Be sure to check out the September issue of Romantic Times Magazine this month to see our cover story! Yes, we made the cover! Well, technically it's Lori Foster's book on the cover, but we made the sidebar cover. Good nuff 4 me.

Anyway, the article is a travelogue Liz and I wrote based on our adventures in Japan. Photos, hijinx, hilarity. Well worth the $3.95 price tag or whatever it is they're charging these days. Buy it, read it, write to RT and tell them it was zomgwtfawesomeness and they 'totes need to have us become regular contributors to the mag. (You can paraphrase, of course.)

Thanks. You may go back to your reguarly scheduled lives now.

Marianne

______

Your favorite author of all time announces the sale of her latest book. From the title and the blurb, you know the book is going to be just fabulous, and you can't wait to read it. The catch? It won't be on the bookshelves for another eighteen months! Sometimes you hear about a book that is two years away from sale, and that's when you start to shake your head and wonder about the speed of the publishing industry. Is it the only profession in the world that hasn't figured out what "instant gratification" means?

It might surprise you to know that, in fact, the publishing industry does work at top speed, and those 1.5 and 2 year waits for a book to be released are really tight turnarounds. No, really, they are. Let me take you on a little tour through the birth and growth of a novel.

Quite often, when you hear of a sale of a novel by your favorite author, she has actually known about that sale for months. She hasn't breathed a word until now, because she can't say anything until the contract for the book has been signed, and she has her signed copy in her hot little hand.

As soon as her editor told her he was interested in her book, the contract negotiations swung into gear. Possibly, the author had to step back, contact her agent, and get her agent to take over - there's a day or so, right there. The agent and editor and other members of the publishing house go through rounds of negotiations for the "biggies" - advances, royalty rates, etc.

Then a contract is drawn up and sent to the agent for approval. The agent works her way through the multi-page contract and begins to discuss any clauses she doesn't like with the editor. When the agent and editor arrive at a contract they're happy with (and that could take weeks, or even months - especially if the agent is consulting the author along the way, to discuss concessions and clauses), then three copies are sent to the author. She signs all three and must snail mail them to the agent, who passes the contract to the publisher (snail mail again), who signs all three copies, and snail mails two copies back to the agent, along with an advance check.

The agent banks the check, writes her own with her commission taken off the top, and then snail mails the last remaining contract and her check to the author.

Finally the author can announce the sale of her book.

If the author has sold the book based on a partial only (usually, three chapters and a synopsis outlining the whole book), then the author has to get cracking and finish the manuscript by the due date given in the contract. But there could be a hold up here: if the editor wants to make changes to the story based on the synopsis, then the author may have to rework and turn in another synopsis for approval, first.

But eventually, the book will be written and turned into the editor. Most New York-based publishers still want hard copy.  The author must print out and snail mail the book to the editor, along with the electronic files. E-publishers are happy to accept electronic files at all stages of production, which is why e-publishers can generally get a book released much faster than a print publisher.

The editor reads through the completed manuscript. It could take days for him even to clear time to read it, as there are other authors he takes care of, whose books were turned in first. At every stage of the production process, the book must wait until the editor has time to look at it, and most novels are dealt with in a strict priority order -- it's often the only way an editor can stay on top of his deadlines.

The initial read-through may present major story problems that the editor will discuss with the author, and perhaps request a re-work. Eventually the author will provide a manuscript that is ready for editing. This can be a long process, as editors lead busy lives. The marked-up hard copy is mailed back to the author, who also goes through the edits, and agrees, or changes, the editor's mark-ups.

Traditionally this is all done on the original paper manuscript, but it's becoming more common even for paperback publishers to ask their author to make the changes to the electronic files, and print out a fresh copy, and supply the adjusted files, which all get mailed back to the editor.

There could be another round or two of edits after the first one, sent on paper or via email, until everyone reaches a final manuscript that they're happy with.

While this is happening, the cover of the book is designed, and the jacket copy written.

The designing of a cover is critical: As a reader, you know that a fabulous cover will make you pick up the book. Building the cover can take weeks, with consultation with the editor, publisher, marketing department, and sometimes even the sales people who sell the books to booksellers and distributors. Finally, the finished cover is sent to the author.

It may surprise you to know that the author is rarely consulted on the cover. Most publishers will provide the author with an initial cover questionnaire for factual information only -- the color of the heroine's hair and eyes, etc. Some will ask what the author would like to see as a cover, emphasizing that they may or may not listen, but many publishers don't invite even that much input.

Once the edited manuscript has been finalized, it must go through a last line editing, where all the missed typos are picked up (hopefully), and grammar, spelling and punctuation adjusted to suit the "house style". (Authors living in different countries, even if they speak English, use different spelling that must be changed). Often, this line edited copy is sent to the author for a last check.

The editor books press time with the printer. This could be many weeks ahead, depending upon the printer's schedule and the availability of paper. For very big publishers, the press time may have been scheduled as soon as the novel went to contract, but booked months ahead to give adequate time for pre-production.

Usually, the cover is printed on a different press than the text. The two only come together when they're bound and trimmed into the final book. The cover could be printed months ahead of the text. This provides the author and marketing people with "cover flats" to use for publicity and promotion.

Then the book goes into pre-production: A graphic designer lays out the front matter (all the material that comes before the good stuff), and end matter, if there is any. The designer and editor also have to make decisions about font sizes and types, header and footers, page numbering, how chapters are started (graphics, drop caps for the first line, etc).

Often, the publisher has a standard template for their books, which speeds up the process a little. Then the story is "poured" or "flowed" into the page set-up, tweaked and adjusted. Once the page layout is finalized, the pages are printed off. These are page proofs, or "galleys". Once the editor has had a look over them, they're sent back to the author.

The author (who by now is thoroughly sick of reading her novel) goes through the page proofs looking for anything out of place, such as scene breaks ending at the bottom or top of a page, that aren't flagged for the reader, or unexpected line breaks. Most authors, despite their weariness with the story, will also read through for any typos and mistakes, as well. Finally, the page proofs are mailed back to the editor again. Any changes are incorporated into the page layout.

The page proofs are printed off again and bound (stapled, clipped, etc), turning them into "advance review copies" (ARCs). These are sent out to people who review books for industry magazines such as Romantic Times, and Publisher's Weekly, which most booksellers use as a guide for buying books.

For bookseller publications like Publisher's Weekly, the review should be timed so that it appears about six weeks before the book goes on sale, which is about the time booksellers will need to put in their orders for the book. To have the review appear at that time, the ARC should be submitted six to ten weeks before the date the review needs to appear. That's three or four months before the book goes on sale.

For reader reviews like those in Romantic Times, there's usually a five to six month lead time, for a review to appear as the book goes on sale. The timing is critical. Too early, and buyers forget about the book. Too late, and the book has already come and gone on the bookshelves (most books stay in stores for a bare month, unless they're selling well). Therefore, the production of page proofs and ARCs must be scheduled well in advance of release date.

Once the page layout is finished, the electronic files are formatted for the printer's pre-press department, so they can be plated for the press. The printer's pre-press department will lay out each page so that 16 or 32 or sometimes even 64 different pages are printed at a time. This is a "form" and there could be dozens of forms (or "signatures") stacked together to make a single book.

The cover of the book is wrapped around the text and the two bound together, then trimmed into the final book, boxed and shipped to distributors.

Distributors, such as Ingram and Baker & Taylor, have their own lead times. It can take three or four weeks for copies of the book to be distributed across the States. If a book is highly anticipated and the initial print run (the number printed) is high, then there will be a longer lead time because it takes extra time simply to handle so many cartons. An eagerly awaited book must arrive at the bookstores by the advertised date, so most publishers will print the book as far in advance of the release date as they can manage, to ensure they don't miss that delicate deadline.

And finally, the book arrives on the bookshelf ... anywhere between one and two years since the author first sold the book to the publisher.

There is an built-in compensation for you, the reader, in this long, arduous production schedule: By the time you've finished the book, which could be days or weeks after release, the author has had a good two years to sell three, four or even more books to that publisher, and the next one is about to be released very soon!

One of the more interesting aspects of attending any Romantic Times Convention is watching how 1) the hotel adapts to the three ring circus it is hosting, and 2) how the general populace in the hotel reacts to said three-ring circus.

The Regency Hyatt in Houston did pretty well.  Mark and I got into the hotel on Monday, which is early by convention standards.  It gave us a chance to go shopping.  We visited Memorial City mall, which had dozens of shops you just don't get in Canada, so I went mad.

Coming in early also gave us a chance to size up convention HQ -- the bar -- and to get to know some of the bar staff (also known as "networking").  A couple of the conversations were a bit eye-raising.  We wondered aloud if the hotel and staff were braced for the onslaught, and got airy assurances that they had hosted many conventions as big as, if not bigger, than ours.

By Wednesday night they were sweating buckets trying to keep up.  Full brownie points to them, though: they had double the staff on Thursday night, and kept adding staff for the rest of the conference.

One of the nicest things about getting in early was the chance to catch up with friends and meet new friends before the madness truly got rolling.  One of them was Danny, a romance reviewer from Germany, who kindly translated my German book title once.  I finally met her in person as she attended the convention, too:

Some of the best conversations I had were in the elevators, when I stepped in wearing one of my costumes/outfits.  On Wednesday night I was wearing a ball gown with black opera gloves and a four foot train, and joined a collection of Moulin Rouge can-can girls.  We had to assure the handful of normal people cowering in the corners that this was a readers and writers convention.  Wednesday night was the Ellora's Cave party, and I got to snuggle up with the Ellora's Cave cover models:

On Thursday, Mark finally gave in to heavy pressure to enter the Mr. Romance contest...again.  He was a contestant two years ago in St. Louis.  The organizers needed at least eight people to meet their sponsor's requirements, so Mark agreed to participate in the pageant.  Which meant he was instantly whisked away for rehearsals, and Mr. Romance functions.  Between you, me and the gatepost, I'm not sure why he resisted.  He loves meeting and talking to people (I got the writer's gene instead).  And he had a blast for the rest of the convention, too.

Thursday night was the faery ball, and you couldn't move without brushing up against a pair of wings of some sort.  Bewildered non-convention-goers would sit in the bar -- which was right in the middle of the hotel, where you could watch everything that was happening.  Their expressions were fascinating as they watched the fairies, imps, elves, and other assorted faery folk parade past. 

By Friday, the hotel was just about fully adjusted to the onslaught.  When I took breakfast that morning, I commented to the maitre de', Oscar, that "you look a tad stressed."  He had a restaurant filled to the brim with RT people.  There were many group tables of eight or more, and lots of people were coming to the entrance, seeing a table of friends, and joining that table.  That meant the staff had to scurry around finding extra place settings, chairs, cutlery...  Oscar lifted a brow at me.  "Just a little," he said, trying very hard to sound cool and contained.

Friday night was Heather Graham's Vampires of the Wild West party. It was a bewildering mix of vampires and cowboys and combinations thereof.  One of the best moments at that party, though, was when my friend and author Lise Fuller's husband turned up in his Army dress uniform.  He'd flown down from Colorado to surprise her.  He was the hit of the party, and proved to have a wicked sense of humour.

Saturday was murder on high-heels as far as pushing your stamina was concerned.  We had the Bookfair running through the morning and early afternoon, and barely two hours later, the Mr. Romance competition.  The competition was touched with scandal and gossip.  One of the contestants pulled out at the last minute, and the organizers hurried around looking for a replacement.  That's a lot easier said than done.  You have 2,000 readers, nearly all of them women, and 500 authors, nearly all of them women, too. 

What they did was a stroke of brilliance.  They asked Staff Sgt. Jesse Wiseman, husband of one of the writers, to fill in at the last minute.  Jesse is not the next Fabio, but he has a wonderful sense of humour, and enough style to pull it off with total panache.  His free pose at the end had every woman in the room weeping, because he came on in his dress uniform, carrying a bag, as if he was just returning home from the war.  The model ran up to him and threw herself into his arms.... 

It was fitting that Jesse was announced first runner up, although Maggie, his wife, has assured me that his mates at the base are still laughing themselves silly over the whole affair.

It's even more precious a moment when you consider that Jesse is shipping out tomorrow for his third tour of duty in Iraq.  My best wishes and hopes go with him.

Sunday morning we spent in the bar, wishing friends farewell as they checked out.  It was a mass exodus, and by Sunday afternoon, you could hear a pin drop in that bar.  After the pajama party that night we did our best to make the bar as rowdy a joint as it had been all week, and our small corner was rocking.  The rest of the bar had early arrivals for the next convention -- engineers and technical people -- still watching us out of the corner of their eyes, so we didn't let the team down.

Monday morning when I went to breakfast, Oscar hurried across the restaurant to meet me before I sat down.  "Not stressed at all now!" he assured me with a big smile, and shook my hand.

One of the best conversations I had was when I went into the Starbucks store that is attached to the lobby.  The woman who made my coffee shyly stepped around from the counter and handed it to me.  "You're one of them romance writers, aren't you?"

I agreed that I was.

"Oh, we've had so much fun watching you people this last week.  We're going to miss you!"

Feeling bummed about it?

Awwww... don't feel bad. Here's a chance to win a bag of goodies I brought home, just for this purpose.

It's got books in it (sorry, can't remember which ones...or uh, where the bag is at the moment) it has promo goodies in it. A nice tote.

So not quite being there, but hey, you can get some of the goodies we got.

I'm going to make one condition to the contest-if you did go to RT, don't enter. This is for those who weren't able to go, okay? And always...if you're unfamiliar with my contests, read the disclaimer. Cheaters get thrown out automtically, I do ship outside the country, but it might take a while, and you have to check back to see if you win-otherwise, it's kind of hard to claim your prize. :-) Easy enough?

Okay, all you have to do to enter is drop your name into the comments section and tell me where you'd like to see RT at in the future. I'll draw a winner sometime in the next week and post it here on the blog.

Contest is now over-the winner's name has been drawn & posted.  To eliminate confusion, comments on this post are now closed.

So, here are my pics from RT. Stole a couple from Jaynie, Jose, and Nancy. Hope you all are cool with that.

http://reneegeorge1.shutterfly.com

Hugs,

Renee

So I was in the hall, waiting on an elevator, talking to one of the readers. My husband was there with me-he's the quiet type, listens, rarely speaks (I probably don't give him much of a chance)

Angela Knight's name comes up and I mention her cop. Said something like, "I just love the way he is with her. He's always like two steps behind, watching, taking care of her"... blah, blah, blah... can't remember exactly.

The reader there smiled and said, "Oh, don't you just love that? It's so sweet when the guy is right there...watching out for you, protecting you."

My husband looks at the reader. Looks at me. Just shakes his head. "You don't need protection."

The reader blinks, then starts laughing. Me, I'm too busy snickering. No matter what he says, he's always there when I need him-still, I get a kick every time I think about that.

RT 2008 - The beginning, somewhere in between, and the end. :)

Holy Schmoly! What a trip RT was this year. First let's start with how I was treated like a domestic terrorists at the airport leaving Kansas City. LOL. My BFF Michele Bardsley (she flew in from OK and met me in KC) and I had our flight delayed on United, so they, being the generous souls they are moved us over to a Midwest flight (and thank heavens or we would have spent the first day of RT in Chicago!). But, because of the airline move, our luggage was searched top to bottom, then our carry on crap was ravaged, then we got a full body massage from the security guard. I swear I've had less thorough exams at my gynecologists. Luckily they didn't bring out the dogs to sniff our persons or anything, and after it was all over, I gave the uniformed chick at $5 tip and told her to keep up the good work. LOLLOL.

The plane we got on was small, like I could lay across the aisle and touch both sides of it small. Really made me nervous, but it was a direct flight (yeah!) and we got there an hour ahead of schedule. That Pittsburgh airport, sheesh (I know you all know what I'm talking about). I thought I was going to have to get a doctor's note to be excused from the long, arduous walk down to their train thingy that takes you to the baggage claim area. I was huffing and puffing so badly I could barely smoke my cigarette when I got out the front doors! hehe. (Bad Renee).

Da da dah! Jose Lugo to the rescue. He came and picked us up (along with his lovely friend Megan) at the airport (such a sweety! and he gave us chocolate, for which I will be leaving him good shit in my will -- future reference there, Jose) and drove us to the Hilton. OMG I was so excited to see my other BFFs Dakota Cassidy, Terri Smythe, Jaynie Ritchie, and Robin (in the bar of course) when we got there! These are some of the coolest chicks evah! (Double chins or not, lol). If you'd only lay off the booze, chicas. (kidding -- sort of -- LOLLOL). I think we checked in and took our bags up to the room somewhere along this timeline, but can't remember when. I shared a room with Ter and Michele. I sleep like the dead so their snoring wasn’t a problem… hehe. (To tell the truth, I have no idea if they snored. I sleep like the dead!)

The whole of RT was a whirlwind blur. Panels, snarks, fans, friends, balls, dancing, shopping, leg cramps, etc. LOL.

MaryJanice Davidson – Soooo f*cking nice! I don’t care what Dakota and Michele say… LOL. It was like finding out your teacher is a real live person. Also, her BFF Jessica is awesome.  Oh, and MJD said I had gorgeous eyes, which of course, since I’m keeping score, put her way ahead on the leader board. AND she bought breakfast for Michele and I, so again, waaayy ahead on the leader board. LOL. L.A. Banks – omg, tall, beautiful, and funny. Plus, since I’d bought her a cup of coffee, we’re like BFF’s now. (p~~ D!) Monique Patterson – senior editor for St. Martin’s Press – wow, like she was just wow. I managed to talk to her (after a friendly push – because I’m a major chicken ass) and then felt sick after words, LOL. She was completely lovely and approachable, but I rambled (because that’s what I do when I’m nervous) and felt like a total goof. 

Let’s see, there were some awesome peeps hanging out in the smoking area where I set up my home away from home, lol. Julie and her mom, Morgan Hawke, Delilah, Barbara, Goeff, Ron, and Jay. Also, met some new BFFs Lori and Space, a husband and wife team who are unrivaled! They totally rocked the Casbah.  Nanchez and Patricia! You both are da bomb!!

Oh! And I had a fan. Woot! Woot! LOL. A lovely lady named Char who has actually read both Renee George books and Hannah Beckham books, which just totally made my whole year, since I wasn’t completely unknown. Nearly, mind you, but not completely.

The ebook signing was cool, if not a little disorganized, but I give the RT ladies total props for trying hard. I loved seeing Shara Cooper again and discussing the hot guys of BBC.  Shara, me and you, like this. (imagine me crossing my fingers indicating solidarity.) lol. And Woot! Finally met Selena Illyria. A totally rockin’ chick. Loved her. Jade Buchanan, just as wonderful and full of personality. She's like major cool. I kissed Sahara Kelly every time I saw her. Come on! Like who wouldn't!  A late arrival, Kira Stone met all my expectations. After knowing her via Internet for the last several years, it was amazing meeting her in person. Also, another highlight was meeting my publisher Margaret Reilly and her husband, Bill. Love them! I didn’t get to visit much, but did manage to give them both hugs, lol.

The print book fair went awesome for my buds Dakota and Michele. I’m uber proud of both of them!! I’m grateful to J. C. Wilder for introducing me to the Jennifer Dunne “yeep.” LOL. Both ladies were fantastic, btw. To all the FAR chicks, you all just get cooler every time I meet you! Cici and Erika – two fantastic sisters who know how to work the shoes! And Linda! Lovely Linda. She won a wallpaper from me last month and was seriously working the mug. LOL.

I apologize completely if I left anyone out. Everyone I met made an impression on me and made this RT even better than last year, but I'm terrible with names!

On the way home, I was treated like a domestic terrorist again, only this time in Pittsburgh. Stupid me, I wore a shirt with a metal circle clasping fabric between my boobs. I couldn’t get through the metal detector without setting it off. I offered just to take off my shirt, lol. But noooo. Instead, I got my ass patted...several times (damned riveted jeans!) Had my boobs felt up, not once, not twice, but three times! I’m like day-yam! Michele says I just have one of those faces that make people suspicious. Either that or they just want to touch all that is ME.

I’m going to post pictures soon!

Hugs and love,

Renee

Ya había leído por ahí que la convención incluía un concurso, Mr. Romance, para elegir al mejor modelo masculino de portada de novela romántica. (¿Te imaginas diez tíos buenos desfilando caracterizados de héroes románticos? Dios...) Como la promoción y el espectáculo van de la mano en Estados Unidos, realmente no me sorprendió. Aunque debo admitir que mi duende criticón frunció la nariz: "portadas con macizos semivestidos, ¿igual que en la revista PlayBoy? Mmm, por favor, dime que no". Bromas aparte, si empezamos así desde la tapa, no quiero pensar lo que encontraremos dentro. Como ésto sea un indicativo de lo que vende bien por esos lares, me temo que estamos apañadas.

Y por lo visto, parece que lo es.

Leyendo Naughty Books for Girls, una entrada fresquita de una de las blogueras de The Lipstick Chronicles, tuve el primer indicio de que este año en la convención tampoco llovió a gusto de todo el mundo. Es más, hay un sector de la población femenina (aficionadas a la novela romántica y no) a la que cada vez le gusta menos el modo en que llueve.

"Mi nada científico estudio sobre lo que se vendió en RT (la convención) y lo que ha vendido en el pasado se reduce a ésto: a las mujeres nos va el porno siempre que sea en forma de historias de pasión" dice Sarah en un post con bastante retintín que comienza haciendo referencia a un libro "Porn for Women" (Porno para mujeres) de Cambridge Women's Pornography Cooperative. Este libro del que puedes ver unas imágenes con leyendas divertidas aquí (debajo de la cubierta), ironiza sobre la cuestión, aludiendo a que a las mujeres de verdad nos pone ver hombres medio desnudos solamente si están haciendo la colada o lavando los platos.

Yo añadiría que también si están anunciando por televisión un detergente para lavadoras. De esos "que eliminan hasta las manchas más rebeldes" ;-)

¿Tú, qué opinas?

⁽¹⁾ Evento anual que reúne a escritores, autores, agentes, editores y público aficionado a la novela romántica organizado por Romantic Times, editores del magazine "Romantic Times Book Reviews" dedicado a novela romántica más antiguo e importante de Estados Unidos.

06/05/08: Por cierto, si quieres echar un ojo al ganador del concurso Mr. Romance 2008, aquí está su galeria de fotos.

American Title-ists I, II, III, IV

Janice Lynn, Lindsey Brookes, Michele Ann Young, Jenny Gardiner, Judi Fennell, Raz Steel, Trish Milburn, Kim Howe

          Fabio              Stephanie Julian  Steph& JR Ward        Cover Models         Lindsey, Jenny, Me, Helen

Me, Adele, LA Banks      Valley Forge          Gerri Rusell       Mr. Romance

                                  Romance Writers         and Mom                2008

Christy Craig            Trish Milburn & Janice Lynn     RT Staff                        EC Cavemen

Stephanie Julian's star      Lynne Connolly's sari    JL Wilson's Poodle Skirt    My Ballgown

Judi and Kim Howe                           Donna Michaels       Eve Vaughn               Rayna Vause

       JL Wilson               Lynne Connolly         Adele Dubois                Stephanie Julian

So when I ran into Fabio last night, he was travel-tired and locked out of his hotel room and on his way with his luggage back to the front desk for a new key. But he graciously stopped for a photo.

Today, he was at an event I attended and we chatted before he went into the event. Well, okay, maybe I apologized for taking up his time when he was so tired and I thanked him for being so gracious. When it was my turn for the photos with him, he gave me a big hug and took a few shots with me.

A very nice guy. Sincere, gracious and patient. Thanks, Fabio!

 Fabio and Kathryn Falk of Romantic Times.

 Fabio and Pittsburgh Steelers Mascot.

 The video is Fabio's comments at the SOS Mixer honoring our servicemen and women.

I'm at the RT Convention in Pittsburgh, PA and Fabio is here for the 25th Anniversary Cover Model Dinner for Charity. I just happened to meet him in the hallway and he graciously stopped for a photograph. And, yes, folks, the man still has "it." He's very nice, very gracious even after travelling and being given the wrong key for his hotel room.

I couldn't figure out why I was so hyper to go. I mean, I'm a mom. I've got lunches to make, food shopping and laundry to do before I can leave and that's just for my family. Never mind getting my conference clothes and the costumes ready to go. And, of course, the peacock shoes.

So I thought about why I was so hyped and realized it's because I haven't been to an industry "thing" since the October New Jersey RWA Chapter conference in October. We're talking six months! My schedule is busy for the next 6 months with the Bucks County event, the Long Island event, RWA National and then NJRW again, but I guess I'm suffering from professional withdrawal.

Conferences energize me, they motivate me. Meeting other writers and readers motivates me. Seeing my fellow American Title Finalists  energizes me. Chatting with industry people motivates me. So, while I need no motivation to get up ungodly early tomorrow to drive to Pittsburgh, I'm thinking my writing can use the professional motivation.

I'm going to try to blog from the convention. Don't hold me to it - I might be having too much "motivation" at the parties. :)

Rose’s magical debut is charming and delightful. Erin is a proactive heroine determined to save her man, or in this case, her elf! Humor, action, and plenty of romance are great indicators that Rose has a bright and promising future ahead of her.

Sensuality rating: Mild

(Note: Comments relate to this other post. Editing screw up on my part, sorry.)

RT, here I come.

"Plumley not only delivers a fun-filled premise, clever dialogue and a delightfully sexy sports-loving hero, she brings to life a memorable, hilarious and utterly unique heroine readers will adore. This is pure romantic fantasy and an absolutely entertaining novel from start to finish." —Romantic Times BOOK Reviews (4½ stars Top Pick!)

This is a first for me, so I'm doubly excited. Thanks, Marilyn and RT!

Now I really can't wait for Let's Misbehave to hit bookstore shelves, so I can share it with you.

Till later,
Lisa :)

And don’t forget to tell EVERYONE you know to vote! Email is a wonderful tool, people. Let’s use it!

Despite the happy news, there is also sad news. Cathy Pegau and Sally Stotter have not advanced. HOWEVER their work was great enough to be chosen for the finals in the first place and they are winners too, so please join me as I raise a toast in their honor!

May they hold contracts in their hands soon!