance novels. The dynamics are different between two men than they are between a man and a woman. The idea for IN HOT PURSUIT started with a guy I worked with once who was not “out” at work. I was thinking about what would make someone stay in the closet. The thought process started with thinking about careers that would pressure someone to stay in the closet, and I arrived at "cop." The novel is really the cop’s, Noah's, story more than it is a romance, from my perspective. It's about a man used to hiding, being thrust into a situation where he doesn't have to hide anymore. Romantic suspense is my favorite subgenre. I am a real wuss about horror movies. I find marketing a book to be really hard. I have been social networking a little. My book has gotten a lot of positive feedback, which is great. You never know how something is going to be received but the first review I got was glowing. When I was 12, I went to my first Yankees game. They were not doing so well in those days. They lost that game to the Orioles. I love all the facts and statistics and history of the sport. The town I grew up in in New Jersey is very densely populated. We lived near freight train tracks, but after a while I couldn't hear them at all. People would come to stay at our house and ask how we slept with the train noise, but I honestly stopped hearing it. Now I have been living in New York long enough that I need the noise. I go to stay in more rural areas and can't sleep because it's too quiet. I read a lot of romance novels when I was a teenager. When I was in middle school, I talked my mom out of making me go to the after school program by going to local public library instead with a friend of mine. There was a wall of Harlequin novels and we used to read the scandalous passages to each other. I studied English lit in college and decided I was too good for romance novels for a while. Then a few years ago, there was a “This American Life” episode in which a reporter went to the RWA conference, and it piqued my interest. I got this idea for a parody novel involving a heroine who writes terrible romance novels and a hero who writes hard-boiled crime fiction. I started reading other romance novels as "research" and got hooked. The amount of quality writing and good storytelling in the genre still amazes me. And I think I was always writing romance, even when I called it "mainstream fiction." I've always liked watching and learning about relationships, and I like writing about them. When I first started becoming curious about the genre again, a friend loaned me a Nora Roberts novel and everything spiraled out of control from there I think. I read a lot and learned what I like. I like happy endings. The Big Misunderstanding is my least favorite complication and "conflict." Often, these kinds of complications are the sort that would be resolved with a simple conversation. I have read plenty of things that are not romances. I can be satisfied with a "we are together for right now" ending, but as in life there is no guarantee that everything will be hearts and flowers. I am surprised at myself because this book has a lot of sex in it. I never thought I'd be an erotica writer. I have a straight male friend who read and really liked IN HOT PURSUIT. He told me he'd never really thought about the mechanics of gay sex before. He asked me if I was excited by it, because he just assumed all women were put off by men having sex with each other. I had to assure him that this was not the case. I am a crazy book buyer. Now that I have a Kindle, it means I have a place to put them that is not my laptop. But I am a book hoarder. I purge every now and then, though, and get rid of books to make space for more books. It is so hard to have a day job and write, but I'm still trying to write every day. The goal now is to get other books published.♥

THE WRITER'S SUMMER SURVIVAL TOTE

By Karen Cino

It’s that time of the year again. Summer is officially here and no one wants to sit in the house behind the computer writing. You know just as well as I that we will find one excuse after the other not to sit down and write…especially not to do revisions.

Keeping this in mind, I came up with a Writer's Summer Survival Tote Bag. Pack your tote and keep it besides your pocketbook. Your tote should consist of the following:

1. Notebook

2. 2 Pens (This way there is no excuse that the pen ran out of ink.)

3. A bunch of ideas

4. Post it Notes

5. 2 water bottles – frozen

6. Chips

7. Sunglasses

8. Sunscreen

9. Beach Umbrella

10. Beach chair and blanket


I have left out the radio and ipod. Those two things are total distractions when writing. I decided to do a test “run” and see if it worked before I shared this with you. As I sit here, I can attest that the only sound I hear is the echo of the waves breaking at the ocean’s edge and the occasional helicopter going over head.

Now I would be lying if I didn’t tell you that there can be plenty of other distractions at the beach, like the sexy guy who put his beach blanket down about twenty feet from me and undressed down to his bathing trunks. And yes, I watched the whole time, just couldn’t resist.

But seriously, I was able to do revisions on four chapters of MYSICAL WONDERS—that’s about 100 pages without the phone ringing or the kids yelling Ma. (Would you believe that when I’m writing, they both forget how to cut Italian Bread and make a sandwich?)

I had a wonderful day at the beach…alone. My first time ever to the South Beach Boardwalk. And as I was packing up my gear, I can honestly say that I am thrilled to say I got everything on my agenda done.

In conclusion, it IS possible to get your work done during the hot summer months. All you need is a plan, your imagination and your Writer's Summer Survival Tote Bag.♥



Karen Cino is the President of the RWA New York City Chapter.  She writes women's fiction.  This summer, she plans to make much use of her Writers Summer Survival Tote.

ROMANCE AND THE SINGLE MOUSE

By K. Keith

My landlord's away for the week, and I have to figure out how to get rid of a mouse. He/she/it showed up Friday night while I was typing my historical romance. I saw a small blur of brown fur scurry from under the bedroom door. My mind lurched from the colliding destinies of my hero and heroine to “What the heck was that?!”

I yelled at the mouse and it shot back under the door. Maybe it’ll go away, I thought. Type, type, type. Maybe it got lost and was on its way to my downstairs neighbors.

Type, type, type. I had better things to ponder such as the logistics of getting Lord Wilton and Juliana into several bedchambers of shady Lord Oxley’s castle. Why several bedchambers? They’re searching for something—a vellum document actually—which could reverse fortunes and reveal the identity of the true Baron of Oxley shire. Along the way, Lord Wilton and Juliana, equal parts annoyed and besotted with each other, are caught in a compromising position and—

The mouse came back.

“Out!” I shouted as it fled.

Type, type, type. The second day, A.M.—After Mouse. Late Saturday night, I was on my laptop. I edited the fight scene where Lord Wilton, muddied up and pounded by two thieves, is rescued by Juliana. No, Juliana hasn’t been working out. She tosses a small knife to him. In the year 1206, everyone in England carries knives. Later, Lord Wilton cleans up nicely. With a lock of dark hair falling over his forehead and those brown eyes, he just might be forgiven by Juliana someday.

What did he do? Well—

The mouse scurried in from under the door. I wondered why it only comes when I’m writing. At least, I had a routine. I yelled at it and made a catlike lunge. The mouse retreated as usual. We did a couple of more rounds of me crouching and shouting and the mouse scampering off.

Today, I’m buying a trap and asking for mouse advice from my critique group. Critique groups are wonderful, but more on that later in another blog posting.♥



 K. Keith is a RWANYC member. She's busy writing her first historical romance about Hexford, aka Lord Wilton, and Juliana. No mice were harmed in the writing of this blog. She confused the mouse so much with her catlike behavior that he/she/it hasn't shown up in weeks.