Magical Musings

Review: Kissing the Maid of Honor by Robin Bielman

Posted on May 18, 2013 by Reviews Admin

Book info:

Title: Kissing the Maid of Honor (Secret Wishes, #1)
Author: Robin Bielman
Publisher: Entangled Bliss
Release Date: May 13, 2013
Source: ARC received from Publisher
Rating: 5 stars

Official Summary:

Kissing her best friend’s brother never felt so right…

Sela Sullivan is resolved to be the best maid of honor ever, even if it means tolerating the best man. Insufferable, too-handsome Luke Watters is not only the guy who humiliated her at a kissing booth in high school, but he also happens to be her best friend’s older brother. Positive he’s the same arrogant jock, Sela vows to focus on her duties and steer clear of the frustrating—and frustratingly tempting—Luke.

As a world-renowned extreme-sports photographer, Luke is used to undertaking life-risking adventures. But risking his heart for the beautiful Sela Sullivan, who clearly still hates him for his rejection all those years ago? He didn’t see that coming. Sela inspires a passion he’s never known, and the more time they spend together, the more he craves her. But can he prove to the maid of honor he’s become a man of honor?

My Thoughts:

Robin Bielman has become an auto-read author for me. I know that with her books I will get a lot of emotion from her characters and a heartwarming story. The plot in Kissing the Maid of Honor is well constructed and the set-up of characters for more books in the series is done very well. Sela and Luke are characters the reader can relate to and support. Sometimes I tend to pick a side – hero vs. heroine, but in this story I was really rooting for both them. The romance throughout the story was slow to build which made it even better when they did finally give in and go for it.

One of the things I like about Bliss books is that they are very clean romances. There is implied intimacy, but no descriptions. Thus, all the passion and love the characters show is done outside the bedroom and Robin shows this very well. There are just enough kisses, touches, looks, and words that draw you in as a reader to help you understand the deep feelings Luke and Sela have for one another. While I do like to read hot and steamy books I also like to balance those out with sweet books like Kissing the Maid of Honor.

There were many times throughout the story that I assumed a plot line was going to go a specific way, but it didn’t. I like to be surprised, even in contemporary romances when you know the hero is going to get the heroine and live happily ever after. The twists in this book were true to the characters of the story, so while I was surprised, it was not out of character for Luke or Sela to respond a certain way. In keeping true to characters, one aspect of the book that made the story feel more realistic, was when Vanessa worried that Luke and Sela getting together would equal unwanted drama for her wedding. I think every bride would feel like this even if they don’t want to admit it. Because, really, when you are the bride, it is YOUR day. You don’t want unnecessary drama, so I thought that honesty from Vanessa brought some realism into a fictional story. As for the other characters, I enjoyed Shane (Sela’s brother) and Erin (Luke’s sister) a lot. Shane seems like a wild one and I look forward to reading about him in the next story.

It is hard to convey everything I liked about Kissing the Maid of Honor without giving away spoilers. You just need to read it for yourself and experience the laughter and tears that Luke and Sela go through in finding their happy ever after. If you are looking for a clean, classy, contemporary romance, I highly recommend you try Kissing the Maid of Honor!

Reviewed by: Amy R.

Posted in Category Romance, Reviews | Tagged Amy's Reviews, Kissing the Maid of Honor, Magical Musings Review, review, Robin Bielman | 5 Comments

Authenticity – and yay – another one off my plate! :)

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Dale Mayer

Hi everyone,

It is with great relief to say that I have handed off book 5 of my Psychic Vision series to my editor (first round with first editor). I am clarifying the editor situation just in case you think the book will be available for sale in the next week or two – because it won’t be ready that quickly. As much as I’d like that, it never seems to work out quite so neatly.

Getting this book to this point is a huge weight off my shoulders. Not only are these books convoluted in plot, but they are twisted in the type of genre and content. Keeping these books straight, can be incredibly difficult. That I deal with different layers of reality, different skills and different ways of existence and communication only adds to the need for clarity in writing. That they all deal with psychic phenomenon of some kind makes it that much harder – and that much more fun.

Don’t get me wrong. I really love writing these books. They are twisted with lovely villains :) – and I do so love creepy twisted villains. But these books ask the reader to suspend their beliefs and go on a journey through my world. To do that my books need to be authentic.

Authenticity is important when I write. I want the readers to feel and see what I see in my mind. And my mind is a wild and wacky place to describe!

The only problem with authenticity is when I write paranormal stories – such as my Psychic Vision series – or my Vampire Series. It’s not like I can cross over to the ethers and give you all an accurate description of life on the other side [Or can I? ] But one way or another, I have to make the reader believe that the characters can. That can be challenging.

In my Family Blood Ties, there is a whole paranormal world building to consider. It’s a dystopian story where vampires and humans co-exist peacefully – at least on the surface. But in the Psychic Visions series, these characters live in our contemporary world. As this is fiction, I can invent some stuff, but I can also draw on the many different paranormal studies that have been done, and are continuing to be done around the world.

And some of that material is fascinating. Consider some of the great psychics in history like Edgar Cayce, Nostradamus, Lydia Clar, Elizabeth Baron and of course John Edward. These are just a few of many – some well known and some that prefer to say hidden.

The issue isn’t whether you believe these people can do what they say they can do, but that they raise that wonderful question – can they do these things?

Because it’s that question that is so important to my fiction.

I don’t need my readers to believe in the paranormal, but they need to be willing to suspend their beliefs and take a journey into the paranormal through my books.

There are so many different paranormal or psychic abilities to work with. A few examples include:

Clairaudience: is the ability to hear things that are normally inaudible to others.
Clairempathy: is the ability to feel emotions from beyond natural realms.
Divine Intervention: Spontaneous spiritual visions that can guide and direct the seer.
Empath: A psychic empath – or sensitive – takes on other people’s feelings of pain or pleasure, actually feeling the emotions of others.
Energetic Healing: A psychic ability to clear, repair and balance the body’s energy systems by seeing and manipulating the aura.
Lucid Dreaming: The ability to wake up inside a dream and experience an alternate reality.
Medium: A psychic who connects with spirits of people who have died and sometimes with entities such as angels.

Part of the fascination readers have with my series is that eternal – What if…?

I doubt I’ll run out of ideas for this series any time soon, because like my readers…I find this field fascinating. And what a writer can do with a little bit of fact is…well…amazing!

Do you believe in the paranormal? Are you open to the concept of there being so much more than we currently understand?

Posted in Dale's Posts, Uncategorized | 8 Comments

Author Leigh LaValle and Giveaway!

Posted on May 16, 2013 by Lori Brighton

I’ve known Leigh LaValle for years. She’s an amazing friend and an amazing author, and I’m not the only one to think so! Leigh’s debut historical romance, The Runaway Countess, was nominated for the prestigious Golden Heart award in 2011, and recently the book was nominated for Best Historical Romance by The Romance Reviews. Join me in welcoming Leigh to Magical Musings! Read below for your chance to win Leigh’s book, and where to find her free novella!

Where in the world do you come up with these crazy ideas?

I am certain my mom asked me this question more than once. (And not just during my youth, mind you.) I get this question about my books, too. Why did you decided to write a Robin Hood book? How do you come up with names? And, most often, how in the world can you fill four hundred pages with story?

Often, I give the same answer I gave my mom: “I don’t know, my mind just does these things.”

The Robin Hood question has been a favorite (for who doesn’t love Robin Hood?) The basic answer is that I chose to retell the Robin Hood legend because I wanted to craft a story where the premise of right and wrong seemed really clear to begin. Throughout THE RUNAWAY COUNTESS, I try to challenge these pre-conceived ideas about justice. Stealing is not the answer, no matter how justified. Neither is oppression. As I retell the Robin Hood legend, both sides are right, and both sides are wrong. Both the hero and heroine have really compelling reasons why we should root for them, but only one can win. It’s a wrestling match to the end!

Where do I get my ideas for names? I have to admit this is a hard one for me. (My son was not officially named until he was 7 days old and I had to file the birth certificate.) For surnames, I often use thepeerage.com. For first names, I take inspiration from the local landscape. Trent derived his name from the River Trent. His estate, Giltbrook Hall, was also named after a local water way (and subsequent town).

Finally, how do I fill four hundred pages of story? Even I don’t know the answer to that. I research a lot of history and take ideas from there. While reading about Nottingham, for example, I discovered the last rebellion in England took place just fourteen miles north of Nottingham in 1817. That quickly became part of my story. And I needed a scene where Trent interacted with his villagers, something fun and lighthearted. Research pointed me to the Midsummer’s Eve festival, which was a very entertaining (and naughty) bit of history. I happily incorporated that into the book as well.

What about you, Dear Reader? Do you wonder how we authors get our crazy ideas? Do you want to know how we generate unique characters? Elaborate sex scenes? Unexpected twists? I am here to answer your burning questions. Or to chat about Robin Hood, who I could talk about any day of the week.

***One lucky commenter will win a digital copy of THE RUNAWAY COUNTESS.***

***(Lori here, as a side note, Leigh’s novella, The Misbehaving Marquess is free for Amazon Kindle right now! For Barnes and Noble click here! You can also find it on ITunes! Get it while you can!)***

Thanks for joining me today! I love to hear from readers. You can find me on Facebook and Twitter or visit my website at LeighLaValle.com

ABOUT: Leigh LaValle was born in a time when ladies shopped at the modiste and rogues sent heated looks across a crowded ballroom. Time slipped forward a few hundred years, and she currently lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family. When she is not writing about said ladies and rogues, mommying, or reading, she is rarely seen cleaning. More often, she is found hiking or, when she is really lucky, in the white powder of the ski slopes. She is also a devoted yoga practitioner and instructor.

Posted in Giveaway, Guest Posts | 9 Comments

It’s a Great Time To Be A Writer (With AVENGING ANGEL Giveaway)

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Cynthia Eden

Update: The winner of Avenging Angel is…RUTH GUTSCHER. Congrats, Ruth!

The publishing industry is undergoing a massive change–I think we’ve all noticed that. Writers are exploring publishing options. They can indie publish, they can publish traditionally–or they can put a foot in both worlds and be a hybrid author.

For the last two years, I’ve been a hybrid author. I write books for my NY publishers, and I write and release books on my own.

More and more authors are releasing indie books. The opportunities out there for writers are vast–like I said in my title…it’s a great time to be a writer.

I like indie publishing for quite a few reasons. I’m a fast writer (if I don’t write every day, I seriously feel lost). So I am able to release more of my stories on a much more advanced time schedule when I do my indie releases. Indie publishing also allows me to have complete cover control and price control. I LOVE price control. Actually, I love all of the freedom that I’ve been getting with my indie books.

Once upon a time, if you wanted to be a writer, NY was the path for you. Now, that isn’t true. Now you have multiple paths that you can take–it’s all about what *you* want. You can have NY. You can have your indie releases. You can have ‘em both.

Speaking of releases…I’ve got a few stories coming up, so I thought I’d share.

First, I’m participating in a very special book deal–DARK NIGHTS, DANGEROUS MEN–this bundle of books will release on 5/20, and when it releases, it will be on sale for just .99 (this is a limited time sale!). This anthology is a collection of “firsts”–stories that were our first indie books, our first tales in a new subgenre, etc.

The stories in DARK NIGHTS, DANGEROUS MEN range in length (some are novellas while others are full-length tales), and the bundle includes paranormal romances and romantic suspense tales. We were hoping to have a little something for everyone in our bundle.

On May 28th, I’ll have a new release from my New York publisher–AVENGING ANGEL. I loved writing my Fallen angel series, and in AVENGING ANGEL, my heroine has the chance to get some much needed vengeance on those who have made the mistake of wronging her. Go, vengeance go!

Then, later in June, I’ll have another indie release. (See–I’m all about mixing up my NY and indie releases!) I’ll be releasing a very dark and sexy romantic suspense novella–MINE TO TAKE. Here’s a peek at the cover:

Did I mention that it was a great time to be an author? There are so many opportunities out there right now! So many options! If you’ve ever wanted to write, then do it. No more waiting. Sit in the chair, type, and let your stories break free.

And, to wind things up here today…how about we offer a giveaway? I’ll send one commenter a print or digital copy of AVENGING ANGEL. To enter the giveaway, just tell me…what dream have you had, that you’ve always wanted to pursue? For as long as I can remember, writing has been my dream, and I feel so lucky to spend my days telling my stories. Now, please, tell me–what’s your dream?

Posted in Cynthia's Posts | Tagged .99 deal, Avenging Angel, Dangerous Men, Dark Nights, giveaway, indie publishing, low priced ebooks, Mine To Take | 60 Comments

Author Liberty Blake with Giveaway

Posted on May 14, 2013 by Edie Ramer

Amy Atwell is on a writing retreat, and she recruited the talented Liberty Blake to stand in for her. I was blown away by Liberty’s guest blog, and now that I know her, I’m looking forward to reading her books. One lucky commenter will win an ecopy of THE COUNTERFEIT BRIDE. Enjoy!

Congrats to Xoun J. for winning an ecopy of THE COUNTERFEIT BRIDE!

The Life of a Late Bloomer

It’s Never too Late to Follow Your Dream

I didn’t get my period until I was sixteen. I didn’t grow breasts until I was pregnant with my first child. Child number two and I started college at the same time as child number three started high school, child number four entered kindergarten, and child number five went to pre-school. I didn’t get published in fiction until after my fifth grandchild was born.

I am a late bloomer.

But being a late bloomer never stopped me from living life.

The Period! Even though all my friends had “become women” years earlier. I didn’t have to worry about leakage or cramps in front of everyone in school. I was able to dance and enjoy life, even though the other girls teased me about my womanly status. (Back in the old days, they hadn’t done the research that showed that girls who were dancers, gymnasts, or runners tended to have very little body fat and so didn’t get their periods as do their heavier counterparts.) Once I got my period I realized it was not all it was cracked up to be!

Breasts! There have been many times, especially lately, when I look back fondly on those days of having small, perky breasts. The toll of five pregnancies with a year of nursing attached to each made my cups overflow and make mammograms more uncomfortable than they need to be!

College! I loved college!!! In spite of being a “non-traditional” student, I was my class president for all four years. I had my own radio shows, and my student government sent me as one of their representatives to Texas A&M for a leadership conference. I also took a cross-discipline class in Ancient Greece and for spring break we went on an academic field trip to Greece. In spite of my advanced age, (remember I had one daughter in the work force, one in college, and another in high school, one in kindergarten and a son in pre-school) I had the time of my life!!! I worked my way through college as an office clerk, a dance teacher, and I delivered Chinese food. I was even made an honorary member of a fraternity. (I went to bat for them whenever they were in trouble with the Dean, which was a lot.) I gave the speech at graduation with my children and grandchildren in the audience.

Through all this, there were two constants in my life. My love of books and my soul deep desire to write.

Writing! As a busy working Mom I read anything I could and I would try to squeeze writing in whenever I could, but I was too easily distracted by life and to be honest, my early efforts left a lot to be desired. I didn’t stop. I continued to write. I took refresher English classes at night school. (I didn’t want to lose my grammatical skills.) I religiously devoured The Writer and Writer’s Digest magazines. I felt it was important to teach myself to be a better writer. I wrote and rewrote and rewrote again. (It wasn’t easy, I started my journey in the days of manual typewriters, and I am a lousy typist, which meant sometimes I would have to type out the same page over and over again.)

After college I finally found two writing groups, NECRWA and Rhode Island Romance Writers. My soul had found its home. Every month I attended meetings, took extensive notes at workshops, and I continued to read.

I wrote and rewrote. My skills were improving daily. Then I had two babies handed to me!

I learned that you can indeed write with Mickey Mouse’s Clubhouse playing in the background.

A new publisher had put out a call for short Christmas stories. I wrote Christmas Spirit in less than a month (which for me is fast) and rewrote it so many times it flowed like warm oil over a well-muscled body. I sent it in and went to Canada with a friend for a writers retreat. While I was in Canada I received an e-mail offering me a contract. I had just made my very first sale on a story I wrote while singing the “Hot Dog” song to a toddler and dancing with a baby in my arms!

I recently took a realistic look at my age and the publishing community. I decided that it was lovely to have the validation of having a publisher want my work, but waiting upon their pleasure and their time schedule was not the best route for me.

I have worked for decades, in fact a lifetime, honing and improving my craft. I was ready.

On April first I published my first novel The Counterfeit Bride.

I utilized my college travel and based my heroine in Texas and my hero is a Greek tycoon. I love reading category romance, and that is what I wrote. I hope you will give Cassidy and Theron a chance to steal your heart the way they did mine.

The Counterfeit Bride’s Blurb & Links:

Texas rancher and bar owner Cassidy Flynn is shocked to learn the bride’s name in an upcoming high society wedding – Cassiopeia Dolmides. Cassidy is a woman of secrets; the deepest is the identity she was born with and thought she had escaped long ago. If this bride is impersonating Cassidy, what trouble will that cause Cassidy and her infant son?

Greek tycoon Theron Christofides needs to gain possession of Dolmides Cruise Lines and the little Greek island where it left a shipwrecked eyesore. A lot of people are at risk without his intervention. Old man Dolmides will sell on one condition: Theron must marry Dolmides’ illegitimate daughter. Seeing no other way to rescue the island’s people, Theron agrees to sacrifice himself and his future.

As Theron stands at the altar with his bride-to-be, a fiery-haired woman in snakeskin boots and a cowboy hat interrupts their vows by calling his bride a fraud. In order for the wedding to continue, Theron must convince Cassidy Flynn to drop her lawsuit. Can he withstand Cassidy’s allure while he gains her cooperation? Or will they both be consumed by the fire of desire?

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | itunes

Also available in paperback through Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Remember Amazon and Barnes & Noble have apps so you can read ebooks on any computer or device, if you don’t have a Kindle or NOOK.

Posted in Amy's Posts, Giveaway, Guest Posts | Tagged Amy Atwell, Liberty Blake, The Counterfeit Bride | 27 Comments

Audio-Books

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Liz Kreger

First off, I’d like to thank everyone who commented on my last blog (two weeks ago), which Edie had kindly posted for me following my hip surgery. The surgery went well and slow but steady progress is being made in getting me back on my feet.

Okay … Audio-books. Something that I personally am finding rather fascinating. A couple of years ago I wrote a little bit about this in an audio-book versus reading sorta blog. Well, the medium is becoming more and more popular. Not only can you obtain audio-books via the internet from places like Macmillan Audio, Barnes & Noble, i-Tunes, Amazon … the list goes on.

Plus, the devices that one can use to download audio-books have grown. You can use anything compatible with an mp3 audio player. This includes walkmans, i-Pods, i-Pads … pretty much anything with an “i” in it. There are also tablets, smart phones, and of course, your computer, although personally this wouldn’t be a first choice. I spend a good part of the day and the last thing I feel like doin’ is spending more time on it. Then there’s your e-readers. Easy enough to download an audio-book onto that. So your e-reader is not only convenient for downloading and storing oodles of books, but you can also download an audio-book, plug in a pair of headphones and viola … you’re all set.

Since I’ve been laid up, I’ve been listening to books on CDs. Barbara Vey was kind enough to give me a half dozen or so books on CD to help make my convalescing time go faster. Although I’ve read Molly Harper’s “Good Girls Don’t Have Fangs”, I find that listening to it is just as enjoyable. Who knows — this might be reminiscent of that time when I was a child and mom used to to read to me.

Times when listening to an audio-book as opposed to reading are pretty much a no brainer. Long distance driving, while you’re at work (maybe) or just plain vegging out.

So, anyone out there have any pros or cons for audio-books? As far as I’m concerned, I only see the advantages and few if none of the disadvantages.

Posted in Liz's Posts | 12 Comments

Review: Ruby by Jeffe Kennedy

Posted on May 12, 2013 by Reviews Admin

Book info:

Title: Ruby (Facets of Passion, #3)
Author: Jeffe Kennedy
Publisher: Carina Press
Release Date: May 13, 2013
Rating: 5 stars
Source: ARC received from Publisher via NetGalley

Official Summary:

Danielle Sosna has no problem denying herself in order to achieve her goals—after all, that attitude landed her a dream job at Vogue Paris. But in New Orleans for one last assignment before heading overseas, she’s faced with the most decadent of temptations. Seductive Cajun chef Bobby Prejean takes Dani’s strength of will as a challenge, and offers her a night of wild indulgence—if she will agree to obey his every command.

Dani can’t resist Prejean’s invitation to join him in a world of carnal desire, complete with fetish costumes and masks. Determined to keep her emotional distance, she gives Prejean everything but her name. A night becomes a week, as she spends Mardi Gras suspended in the delicious space where pleasure meets pain.

Too late, she realizes the cloak of anonymity has not protected her—and that chasing her dream might come at the expense of her heart.

My Thoughts:

Jeffe Kennedy writes really good BDSM books that have a great story and a lot of respect between the characters. I never feel it is one sided with her hero and heroine. I was curious how Jeffe could write another book and make it different than the two others in the Facets of Passion series. I naturally assumed there would be some of the same stuff with just different characters. I was so happy to be proven wrong.

Danielle “Dani” Sosna is in New Orleans for work. She meets Bobby Prejean at his restaurant in quite the meet cute. He actually yells at her and throws her out of his restaurant, but she does put up quite a fight before she leaves. That interaction alone had me wondering how the two of them are ever going to make things work between them. That is the beauty of a story, though! Anything can happen.

Dani is a very independent woman who does not allow people to push her around. She prefers to call the shots and have the upper hand. She is also a fun “whatever goes” type of gal which is refreshing. She has her own issues to overcome, but they don’t really get in the way of having fun. Prejean can be a little intense with his obsessive compulsive issues (like washing every dish as soon as he is done using it) but is also pretty easy going at times. He too, has some issues he needs to work through, but if he didn’t, the story would be a little dull. Once Dani and Prejean meet again after the display at Prejean’s restaurant, they decide to have a little fun while Dani is in town. Let the games begin.

The word “sophisticated” kept coming to mind when I tried to come up with a term to describe Ruby. The characters, the city, the jobs of the characters, and the way they interact with one another. It was all done on a more sophisticated scale. Jeffe does a fantastic job describing the setting and I felt like I had been to New Orleans after reading this book. I enjoyed the dialogue between Dani and Prejean. She had a way of making him laugh without meaning to, and it was great to see that from a man like him. She was worming her way into his heart and she had no idea. Of course, he was doing the same thing with her. I love it when characters don’t realize when they are falling in love.

The ending to the story came fast, and by that I mean I wanted the book to continue because I could not get enough of Dani and Prejean and not necessarily in the bedroom. I wanted to witness them exploring their new found feelings for one another especially since Dani’s life is turned a little upside down. But, all good books must come to an end sometime. If you are looking for a well written BDSM book that has a great plot, well developed characters, and an awesome setting, I highly recommend Ruby by Jeffe Kennedy!

Reviewed by: Amy R.

Posted in Erotic Romance, Reviews | Tagged Amy's Reviews, Jeffe Kennedy, Magical Musings Reviews, review, Ruby | 1 Comment

Flying Under The Radar? Priceless.

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Virna De Paul

I just spent three days in Disneyland with my boys. A few times my hubby posted on Facebook some pics of himself or them on some crazy ride–I am noticeably absent. I even joked with him about his Facebook friends wondering where I am. At the time, I felt a few seconds of…I don’t know…wistfulness…that I wasn’t more adventurous or adrenaline-seeking. It would be…fun…right?…to be able to give myself over to this kind of excitement. To be the kind of mom who charges onto Tower of Terror with a smile or rocks the cage on the ferris wheel.

Uh no.

After forcing myself on several occasions to go on roller coasters and being terrified out of my mind on them and usually sick to my stomach afterward, I finally came to the conclusion–I don’t like them. And as such, I am not going to ride them. No matter that I think I should like them. No matter that people wanting me to have fun do everything they can to get me to ride on them.

One good thing that is coming with age is the ability to acknowledge who I really am and accept what I want out of my life (notice I did not say to accept the wrinkles and gray hairs, etc. I’m still working on doing that gracefully). What I am is a bag of contradictions. I’m shy and quiet and don’t like being the center of attention. At the same time, I love writing thrilling and exciting and erotic stories (though I’ll still blush if I have to talk about them), meeting readers who enjoy my work, and teaching other writers what I know. I love love and passion and spontaneity and traveling to new places. But when it comes to Tower of Terror and California Screaming? Give me a great book to read anytime. (Note: Standing for almost an hour in line after line is much easier to take when you have a bunch of romance novels loaded on your iPhone.)

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So yes, age brings a lot of stuff I don’t like, but knowing and accepting and liking who I am a little bit at a time?

That’s turning out to be priceless.

What about you? When it comes to thrill rides, how far will you go?

To all the moms out there, have a great Mother’s Day!!

Posted in Uncategorized, Virna's Posts | 8 Comments

Guest Blogger – Sheila English-Clover

Posted on May 9, 2013 by Liz Kreger

I’m so pleased to have Sheila English-Clover of Circle of Seven Productions as my guest blogger this month. Sheila has been in business for nearly twelve years. Hmm, probably since she first came up with the brilliant idea of Book Trailers at her first RT conference … which is where we met.

Well, Sheila has just returned from the latest RT Conference and will be sharing her adventures with us. From the sound of it, a good time was had by all.

So take it away, Sheila!

Hi Everyone. This was my twelfth RT convention and easily one of my favorites. I attend as a reader, industry professional and author, so I want to learn a lot, network a lot and have a great time. I managed all of those things!

As a reader I was thrilled with the amount of books I got! It seemed everyone was giving away books at the reader events and I came home with nearly 200 books! Yes, two hundred. There was a lot of variety this year as I found YA, romantic suspense, fantasy, and just about every other romance sub-genre you can think of.

There were many parties, lots of dancing and lots of giveaway prizes and cool promo items. As an industry professional I got a lot of networking done. I saw clients, met new, potential clients, met up with other professionals and got some work done, often at the bar, but isn’t that where the best deals are made?

Nancy Berland who is an amazing publicist invited Barbara Vey and I to a wonderful French restaurant where we enjoyed this amazing atmosphere and food while we discussed some of the pressing issues of the day including ebook pricing, ROI on promotion and how to reach readers in a meaningful way.

I was on a panel that was standing room only where we did debates about self-publishing, promotion, pricing and statistics. It was a different kind of panel in which the people on the panel were meant to debate issues they are passionate about. So there was a lot of heated talk, but in a professional and respectful manner. The audience participated and there were cheers and jeers for many topics.

I gave out the LA Banks memorial award this year to the wonderful and talented Anne Elizabeth. And though it was a great honor for me to sponsor the award, I will admit to having my voice crack a couple of times as I spoke of my beloved friend and author who passed a couple of years ago from cancer.

I left with promises to get in touch with other professionals to share data and discuss deals.
As an author I was happy to promote my book during my panel. I wrote a marketing book for authors with the great Barbara Vey of Publisher’s Weekly and the panel really leant itself to promoting the book without us having to say “Buy my book.”

I met with my agent and that’s always good. It encourages me to write faster, better and stronger. Eric Ruben is a literary agent and also a contract attorney. He was on the panel Barbara Vey and I did and his take on the industry was very well received by those who attended. I just wanted to say, “Yeah, that’s right, he’s MY agent!” lol

There were so many workshops for craft and promotion it was hard to choose which ones to attend. I attended Anne Elizabeth’s panel for people who are interested in creating comic books or graphic novels since I am extremely interested in that and I learned so much!

The food was okay, the entertainment was on par with past conventions and the goodies were great! Things seemed to run smoothly despite E.L. James showing up under a different name, making herself known at a panel as she corrected them when they discussed her book, then she went and got a new name tag with her author name on it. Strange? Well, gossip-worthy for sure!

Good looking guys were available for gawking at and getting pictures with. Authors talked, learned and laughed. Readers got books, met authors and danced. All in all, a very successful RT!

Posted in Liz's Posts | 8 Comments

She’s not SO dumb

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Michelle Diener

I’ve just come back from a week’s holiday and I had such a great time. I visited Esperance, and spent some time on the whitest beaches in Australia (officially the whitest, that’s not just my opinion ) and taking a boat trip through the islands of the Recherche Archipeligo. On our way back home, we stopped at the natural marvel that is Wave Rock, and found a toy soldier museum, which my husband and son, being World of Tanks fans, couldn’t really walk past.

I ended up being thrilled they wanted to see it, because inside, the curator had put up some truly interesting and significant newspaper cuttings and posters from WWII. One of them really caught my attention, a poster which formed part of the British Careless Talk Costs Lives campaign.

The first posters in this campaign featured the slogan: Be Like Dad, Keep Mum.

The powers that be were strangely surprised when that slogan elicited a great deal of criticism from the women of Britain. Particularly as no one was ‘keeping’ them at the time. They were working their butts off in munitions factories, the ambulance services and on farms, and any other job the government gave them.

So, suitably chastened, they came up with a new slogan: Keep Mum, She’s Not So Dumb.

These posters featured members of the armed services talking to their wives and girlfriends, and in the poster I found at the museum, talking to each other at some party or function, over the head of a beautiful blonde, lounging around looking beautiful. This article from the Daily Mail, which discusses the find of a batch of pristine posters, some of which include the Keep Mum, She’s Not So Dumb slogan, makes a reference to the condescending and misogynist nature of the poster, although I see a number of commenters couldn’t understand why (!). Portraying women as untrustworthy, treasonous blabbers is fine, right?

I was so immediately and hotly offended by this poster that a story bubbled up inside me almost on the spot. That beautiful blonde is going to be a heroine in a book I write set in WWII. I did some research on the poster, and how it was seen at the time (obviously better than the Be Like Dad one, as it seemed to prevail, or maybe the powers that be just didn’t care or couldn’t afford to change it AGAIN, having stuffed it up twice already), and I found this hysterically funny Cracked.com article on posters in general, in which my poster from the museum appears as #1. As the author of the article writes:

the word “so” isn’t strictly necessary to the wordplay, they just threw it in there so women didn’t think this was a compliment or something.

I couldn’t have put it better myself. I think it’s the ‘so’ I object to most, hence my putting it in caps in the title.

Other sites which discuss the posters, if you’re interested, are:

National Archives

Artfinder

I love it when I get a strong reaction to something and a story or character just coalesces in my head. In this case, it was a character. I can’t wait to write about her.

Which things push your hot buttons?