Rilke

Variation on a Theme by Rilke
A certain day became a presence to me;
there it was, confronting me--a sky, air, light:
a being. And before it started to descend
from the height of noon, it leaned over
and struck my shoulder as if with
the flat of a sword, granting me
honor and a task. The day's blow
rang out, metallic--or it was I, a bell awakened,
and what I heard was my whole self
saying and singing what it knew: I can.
- Denise Levertov

Sassy!

The lovely and talented Delilah Marvelle just won a prize for being sassy at the Romantic Times Faery Costume Ball. Isn't that just so perfect? She is sassy and so are her books. I cannot wait for her Scandal series to come out from HQN in January-March, 2011!

I'll post pictures of sassy Delilah in her gorgeous costume soon. Forgot my upload cord.

Dear Sir or Madam, Will You Read My Book?

When I arrived at the Romantic Times convention this morning the Beatles' Paperback Writer was playing over the speakers in the Hyatt Regency lobby. This song is such a fixture on oldies radio that it's been relegated to the Muzak section of my brain where it sloshes around with Circle Game and The Sound of Silence ensuring that I never really hear the lyrics. But it was such an appropriate song for the occasion. Thank you, Hyatt Regency, for unconsciously serenading the large trampling herd of aspiring paperback writers here to graze on the hope that we will meet the agent of our dreams and be rescued from the slaughterhouse of unpublished obscurity.


Paperback writer

Dear Sir or Madam, will you read my book?
It took me years to write, will you take a look?
Based on a novel by a man named Lear
And I need a job, so I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

It's the dirty story of a dirty man
And his clinging wife doesn't understand.
His son is working for the Daily Mail,
It's a steady job but he wants to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

Paperback writer

It's a thousand pages, give or take a few,
I'll be writing more in a week or two.
I can make it longer if you like the style,
I can change it round and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

If you really like it you can have the rights,
It could make a million for you overnight.
If you must return it, you can send it here
But I need a break and I want to be a paperback writer,
Paperback writer.

Paperback writer

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!

Lenore/Lenora

Lenore

Lenora

LENORE

LENORA

Congrats to Tessa Dare and Courtney Milan!

Courtney Milan's "This Wicked Gift" and Tessa Dare's Surrender of a Siren are finalists in the Romance Writers of America's RITA® contest! See all the finalists here.

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!

Yay Courtney!!!

Golden Heart Nominee for Breath of Honor Courtney Milan's PROOF BY SEDUCTION, about a rigidly logical marquis who uses the scientific method to save his heir from the clutches of a fraudulent fortune teller, only to fall for her and discover that the one hypothesis not susceptible to proof is love, to Ann Leslie Tuttle at HQN, in a good deal, at auction, in a two-book deal, by Kristin Nelson at Nelson Literary Agency (World).

Once Upon a Bed...

I will be eating dinner tonight with my lovely writing friends Delilah and Moira...on a bed. Delilah is taking us to Supperclub where we will recline roman style and feast our eyes on a cabaret show.

The conference is going very well. I placed second in the Hearts Through History contest and I'm thrilled because my friend and critique partner, Courtney Milan, took first. Yay, Courtney! I've received quite a few requests for Filigree and Shadow from agents and editors and that's really the whole point of the conference so Lenora is a happy girl.

Tonight we're off to karaoke at The Mint (one of my old stomping grounds) with a bunch of ladies including the lovely vixens Lacey, Eden, and Shelli. Bliss!

I'll try to remember to bring my camera this time.

Hugs,

Lenora

I Left My Heart In...

Every time I go back to the city by the bay I contract a severe case of nostalgia. The rows of candy-colored Victorians; the salt-tang in the air; the beckoning racks of polyester prom dresses at Thrift Town; the sea bass, mango, and butter appetizer baked in a large mussel shell at Sushi Zone. But this trip I won't have time for thrifting or sea bass and I won't even get to see my friends who still live there. Every second will be spent at the RWA National Conference. Because my life is so insane right now I haven't spent much time preparing for the conference. Maybe that's a good thing. I also haven't had time to feel nervous.

Courtney was blogging about pitching the other day and I realized that I haven't practiced my pitch for Filigree and Shadow and I started to get a bit panicky. I don't have a problem talking to strangers since I'm accustomed to being on stage and I actually like schmoozing. But none of that will help me if I haven't memorized the salient details of a succinct pitch. So that's my goal for today.

I hope your conference preparations are going more smoothly than mine. I can't wait to meet all my internet writing friends in SF! See you in a few days...

Lenora

Velveeta

My friend and I went to happy hour tonight at a slinky new bar. I knew it was my kind of place the second I saw the crimson velvet chaise lounge inside the front door. After a few glasses of rosé I couldn't resist stretching out upon the velvet and pretending I was the languishing heroine of a Victoria Holt novel.

I ate mac and cheese with the very fancy name of Käsespätzle composed of egg noodles, swiss cheese, and carmelized onions. Mmmm. Speaking of cheese...is my new blog photo cheesy enough for you? It was taken during a publicity shoot in China. Please tell me if it's over the top. I don't want to give anyone indigestion.

In writing news, I have exactly 27 days to finish and polish Filigree and Shadow before the RWA national conference where I will be be pitching it to agents and editors. I thrive on mad scrambles to meet nearly impossible deadlines. So here goes...

Winning Ways

I guess I should come out of hibernation to mention that Filigree and Shadow took first place in the San Diego RWA chapter's Spring Into Romance contest.

I don't expect anyone is actually still reading this blog since I've neglected it for so long. I don't have much of an excuse since school's out for summer. Guess I'm still unwinding from finals week. Also I started an internship at an amazing radio show.

More good news!

Huge congratulations to Shelli Stevens who just inked a two-book deal with Kensington and chose Laura Bradford as her literary agent.

It seems like the good news in the romance world just keeps rolling in!

News

Finally some good news to report. I entered Filigree and Shadow into three contests (my very first RWA contests) and finaled in two: Spring Into Romance, and Hearts Through History.

Yay!!

I've been sucked into a whirlwind of work projects, grad school papers, and romance contest entries. I'm flailing wildly until further notice.

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.

New Friends

The conference was fabulous. If any of you get a chance to take a workshop from Debra Dixon you should. She is one of the best speakers I've ever seen. She was witty, fiercely intelligent, passionate about writing, and able to give concrete advice in a way that made sense and motivated me to run home and fix the mistakes in my WIP. I can't say enough good things about her.

I got to meet three of the amazingly talented and sweet Manuscript Mavens. Their storyboarding workshop was very helpful and well-presented and they looked fetching in their matching pink and white t-shirts.

I also met Delilah Marvelle whose upcoming School of Gallantry series for Kensington sounds scintillating and delicious. Check her out!

The best part about conferences is meeting so many other writers whose tales of perseverance and triumph inspire you to keep going. It's not going to be easy. But I'll never get published if I don't polish this manuscript and send it out. It's as simple as that.

I registered for the San Francisco National RWA conference today. Are you going?