Tonya Plank's Blog, page 8

FEVER Now Up for Pre-Order!

Just letting everyone know, the three books in the Fever series are now up for pre-sale orders on Amazon, Kobo, and Smashwords. They will soon be up in the ibookstore and Barnes and Noble, and paperback copies will soon be available on Amazon and other online sites as well. I’m so excited to hear what everyone thinks of Sasha and Rory’s story

Michael & Joanna, Blackpool Champs’ Sultry Rumba

Michael Malitowski and Joanna Leunis, from Poland, just won the pro Latin championship at Blackpool, making them eight-time winners! After that, they announced their retirement, and performed their final dance, always such a bittersweet moment. Here’s a gorgeously sultry rumba of theirs from last year:

USA Wins Blackpool Team Comp!

The Blackpool Dance Festival is currently underway, and, according to Dance Beat, the USA has won the team competition Here’s a video of last year’s Quickstep portion of the team championship. Look for Arunas Bizokas and Katusha Demidova (pink dress) – my favorites in Standard Ballroom, and currently the world champs (from the US).



And, for Latin, here’s last year’s Jive, round one:



Michal Malitowski and Joanna Leunis, on the far left of the screen, are an excellent couple. The current world champions are, from the US, Yulia Zagoruychenko and Riccardo Cocchi, on the far right (cute pink dress).

Wednesday night is the final pro Latin competition, and Friday is the standard ballroom.

And here’s a cute video I found perusing YouTube, on going to Blackpool, the town, and dancing in the festival, taken by, it appears, the family of a junior competitor. Sweet!

Congrats to Val and Rumer!

The couple I’d most wanted to win “Dancing with the Stars” this season

Here’s an old-ish video of Val and his former partner, Daria Chesnokova, who I used to love to watch at the comps:



So swift on his feet! He looks like he’s swiveling above the floor in places.

And here’s my favorite of his dances with Rumer:



But I am a rumba girl

RT Booklovers Convention and Upcoming Events

I just got back from the Romantic Times Booklovers Convention in Dallas and had a spectacular time! It was my first RT, and I’ve decided this is one I’ll always try to go to every year, no matter where it’s held. I saw many of my favorite authors – Emma Chase, Alice Clayton, Sylvia Day, Julie James, and Abbi Glines – to name just a few, and I also met many writers who are new to me – Sonali Dev, Tara Pammi, Delores Fossen, Michelle Madow, and M.J. Pullen – whose novels I snagged copies of and can’t wait to read! I came back with far too many books to count, most of them free. There were parties held by publishers and literary agencies, panel discussions on the craft and business of romance writing, a big awards ceremony, and a giant book fair. And then there were more parties

The Beat: Everyone’s Favorite Samba Show Dance

Yulia Zagoruychenko and Max Kozhevnikov, now a classic:

Overall Favorite Couple: Sergey and Melia

I first saw them dance in 2006, at Blackpool, when they first finaled, and they’re still overall my favorite couple. Sergey Surkov is so powerful, and Melia is somehow both strong and delicate. Their dances are always so dramatic and passionate. And when you see them together it’s so clear how much in love they are Here’s a high-charged Paso:

Favorite Rumba Ever

I was so disappointed when, after I moved from NY to LA, I looked through my DVD collection and found that the Tokyo disc from the year where this was performed was missing. I guess there are bound to be casualties in a cross-country move, but, argh, that one had some of my favorites on it. Anyway, very glad it’s remained on YouTube all these years.

From 2004, Slavik Kryklyvyy and Karina Smirnoff:

YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=30&v=NpKGY-AZO5M

FEVER Series Launch Date!

Hey everyone,

So excited to announce that I am finally getting ready to launch my FEVER series, the first in my INFECTIOUS RHYTHM series of romance novels set in the world of ballroom dancing. FEVER is a trilogy, and I’m launching all three books at once, in early June. Read more about each book here.

Infectious Rhythm is the name of the Hollywood dance studio where FEVER’s hero, Sasha, and heroine, Rory, meet.

Look for other books / series to follow, featuring other couples who meet at that studio.

I’m super excited about this project. As everyone who’s read my blog well knows, I’m a huge dance lover. I’m also an avid reader of romance novels and fun, contemporary fiction featuring smart, complex women and mysterious, intriguing men. And, there just doesn’t seem to me to be a better blend than dance and romance

In upcoming days and weeks, I’ll be posting cover reveals, as well as some of my favorite dancer video clips, photos, and interviews.

I had such a blast writing this series. I hope you all have as much fun reading as I did writing!

Swan Lake Samba Girl is Taking a Hiatus

Hi guys. I guess it’s obvious by now, since I haven’t blogged since September, but I’m going to need to put this blog on hiatus for a while. I’ve been working really long hours at my law job, and with the little time I have left over for writing, I must work on my novel or it’s never going to get done. Sadly, I have hardly any time for reviewing, or even viewing, dance performances these days.

I’ve been writing this blog since 2006 and I’ve had such a wonderful time with you all. I’ve met so many fascinating people here – from other ballet and ballroom enthusiasts, to professional critics and dance historians, to past and current professional dancers with so much knowledge. Talking about dance with you all has been so educational and enlightening for me – not to mention fun. So thank you!

When I get more time, or somehow figure out how to more successfully juggle my legal work, novel-writing, and dance writing, I will either pick back up here, or I’ll write for other publications. I definitely intend to keep tweeting about dance-related events, so if you’re on Twitter, please do follow me!