RITA

Purrrrrr

I am so pleased.  I've been nominated as a Finalist for the RITA in the Historical Romance category.

For those of you who don't follow Romance genre, the RITA is the Humongous Mother-Of-All-Contests Contest put on every year by the Romance Writers of America. 

I'm in.  I'm a finalist.  I am so happy.
My agent sent me flowers.

When we're dealing at this level, getting the nomination is the win.

A Basketful of RITA Recommendations

Every year RWA honors outstanding Romance books. These are some of the best of 2009  Here.

I don't get to do as much reading as I'd like, so I haven't read most of the RITA winners and finalists.
But I've read and loved these here below.
I recommend them.
They are wonderful books.  
     

Laura Lee Gurke, With Seduction in Mind
Elizabeth Hoyt, To Beguile a Beast
* Sherry Thomas, Not Quite a Husband   A 2009 RITA WIINNAH !!
Liz Carlyle, Wicked All Day
Deanna Raybourn, Silent on the Moor
Susan Wiggs, Lakeshore Christmas
Carolyn Jewel, My Forbidden Desire and Scandal
Tessa Dare, Surrender of a Siren
Alissa Johnson, Tempting Fate
Kate Noble, Revealed 
* Julia Quinn, What Happens in London  A 2009 RITA WIINNAH !!
Courtney Milan, This Wicked Gift 
* Molly O'Keefe, Christmas Eve Promise  A 2009 RITA WIINNAH !!
J.D. Robb, Promises in Death

Yet More Questions

Way down the posting trail . . . going back to January . . . there's a bunch of postings answering questions I got asked here and there. 

I didn't finish with them.  Here's some more:

So. 
You have questions?

12) You had some fresh and unexpected twists -- did these come to you with your first draft or did you work in these twists during your revision process?

I am delighted you think some of this was fresh and exciting.

Let me talk about the blindness plotting because it's fairly typical of how this works.

Annique's blindness was part of the original planning of the story. This was also the plot idea I had the most doubts about. I liked writing it, but I didn't think it would sell. Even in the final manuscript I was wondering if I shouldn't rewrite and pull it out.

I still don't know if the book wouldn't be better without it.

The blood relationship between Annique and Galba was also part of the original plotting. I needed this to make Annique's final welcome into the British fold plausible.

So, yes, the action/suspense/spy plot of the story was pretty much in my head when I began writing.

But then you have the surprises.

Annique's special memory was something I came up with the second or third or fifth draft of the story. Originally I had her smuggling around a book with all this information in it. Awkward and unworkable.


So some plot twists were there in the original basket.  Some of the plot ideas I started with got tipped out of the basket along the way.  And then there's some interesting stuff I picked up as I wandered tra la la down the path and I didn't think of it at all till I was in the middle of writing.


12)  Any authors or books you feel you learned from either fiction or non-fiction?

I steal from only the best, so   You know how they have these questions on interveiws about what books most influenced you?

I love this, because I pick up stuff everywhere and I just wish I could acknowledge it all.

When I was in grammar school, Fifth Grade maybe, I read Coming of Age in Samoa by Margaret Mead. The book said that the different roles taken by males and females, even the different temperament that is assumed to be proper to each sex, is determined by the society rather than by anything innate.

I never write a female character without asking myself . . . 'this bit that my heroine is doing -- is this something I could see a male doing? Am I assigning this character a 'female' role and making her passive or dependent by doing so? What am I saying about the female spirit when I write this?'

Fiction that influenced me? . . . well, it's all the usual suspects:  Bronte, Heyer, Austen, Sayers, Dunnett, Sergeanne Golon and another writing team, the Curtises, R.A. Heinlein, Bujold, Lackey,and Zelazny, (all great S.F. storytellers), Tolkien, (is there anyone who doesn't put Tolkien on these lists?)

Current Romance greats would include -- and Lord, this is not limited to these wonderful writers -- SEP, JAK, NR, Kinsale, Ivory, Chase, Kleypas, Beverley, Gabaldon, Gellis, Quinn, Putney, Balogh.
I've read every word these writers have in print.  I keep learning from them.

(ETA.  It was pointed out to me that I've used 12 twice.  Well, heck.)

14)  How do you feel winning the RITA impacted your career if it did?

The conventional wisdom is that winning the RITA has zero effect on sales. Readers have never heard of the award. They don't know what it means.  Marketing mavens who will slap on a big cover quote from the 'Yellowknife Morning Chronicle' won't bother to mention the RITA.

But writers know what the RITA means.  Writers award the RITA. This is writers honoring other writers.  So much an honor.  I'm still stunned whenever I see the golden lady sitting on my shelf.

Going back to the practical of whether a RITA win has an effect on sales . . .
There's this -- while readers maybe don't know the RITA, the people who work in agenting, editing, marketing and publishing Romance do. The book buyers for stores know what the award is.
So maybe the RITA will give me just a little blip of recognition with these folks.
It can't hurt, anyway.


I haven't run out of these questions, y'know.  I just figure folks are getting bored, along about now.
Not that that makes me turn off the spigot on a posting, generally.
Anyway, I'll be back with the other Q&A
eventually.

Recent Keepers

I'm kicking back and relaxing a bit,

which is another way of saying that today I sat down to work and didn't get anything much done,

though I may have indulged in Deep Thought.

Anyway ...

Recent additions to the Keeper Shelf

Judith Ivory, Angel in a Red Dress

I imagine there might be a Judith Ivory book that doesn't go on the Keeper Shelf. I mean ... I subscribe to this as a theory. Hasn't happened yet, of course.

Pam Rosenthal, The Edge of Impropriety

I've been reading everything of hers I can get my hands on since she beat the pants off poor Spymaster's Lady in the RITA competition.
Just saying.

Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat

What kind of parent names their helpless and innocent kid, 'Jerome Jerome'? Is this the emotional trauma that leads one to write comedy?

Eloisa James, A Duke of Her Own

This may be her best. I'm going to come back to it in a few months and see why the plot works.

Loretta Chase, Lord Perfect

I love Loretta Chase. Y'know.

David Garrioch, The Making of Revolutionary Paris

Which has moved onto the Research Keeper Shelf -- a shelf which obeys wholly different rules from the Regular Keeper Shelf.

I'm going to have to do a Revolutionary and Napoleonic France Bibliography one of these days.

Tanith Lee, The Secret Books of Venus

I don't want to write like Tanith Lee. The writing is too complex and too distracting for the sort of story-telling I'm trying to do.
But she sure does write pretty.

I didn't read these half dozen books today and yesterday, of course. This is the pile of books ready to be put up on the Keeper Shelf. It's been accumulating a while. Six months or so.

I have great books still on the TBR shelf.
Including one by Mary Jo Putney
which is next on the list.

.

I finally sat down and opened Maass' Writing the Breakout Novel. I've been taking Maass down from the TBR shelf and putting him back for four or five years. Then, at the July RWA Conference in Washington I got to listen to about the first fifteen of a speech he was giving and it engendered in me a desire to get to the book.

Though I'm only through the Introduction.
Why I'm mentioning this ...

Maass says,

"Complexity will do that to you. [overwhelm you] Do not panic. Trust the structure of your outline; or if you are an organic writer who works in successive drafts, trust your unconscious mind. The story is there inside you in all its complexity."

So now I know that I'm an 'organic writer'.
I didn't have a name for it before, I just did it.

.

Whenever I see Maass' name, I think there's something wrong with typewriter keys, somewhere.

.

Oh. And being FTC compliant I just want to say that nobody gave me any of those books for free.
Or anything for free, really.
Though I did pick up the Jerome K. Jerome book at the SPCA Rummage sale so one could argue that the SPCA is paying me off, I suppose.

Getting a RITA

I posted this in the comments trail, and then decided I would make it a post of its own. Because getting prizes is part of writing, and anyone who decides to be a writer should be prepared for What Happens in the Writing Life.

The RITA ceremony has about 3000 people there in a grand ballroom,
all of them sitting in rows and rows of chairs and looking down at this little stage in the far distance.

(How do they get 3000 people to come do this without giving them food? Though they give them food afterwards, of course.
But still ... would YOU come to hear thirty people get up on stage one after another to somewhat incoherently thank their editors and agents and families and stare like deer caught in the headlights?)

Since nobody can see the stage
the helpful technicians at RWA have set up huuuuuuge TV screens. Those puppies must be 40 feet high.

They show every pore on the faces of the RITA winners, (or Golden Heart winners,) when they get up to speak.
This is reality TV.

AAAARRRRGGGGHHH.

I do not say I would rather face a firing squad, because, of course, I would not.

I think.

But anyhow ... there I was and I had just found out I was NOT going to get a RITA for Spymaster's Lady, having lost out to the excellent and wonderful Pam Rosenthal whose work impresses me so much it is almost not like losing at all to lose to her ...
(though not quite,)
and I am now relieved because the ordeal is over and I am not going to have to mount the scaffold ...
ah ... podium ...
and can now relax,
and they say My Lord and Spymaster.

So I drop my glasses, without which I cannot see.
Anything.

And I drop my very short speech, which I have written in Big Letters on a piece of paper,
and which consisted of only five people to thank,
not because I am stingy but because I didn't think I was going to be able to say anything at all.

So they are gone somewhere in the darkness below my chair.
And I have to walk up on stage and make that set of acks.

I do not actually remember much that happened after this point. It was so horrible my mind has repressed it.

I do not AT ALL remember standing there and staring out at THREE THOUSAND PEOPLE and saying the right words, but I have been assured by people who wish me well that I did just that and that I did not make a fool of myself.

This is good.
This is very good.

I understand they played the theme from James Bond for the 'walkup'.
No memory of this.

So, anyhow, getting the RITA is like being beaten with long, flexible bamboo poles and at the same time being tossed in a blanket while someone plays La Traviata in your ear on a penny whistle. When you come to the other side you have this beautiful little gold statue sitting on the floor in front of your feet and you are sitting down again.

I am going to put the RITA on the shelf over my desk.

It's heavy, and the gold quill the lady holds is fragile. It would still be suitable for knocking burglars over the head with.

The RITA in the photos is not my RITA. It is the RITA of Jennifer Ashley who is here and who just wrote The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie. Go. Read it.

I WON!

I won the RITA for Best Regency Romance of 2009.

RITA: The Interview

I'm getting more and more excited about the upcoming RWA National Conference.

The RITA awards.
I'm nominated.

Did I mention that?
(. . .more than about fifty thousand times?)

I did an interview on getting nominated for the RITA a while back, for my local chapter of RWA.
I'm reprinting it here, which is quick to do and will not prevent me from a hard morning of work on the manuscript of MAGGIE.

Leah: So. Why did you enter the contest?

Jo: The RITA? Oh, the RITA is the big time for all of us. I think every Romance writer dreams of entering the RITA.

Leah: What do you hope to achieve from being named a finalist and possible winner?

Jo: RITA finalists seem to get a good bit of publicity at the National Conference. Some folks, when they're looking for a good read, leaf through the RITA Finalists.

I've seen it on book covers -- 'RITA Finalist'. I gotta tell you, that looks good. Not as good as 'New York Times Bestseller' --- but pretty good.

Leah: Did you celebrate the notification of being a finalist in any particular way?

Jo: My husband took me out to lunch. A place with tablecloths.

It's sort of a funny story. I got an e-mail telling me about the RITA nomination for Spymaster's Lady in the morning.

"Oh, yipeee!!!" yips I, bouncing about the room.

I will admit, I spent a moment regretting not getting the nom for My Lord and Spymaster, which is a book dear to my heart and nobody likes it as much as Spymaster's Lady and I feel protective.

But I said to myself, "Do not be greedy," and I did not repine.

Then we came back from lunch and I opened up the e-mail and there was the nom for My Lord and Spymaster.

I was knocked over and amazed and excited by the first nom. You can imagine how I felt about getting two.

My agent sent me the most beautiful bouquet of flowers. Oh my. Lovely.

Leah: What are your impressions of the competition? How does it differ from other contests you've entered (in terms of process, format)?

Jo: I don't think I've entered any other RWA Contests. I'm not much of a contest person, generally.
Entering the RITA isn't terribly complicated. You fill out a form online. That's straightforward.
The publisher was kind enough to send the books and pay the entry fee for me, so that part was dead easy.

When the Finalist nomination comes in, there's a flurry and a deadline and it all takes you by surprise. You have to get yet more books to RWA in Texas -- again, the publisher does that for you.

And you have to supply a publicity photo, (which I didn't have. I had my picture taken. This is an utterly daunting process,) and you have to dig up the 300 dpi files of your cover which have winkled themselves into a back corner of the computer.
This all has to be done in a mad rush.

You also have to buy a fancy dress, unless you are one of those folks who has a long black formal dress hanging in her closet at all times. There's another daunting prospect. Buying clothes.

Then all is serene sailing till you get to the National Conference. There, mysteries are performed and secret rites are held of which I know nothing. One may be sworn to secrecy at some point.

Leah: Will you be attending Nationals in D.C.? How will you celebrate if you are named winner?

Jo: I will be at National. There's a reception afterwards which is pretty celebratory. I'll be going to it to congratulate people in any case.

Fair Warning

Things will be quiet on the blog of the next six weeks.

The MAGGIE manuscript is due on August 1. I'm hunkered down at my desk, writing and proofing frantically. Later in August, when the trauma is past, I'll poke my head out again and do some useful and lengthy, (or at least lengthy,) posting.

Next big event is the RWA National, July 15 to 18. I'm nominated for two RITAs. Win lose or draw, this is going to be exciting.

I don't think you can actually tie in a RITA. There's probably a good reason for this.

Good Books of 2008

I posted this interview on the Book Smugglers website last December.

Thought I'd repost here, just to improve the world a bit by saying 'this is good,' and 'I liked this,' one more time.



My Favorite 2008 Reads


Let me start out with three great RITA winners and a Finalist. They blew my socks off.

Madeleine Hunter, Lessons of Desire.

I always love her work. Dense. Enticing. Sensual. A rare pleasure.


Deanna Raybourn, Silent in the Grave.

A new-to-me writer. Historical mystery. I love the complex, intelligent interaction between H&H. I have her next book, Silent in the Sanctuary, on my TBR shelf.


Julia Quinn, The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever.

I spend my whole time chuckling when I read Quinn. You just fall into the delight.


Anna Campbell, Claiming the Courtesan.

(I loved Untouched, too.) High-stakes H&H interaction. Intense writing. Compelling.


Leesee … who else?


Strangers in Death, by JD Robb.
With the In-Death series … it’s like you got a box of milk-chocolate-covered nuts. You know they’re all going to be good. (Even the Brazil nut, which is one of those odd, semi-edible things where you ask yourself, ‘What was God thinking?’)
Anyhow, if we’re doing this chocolates simile . . . Strangers is when you pick the piece of candy out and it’s almonds and almonds are your favorites.


His Captive Lady by Anne Gracie.
I just finished this one last week. Lovely writing. Gotta love that Gracie.


Private Arrangements by Sherry Thomas.

She took a whole bunch of writerly risks. It all works. Character driven by unusual characters.


Simply Magic by Mary Balogh.

Intelligent Romance, as always. I find her characters appealing on so many levels. I always think I’d like to know them.


Your Scandalous Ways by Loretta Chase.

Spies. Venice. Intrigue. Hero and Heroine conflict. Loretta Chase. What more could one possibly ask?


His Dark and Dangerous Ways by Edith Layton.
One of my long-time favorite authors. I was looking forward to this one. Multi-layer and realistic characters.
It must have been the year for using 'Ways' in titles.

EDITED TO ADD: We lost Edith Layton this year. A great lady, a great writer. Vade, and we are poorer for it.


Oh, let me mention a really nifty anthology –
It Happened One Night. This is Stephanie Laurens, Mary Balogh, Jacquie D’alessandro, and Candice Hern.

They rounded up a whole bunch of my favorite authors and put ‘em all in one book.I mean … What are the odds?


I’ve left off scads of great 2008 books because they are sitting three deep and densely packed in the TBR shelf. I haven’t had time to READ them.


My TBR shelf is like …

You know how your refrigerator whispers about the piece of pumpkin pie you got on the bottom shelf (… pie …pie … pie …pie …) every time you walk by and you gotta go tiptoeing off real fast with your hands over your ears … (Lah la la la lah)

My TBR shelf is like that.

RITA Finalist -- Twice

I am a RITA finalist for The Spymaster's Lady in the Historical Romance category. I'm a finalist for My Lord and Spymaster in the Regency Historical category.

Two Finals.

I am so happy and excited my stomach hurts. This is Exactly like the birthday party where you get the electronic game you wanted and eat six pieces of cake and then throw up, except that you have to buy a long black dress too.

Desert Island Keeper IV

Oh ...

I should put my own Romance DIKs up top here where they can be seen, instead of in the comments trail.

It's confusing the way posts pile on top of each other. You probably want to read through these I-IV instead of IV to I.

My DIKs

Alinor, by Roberta Gellis,
The Windflower, by Sharon and Tom Curtis, (Laura London,)
Angelique, by Serge and Anne Golon, (Sergeanne Golon,)
By Arrangement, by Madeline Hunter,
It's in His Kiss, by Julia Quinn,
An Unwilling Bride, by Jo Beverley.

I got two of the 2007 RITA winners on the list. I got taste, I do.