In Honorable Company: The RWA Anthology

Ever sit in a meeting or stand at a party, look around you, and wonder how you came to be among such wonderful company?  That was my experience last week, when Romance Writers of America announced the authors whose stories were chosen for inclusion in the professional organization’s first short story anthology. 

RWA had sent out a call for submissions last summer.  The idea was to develop an anthology that showcased what romance writers have to offer in the various subgenres, including contemporary, erotic, historical, inspirational, paranormal, romantic suspense, and young adult. To get our creative juices flowing, RWA requested that we submit a story around the theme of “wrong number” (for example, wrong phone number, wrong e-mail address including numbers, etc.).  The set of chosen stories would be edited by former RWA President and number one New York Times best-selling author, Sylvia Day. 

Wrong number, I thought.  How would that work in my historical romances?  No phone numbers and certainly no e-mail addresses.  But there was one wrong number that sent chills through the heart of any nineteenth century society hostess.

Wrong numbers at table. 

Some Society ladies prided themselves in having an equal number of women and men at their dinner parties.  What would happen if a hostess at a Christmas house party found herself at odd numbers and had to enlist the aid of her recluse brother, a hero from the Napoleonic wars?  And what would happen if the woman he had to sit beside was the one woman he’d ever loved, who’d once rejected him before he set off to war?

Thus was born “A Light in the Darkness,” a Regency-set Christmas story, which I am honored to announce will be included in RWA’s anthology. 

And I am shivering with delight over my sister authors who will also be included:

Lila Bell

Allison Brennan

T.L. Costa

Sylvia Day

Cindy Gerard

Sabrina Jeffries

Joan Johnston

Laura Kaye

Diane Kelly

Amber Lin

Courtney Milan

Monica Murphy

Katy Regnery

Erica Ridley

Harper St. George

Vicki Lewis Thompson

Lex Valentine

If a lady is judged by the company she keeps, I have reached the very heights of good Society.  Please join me in congratulating all the wonderful authors who will represent the romance industry.

Blogging from National 2012, Part 1

Well, here Regina and I are at the Romance Writers of America’s annual National Conference! This year we’re in Anaheim, California for what we’ve come to call our “annual sleepover”--as I live in Massachusetts and Regina lives in Washington State, this is our chance to get together each year, sitting up in our jammies and talking, talking, talking…oh, yes, and doing official conference stuff, too.

So our sleepover started late Tuesday afternoon when we both arrived in time for a pleasant dinner together (with lots of talking). We’d planned on a early night as we knew Wednesday would be busy…but before turning in we were treated to an evening fireworks display from Disneyland, just a few blocks away. Just like our trip to Orlando a few years back, we lucked out in having a hotel room that happened to face the right way!

On Wednesday it was time to divide and conquer: Regina was busy with the one-day conference sponsored by the Beau Monde (Regency RWA chapter), of which she’s been president this past year, and I was busy with the Young Adult chapter, on whose board I sit and which was also holding a one-day conference. Both events, I am happy to report, went very well…and then it was time for the huge Literacy Signing with 400 other authors

I was signing Courtship and Curses (yes, it’s not out for another couple of weeks, but don’t tell), and Regina had The Captain’s Courtship and The Rogue’s Reform…and we were delighted when Nineteenteen reader Rose de Guzman stopped by to say hi. There she is, with Regina!

Next stop was the Greater Detroit Chapter’s Book Buyer’s Best Award reception, as Regina had been nominated for the Inspirational Romance category…and then a quick dash up to our room to prepare for the entrance of a Very Important Gentleman…Sir Reginald Scott!


Let me tell you, that Sir Reginald is quite the heartbreaker. He flirted outrageously with all the ladies--especially those wearing conspicuously rich jewelry--and danced elegantly at the Beau Monde’s Annual Soiree…and I, his poor exhausted valet, still operating on Eastern time, trundled back to our room to collapse.

Can you tell we’re having fun?

The Romance Writer's Season

So here we are at the Romance Writers of America conference. It’s a little like the Season, when all young ladies of good family went to London or another large town and were formally presented to the rest of Society. Marissa and I have been making polite conversation with editors, agents, our writing colleagues, and other industry professionals just like nineteenth century ladies made calls. We were invited to tea with some of the luminaries of our circle (God bless you, John). As you saw in Marissa’s post, we attended a lovely Soiree on Wednesday. And last night, Marissa termed the Harlequin Party a sad crush (which is nineteenth-century speak for a very popular event). Alas, there were no dukes or princes present, but that didn’t stop us from dancing. Or posing.

Tonight is the grand finale, the big night for romance. The Rita Awards, the equivalent of the Academy Awards for the romance community, will be given out. We’ll dress up in our finest gowns and wait breathlessly for the names of friends and favorite authors to be announced. It’s a little like waiting to be presented to the queen.

But we don’t have to wait to hear about our own personal winner. You see, the Rita isn’t the only award given at conference. The mystery and romantic suspense authors present the Daphne Du Maurier for best romantic suspense novels. The Greater Detroit Romance Writers give away their Bookseller’s Best Award for novels in various categories judged best by booksellers. The Futuristic, Fantasy, and Paranormal group gives awards for the best in that area. The Oklahoma Chapter runs a competition for best book as judged by readers around the nation.

I am honored to announce that our own Marissa Doyle was awarded the National Reader’s Choice Award. Betraying Season won for best young adult novel for 2009. I was so proud, I carried her rock all the way back to our hotel room. Well, okay, I carried it part of the way before she relieved me of it. I think she saw the possessive gleam in my eyes.

Can we all brag that we know her?

Blogging From National, Day 1

I’m sitting in a large ballroom at the Dolphin Resort at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.. There’s a pair of musicians, guitar and flute, playing gentle, melodic music that I know I’ve heard before (I have, as it turns out--it’s used in the Pride and Prejudice miniseries). Rows of ladies who just happen to be writers of Regency romance in real life are arrayed in rows, listening to the directions of a period dance instructor as she talks them through the steps of a dance that was popular back in the 1820s.

And did I mention that most of them are wearing wonderful costumes like this (doesn't Regina look lovely?):
And this?
And this? (That's Regency author Shirley Marks and her charming daughter Kimberly):
You guessed it--it’s the annual meeting of The Beau Monde, the Regency special interest chapter of the Romance Writers of America. Regina and I have been busy since eight this morning, attending workshops and giving our own (on current markets for “sweet” Regencies…of course I waxed long-winded on writing young adult!), drinking tea, and now, dancing and enjoying the fun.

What else have we done today? I signed Bewitching Season and Betraying Season at the enormous Readers for Life book signing and got to meet some other on-line YA-writing acquaintances face to face. And speaking of meeting on-line friends face-to-face, Regina and I were delighted to meet frequent Nineteenteen commenter Gillian Layne, who by the way is up for an RWA Golden Heart award in the Regency Historical Romance category...stay tuned for more reports from Orlando.

And ohmigosh, we get to see the fireworks from our room. How cool is that?

Blogging at National, 2010

Regina and I will be posting on a slightly irregular schedule this week as we'll be having our annual girls' week out at the Romance Writers of America National Conference, held this year in Orlando, Florida. Stay tuned for reports from The Beau Monde's (RWA's Regency special interest chapter) Annual Conference and more!

Every year the Conference includes a huge booksigning event, with proceeds benefitting literacy programs in the host city; if you're in the Orlando/Disney area on July 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 pm, please stop by! I'll be signing my books along with five hundred other authors at the Walt Disney World Dolphin Resort...for details, check out the RWA website.

Christmas in a Nutshell

Before we get started... Remember that invitation to the Regency Tea and Dance party I posted about a few weeks ago? Well, you must check out QNPoohBear's blog--she went, and took lots of pictures! It sounds wonderful...and there are rumors of a spring dance floating about as well. Thanks for the link, QNPoohBear!

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Regina and I have been teaching a course on Regency and Early Victorian Christmas customs for the Beau Monde Chapter of the Romance Writers of America, and turning up all sorts of interesting information in the process. Did you know that Christmas as we know it is very much a 19th century invention, courtesy of Queen Victoria and Charles Dickens?

I've mentioned several times how very popular the Queen was when she came to the throne, in a media personality way that really had never happened before. Everyone wanted to know what the queen did, what her favorite perfume was, what kind of biscuits she liked with tea, and so on ad infinitum. When Victoria married her beloved Albert, that attention didn't go away...and when the public learned that Victoria and Albert enjoyed celebrating Christmas in the German way, with things like trees decorated with candles and sweets and lovely ornaments and music and lots of gifts for their children, they thought, "Hmmm...."

At about the same time, Charles Dickens published a short novella he hoped would revive his career which had blossomed with Sketches by Boz and The Pickwick Papers, then tanked with Martin Chuzzlewit. The novella was called "A Christmas Carol", and the first edition of 6000 copies sold out within days. Readers were touched by poverty-stricken Cratchit family and moved by Ebenezer Scrooge's holiday change-of-heart...and the combination of Victoria and Albert and Tiny Tim were enough to send the country Christmas-mad, aided and abetted by such things as increased access to inexpensive manufactured good courtesy of the Industrial Revolution (think TOYS) and improved transportation so that far-flung family members could reunite for the holiday. The Christmas card and Christmas crackers date from this period, and the next twenty years saw the renaissance of the Christmas carol, with most on the ones we sing today dating from the 1850s through 1870s.

Speaking of nutshells...here's a late 19th century Christmas game that I thought was charming...enjoy!

Surprise Nuts Centerpiece
Split some large, well-shaped English walnuts. Remove the meats and in their place put some small toys or trinkets. Glue them back together and then glue an 18” length of colored ribbon to one end of each walnut. Heap them in a bowl with other nuts, ribbons hanging over the side of the bowl; each of your guests can choose one ribbon to pull and claim their prize. Don’t forget to have nutcrackers on hand!

Have fun!