New Jersey Romance Writers One Day Conference!

 

If you haven't registered for this event yet, you should!

Here's what the guest speaker has said about her talk:

"My talks are super practical. It's not theoretical stuff but practical how-to advice, concrete steps you can take next to make changes and then implement them. I help people figure out where they are and what to do to take the next step on their journey as an author. Authors will go home [from the special event] with a list of things they can do and start executing. There won't be high-concept ideas you'll have no idea how to put into practice."

Would listening to her talk about how you can take your career up a notch or even more notches be worth a day of your time? You can still register here: www.njromancewriters.org and reserve your spot. Deadline is September 29.

 

Hope we'll see you on Saturday, October 14.  

Five Things to Keep in Mind if You Are a Writer

WHAT'S JEN WORKING ON? Plotting a new series for Entangled Bliss and plotting a contemporary single title romance. Yikes!

Hi, all!

A few weekends ago, I attended the NJRW Conference and thought that one of the keynote speakers was excellent. Very inspiring. I kept laughing and nodding my head the whole time. I could have been this author's Ed McMahon. I had a really great time there. You know, conferences are funny beasts...

Oops. Maybe I'll save that for another blog post. :)

Where was I? Oh, yeah. The keynote speaker.

Her name was HelenKay Dimon and she was fantastic. Mainly because what she spoke about was 100% relatable as a fellow writer. She gave us a list of things to remember as we're all going through this writing journey together, and I thought I'd share.

(Footnote: I'm paraphrasing and probably interpreted my own ideas into a good chunk of what she said. So blame me and not her)

1) This writing business isn't fair

• guess what? She's right! Ever read a NY Times Best-selling book and think..."???????????" Maybe your book IS better. Maybe your friend just signed a $20 million dollar contract and you're only making $12 thousand a year. Deal with it and don't try to figure it out. Just remember it's not meant to be fair.

2) Writing doesn't get any easier

• Ms Dimon is a writer of over 40 novels an novellas (award-winning and best-selling) to NUMEROUS publishers and she admits it is a STRUGGLE to sit in that writing chair everyday.
• I find the same and more. Every time I begin a new book, I think, "How did I do this again?"

3) There is no such thing as a muse

• I agree again. If I waited until my "muse" showed up, I would NEVER make my editor's deadline or probably ever finish a book. Truth.

4) The idea that pops in your head for a new book is ALWAYS going to be more interesting than the book you are currently working on

• Why? Because that idea hasn't become "work" yet. And let's face it writing a book is WORK.

5) You should be learning your craft and getting better with every book

• Another reason to go to conferences, read writing books and blogs, and always be writing

All these things hit home for me. And if you are a writer, I hope it does the same for you!

Big thanks to the NJ Romance Writers Put our Heart in a Book Conference volunteers. I really enjoyed and am looking forward to next year's conference!

Have a great week and see you next month!

Jennifer

My next Entangled Bliss Christmas release:

WRONG BROTHER, RIGHT MATCH will be released December 5th!

Don't forget to add it to your Goodreads list!

Are you on Netgalley? Good news then. It's up for review now!

Interested in helping out with my release day blast? Sign up HERE and we'll send you what you need to post.

THANKS!

Happy Fourth!!!

Hey, all!!

I'm finally back from NYC and the RWA Conference! WOW, I don't think I'm exaggerating when I say...

it was THE BEST CONFERENCE EVAH!!!

So much to talk about but so little time because of the holiday, so it'll have to wait. (Plus, I haven't quite unpacked or downloaded my pictures yet)

Gosh, I have so much to say! Things I can't wait to share:

*my office was painted red while I was away and I LOVE it.

*I got to meet Susan Elizabeth Phillips in person. (FUNNY story about that to come)

*I've become a new fan of Sourcebooks

*I'm feeling SO refreshed and recharged and ready to create a business plan for my writing.

*I've come away with a new perspective on social media

*I know there's more but I can't think...

Anyhew, I've missed you all! My Internet was acting up this weekend so this is the first chance I've had to check in. Today I'm hitting the beach and taking one of my MANY free books I took home from the conference.

Did I miss anything while I was away? Please share and give me some gossip. :-)

This, a Winner, and That part 7

MOOD STATUS: "Groovy". This week of VBS went smashingly.
(But I have another week of it next week)


Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about MJ's writing routine! I think everyone was impressed with her early morning rising!

But now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of MJ's book BENEATH THE SURFACE is...

Belle!

Congrats!!

Please e-mail me the address you would like the book to be sent to and I'll get it to MJ.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the this and that...

Here's a cute little video made from the recent RWA 2010 Literacy Book Signing.

$62,000 was raised.

So, yeah,
ROMANCE RULES!


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
And one last that


My author friend Stephanie Taylor is very excited to announce that her first contemporary romance, Doubting Thomas, will be available for purchase tomorrow, August 7th from Eternal Press.

In honor of Doubting Thomas’s release, she’ll be hosting a scavenger hunt beginning tomorrow on Facebook. There will be daily prizes and a grand prize on August 14th!

Here's a little bit about the book:

He doesn’t remember...but she does.

For five years, Thomas has lived without a past. A motorcycle accident left him with scars, permanent amnesia and a lot of anger. But the scars aren't all on the outside. He knows one day he'll need to figure out who he used to be, but for now, he's content in his misery and denial. If his family doesn't care to find him, the feeling is mutual—until the love of a tender-hearted, sassy redhead changes his mind. Alyssa Morgan vowed to locate her missing husband and has followed every clue, every lead, every hunch, hoping to find him and the reason for his disappearance. But fate has something else in store for her and puts in her path an aloof man who has her husband’s voice and the disfigured face of a stranger.

Torn between his past and their future, can they put their doubts aside and let love in?

Don't forget to check out this special event and win some fun stuff in the process!

Whew!
And that's it for me.

Have a GREAT weekend!

This, a Winner, and That Part 6

IN THE NEWS: Mo. diners flee without paying, but forget purses.
Read more HERE.

Thanks so much to everyone who stopped by Writer Routine Wednesday to say hi and hear about Patti's writing routine! Isn't Patti a sweetheart?

But, yes, now the important part: the book winner. :)

The winner of one of Patti Lacy's books is...

Piedmont Writer!


CONGRATS!!!

Please go to Patti's contact page HERE and let her know you are the WRW winner and tell her which book you would like her to send to you.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

And now for the this and that...

Bummed out you're not going to RWA Nationals this year?

Me too! But fear not! Romance Divas is hosting the
Not Going to Conference Conference...

The Conference You Don't Have to Get Out of Bed For!

From July 28-31, come hang out with some terrific, savvy authors -- and you don't even have to brush your teeth (although, seriously, good dental hygiene gets you extra points.)

We'll be hosting panels on:

The Power of Three: A crit group tell-all (Paranormal)

Crystal Jordan

Patti O'Shea

Dayna Hart/Rowan Larke

The Lolitas of STEAMED! Present Writing the Steampunk Romance -more than leather corsets and brass goggles!

Marie-Claude Bourque

Theresa Meyers

Whips, Chains, Slings, Oh My: It Really Isn’t About the Toys (BDSM Erotica)

James Buchanan

Joey Hill

The Great Big YA Panel

Rhonda Stapleton

Shannon Delany

Kiersten White

Carrie Ryan

Linda Gerber

Saundra Mitchell

Lara Zielin

Brenna Yovanoff

Register for free at Romance Divas, then come join us on the forums for the discussions, as well as some terrific prizes

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Also, looking for another forum dedicated to answering your questions on romance writing? Check out: http://uk.groups.yahoo.com/group/wrqforum/

All day Thursday, July 29, 2010, come and spend the day with Harlequin Mills and Boon author, Nicola Marsh.

Grab the opportunity to ask her everything you wanted to know about cracking the HMB Modern Heat and Romance market!

Whew! A lot going on, huh?

Well, that's all for me. But be sure to stop by next Writer Routine Wednesday where Harlequin and Avalon author Holly Jacobs will be sharing her writing routine with us!

Have a GREAT weekend!

Beginnings...OR... Endings?

MOOD STATUS: "Tired". I'm going to make a doctor's appointment. I've been feeling a little off and I can't figure out why.

I said I'd dish on the conference, so everybody grab your spoon. :)

There were a few things from various workshops that have stuck with me. I'm sorry to say this doesn't happen often. Not that most workshops aren't good, but...
Well, let's just say I like to socialize more than take classes.

One workshop that's been in my head was done by Jennifer Crusie.
(In case you're not up on your authors, Jenny is a NY Times, USA Today and Publisher's Weekly bestseller and a two-time RITA award winner. Lately, she's been writing romantic adventures in collaboration with military thriller writer Bob Mayer.)

Anyhew, her workshop was on Beginnings and Endings. Obviously as a writer, it's very important to have those two things going for you: a strong beginning and a strong ending. Duh. Otherwise, who would read your book? (I mean, besides your mother) But...

if you had to choose... which do you think weighs more heavily on a reader?
The beginning or the ending?

This is not a trick question. And there's really not a right or wrong answer. But Ms Crusie definitely has her opinion about it. And her writing collaborator Bob Mayer has his opinion on it, too. Not a big surprise that two huge authors could disagree.
(If you ever followed the She Wrote/He Wrote blog, you'd know that Mayer and Crusie don't always see eye to eye on things.)

Well, I'll go out on a limb and say that I happen to agree with Crusie that your ending is more important than your beginning.
What?!!! Santa Maria! Say it isn't so!

Yes, I know! But think about this:

Scenario one: How many have of you have picked up a book, read the first 1/3 of it and loved it? Absolutely loved it! Then something happened along the way and then by the end, you wanted to throw the book up against the wall.

Got that? Ok. Would you give that author another chance?

My answer would be no.

Scenario two: How many of you picked up a book, wasn't that thrilled with the beginning but somehow decided to persevere and continue reading only to be overjoyed that you did because the rest of the book and the ending was phenomenal?

Got that? Ok, now, would you give that author another chance?

Since this recently happened to me and I even blogged about it, my answer would be yes. I would give that author another chance if her ending satisfied me.

So, there. If I had to choose, I'd say ending is more important, too. When I close that book the ending is going to be in my mind for a good long time.

What about you? IF you had to choose, which do you think is more important, the BEGINNING or the ENDING of a book?

BACK from the Conference!

IN THE NEWS: One-legged suspect caught with one stolen shoe. Read more HERE.

Well, I had a fantastic time at the NJ RW Conference! But I have to say, the best part of the conference was meeting and talking to all the great writers I met! (Actually, hotel room service was pretty darn good, too)

But anyway... I had hoped to pick up some really great plotting advice for my next book. Thus, I followed Jenny Cruise around like a stalker and took every workshop she offered. But her version of plotting and writing only managed to make my head spin.

But hey, her method obviously works for her. :)

I did manage to pick up a few nifty tips, though, from her and a few other writers. (More on that at a later date)

I LOVED meeting all my NJ PAN members as well as all the other writers I ended up chatting with. My chapter did a fabulous job (and I'm not just saying that!). Our conference is one of the larger chapter conferences but the members still manage to give it a family-like atmosphere that other attendees remarked on.

Here's me with NJRW President Mo Boylan (right) and Samhain editor Laurie Rauch (left)

Me with multipublished author Shirley Hailstock. (She is a sweetheart and was kind enough to take the picture above!)

Me and my online bud Holly Jacobs (who is even MORE fun in person!) She writes for Harlequin and Avalon Books. --->













Well, that was the fun stuff. And as soon as I get my notes together, I can dish on some of the cool things I learned. :)

It's good to be back online again.
Did I miss anything good while I was away?

Conference Time--AGAIN

IN THE NEWS: Clerk felt God's presence as she, gunman prayed. Read more HERE.

Well, I'm off to the New Jersey Romance Writer's "Put Your Heart in a Book" Conference!

I so need this now, especially with me wanting to start a new book soon. I can't wait!

And just in case you can't get enough of me, I'll be blogging at the Samhain Blog tomorrow morning, talking about conference goodies! (A timely subject, if I say so myself) Pop over and share your favorite with me.

Have a great weekend!