So…New York and the Romance Writers of America conference were nothing short of amazing. Thank you to the lovely people who showed up at our Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood workshop, The Road to Novel Completion. I hope you had as much fun as we did. For conference highlights, check out the RSS’s daily recaps:

• Arrival Day with Anne Barton (who not only WON a Golden Heart, but also landed a book deal during conference!!!)
• Day 1 with me (who had a fashion faux pas involving blue cake icing)
• Day 2 with Hope Ramsay (fabulous Grand Central Publishing author who became a grandmother during conference)
• Day 3 with Sara Ramsey (who was also a GH nominee this year and is probably having a very cool time in Germany right now)

Post-conference, I celebrated Fourth of July in true American style with NY native Jen McAndrews and my Brazilian friend Gabriela Lessa. Fireworks and fine diner food. Perfect. I stayed in a beautiful boutique hotel on West 44th Street. I’m convinced it’s haunted, but then I do have a very fertile imagination. On my way downtown to Greenwich Village, I spent a shamefully long time shopping at discount chainstores Marshall’s and TJ Maxx. (Actually, I’m not that ashamed — I came home with some amazing bargains and one not-so-cheap Italian leather handbag, but a heavily discounted one nonetheless.) I spotted Aussie designer Wayne Cooper’s clothes on some of the racks.

I officially became addicted to Broadway. I saw four shows, forsaking meals in order to do so. Wicked - wonderful. (Thank you to Kim MacCarron for making that possible.) How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying – Daniel Radcliffe; joyous. Catch Me If You Can – Aaron Tveit as Frank Abagnale Jr — great voice, great costumes and set design. Memphis - I’ll be honest and say it was my least favourite show, but I *adored* the ’50s dresses. The music was written by Bon Jovi’s David Bryan. The beginning of one song, to my ears, was slightly Bon Jovi-esque but otherwise faithful to the era.

A trip to the States would not be complete without some form of star-spotting. We bumped into Jim Parsons of Big Bang Theory fame as he exited the John Golden Theatre. My sister is gonna be sooooo jealous when I show her the video I took…of the back of Jim’s head. Earlier on my trip, my dear friend Tina Ferraro and I had a close encounter with Topher Grace in West Hollywood. He dined next to us at a chi-chi cafe on the Sunset Strip wearing mirrored aviator glasses and a sunburnt face.

I left with a few regrets — not stopping for a salty caramel ice-cream in Greenwich Village, not visiting the Guggenheim, not getting better close-up shots of the Chrysler Building’s foyer (I was kind of chased away by a vagrant), not having quite enough hot dogs.

Times Square -- obviously not for those who want some peace and quiet

Kim MacCarron and a conveniently placed Empire State Building

The Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood workshop. L-R: Liz Talley, me, Jennifer Bray-Weber, Tamara Hogan, Autumn Jordon, Anne Marie Becker

Harlequin SuperRomance author Liz Talley. Isn't she SuperGorgeous? She kept us in line moderating the workshop.

The Pond - Central Park

Macarons at a chocolate shop opposite the Simon and Schuster building. (I will return for you, macarons!!!)

The view from the Metropolitan Museum's rooftop garden. Jen McAndrews very kindly treated me to the extraordinary Alexander McQueen exhibit.

Grand Central Station, where Jen and I experienced the miracle of the whispering gallery. We each stood in corners diagonally opposite each other, about five metres apart, and whispered to the wall. Remarkably, we could hear each other say, "Can you hear me???"

Jen, Gabi, and the Empire State Building

The Chrysler Building - as I mentioned ad nauseam to Kim, my favourite Art Deco building.

Bah humbug to the rude man who mocked me as I snapped this photo of "the pointy building."

Erica O'Rourke (whose excellent book TORN is out now, just a year after winning the Golden Heart!), me and Kim.

Bryant Park -- moments before I was chased away by a gardener with a leaf blower.

Tor Teen

Editor Melissa Frain said she wanted to see a ghost-ship submission. She later amended on Twitter that she also wants a buried treasure book. Aside from those, she’s into character-based stories and books with romantic elements. I also have here a scribble that reads “Trends toward 15-to-17 age group.“

Editor Whitney Ross is hanging out for a YA along the lines of Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series. Her YA tastes run similar to Melissa’s. She likes not necessarily a happily-ever-after ending but a hopeful ending, and books that aren’t entirely dark.

Kristen Sevick, editor of A Dog’s Purpose, is not a YA editor per se, but she is horse crazy. (A woman after my own heart!) Loves Black Beauty (but is interested in books from a human perspective rather than a horse’s POV), any stories in which horses feature.

Editor Susan Chang, who was not at the spotlight on Tor Teen, takes care of younger/middle-grade fiction for Tor Starscape.

Tor Teen books to look out for: The Faerie Ring by Kiki Hamilton; Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake; Original Sin by Lisa Desrochers.

Pocket Books

Pocket has a limited YA focus at the moment, but RITA-nominated Jennifer Echols is their YA star.

—-

My agent’s assistant, Beth, very kindly took me on a tour of Writers House lit agency. The building was once owned by the Astors. We went inside a vault the size of my hotel room. It used to house VIPs for the Astors. That is, very important paperwork like deeds and bonds, etc. I was too busy ooh-ing and ahh-ing at the bookshelves filled with Sweet Valley High, Stephenie Meyer, Nora Roberts and Ken Follett titles to take pictures, but you can see some nice shots of the Victorian interior on the agency website.

I didn’t get to all the YA events/workshops this time around, and at one very useful one that I did attend we were asked not to divulge info we learned there. But I will say a number of editors and agents said, submissions-wise, they often don’t know what they’re looking for until they see it. You just have to write a darn good book and if it happens to be a darn good vampire novel, then so be it.

Speaking of darn good books, my dear friend Erica O’Rourke celebrated the release of her debut YA novel, Torn, at the conference. Torn was last year’s Golden Heart-winning book. Erica’s beautiful new website went live, too. If you have one of her bookmarks, the QR code printed on it will lead you to exclusive content and extra scenes hidden on her site.

CONGRATULATIONS to this year’s Golden Heart winner, Suzanne Kaufman Kalb, and the 2011 RITA YA winner, Julie Kagawa, for The Iron King, which was the first book editor Natashya Wilson acquired for the Harlequin Teen line. For the full, stellar list of GH and RITA winners, see RWA’s announcement here.

Okay, the rain’s slowing down and I’m all out of Cheetos, so it’s time to venture out into the City. I ♥ NY!

Erica O'Rourke, me, Kim MacCarron - post awards, post deeeeelicious dessert

Erica O’Rourke won the Golden Heart last year for her dark urban fantasy YA, TORN. Not only did she win a shiny piece of coveted jewellery, she got a fetching fluoro tiara courtesy of her MargaRITA mates AND a book deal. Now Erica is the lead author for Kensington’s brand-new K Teen line and TORN will be out “in the wild,” as she says, on June 28. She’ll be in New York signing at RWA’s literacy charity event on that very day. Go chase her for autograph — I will be! For more about K Teen, check out a statement here from editor Alicia Condon.

The MargaRITAS (L-R): Kim MacCarron, Shea Berkley, Erica O'Rourke with fetching fluoro-green tiara, me, Jen McAndrews, Carey Corp

I am ‘fairy’ excited about Amanda Ashby‘s latest, FAIRY BAD DAY. In this fun YA, Emma Jones is assigned the less-than-impressive role of fairy slayer. On the career scale, this is apparently a few rungs below ‘dragon slayer’ but it comes with its own fair share of monster-sized problems. Amanda’s light paranormals are a scream (YOU HAD ME AT HALO, THE ZOMBIE QUEEN OF NEWBURY HIGH). Great reads if you’re in the mood to LOL.

Congrats, Amanda and Erica!

The winner of an e-copy of Carey’s wonderful debut YA, THE HALO CHRONICLES: THE GUARDIAN is…

GWYN

Congrats, Gwyn! To claim your prize, please email Carey at careycorp @ fuse. net [remove spaces].

Carey, thanks so much for your time. Many happy sales to you, my MargaRITA friend! I dug up one of my fave songs from the Pretty in Pink soundtrack as a little bonus.

Carey’s book is available through  Amazon     Barnes & Noble    Smashwords

In 2010, Carey Corp’s YA novel was a finalist in the prestigious Golden Heart Award, and today we’re celebrating the release of that book, THE HALO CHRONICLES: THE GUARDIAN. Kristi Cook, author of HAVEN, says, “Thrilling and oh-so-romantic, THE GUARDIAN will keep you up all night, turning the pages!” In this urban fantasy, an angel, Gabriel, is sent to protect Alex, a girl with a special gift that she’d do anything to return. They each have their own destinies to fulfill, but will falling for each other get in the way and tear their fragile worlds apart?

Please welcome a dynamic new talent, Carey Corp!

Carey, congrats on the release of your edgy angel YA novel, THE HALO CHRONICLES: THE GUARDIAN! It’s the first in the series. What was the inspiration behind your story?

Strangely enough, the inspiration for my YA was women I knew who were “hooking up” with their high school crushes on Facebook. I started to wonder what it was about first love that would tempt women to risk the lives they’d built and their families. I wrote this: “A woman’s first love has a special and often confusing hold over her life. As it is happening and even years after the relationship’s demise, that love can become a stumbling block to happiness, impeding the ability to move forward.”

As I explored this concept, THE GUARDIAN fell into place. I mean, what better symbolism for the idealistic perfection of first love than an angel. Don’t get me wrong, the angel is *insert swoon* HEAVENLY. But what really intrigued me about this series was the boy who comes after the angel. Does he even have a shot?

Hmm, we’ll all have to buy the book and find out if he does!  Your heroine, Alex, can see goodness and evil in others by the appearance of their auras or halos. Of course, most ordinary folks can’t see halos. It’s a preternatural gift that she feels is actually a curse–why is that?

Most teens just want to fit in — be normal. Alex is sooo not normal. She sees evil and her fear triggers all kinds of unpleasant sensory reactions. Wouldn’t you think that was a curse?

I’m a scaredy-cat, Carey — I’d probably react the same way! That brings me to my next question: Do you believe there’s a guardian angel looking out for you?

Absolutely. When I was a teenager, a guardian angel named Trey saved me from some scary guys in downtown San Francisco. Honest to God!!!

Here’s the story: I went on a trip to San Francisco with the peer-counseling club. All the other kids went off together and I got left behind — I probably could’ve joined them if I’d asked — but in my ego-centric perception I’d been intentionally snubbed. So, I took off on my own, at night, down Market Street. I walked for blocks in a huff, not noticing the surroundings go from nice to shabby.

Just as I realized I was in a bad neighborhood, a couple of creepy guys — who’d been loitering on a stoop — came at me. Not fast, but deliberate. Before I could panic *much* this teenaged boy came out of nowhere to step between the creepers and me. He put his hand on my shoulder, moving me as he said, “I think you want to turn about now.” Then he linked his arm in mine and walked me the fourteen blocks back to my hotel.

What I remember most is that he really listened to me at a time when I needed an empathetic ear. Well that and after he kissed my cheek in front of my hotel, he disappeared. As I entered the building, I stopped and looked back toward Trey but he was gone.

I got chills. Love that story!  In addition to the THE GUARDIAN, you’ve co-written DOON, another YA, with Lorie Langdon. What are the challenges and benefits of writing as a duo? 

Challenges: Hair pulling, name calling, crying, and, of course, the silent treatment. And that’s on the good days.

Benefits: Lorie was my crit partner before my writing partner and she’s one of my best friends. It’s a lot of fun to write a story about bffs with your bff. As part of our co-authoring process, we’ve talked to several collaborative duos. One thing we learned is every writing partnership works differently. Kami and Margaret (BEAUTIFUL CREATURES) collaborated on each chapter and wrote over one another (no hair pulling). Lorie and I each took a character and alternated chapters. It was so much fun. We’re in an intense revision right now *can’t say more* and part of my goal for my reworked chapters is to crack Lorie up. Trust me — it’s preferable to the hair pulling.

LOL! I can imagine! Sounds like a fun process. Speaking of fun, I hear you’re a big fan of John Hughes movies (You have such good taste!). What did his films teach you about life?

Everything. John Hughes recognized that my life was important. He gave value to the lives of every geek that rode the bus to school and every misfit that cowered against the gym wall at a dance. He taught me weird is good, popular kids feel pressure too, and rich guys are douches.

So true. Your blog features a fun series called FIRST LOVE FRIDAYS where your guests open up about — you guessed it! — their first loves. But, Carey, honey, I want to know about your first love. C’mon, spill!

Yes, FLF is the first Friday of each month. In June, I’m featuring *shameless plug* RITA finalist, Tina Ferraro. Oh sorry, you asked about my *ahem*  first love.

I didn’t date in high school. I was insecure and awkward. I took a junior to prom and he danced the last dance with someone else. In high school, I read. A lot. I liked boys — but they didn’t like me back — or they did, for about a minute — or they wanted to move too fast and when I wouldn’t, they ended up going to second and a half base with my best friend.

My first kiss was easy. Third grade. Jonathan. His dad was a nurse and my dad was a nurse and that’s all the kismet we needed for an elementary smooch. Love was…confusing. I’d have to say the first person I knew I loved — not an epic Pretty in Pink Jake-like crush — was my hubby. That was years after high school…for me, at least.

Wow! Is it any wonder I write YA? Cheaper and more cathartic than therapy. Plus it’s a great way to get revenge on the mean kids.

Couldn’t agree more! Thanks so much for sharing, Carey! 

Carey is giving away an e-copy of THE HALO CHRONICLES to one lucky commenter. All you have to do is tell us about your guardian angel experience and/or your favourite John Hughes movie. 

Buy THE HALO CHRONICLES: THE GUARDIAN (a 2010 RWA Golden Heart® finalist for young adult fiction) at Amazon     Barnes & Noble    Smashwords    Coming soon to iBookstore. Turn your computer into a free eReader: Kindle for PC  NOOK for PC.

More information at www.careycorp.com. Visit Carey’s blog.

Ridge Forrester, played by Ronald Montague Moss aka Ronn Moss aka popstar, songwriter and owner of the highest cheekbones in TV.

You thought this post would be about me bleaching my hair platinum or getting implants, didn’t you? Not yet.

The Bold and the Beautiful’s new opening titles sequence debuted on Australian screens this afternoon, so naturally I’ll use any excuse to talk about the show. My friends don’t call me a “tragic” fan of The Bold and the Beautiful for nothin’. (Don’t snicker. I know many totally sane people from all walks of life who indulge in watching the show daily.) Unlike many of the show’s stars, the opening titles have had just three makeovers in 24 years. Incidentally, the show began on my birthday in 1987, so I was destined to be a Bold tragic. You can see all title sequences, including the latest, here:

At my previous workplace, I got paid to watch Bold–writing closed-captions for the Deaf. One by one, my colleagues, all highly educated, highly discerning people, got hooked on the show. (Okay, maybe not as much as I did, but they had an appreciation for it.) The show is highly, highly, highly educational for romance writers. Over the years, I’ve learnt:

1. How to bring characters back from the dead, even if they had been blown to smithereens in a car crash on the treacherous roads at Big Bear, crushed by falling chandeliers, or even shot through the heart. (You just need to come up with a plausible explanation for how they survived, eg. Macy Alexander was snatched from a burning vehicle by her biological father while no-one was looking, and taken to Italy to lick her extensive wounds, so to speak. Meanwhile, her poor hubby thought she’d been burnt to a crisp. Sorry, Thorne — Macy sunbaked in Portofino while you were grieving.)
2. If your real name is Texas Battle, A, you are are destined to be a soap star, and B, insist on giving your character a normal name, like Marcus rather than Ridge or Whip.
3. Marriage is not to be taken lightly. Ask Brooke Logan Forrester Chambers Jones Forrester Marone Forrester, who has had 14+ weddings** and every time she managed to find a unique gown to wear or a novel mode of transportation to the ceremony. (**I may or may not be exaggerating.)
4. In the case of Bold, it’s bad luck for viewers to see the bride’s dress before the wedding. Nine times out of ten, if this happens, the wedding will not go ahead due to the bride being in love with someone else, the groom being in love with someone else, or inclement weather.
5. The best love stories are those in which the hero and heroine have to overcome obstacles like paternity suits, evil ex-partners, saintly ex-partners, and hostage situations before they finally get together and say “I do…for now.”
6. A good slap shouldn’t just come from out of nowhere. You have to build up to it and then get in a good whack. Check out this scene between Stephanie and Taylor. It comes complete with Dutch subtitles for your convenience.

• An evaluation of the first three chapters and synopsis of your novel by my agent, Robin Rue of Writers House. Robin also represents Linda Howard and Elizabeth Scott, two of my favourite authors.
• A critique of the first 100 pages of your manuscript by Robin’s assistant extraordinaire – Beth Miller.
• An honorary Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood membership and mentorship.
• A WiFi Kindle donated by the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood. Our Kindle comes pre-loaded with books published by Rubies.
• The opportunity to have your cat star in Beth Cornelison‘s next novel. (I love this idea!)
• A collection of autographed Anna Campbell novels. Trust me, you want all these on your bookshelf.
• A critique of a partial manuscript from USA Today bestselling author Annie West.
• An afternoon tea in New York with Meg Cabot. Bidding is up to $1,600 so far.
• A meet-and-greet with Celine Dion in Vegas, as well as two concert tickets.

To date, Brenda’s auction has raised over $1 million, but much more is needed to help find a cure for diabetes. Donations to the cause can also be made — click here.

Happy bidding!

Good onya, Bea, I say. This is one way of turning fashion tragedy into triumph. I actually didn’t mind the rest of her wedding outfit.

In keeping with today’s royal theme, my sister sent me these images of life imitating art:

Did you watch the royal wedding? Which outfits caught your eye? What are your fashion regrets? (Mine — a long brown cardigan that made me look like an Ewok.)

Robin Kaye!

Congratulations! You’ve won an e-book copy of CODENAME: DANCER. Please email me on ness [at] vane ssa.b arneveld.c om (remove spaces and use the @ symbol) to claim your prize!

For those of you who didn’t win, CODENAME: DANCER is available now at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Smashwords.

1. Amanda, you’re one of those amazing people I look at and think, “How does she do it?” You’re a mum, a wife, a Ruby-Slippered Sister, a writer, and an attorney in Washington, DC. What’s your secret? And are you going to patent it?

LOL, I’m not sure I’d describe myself in as glowing terms as you are, but hey, I’ll take it! And now that you mention it, yeah, actually I am pretty busy. I’m tired just reading that list! But I’ve always found that I do best when I’m running around like a crazy girl. It’s when I have a ton of downtime that I get twitchy and don’t quite know what to do with myself.

2. Like your heroine, Dani, you’re a dancer. (See the evidence here, folks!) Apart from providing the backbone for Codename: Dancer, how has ballet enriched your writing life?

Dance has always been a part of my life. It sounds cheesy, but it’s in my blood. I don’t think I could ever not dance. Not only is it a wonderful creative outlet, but it also instilled a sense of discipline and confidence. And being a performer taught me that I could be any different character that I wanted, which helps when I’m trying to really get into the head of my heroine.

3. Dani faces some pretty daunting threats to life and limb. If you could whisper in her ear, what advice would you give to keep Dani on her toes, so to speak?

Honestly, I’d tell her to butt out and stop snooping! Sure, she only gets involved because strange things are happening all around her, but it’s her nosiness that escalates the situation. But of course, we wouldn’t have a story if she listened, would we? Like any self-respecting humorous mystery/romantic comedy/chick lit YA author, I like to torture my heroines. LOL.

4. What was the most challenging aspect of writing the book?

This was the first YA I ever wrote, so I wasn’t certain whether I could do it. I was more than twice Dani’s age! But I guess I never grew up, because it turned out that I was able to channel my inner teen pretty effectively. I ended up writing the first draft in just 6 weeks….but then it was time for the revision stage. And um, it took longer than just 6 weeks. LOL

5. Codename: Dancer was a Golden Heart finalist in 2009. Tell us about its journey to publication.

After I finaled in 2009, my former agent shopped Codename: Dancer widely, and we actually had a lot of positive feedback from editors. They loved the premise, loved the writing, loved the characters, loved the voice. It even made it to the final acquisitions meetings at a couple of publishing houses. Sounds great, right? Only problem was that marketing didn’t know how to characterize it. The YA imprints all said it was Middle Grade, but the Middle Grade imprints all said it was YA. And since traditionally published books can only be shelved in one place in a bookstore, ultimately they passed.

In reality, it’s kind of both. I consider it “Younger YA” and I think there’s a whole segment of kids out there in the roughly 11-14-year-old age group who aren’t being served by the current classifications. They’re ready for something meatier and hipper than MG, which they consider to be too babyish for them. (And let’s face it. It is.) But they’re not quite ready for the more mature emotional themes of, say, Twilight.

So I decided to take a chance and do it on my own. The publishing houses deemed this a niche book, but I can afford to market it to a niche readership. That’s the beauty of indie-publishing. In a virtual bookstore, I can cross-shelve it and I’m not tied to what bookstore buyers say.

6. Who should consider indie/self-publishing, and what do authors need to be aware of when striking out on their own?

I think if you have a niche book, indie-publishing is perfect for you. Or anything out-of-the-box. I do love NY, and I hope to have a traditional contract one day, but sometimes the definitions are a little too rigid. And I can understand their reluctance to take a chance, because that’s their risk on the line if a book doesn’t sell out its advance.

But I don’t think you should simply bang out a book and put it up on Kindle. Ultimately it’s your professional reputation at risk, so just like a traditionally-published book, you must put forward the absolute best product possible. And that’s the problem. The best thing about self-publishing is that anyone can do it. The worst thing about self-publishing is that anyone can do it.

I hope I don’t sound elitist, but unfortunately, there are a lot of self-published books out there that never should have been published. It’s not that they’re not good books, or their authors aren’t good writers — they’re just not ready. But there are also a lot of really excellent self-published books, and the revolution of the last year has shown that it’s a viable career choice.

So I guess my advice is that if you’ve gotten excellent feedback on your manuscript (and not from your mom!) and you think that NY is not quite right for it for whatever reason, then indie-publishing might be for you. But please do yourself a favor and give it as close to a traditionally-published experience as is possible.

Invest in a professional cover. Hire an editor (or at least utilize multiple critique partners and beta readers…as well as a qualified proofreader). Teach yourself formatting or hire a freelancer. Set a “launch date” and build up buzz ahead of time by giving away copies in contests and undergoing a blog tour. Send it to published authors in your genre for a cover quote. And send it to reviewers. Call on your networks. Were you in a sorority in college? Ask them to feature your book in their alumni magazine. Is there a particular hobby or activity featured in your book? Contact the various magazines or organizations for that activity and ask if they would help you promote. You never know unless you ask!

But remember that for every Amanda Hocking or Victorine Lieske, there are hundreds or even thousands of indies who will struggle. And it’s a marathon, not a sprint. Even the indies who have hit the NY Times list in the recent months started off selling just a handful of copies. On average, it takes 6 months or more for a self-published author to find a readership.

7. What projects do you have waiting in the wings?

I’m working hard on a Codename sequel, which I’m calling Pointe of No Return. I hope to release this one in late fall, probably November. I already have the cover, and I love it just as much as the first one. I heart my cover artist so much! (Shout out to the uber-talented Amy Lynch of Pens & Needles.)

I’m also writing a cozy mystery featuring a very pregnant heroine. (This one’s aimed at adults, not teens.) I’m having a lot of fun writing it and it’s cracking me up. (Hopefully other people will find it as funny as I do.) My goal is to hit up NY with this book. We shall see!

Amanda, I have no doubt NY is yours for the taking! Thanks so much for performing today’s blog pas de deux with moi.

Amanda is generously giving away an e-copy of her debut book, Codename: Dancer. For your chance to win, leave a comment and tell us what your favourite dance movie is. Amanda’s also happy to answer any questions you might have — she promises not to charge by the hour. The winner will be announced on the auspicious date of Friday, May 13.