Big Bubbly News!

I am beyond thrilled to tell you that I am now represented by Alexandra Machinist of ICM Partners!

Everyone told me that finding the right agent was like falling in love. When you found The One, you would just know. And that's exactly how it happened. I had multiple offers, and spent over a week researching, weighing options, seeking advice from friends and pros, and obsessing over contracts. But when I talked to Alexandra, I just knew. She was The One.

Alexandra, besides having the most adorable no-nonsense yet hip glasses ever, represents an amazing list of authors including a host of New York Times bestsellers including Darynda Jones, Kat Martin,  Lauren Willig (who's eleventh book in the delicious Pink Carnation series debuted yesterday), and my new conference crush, the lovely Jennifer McGowan!

And now...me. CRAZY! WOW! SQUEEE!

I'm so excited right now I can't even think straight. Today is a Bolivian holiday so I can pop that champagne cork with impunity and celebrate Marilyn style.

Raising my glass to you!

xoxo

Lenora

Top 20 Reasons the RWA 2014 National Conference Was Awesome!

I feel like I'm in The Lego Movie because everything is awesome. So here are my Top 20 Reasons the RWA Conference Was Awesome. Because ten just wouldn't be enough.

1. My fellow GH nominees, the Dreamweavers. What an amazing, talented group of writers. And so much fun!

2. THE Eloisa James hugged me after I accepted the Golden Heart^® award for unpubbed historical romance authors. What a thrill!

3. Reconnecting with my pals from Avon FanLit, the amazing Courtney Milan and Tessa Dare. I had that dazed, deer-in-the-headlights expression on my face the whole night. But don't Courtney and Tessa look gorgeous?

 

 

 

4. The excitement in the air was palpable. There were clusters of writers everywhere, talking at warp speed, sharing stories, laughs, and margaritas.

 

5. One of my best friends got married the week before the conference so I was totally able to justify the expense of traveling to the U.S. Thanks guys!

 

 

6. Drinks in the bar with new friends @WriteAsRain_, @southerntart,  @JeanettelGrey, and @LauraTrentham. Although the hangover the next day? Not awesome.

7. The Spotlight on @AvonBooks. One of the editors said that maybe some of us in the room would become their authors. I got chills.

 

8. Squealing over the cover of Elle Daniel's debut novel, HE'S NO PRINCE CHARMING. Elle was the sweetest roommate ever. She gave me a sneak peak at the book and it's exuberant, witty, and utterly charming! Also, she gave me a twitter lesson because I needed some serious help.

 

 

9. Attending inspiring workshops. I especially loved "Suffragettes and Alpha Males: Exploring Feminism in Romance" with Tessa Dare, Zoe Archer, Lorelie Brown, Julie Leto and Carrie Lofty. If you weren't able to attend, you should download the audio from RWA.

10. Hanging on the famous San Antonio Riverwalk.

11. Wearing my lucky Golden Heart shoes that I bought in Bolivia. They totally worked! And they were a great conversation starter in the elevators.

12. PJ from The Romance Dish gave me some of her delicious homemade truffles. Check out her "What Happens in San Antonio" RWA conference recap posts.

13. When I called my husband to tell him I won, he was at a Mötley Crüe concert. He was like, "What? I can't hear you. Vince Neil is singing too loud." 

14. Enjoying some special time with my BFF's before the conference. I miss you Nonfiction Vixens!

15. Receiving my first ever email from someone who wanted to know where she could buy my book. That is the most incredible feeling in the world. Would be even better if I could direct her to a link. Hopefully someday!

16. All the gorgeous, glittery dresses at the @RitaGH awards ceremony. Especially Denny Bryce and Ellen Lindseth!

17.  Eloisa's moving tribute to Bertrice Small, winner of the RWA Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award. We hope you make it to New York next year, Bertrice!

18. There was a Goodwill within walking distance of the Marriott. I'm a thrift store junkie. I didn't have much time, but I ran in for a few minutes and scored some black leather cowboy/motorcycle boots.

19. Going home and finding that my twenty-one-year old cat was safe and happy. I cherish every moment I have with her because you never know when they get to be that age.

 

20. I can now say I'm an award winning romance author. Thanks, RWA!

 

Hugs!
Lenora

Confessions of a 2014 RWA Golden Heart Finalist

I am loving the RWA National Conference in San Antonio! My fellow Golden Heart nominees and I have been kicking butt and taking names. We all have multiple requests and several of us have already sold. I'm so proud to part of this group of classy, talented ladies!

I've met so many fabulous authors and I've downloaded tons of books already. Some new favorite historical romance authors include: Jennifer McGowan, Erica Monroe, Elizabeth Michels, and my roomie and new friend Elle Daniels.

Yeah, I'm here to sell my book. But I have to confess that I'm also a giggling, star struck fangirl and I've stuttered and fluttered my way through breathless meetings with Eloisa James, Elizabeth Hoyt, Tessa Dare, Cathy Maxwell, and Sarah MacLean, to name a few.

Here are a few pics. I'll blog more later about what the conference meant to me and my top takeaways.

Hugs!

    Me with romantic suspense author Carey Baldwin.

    Me fan-girling out with NYT bestselling author Tessa Dare. She's so lovely!

    The inimitable Eloisa James. My hands were shaking too badly to focus the camera.

    OMG. Elizabeth Hoyt. Love her!

    Fellow Golden Heart nominees Laura Trentham, Charis Calhoon, and Jillian Lark.

Bell de Journey

Where I live.

I'm writing again. Every day. Characters wake me up in the middle of the night to give me advice about what they want to do in the next chapter. When I'm at work, part of my brain is obsessing about carriage upholstery and Regency profanity. This is why I write. To be possessed by my characters. To eat and sleep and dream their lives. Charlene was raised in a bawdy house. That's what she told me last night. I had no idea. Liam learned how to play spanish guitar in Argentina. Strange but apparently true.

I took a long break from the internet because in the past I've spent too much time blog-hopping instead of writing. Also I disappeared because writing had become a chore instead of a passion.

While I was away, so many of the lovely ladies I met through FanLit have hit the big time. Tessa Dare is a superstar now. Of course. Courtney Milan keeps publishing brilliant stories. Both of them push the boundaries of romance. Tessa's writing is so achingly funny and passionate that we absolutely believe a tavern serving girl could marry a duke. And my friend Maire Claremont took us on a dark and drug-fevered journey into redemption. Can't wait for Lady in Red!

I'm living in Bolivia right now. No RWA chapters here. So I'm looking for new critique partners and I'm ready to finish a book and put myself out there again. RWA San Antonio 2014 here I come!

Ladies, tonight we are going to talk about the biggest baddest alpha male in all of historical romancedom. Yes I'm talking about Lord Beelzebub himself, the Bane and Blight of the Ballisters, that bad ass Victorian scoundrel Sebastian Leslie Guy de Ath Ballister, Earl of Blackmoor, Viscount Launcells, Baron Ballister and Luancells, and fourth Marquiss of Dain (um, yeah, those are all his titles).

When our intrepid heroine first meets Lord Dain she describes him thus:
Dain was heavy artillery, she thought...Coal black hair and bold, black eyes and a great, conquering Caesar of a nose and a sullen sensuality of a mouth--the face alone entitled him to direct lineage with Lucifer...As to the body...She had half expected a hulking gorilla. She had not been prepared for a stallion: big and splendidly proportioned--and powerfully muscled, if what his snug trousers outlined was any indication.
Oh my! *Lenora fans her rosy cheeks.*
The man on the cover looks nothing like Dain. For one thing he's way more 1980's than 1880's with that feathered hair and those high waisted pants. Come to think of it he looks remarkably like Patrick Swayze in Dirty Dancing.


Here's my Dain recipe:

Two parts Adrien Brody (that nose! those brooding eyes!)

One part Clive Owen (that sensual mouth! the manly swagger!)

And a dash (just a dash mind you!) of Hugh Jackman (um, pecs, hello!)

OK that's all the alpha male I'm dishing up this evening.

Have you read Lord of Scoundrels? If you haven't get thee to a bookstore unholy wench!

Homeward Bound!

I'm going home to Alaska on Tuesday. The funny thing is that it's supposed to be 85 degrees the whole time I'm there! Those poor little polar bears. Here's a picture my sister snapped earlier this summer.




Congrats to Tessa! Goddess of the Hunt debuts on the 28th--the same day as Eloisa James's A Duke of Her Own. Exalted company indeed!

Delicious things

I've decided to ignore the fact that I haven't posted on this blog in ten months. No big deal! I had my reasons (break-up and MFA, hello!). I'm sitting in my yard listening to Astrud Gilberto, sipping a delicate rosé, working on my new romance novel, and trying to catch up on all the romance news I missed during my hiatus. Whoah! July, August, and September will be the best months ever because Tessa Dare's much lauded debut series hits shelves. I've pre-ordered mine--how about you? And what's this? Debuts from so many other amazing writers: Courtney Milan's Proof by Seduction from HQN in January 2010, Sarah Lindsey's Promise Me Tonight from Signet in February 2010, Maggie Robinson's Tempting Eden from Berkley in summer 2010!

There is so much to be thankful for right now. Sun filtering through the bamboo above my head; plump raspberries and rainier cherries to pick for breakfast; my friends who are achieving the success they deserve; the drive, passion, and time to write romance again; frilly gingham sundresses; mojitos with lavender-infused simple syrup.




Are you feeling as summery and full of love as I am? I hope so!

The Spymaster Meets Tony Starlight

I took the fab-abbed hunk to Tony Starlight's Supperclub last night where he enjoyed hobnobbing with Portland's glitterati at Miss DA's birthday party.

Who knew the spymaster was such a party animal?


The other guys were a bit intimidated at first.


Especially when he got friendly with the birthday girl.


But after the Professor expounded upon his scholarly virtues...


...everyone wanted a taste.


I took him for a spin...

...but, alas, he preferred the mannequin.


He had a three-way with Tom Jones.


And posed for a shot with Neil Diamond.


Finally, he found his niche.

Where in the World is The Spymaster's Lady?

The smart bitches alerted me to Claire Gregory's fun contest. Take your spymaster and his titillating treasure trail to an interesting location and provide photographic evidence for the chance to win a signed copy of TSML (Joanna Bourne judges the entries!).

It's really too bad I didn't read about this a day earlier because last night I went to a Vagabond Opera show (they are so amazing--that's them in the pic above) and there was a kissing booth where I could have paid a hottie in a schoolgirl outfit to smooch the spymaster. What an opportunity lost. That will teach me not to skip a day at SBTB.

I'm sure I'll think of something tomorrow. Look for a pic soon.

I Spy a Masterpiece

Buy this book!



I missed my bus stop by about a mile today because I was so engrossed in Annique and Robert's story. I'm sure you've read it already, but if you haven't you should. Thank you, Meljean, for pulling my head out of the sand.

My only warning is that this book could prove hazardous to your ego. Bourne is just too damn talented.

Reaching Up

During the previous quarter of graduate school, in an assigned chapter of "Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama," I found the following distinction between genre fiction and literary fiction:

Reading literary fiction (as distinguished from fiction as a commercial product--the formula kind of spy, detective, Western, romance, or science fiction story), we are not necessarily led on by the promise of thrills; we do not keep reading mainly to find out what happens next...Reading literary fiction is no merely passive activity, but one that demands both attention and insight-lending participation.

I'm an unapologetic reader and writer of romance, and I'm not going to defend the genre here because I think others have done it eloquently enough (Eloisa James in particular). But lately I've been thinking about what elements make a romance transcend genre parameters.

I read Laura Kinsale's Flowers from the Storm or Pam Rosenthal's The Bookseller's Daughter and they bowl me over every time. How do they do it? Every day I search for the elusive qualities that will make my WIP extraordinary. The perfect metaphor, the rich historical detail that will bring it alive, the most precise adjective.

George Orwell wrote that stale phrases choke writing like "tea leaves blocking a sink." I want this novel to be clog-free.

Sherry Thomas, author of the upcoming Private Arrangements, wrote a post on her blog about authors who choose to do the extra work to craft beautiful writing. I loved her acknowledgment of the difficulty involved in rising above the quotidian.

It is hard work constantly searching for fresh images, ruthlessly eliminating cliches, spending hours researching historical detail for one sentence. Sometimes I feel like I'm lashing words together like bamboo scaffolding to support the weight of my ambition. The bamboo bends and bows and feels like it may break, but each day I climb higher.

So funny...

...and not just because it's 1:11 a.m. and I've been writing for five hours.

Get over here right now and watch Meljean Brook’s Five Easy Steps To Writing a Romance Novel video.

You will laugh, you will snort milk through your nose (unless you happen to be drinking sauvignon blanc, and then you will snort that through your nose), you will thank god for YouTube. Yeah, it's that funny.

September Challenge--Day Two

I wrote a prologue and first chapter yesterday. They included murder, illegal boxing, and a seance. I wanted to start with a bang.

Historical Tidbit:

In the illegal boxing matches held in gambling dens in mid-Victorian England, the Prize Ring Rules stated:

That no person is to hit his Adversary when he is down, or seize him by the ham, the breeches, or any part below the waist. A man on his knees is to be reckoned down.

So that raises the question, what exactly is "the ham"?

Maybe tomorrow I'll post an excerpt. I'm hoping that public exposure will keep me honest.

Meljean Brook, author of dark and brilliant paranormals for Berkley, suggested I give myself a reward to look forward to. I've got that covered. My birthday is in the end of September, and the BF promised to take me away for a weekend on the Oregon coast. Writer Lynda Rucker has been extolling the virtues of the Sylvia Beach Hotel to me for years. Known as the definitive "hotel for book lovers," it has literary-themed rooms that range from the Colette to the Alice Walker. We'll be staying in the Edgar Allan Poe room, of course.

In other news, my friend and CP, Kerry Blaisdell, took first AND third in the inaugural Golden Claddagh contest. She also finaled in the Golden Gateway contest (along with Tessa, Courtney Milan, and India Carolina). Congratulations!!


TODAY'S GOAL:

Fill in the missing historical details in Chapter One. Start Chapter Two.

What are your goals for September?

Laura Kinsale

Laura Kinsale, Laura Kinsale. I just met an author named Laura Kinsale, and suddenly I see, how delicious a tortured hero can be...oh Laura, Ms. Kinsale! Say it loud and there's poetry flowing, say it soft and the sexual tension's growing...Laura Kinsale, Laura Kinsale, I'll never stop reading Laura Kinsale.

Please forgive my horrendous tardiness in discovering this legendary author. How could it have taken me this long to read Flowers From the Storm?

When did you discover La Laura?

The 1992 Fabio cover

The tasteful 2003 edition

Scrap Bag

Life is progressing...creamy magnolia blossoms unfurl...a car hit the bus we were riding in and thirty dollars changed hands outside our window before we were on our way again.

I am slogging through a synopsis of Heart of Ash because I think it's time to stop being such a complete pantser. Lydia Joyce's website has an excellent list of synopsis writing resources.

Pam Rosenthal's The Slightest Provocation is up for a RITA. Go Pam! Intelligent, lush, lyrical...her work is my inspiration.

Message From Above

I sent an email to one of my favorite romance authors, Pam Rosenthal, and she wrote a very gracious reply. It was so nice of her to take the time to answer. If you haven't read any of her books, you are missing out on some of the most gorgeous writing in romance today.

From The Bookseller's Daughter:

Such a jumble, such a torrent of sensation. And such a mystery, for she couldn’t think how they’d come to be in each other’s arms in the first place. It didn’t seem quite accurate to say he’d “swept” her into his arms -- or, for that matter, that she’d “rushed” into his embrace. If there had been a crucial gesture, a shy or importunate first touch, she couldn’t specify what it had been or who had made it. The embrace had simply -- happened, like a bolt of summer lightning.

***

OK, your turn. Tell me about an author I *have* to read...

On Endings

By the end of a well-written romance novel you should be gobbling up the pages like they were cotton candy that would stick to your chin if you didn't melt it with your tongue fast enough. I just read Eloisa James's Kiss Me Annabel and I'm still savoring the spun sugar. Once I got to that ending, I didn't care that the conflict was slightly manufactured, or that certain parts of the plot felt improbable. I didn't care because she made me believe that Ewan and Annabel shared the transcendent kind of love we are all searching for. And she left me wanting more, left me with a terrible sweet tooth that only she can satisfy. Damn her.

I could just give up writing right now. Or I could work even harder to discover the elusive recipe for eliciting that kind of emotional response from readers.

Can you tell I'm still working on the ending of my book? It's just that I want it to be perfect. It has to stick to the editor's mind enough to make her pick up the phone. It has to leave her with a mouth full of melting sugar and a craving for more.

Being greatly harassed by this obstacle...

Oh how I love thee, Charlotte.

From her preface to the 1850 edition of Wuthering Heights.

This bringing out of our little book was hard work. As was to be expected, neither we nor our poems were at all wanted...

The great puzzle lay in the difficulty of getting answers of any kind from the publishers to whom we applied. Being greatly harassed by this obstacle, I ventured to apply to the Mssrs Chambers, of Edinburgh, for a word of advice...

Ill-success failed to crush us: the mere effort to succeed had given a wonderful zest to existence; it must be pursued...

These MSS. were perseveringly obtruded upon various publishers for the space of a year and a half...

...there came a letter, which he [Currer Bell] opened in the dreary expectation of finding two hard hopeless lines...and, instead, he took out of the envelope a letter of two pages. He read it trembling. It declined, indeed, to publish that tale, for business reasons, but it discussed its merits and demerits so courteously, so considerately, in a spirit so rational, with a discrimination so enlightened, that this very refusal cheered the author better than a vulgarly-expressed acceptance would have done...

Obsession

My latest obsession is the Avon FanLit contest. The "American Idol" of romance writing keeps me up into the wee hours voting and reading the forums. I may even post a chapter, even though I don't write Regency. If your chapter makes it into the top ten for that round, it gets read by Eloisa James, Teresa Medeiros and Julia Quinn. Exalted company, indeed.