Cindy Procter-King's Blog

Tweet Fail

Fri, 27 Nov 2009 18:06:48 -0800

I've installed a (supposedly) cool Twitter plug-in for WordPress called Tweetmeme that (supposedly) allows me or a blog reader to easily tweet my blog posts. You can see the icon at the bottom of each blog (it says "tweet" on a green background that magically matches my color scheme—honest, I didn't adjust it! It came that way).

The problem? I can't get the plug-in to work. Whenever I try to tweet a post, I get the error, "Failed to resolve URL for tweet." In my usual ignoramus way, I have no ...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 27

Harlequin Horizons Is No More…Sort Of

Wed, 25 Nov 2009 14:53:16 -0800

Harlequin Horizons is now known as DellArte Press. While I haven't had time to fully explore either the DellArte website or eHarlequin for evidence, apparently there is no longer any mention of Harlequin on the DellArte website, and there is no mention of DellArte on the Harlequin website. Excellent!

I haven't heard any news about whether Harlequin form rejection letters will still steer rejected writers to DellArte, as was the original intention with Horizons… Let's hope not.

How did the...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 25

Tell You Tuesday

Tue, 24 Nov 2009 02:17:10 -0800

Hah, tricked you with the title change, didn't I? Usually it's Tell ME Tuesday.

You can go ahead and tell me, anyway. How's the writing going? Life? Any good news/bad news to report?

After the blogging kerfuffle of last week, I needed a little break. Pretty much waiting to hear what's next from Horizons Vs. RWA. Plus, I had the H1N1 shot yesterday. It wasn't a bad experience, but it did make me feel slightly lethargic. I took advantage of my brain-deadness to do something that makes me feel...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 24

Harlequin Horizons, Part Two

Fri, 20 Nov 2009 08:06:58 -0800

Wow, a lot happened yesterday. Not only did Romance Writers of America inform Harlequin/Silhouette that they were no longer on RWA's list of eligible publishers (which get perks like meeting space for Spotlights and book signings and for offering editor appointments) as a result of opening a vanity publishing division and putting the Harlequin name on it, but Mystery Writers of America and Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America stepped in, too. Author Jackie Kessler provided a...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 20

Harlequin Enters Vanity Publishing Arena

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:06:00 -0800

Last week, Harlequin announced the opening of a digital publishing division, Carina Press. This week, it's vanity publishing via Harlequin Horizons. When I first heard the news about Horizons, I went all Bill the Cat.

What is vanity publishing, you ask? Basically, it's when a writer pays a third party publisher to print their book. Packages vary. Those at Harlequin Horizons start at $599.99. And then they climb. Climb. Climb. Climb. A vanity publisher might retain some of the royalties...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 19

Welcome Guest Blogger Diana Cosby

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 02:06:07 -0800

CONGRATULATIONS ON ACHIEVING YOUR DREAM—NOW WHAT?

Many people chase their dreams, and along the way, through hard work and perseverance, some achieve their goals. When this happens, it's an amazing time. This event should be celebrated and savored as you can never replace that 'first time' magic when it happens in your life.

But, once you achieve your dream, what now? Do you have a plan of action prepared? A budget? Will your strategy and marketing be time intensive? Do you understand...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 18

Diana Cosby Guest Blogs Tomorrow!

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 02:05:59 -0800

Kensington historical romance author Diana Cosby is visiting the blog tomorrow to talk about Congratulations on Achieving Your Dream—Now What? Diana's giving away a copy of your choice of HIS CAPTIVE or HIS WOMAN, Books 1 and 2 in her MacGruder Brothers medieval romance adventure series. Book 3 (Seathen and Linet's story) releases in late 2010 and Book 4 releases in 2011. Now's your chance to pick up one of the first two in the series and get caught up on your reading.

Back Cover Copy for HIS...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 17

Life Can Be A PITN

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 14:08:01 -0800

Literally.

I put my neck out on Friday. No, I wasn't bungee-jumping or doing gymnastics or painting the ceilings. I was, um, waking up.

I turned my head too quickly the wrong way, and pop, ouch, squeal. There I was, not even out of bed yet and down for the count.

Luckily, I had my bi-monthly (that does mean twice a month, doesn't it?) massage therapy appointment scheduled for the afternoon. I quickly put in a call for a chiro appointment. The chiro couldn't even move my neck, although he gave...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 16

I'm Either Boring Or A Promo Whiz

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 02:05:40 -0800

Sooooooooo, the other day while I was exploring my web host in search of stats, I came across the top 16 search strings for the month of November (so far) that would lead to my website.

What's a search string, you ask? For the sake of those who don't know, it's the words or phrase that a person might type into the search window of their favorite search engine (like Google, for example). Then you get a list of clickable websites.

Every so often I visit another author's blog where she lists the h...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 13

Carina Press

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 12:06:13 -0800

In case you haven't heard, Harlequin has opened an epublishing house called Carina Press. E-book only, no advance, high royalty (although I couldn't find the royalty percentage on their website). Malle Vallik, who's been with HQ forever and is a writer herself (Molly something…I can't remember the pen name she had, but I do recall reading her first book in the now-defunct Temptation line, and it was great) is heading the venture. And guess where Angela James, formerly exec ed of Samhain is...

posted by Cindy Procter-King on November, 12