Romance at Random

 

Introducing my introduction to the Romance at Random blog!!

 

On the 9th of each month, I’ll be chatting up the blog on Romance at Random. Today is my official debut! I’ll be discussing my debut series, Soulkeepers, and this wonderful new category New Adult that has everyone talking.

 

Stop here and check out all the amazing writers and new releases headed your way!

The Discussion Is Heating Up

 

It’s all the talk . . . what is this new category called New Adult and where can I find it in bookstores? 

 

It may not have it’s own shelf in bookstores–yet–but New Adult books are spreading like wildfire. Many publishers are finding the need to expand to include this hot new topic, which may have been around longer than most people realize. The phrase, New Adult, was coined by St. Martin’s Press but many believe it is an extenuation of a YA crossover with slightly older characters, that 20-something crowd. Random House is launching a new imprint, FLIRT, just to accommodate this booming market.

 

New Adult explores that tender age where teens leave behind the angst of high school and step firmly, or wobbly depending, across the threshold into adulthood. So what’s it mean? Proms and pimples are chucked aside and more challenging dilemmas spring to life: how to survive in college, where to live, what career to choose, who am I-really, and who do I want to be? Who do I date, should I date, how do I decorate my first apartment? How do I survive out here? How, exactly, does my generation define adulthood anyway? And what does it all mean to me?

 

Many New Adult titles like Losing It by Cora Carmack have found a home under the romance sub-genre but a wide range of titles will expand to include paranormal, historical, mystery, thriller etc. They are all coming and in a big way. Agents and editors are on the lookout!

 

If you are addicted to New Adult or just want to learn more, join the discussion at confessionsofawanderingheart.blogspot.com/ with Suzie Townsend, agent at New Leaf Literary.

 

 

I do love a good QUOTE so here is one for today:

 

“If people did not sometimes do silly things, nothing intellectual would ever get done”–Ludwig Wittenstein

 

And now an update on what’s been happening with my writing career.

 

My wonderful editor at Random House, Sue Grimshaw, has offered a three-book-deal instead of the standalone of Soulkeepers!! So to my wattpad followers who have been begging for the sequel, I can now say that it will be arriving–soon–like next year soon. Also, the launch date for Soulkeepers has been reworked, no longer Dec 31 2013. I will update this as I learn more definite dates for each book.

 

I have also finished my next series, Speakeasy! Finally! It was a lot of work because I wrote the first draft back in 2006-2007 and then put it away for a while. In the meantime, I honed my craft by writing a MG fantasy, sold my debut series, and discovered an amazing book to help with editing (I’ll get to that later). Speakeasy–a roaring twenties mystery/romance–has gone through four drafts and I think it is finally ready.

 

So now I am looking for a New Agent for Speakeasy! Yeah! It’s an exciting time and I am eager to begin.  First things first, I needed to craft an amazing query letter to capture the essence of Speakeasy. There are lots of blogs to help with queries and hopefully they did. I went through several drafts and have sent out a few select queries to some of my favorite agents. I will update any news as it comes in. Since my top choices are very successful agents, they are very busy; it could take a while.

 

 

 

 

The best thing about writing a Roaring Twenties novel set in Hollywood and Los Angeles is the research!! I’ve had so much fun delving into flappper fashion, dashing motorcars, stylish bobs, and spiffy swells with million dollar smiles.

 

I recently strolled around Los Angeles and tracked the moves of my characters: trooping through Bunker Hill, riding down Angels Flight, meandering through Grand Central Market, and snooping around Pershing Square where my husband and I accidentally walked onto a movie set and were chased off by a very agitated security guard. Oh well, that’s L.A.

 

And today we’re off again, this time traipsing through the Hollywood Museum, formerly the famous studio of Max Factor. I hope to see plenty of movie paraphernalia and get the lay of the land. I have a crucial scene set at that location so it should be an interesting trip. We’re also visiting the L.A.P.D. Museum to verify some uniform and information details. And no trip would be complete without gawking at Grauman’s Chinese Theater (yes I still call it Grauman’s even though it was purchased by TCL) Anyhoo, we’ll be there stepping into some mighty big concrete shoe prints.

 

I began writing Speakeasy, a romance/murder/mystery for young adults, back in 2007. I put it aside when my daughter became ill, wrote two more novels, and then decided to pick it up again. I’m now in my third or maybe fourth revision. Whew! It’s been a lot of work but hopefully worth it in the end. With the release of the new, re-imagined GATSBY hitting theaters, I hope the time-period will be something readers (not to mention editors) will be eager to find.

 

For my wattpad followers, I will post the first chapter of Speakeasy next week! Finally! As promised. For anyone not familiar with wattpad, I invite you to come over and poke around. There’s lots of trouble to be had 😉 Not as much as being chased off a movie set in Los Angeles but still . . .

 

 

 

 

April 21-27 was National Volunteer Week.

 

Volunteer Week is always an amazing opportunity to encourage family and friends to give of their time and skills, and to help individuals or whole communities. It’s a wonderful way to  join together, meet new people, and inspire creative ideas to accomplish our goals.

 

Over the years, my family has been fortunate enough to help others. At the close of this years’ Volunteer Week, I thought it would be fun to share a few of our ‘adventures in volunteering’.

 

PNOLA– The Phoenix of New Orleans

 

 

 

 

 

PNOLA is an outstanding non-profit organization dedicated to helping Katrina victims in the New Orleans area. They partner with Americorp, The New Orleans Saints, Gardener Realtors, Broad Community Connections, Louisianna Housing Finance Authority, and United Way.

 

My husband, Ed, and I joined our daughter, Sierra, and some pretty cool volunteers from Rancho Santa Margarita Catholic High School to spend Christmas break working on damaged homes in New Orleans. Our dynamic duo leaders were Margaret Dzida and Margie Diorio from the SMCHS Campus Ministry Office.

We stayed in a fabulous old Victorian home in the Garden district and met up every morning at our designated work house.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My crew and I were lucky enough to work with site manager, Kathy Randall.

 

 

 

 

 

Kathy was in charge of rebuilding the home of Betty Longo on Baudin Street. By the time my crew arrived in New Orleans, Betty was the last resident still living in a FEMA trailer. Needless to say, she was eager to have her home restored. Once filled with three feet of water, Betty’s house was painstakingly rebuilt by PNOLA and volunteers like the girls from SMCHS.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The girls worked hard every day, some learning new skills and discovering talents they didn’t know they had. Not to mention some funky dance moves. Yes, music was alway blaring on Baudin Street! (like Bourbon Street but without the booze).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I was very proud of these girls; they worked methodically, demanded perfection, and always remembered that they were in someone else’s home–all the while having a great time! Check out the lovely art work below.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The crew and house on Baudin Street.

 

Ed and Sierra were hard at work with another crew.

Their project was to rebuild an abandon home for another

family.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Of course, it was not all work and no play.

As exhausted as we were at the end of the day,

we couldn’t help but traipse around town and enjoy some of New Orleans favorite ‘haunts’.

 

 

 

 

We went on a Vampire and Ghost tour through the French Quarter.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Took a ride on a trolly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Trooped through an above ground cemetery . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

and danced Zydeco at the Famous Rock N’ Bowl

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The SMCHS CREW OF 2011

 

 

 

 

MORE ADVENTURES IN VOLUNTEERING

 

 

Habitat For Humanity is another wonderful organization that has helped

countless Americans turn houses into homes.

Last year, we were privileged to be a part of their efforts in Hollywood.

My daughter, Danielle, worked alongside my husband and a crew on the Sony Pictures lot. Their job was

to frame up walls that would be delivered to the work house sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I encourage everyone to volunteer! It’s an awesome way to have fun while doing good, wether you

rebuild a home, deliver food to the elderly, clean roadsides and beaches, read to cancer patients, or collect

much needed goods for the underprivileged. People really do make a difference! No matter your

situation or cause, remember to Rise Up, Rebuild, and Repeat!!

April 15-17,  Earls Court, London

 

This year’s London Book Fair begins today and explores the theme, Making Words Go Further. However, the Digital  Minds Conference that kicked off the Book Fair was held  yesterday and featured Best Selling author, Neil Gaiman.

 

Neil Gaiman is a novelist and screenwriter of  fantasy, horror, science fiction, and dark fantasy. His most notable works are The Graveyard Book, American Gods, Neverwhere, Stardust, and Coraline to name a few. Early in 2001, after finishing American Gods, Neil set out blogging about the every day chores of writing, revising, publishing, and eventually promoting the book. His blogging evolved into a routine of updates and tweets to fans and potential fans, and overall thoughts on being a novelist. He is one of many authors who are directly active with fans and answers questions through email. Why blog? Well, according to Neil, “because writing is, like death, a lonely business.” And blogging is, perhaps the quickest, most efficient way to connect with readers.

 

 

This gives Neil, an early pioneer of social media, a unique perspective on the new territory known as the Digital Frontier. As Keynote Speaker at the Digital Minds Conference, Neil’s personal theme was “try everything” which I found inspiring and liberating and quite exciting. As an author whose debut novel will be published as an e-book original by Random House, I feel as though I am hitched to the wagons and set to explore this new frontier. It’s a bit scary but then, most new things are. I encourage new writers to read his full interview at www.publishersweekly.com and to keep up on the ever changing publishing world. What you don’t know can hurt you and what you learn can help you understand the changes in e-contracts and the power of social media as your greatest promotional tool.

 

 

Meeting Chelsea King

 

I wanted to introduce an amazing young woman named Chelsea King. Chelsea is the daughter of Brent and Kelly King. On February 25, 2010, Chelsea was taken from her family and friends much too soon. I never had the privilege of meeting her in person, but while attending her memorial I came to know her as a wonderfully spirited woman with an infectious smile and an undeniable spark in her eyes. I had never witnessed such an outpouring of love and respect for someone so young. Chelsea will remain forever seventeen but she has grown in ways unimaginable to us all.

 

At the memorial, Brent said that Chelsea had so much she wanted to do with her life. This was followed by a long sad moment of silence as though all of Chelsea’s dreams had died with her. Nothing could have been further from the truth. Everyday Chelsea is making a difference, making her stamp on life. Through her parents and the Chelsea’s Light Foundation, Chelsea is helping to keep you and your children safe from violent sexual predators. She is changing California state legislature–Chelsea’s Law was unanimously signed into law only seven months after her murder–and continues to make a difference one state at a time. You have reason to thank her, and I encourage you to meet this wonderful young woman by visiting www.chelseaslight.org.

 

 

Begins Appropriately On April Fools Day

 

Welcome to my Blog! First things first, I must give a BIG shout out to my web design team, the wonderful Paula Colby of dotbizdesigns.com. I am so thrilled that she and her team took time to understand the design and layout I was looking for. They were so professional, patient, understanding, and generous of their time. I couldn’t have asked for anything more. Paula, you ROCK!!

 

Secondly, I would like to thank my amazing editor, Sue Grimshaw! I am so excited to join the Penguin Random House team.

 

Thirdly, I thank my family: my husband and daughters,  for allowing me ‘alone time’ to write. I hope to make it worth it. For those of you who have read all or part of the first book in the Soulkeepers series (Forbidden) you know the inspiration came from my daughter’s diagnosis of thyroid cancer. Many of you have asked how she is doing and I am happy to say she is cancer free and doing great! And thank you for asking.

 

And last but not hardly least, I must say hello and hooya! to my wattpad.com readers!!! I’m so glad you came over and found me because I have to thank all of you for reading Soulkeepers. Your comments were awesome and gave me confidence to keep going! I can’t wait to see which of you is next to sell your amazing stories! Good luck to you all and remember to keep writing, keep writing, keep writing. I’ll do all I can to post helpful hits and important info I discover along the way, and some that have already worked for me, namely . . . keep writing!!