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Inspiration – Moonlight

26 Feb

Moonlight plays a part in many of my stories’ scenes. My characters might take a quiet walk as the day settles. The intimacy of the night’s shadows closing in can allow a private moment to steal a kiss, or two, or lead to much more. The dark and silvered lake water might lure them to peaceful, sensual swim. It can encourage quiet conversation. Or the night’s shifting light might be a welcome cloak to mask troubling  emotions.

What does moonlight inspire for you?

I also wanted to share this wonderful piece from The Piano Guys. I love Beethoven and cello.

Photo by: Thom W

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2011 NJRW Put Your Heart in a Book Conference

18 Sep

I’ll be attending this wonderful conference next month. It’s a great conference for learning, networking and socializing, with a wide variety of workshops and the opportunity to pitch to editors and agents.

Hope to see you there.

2011 NJRW Put Your Heart in a Book Conference

Empower Your Muse

October 21-22, 2011

Renaissance Woodbridge Hotel

Iselin, NJ

Hurry! Registration has been extended until September 30!

Are you ready to Empower Your Muse? Our Conference is scheduled for the weekend of October 21-22. Our featured speakers are Suzanne Brockmann, Rachel Gibson, Victoria Alexander and Brenda Novak.

Don’t miss this opportunity to take your writing to the next level. We’ve got over 45 workshops for writers at all levels. Plus, we have twenty-seven editors and agents scheduled to attend:

Agents -

Jessica Alvarez, BookEnds, LLC

Claudia Cross, Sterling Lord Literistic, Inc. (panel only)

Jennifer Didik, Loretta Barrett Books, Inc.

Stephany Evans, FinePrint Literary Management

Louise Fury, L. Perkins Agency

Anne Hawkins, John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.

Christina Hogrebe, Jane Rotrosen Agency

Miriam Kriss, Irene Goodman Literary Agency

Kevan Lyon, Marsal Lyon Literary Agency

Beth Miller, Writers House

Courtney Miller-Callihan, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc., Inc.

Lauren Ruth, BookEnds, LLC

Susannah Taylor, Richard Henshaw Group

Carlie Webber, Jane Rotrosen Agency

Editors -

Patience Bloom, Harlequin

Stacy Boyd, Harlequin

Karen Chaplin, HarperCollins Publishers

Kelli Collins, Ellora’s Cave

Susan Litman, Harlequin

Margaret Marbury, Harlequin (panel only)

Wendy McCurdy, Berkley Books

Tara Parsons, Harlequin

Lauren Plude, Grand Central Publishing

Aubrey Poole, Sourcebooks

Latoya Smith, Grand Central Publishing

Shana Smith, Harlequin

Leonore Waldrip, Harlequin

We will be adding to the list of agents and editors, so please check our web site frequently for updates. Sign up early – don’t miss your chance to meet these editors and agents!

And, here is the list of our workshop presenters:

Tasha Alexander… Victoria Alexander… Laura Marie Altom… Toni Andrews.. .Gina Ardito… Marlo Berliner… Annette Blair… Terri Brisbin… Suzanne Brockmann… Mary Burton… Christine Bush… Dianne Castell… Karen Chaplin… Anna DePalo… Stephanie Draven… Cara Elliott… Marie Force… Jacquelyn Frank…Rachel Gibson…Laura Griffin…Winnie Griggs…Nancy Herkness… Kristan Higgins… Eloisa James… Sophie Jordan… Mary Kennedy… April Kihlstrom… Cindy Kirk… Eliza Knight… Caroline Linden…Denise Little… Kathleen Long… Janice Lynn… Kevan Lyon… Sally MacKenzie… Brenda Novak… Robin D. Owens… Tessa Radley… Isabel Roman… Renee Ryan… Ruth Seitelman… Karen Rose Smith… RR Smythe… Mariah Stewart… Hope Tarr…Stephanie Tyler… Lauren Willig… The Grammar Divas

Registration

NJRW Member: $190.00

Non-NJRW Member: $210.00

Pre-conference Workshop: Emotion: The Heart of the Novel, with Brenda Novak (Friday, Oct. 21,from 9 AM to 12 PM) – $30.00

If you have questions, please contact: Marlo Berliner, 2011 NJRW Conference Chair, at confchair@njromancewriters.org or, Ruth Seitelman, Assistant Chair, at ruth.seitelman@gmail.com

For registration questions, please contact: LoriMarie LaSpada, Registrar, at registrar@njromancewriters.org

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Excerpt Monday 13

15 Aug

inverted-em-sigIt’s Excerpt Monday again! Once a month, a bunch of authors get together and post excerpts from published books, contracted work or works in progress, and link to each other. You don’t have to be published to participate–just a writer with an excerpt you’d like to share. For more info on how to participate, head over to the Excerpt Monday site! or click on the banner above.

Today we have an excerpt from my second contemporary romance Love Burns. I fell for Dave while writing Nate and Kay’s story, Clear As Day, but I swore up and down I wasn’t going to write a sequel. Well, Dave got his way, and his lady, and I’ve finished the first draft of their story. I hope you enjoy this little snippet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

As Nate and he walked over to the coolers, Ryan and Sam swarmed around him waving their fishing poles, bouncing and tugging at his t-shirt and shorts. “Uncle Dave, Uncle Dave. You’re back! We’ve been playing with Uncle Nate. Come fish with us! We want you to help us catch big fish.”
Dave caught Ryan’s pole before it put an eye out and extracted his descending shorts from Sam’s grip. He sighed and patted Sam on the head. “Okay, say we do this. I get a beer and my chair and meet you over by the big rock at the edge of the beach there. You don’t do anything with hooks until I get there. Deal?”
The twins shrieked and ran laughing to the water’s edge.
Nate solemnly patted Dave’s shoulder. “Man, you’re a glutton for punishment, and yes, I am so glad to hand them over to you. But warning, you’re going to need minimum two beers.”

Ryan and Sam dropped their poles by the water and raced back. They folded Dave’s chair and, huffing and puffing, dragged it over to the water’s edge and set it up, first facing the hillside then tugged it around to face the water. They sprinted back, and tussled over who got to carry the worm container. Ryan won and raced to Dave’s chair, Sam hot on his heels, and set it on the seat. “Hurry up, Uncle Dave.”
Nate grinned. “Good luck. I’ll bring your beer.”
Sam and Ryan raced back and grabbed his hands. “All ready. Hurry up!”
“Thanks.” He let the tiny dynamos drag him to his chair.
As Dave demonstrated hooking the worm, the boys watched wide-eyed, bouncing on their toes with piping shrieks of, “Oh, gross! Cool! Worm guts! Worm guts!”
Ryan went first, neatly double hooking his worm, while Sam squinted and bit his lip with a surgeon’s serious concentration as he lined up worm and hook.
“You’re doing good, Sam, what’s the matter?”

Continue reading →

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My First Sale! Cheers & Happy Dancing!!

6 Aug

I’m delighted to announce I’ve accepted a contract with The Wild Rose Press for my contemporary romance Clear As Day. This is my first sale and I’m filled with joy and not a little trepidation as I enter this new stage in my writing career.

What was I doing when I got the news? Well, yesterday morning at a little after 5 a.m., I sat down to my computer with my cup of coffee, Pookie the cat curled up in my lap, and I opened my email. Just another early, ordinary Friday morning.

And there it was, at top of the inbox. Good thing I had already swallowed my mouthful of coffee. I had to read the preview twice: “Congratulations! I’m very happy to offer you a contract…” The magic words. Finally.

And, yes, I cried.

And everyone I was bubbling over to tell was still asleep or off-line. lol Thank goodness for Twitter, and I found Kim was in chat already, so I could share before I burst.

So here’s a thanks to The Wild Rose Press and a huge thanks to my family and friends for all their encouragement and good wishes!

Photo: Roger Kirby

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