Laura Kaye's Blog, page 41
April 21, 2014
East of Ecstasy is now available!
You guys! You guys! East of Ecstasy is out in the world today! Go HERE for all the release week fun we have planned and see down below for everything you need to know about the book!
About the book:
*** 99 cents for the first two weeks! ***
The final chapter in the award-winning and bestselling Hearts of the Anemoi series…
She’s the only one who can give him the strength to save them all…
Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.
Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.
But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.
Buy at Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes
*** 99 cents for the first two weeks ***
Catch up on the whole series with the Hearts of the Anemoi box set featuring the first three books: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender!
Early Praise for East of Ecstasy:
From GraveTells: “East of Ecstasy is hands down Laura Kaye’s best work to date and a ride so intense and shocking it will have you sobbing over your e-reader. This story is the epitome of great, entertaining storytelling. What makes EoE such a satisfying conclusion to an already stellar series is the care and patience that went into crafting and placing the pieces of the overall story. It wraps up so beautifully! Laura Kaye has outdone herself!”
From Night Owl Reviews: “An outstanding conclusion to the wind series, with this book bringing all the characters back for a final showdown. I’m sorry that this is the conclusion of this series! If you haven’t read it, you should!”
From Hesperia Loves Books: “FAVORITE READ OF 2014 AWARD! East of Ecstasy is by far Laura Kaye’s BEST BOOK to date. East of Ecstasy went beyond the high expectations and took the reader on an adventurous and highly emotional journey. I felt validated for the years I had invested in this series. East of Ecstasy is beyond superb!”
From Smitten with Reading: “A+ There is one single thing that makes this book one of the best of Laura Kaye’s that I have ever read…Devlin. This character…just whoa. I don’t think my heart has ever ached so much and so painfully for a character like it did for him in this book. The perfect ending to the series that I have loved.”
Reading Between the Wines Book Club: “East of Ecstasy exceeded all of my expectations and then some for the final story in the series. There was not a page, a sentence, a word, that I did not love in this book! The emotions in East of Ecstasy were so raw and intense. I hate to say goodbye to this series but I don’t think that it could have been wrapped up any more perfectly. East of Ecstasy is hands down Laura Kaye’s best work yet and one of my favorite reads of the year! If you love heart-pounding romance and the fascinating world of mythology, I recommend that you pick up this series today!”
The Autumn Review: “Devlin had me for a fan from the very first pages. The chemistry between Anna and Devlin was perfect, all the great steamy tension I expect from a Laura Kaye story but with personalities that click just right. It was a beautiful, oh-so-sweet ending to this series and I think it was done perfectly. If you haven’t started this series yet, don’t be like me and put it off, because you’re missing out!
Release Week Events for East of Ecstasy!
I can’t believe East of Ecstasy (Hearts of the Anemoi #4) releases tomorrow! This is the first series I’ve completely finished and it’s so bittersweet to see the last book finally go out into the world! I’m really excited for this one and absolutely love these characters, and I hope you will, too!
Here is the blog tour grand prize, a full set of signed Hearts of the Anemoi books and swag:
I’ve got lots of fun and opportunities to win planned for you this week, and here’s everything you need to know:
April 21
Blog Tour Begins at Grave Tells
Signed tote bag and swag up for grabs at EVERY blog tour stop!
***April 22 ~ RELEASE DAY!***
Blog Tour: Hesperia Loves Books
New Release Facebook Party, 8-10pm EST
April 23
April 24
April 25
April 28
April 29
April 30
May 1
May 2
ABOUT EAST OF ECSTASY:
The final chapter in the award-winning and bestselling Hearts of the Anemoi series…
She’s the only one who can give him the strength to save them all…
Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.
Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.
But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.
Buy at Amazon | B&N | Kobo | iTunes
Catch up on the whole series with the Hearts of the Anemoi box set featuring the first three books: North of Need, West of Want, South of Surrender!
Hope to see you all along the way!
Thanks for visiting!
Laura
April 18, 2014
Cover Reveal for Hard to Hold On To (Hard Ink #2.5)
Hey guys! I’m super excited to share the cover to my next Hard Ink book, Hard to Hold On To, which releases on August 19, 2014! Check it out:
Edward “Easy” Cantrell knows better than most the pain of not being able to save those he loves–which is why he is not going to let Jenna Dean out of his sight. He may have just met her, but Jenna’s the first person to make him feel alive since that devastating day in the desert more than a year ago.
Jenna has never met anyone like Easy. She can’t describe how he makes her feel–and not just because he saved her life. No, the stirrings inside her reach far beyond gratitude.
As the pair are thrust together while chaos reigns around them, they both know one thing: the things in life most worth having are the hardest to hold on to.
Pre-Order at Amazon | Amazon.ca | Amazon UK | B&N | iTunes
Hard to Hold On To on Goodreads
And don’t miss the other Hard Ink books, now available:
A Note about Easy and Hard to Hold On To:
Hey guys! I am so excited about Easy’s book that I can hardly wait for August to get here! Easy’s character was a total surprise to me. When I initially plotted out the series, there were four surviving members of the Army Special Forces team and therefore I planned for and sold four book in the series. But then, when I sat down to write Hard As It Gets, all of a sudden the story demanded there were actually five guys, and Edward “Easy” Cantrell was born. And I’m so glad! Because Easy’s character is a totally tortured hero, which I adore writing! So I’m super happy that we added his story and this novella into the series, and I can’t wait for you to learn about Easy in Hard to Hold On To!
Is it August yet???
xo, Laura
Praise for the Hard Ink Series:
For Hard As You Can:
“TOP PICK! There is a sinister and desperate edge to this tale that will keep readers glued to their seats. Kaye has dark romantic suspense nailed!” ~ RT Book Reviews Magazine
“Hard As You Can is another five star read. The characters Ms. Kaye has created are wonderfully broken and the drama is gritty, but the burgeoning romance and the tight-knitted relationship of the team leaves you with a sense of redemption. A must read series!” ~San Francisco Book Review
For Hard As It Gets:
“Edgy, sexy and full of suspense! A great read from a great new author!” ~ #1 NYT Bestselling Author J.R. Ward
“Sizzling romance… The intriguing tattoo parlor and military background will appeal to fans of Suzanne Brockmann and Lindsay McKenna.” ~Publishers Weekly Review
“Kaye’s depiction of sexual tension and her sex scenes are masterful and this will appeal to fans of Maya Banks’ KGI and Julia Ann Walker’s Black Knight’s series.” ~Booklist
Thanks for reading!
Laura
April 17, 2014
Cover Reveal of Monica Murphy’s Intoxicated!
I’m super excited to share the cover for Monica Murphy’s INTOXICATED with you all! INTOXICATED is a sexy Contemporary Romance novella in Monica’s The Billionaire Bachelors Club Series, published by Avon Impulse. It is available for pre-order. Links are below!! Check it out:
ABOUT INTOXICATED:
New York Times bestselling author Monica Murphy wraps up her sexy Billionaire Bachelors Club series with a wedding to remember. But this time, they’re not bachelors anymore, and the groom … is one of them.
It’s Gage and Marina’s wedding day, but wedded bliss seems a long way off: Ivy’s just gone into labor. Marina’s missing her matron of honor. And Bryn’s giving Matt the silent treatment.
It’s up to Archer, Gage, and Matt to make sure this day goes off without a hitch. But between brides and babies, there’s the not-so-little issue of the million-dollar bet to attend to. If only they can figure out who won … and who’s paying up. Is everyone a winner? Or will someone leave broke—and brokenhearted?
Pre-Order Links:
AMAZON | AMAZON CAN | AMAZON UK | BARNES AND NOBLE | iTUNES
EXCERPT:
I’m going to have a baby,” Ivy declares as she stops directly in front of me. Well, her belly stopped directly in front of me, the rest of her soon follows.
Yes, indeed, my wife is definitely going to have a baby. Soon.
I’m getting ready—staring at the mirror as I mess with my tie, making sure it’s perfect—when she approaches me. I shoot her a grin, feeling good, feeling on top of my game. Life couldn’t get any better, you know? We’re celebrating today and with good reason.
“I know, sexy mama.” I turn away from the mirror and wink at her. “Trust me, I haven’t forgotten that I’m the one who knocked you up.”
She stares at me, no reaction to my wink or my words. She usually slaps my ass and kisses me. Says something sarcastic at the very least. But I’m getting nothing. And it’s kind of disconcerting. “Archer. I’m dead serious. I’m going to have the baby.”
“I know, babe. And I can’t freaking wait.” I study her, noticing that she looks a little pale and her pupils are dilated. Hmm. “You feeling okay?”
Rolling her eyes, she rests her hand on top of her protruding stomach, rubbing it absently. Then not so absently. As in, she’s clutching her belly like she’s in pain. “I’m in—” She sucks in a harsh breath, holding it for a few seconds. “—labor, damn it.”
ABOUT MONICA MURPHY:
New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Monica Murphy is a native Californian who lives in the foothills below Yosemite. A wife and mother of three, she writes New Adult and contemporary romance for Bantam and Avon. She is the author of One Week Girlfriend and Second Chance Boyfriend.
Links:
Website | Blog | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads | Amazon author page
April 14, 2014
Jennifer L. Armentrout’s Don’t Look Back is Out!
I’m super excited that Jennifer L. Armentrout’s DON’T LOOK BACK releases today!! DON’T LOOK BACK is a young adult suspense being published by Disney Hyperion and it promises to be full of awesome! Plus, look at this cover!
BUY LINKS:
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes
EXCERPT:
I didn’t recognize the name on the street sign. Nothing about the rural road looked familiar or friendly. Tall, imposing trees and overgrown weeds choked the front of the dilapidated home. Windows were boarded up. There was a gaping hole where the front door had been. I shivered, wanting to be far away from here…wherever here was.
Walking felt harder than it should be, and I stumbled off the chilly asphalt, wincing as sharp gravel dug into my feet.
My bare feet?
I stopped and looked down. Chipped pink nail polish peeked through the dirt…and blood. Mud caked the legs of my pants, leaving the hems stiff. It made sense, seeing as how I wasn’t wearing any shoes, but the blood…I didn’t understand why there was blood staining the knees of my jeans.
My vision clouded and dulled, as if a gray film had been dropped over my eyes. As I stared at the weathered asphalt under my feet, large and smooth rocks replaced the tiny stones. Something dark and oily seeped over the rocks, slipping through the cracks.
Sucking in a sharp gasp, I blinked and the image was gone.
Hands trembling, I raised them. They were also covered with dirt and scratches. My nails were broken, bloodied. A silver ring wrapped, encased in soil, around my thumb. Air froze in my chest as my gaze crawled over my arms. The sleeves of my sweater were torn, revealing pale flesh covered in bruises and gashes. My legs started to shake as I swayed forward. I tried to remember how this had happened, but my head was empty—a black void where nothing existed.
A car drove by, coasting to a stop a few feet in front of me. Somewhere in the trenches of my subconscious, I recognized the flashing red and blue lights as a source of safety. Elegantly scrawled along the black-and-gray side of the cruiser were the words ADAMS COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT.
Adams County? A flash of familiarity came and went.
The driver’s door opened, and a deputy stepped out. He said something into the radio on his shoulder before he looked at me.
“Miss?” He started around the cruiser, taking tentative steps. He looked young for a deputy. Barely out of high school and able to carry a gun seemed wrong somehow. Was I in high school? I didn’t know. “We’ve received some calls into dispatch concerning you,” he said gently. “Are you okay?”
I tried to respond, but only a hoarse squeak came out. Clearing my throat, I winced as the motion scratched and pulled. “I…I don’t know.”
“Okay.” The deputy held up his hands as he approached me, as if I were a skittish deer about to bolt. “My name is Deputy Rhode. I’m here to help you. Do you know what you’re doing out here?”
“No.” Knots formed in my belly. I didn’t even know where here was.
His smile strained. “What’s your name?”
My name? Everyone knew their name, but as I stared at the deputy, I couldn’t answer his question. The knots started twisting more. “I don’t…I don’t know what my name is.”
He blinked, and the smile was completely gone. “You don’t remember anything?”
I tried again, concentrating on the empty space between my ears. That was how it felt. And I knew that wasn’t good. My eyes started to tear up.
“Miss, it’s okay. We’ll get you taken care of.” He reached out, lightly taking hold of my arm. “We’ll get this sorted.”
Deputy Rhode led me around the back of his cruiser. I didn’t want to sit behind the Plexiglas, because I knew that wasn’t good. Only bad people sat behind the glass in police cruisers. I wanted to object, but before I could say anything, he settled me into the seat and wrapped a coarse blanket around my shoulders.
Before he locked me in the bad part of the car, he knelt and smiled reassuringly. “Everything’s going to be okay.”
But I knew he was lying, trying to make me feel better. It didn’t work. How could everything be okay when I didn’t know my own name?
ABOUT DON’T LOOK BACK:
Samantha is a stranger in her own life. Until the night she disappeared with her best friend, Cassie, everyone said Sam had it all—popularity, wealth, and a dream boyfriend.
Sam has resurfaced, but she has no recollection of who she was or what happened to her that night. As she tries to piece together her life from before, she realizes it’s one she no longer wants any part of. The old Sam took “mean girl” to a whole new level, and it’s clear she and Cassie were more like best enemies. Sam is pretty sure that losing her memories is like winning the lottery. She’s getting a second chance at being a better daughter, sister, and friend, and she’s falling hard for Carson Ortiz, a boy who has always looked out for her—even if the old Sam treated him like trash.
But Cassie is still missing, and the facts about what happened to her that night isn’t just buried deep inside of Sam’s memory—someone else knows, someone who wants to make sure Sam stays quiet. All Sam wants is the truth, and if she can unlock her clouded memories of that fateful night, she can finally move on. But what if not remembering is the only thing keeping Sam alive?
“This engrossing thriller packs a heady atmospheric punch with plenty of theatrical scares,” Kirkus Reviews
“Armentrout has written another winner. From the first page to the last, she builds both terror and confusion to the point where readers will be hooked and on the edge of their seat. This standalone contains all of Armentrout’s usual trademarks– a strong and determined heroine, witty comments and hot guys–but she adds in an extra layer by ratcheting up the suspense to the highest degree and follows it up with an ending no one will see coming.” RT BOOK REVIEWS 4 1/2 Stars TOP PICK
About Jennifer L. Armentrout:
# 1 NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY Bestselling author Jennifer lives in Martinsburg, West Virginia. All the rumors you’ve heard about her state aren’t true. When she’s not hard at work writing. she spends her time reading, working out, watching really bad zombie movies, pretending to write, and hanging out with her husband and her Jack Russell Loki.
Her dreams of becoming an author started in algebra class, where she spent most of her time writing short stories….which explains her dismal grades in math. Jennifer writes young adult paranormal, science fiction, fantasy, and contemporary romance. She is published with Spencer Hill Press, Entangled Teen and Brazen, Disney/Hyperion and Harlequin Teen. Her book Obsidian has been optioned for a major motion picture and her Covenant Series has been optioned for TV.
She also writes adult and New Adult romance under the name J. Lynn. She is published by Entangled Brazen and HarperCollins.
Links:
Website |Twitter | Facebook | Jennifer L. Armentrout Goodreads | DON’T LOOK BACK Goodreads
April 12, 2014
Blogging Friends! Join My Upcoming Events!
Calling all blogging friends! 
So, the next few weeks are going to be BUSY with releases, cover reveals, and blog tours, and I hope you’ll help me along the way where you can! Down below I’m sharing all the different ways you can be involved in events around four different books. Check it out:
Event #1 ~ April 18
Cover Reveal for Hard to Hold On To (Hard Ink #2.5) ~ Sign up here!
Event #2 ~ April 22:
East of Ecstasy Release Day Launch ~ Sign up here!
Event #3 ~ May 2:
Cover Reveal for Hard to Come By (Hard Ink #3) ~ Sign up here!
Event #4 ~ May 12:
Dare to Resist Release Day Launch ~ Sign up here!
This is one of my sexiest stories yet! *grins* Dare to Resist is the novella prequel to the four-book Wedding Dare series releasing from Entangled’s super sexy Brazen line on June 9. You won’t want to miss any of these stories!
Event #5 ~ May 13-16:
Dare to Resist Review Tour ~ Sign up here!
Hope to see you along the way! And thanks for considering!
Laura
April 9, 2014
Meeting My Favorite Author, J.R. Ward
Guys! Sometimes someone does something so unexpectedly, amazingly wonderful for you that it’s hard to believe. Even days later, it still doesn’t feel real. And that happened to me this past Saturday.
Selfie of me and Jen on the teeny tiny plane to Cincinnati…
I was attending the J.R. Ward Q&A event in Cincinnati with my girl Jennifer L. Armentrout. We were SUPER DUPER excited, because we were getting to see JR *and* we’d done an awesome signing and Q&A of our own the night before and we had a great turn-out and the readers who came out were total awesomesauce! Pics from our signing:
And, then, a whole series of CRAZY AMAZING things happened once we got in the door of JR’s event:
J.R. Ward’s assistant LeElla came running over to ask if I was Laura Kaye because she’d read Hard As It Gets after JRW did for the cover quote and loved it! How cool is that? Right there, I would’ve been totally delighted with the day.
Then, lots of readers recognized me and Jen or otherwise knew we were there and wanted to take pictures, so we got to meet and chat with a bunch of super cool readers. And, right there, I would’ve been so excited about that day – because, how fun was that?
And then, J.R. came out to start the Q&A and it was total amazeballs to see her and hear her talk about my ABSOLUTE FAVORITE SERIES OF ALL TIME! Not only do I adore the books but I love hearing her talk about her process and what it’s like for her to be a writer. Since I’m such an uber fan, I just think it’s cool to be able to identify with her on that level. I could’ve listened to her talk all day and never get bored. But, alas, she had a basketball game to watch that night… *wink*
AND THEN, about 50 minutes into the Q&A, after answering a question about writing more books that follow-up with the Brothers who’ve already gotten a book (WOOT!), out of nowhere she says, “So, is author Laura Kaye in the audience today? If Laura’s here, stand up.” << or something similar because as soon as she said my name my brain sorta shorted out and there’s like a 20 second period I can’t remember what was happening anymore. LOL And because I’d met so many of the folks sitting in the front of the room, a whole bunch of people very helpfully yelled where I was and pointed, etc., and so of course my face was totally red and I had this crazy deer-in-the-headlights expression on my face (helpfully captured by lots of folks who’ve since sent me pics… *wink*). And I was crying and my heart was beating a million miles an hour and I was shaking and, like, 2000 people were all looking at me! LOL Somehow I managed to stand up.
Now, at this point I need to remind you that 1) I’m a total uber fan of JRW, 2) she is my favorite author in the world, and 3) I ugly cried in the middle of a huge publisher workshop when I learn she’d given me a cover quote for Hard As It Gets.
So, J.R. comes over to where I’m standing and starts talking about me and how amazing Hard As It Gets was and how great of a writer I am and that everyone needs to read my Hard Ink books. I. Am. Dying. And shaking. And trying not to hyperventilate. I’m nearly having an out-of-body experience y’all, because FOR REAL, my idol is giving me a major shout-out that I never in a million years would’ve expected her to do. I mean, that event was her moment. All those awesome readers were there for her. (And I was, too!) Not a single iota of brain energy had ever generated the idea that she would recognize me in any way. I didn’t even expect her to know I was there. (I’m thinking I owe LeElla a MASSIVE thank you for her role in this…) So then she hugged me and I told her she was my favorite author ever and at some point she made a joke about embarrassing me and making me cry that was awesome and totally her. When it was over, I thanked her for Zsadist and told her he was my favorite character. (Here’s a video of part of what happened)
And then it was over. And I was shaking so hard I couldn’t initially type to post about what’d happened on social media.
I could’ve dropped dead at that moment and I would’ve died totally satisfied with my life LOL. Except the awesome didn’t stop there.
When the Q&A ended, I found LeElla again and I asked her if she would be willing to get JR to sign the cover of Hard As It Gets for me so I could have it as a keepsake…. and LeElla invited me and Jen back to the VIP signing. There were like 20 people with VIP tags who would get to go to a different room after the Q&A and get things signed and take pictures and talk to JR individually. And LeElla invited me to come. Again, I was totally gobsmacked. I was prepared to have her ship me the book some time later.
So we go to the small conference room where the VIP event takes place and, thankfully, I can breathe and act like a normal person now so when I get to meet JR again, I can actually talk to her and thank her without crying. She signed two posters of The King‘s cover for me (one of which I’m giving away) and also signed my book cover. (She worried about “ruining” my book and I was all like pshaw dude! This is the best copy of Hard As It Gets that now exists!!! LOL >> The signed book says, “To Laura! I’m a big fan! Love, JR Ward aka Jess P.S. YOU ARE THE SHIT!”) We took pics and floated out of the room.
And when it was all said and done, J.R. Ward had given me one of the best days of my entire life.
Dinner afterward with awesome reader friends from the BDB Lovers FB Group!
And now I have another reason to admire her. Because I want to be that person. That person who does something amazing and dream-fulfilling for another person. Who does something they totally don’t need to do and that no one would ever expect them to do, but they do it anyway and totally make someone’s dream come true.
So that was my weekend. And I’ll never, ever forget it.
If you have not read the Black Dagger Brotherhood series, starting with Dark Lover, I ask you – are you freaking crazy??? Go go go and start it now! Just, you know, remember that Zsadist is mine…
Thanks for reading!
Laura
March 31, 2014
Goodreads Giveaway of #EastofEcstasy
Just a quick post to let you know there’s a Goodreads giveaway up for EAST OF ECSTASY that runs through April 18! The book releases on the 22nd – woot! Here’s the blurb:
Annalise Fallston made peace with postponing her big-city dreams to care for her ill father, but lately she’s been filled with a restlessness not even her beloved painting dispels. Worse, the colors don’t speak to her as they always have, and all her efforts produce dark, foreboding images of a dangerous man and a terrifying future.
Devlin Eston, black-souled son of the evil Anemoi Eurus, is the only one who can thwart his father’s plan to overthrow the Supreme God of Wind and Storms. But first, Dev must master the unstable powers he’s been given. Distrusted and shunned by his own divine family, he never expected to find kindness and passion in the arms of a mortal.
But Devlin’s love puts Annalise in the path of a catastrophic storm, and in the final Armageddon showdown between the Anemoi and Eurus, sacrifices will be made, hearts broken, and lives changed forever…or lost.
Good luck! And thanks for reading!
Laura
Response to the RWA Board’s Statement on the #RITAGH Contest
Last week, Romance Writers of America and romance writers everywhere celebrated the announcement of the finalists in our genre’s most prestigious awards, the RITA award for published romance fiction and the Golden Heart award for unpublished romance fiction. I couldn’t be more excited for this year’s finalists, many of whom are my friends. My concerns about the contest are not in any way meant to take away from their wonderful accomplishment.
Following numerous rule changes to the contest over the past several years, this year’s contest results were quite different than they’d ever been before. Namely, some categories had a huge number of finalists (contemporary: 18, historical: 17, paranormal: 13) and other categories had very few (romantic suspense: 4, erotic romance: 3, inspirational romance: 2). There was a lot of discussion about those results last week, including this wonderful post by RITA finalist Stephanie Draven, with which I totally agree, and many of us sent letters to the RWA board, including me. My main concerns in that initial message included:
1) the scoring sheet that places a double emphasis on the romance component and can possibly disadvantage any subgenres with a plot in addition to the romance plot
2) lack of judging instructions, judges being assigned books in categories they didn’t want, and judges for the first time ever being allowed to judge categories in which they were entered
3) the inability of category romance books to compete against single title romance books of the same subgenre).
Today, I received the board’s form response from RWA President Terry McLaughlin, which I’m sharing in its entirety as instructed, along with my own response, which is somewhat amplified over what I sent to Ms. McLaughlin earlier this morning.
Permission to share the following is granted, with the condition that it is shared in its entirety.
RWA’s mission is to advance the professional interests of career-focused romance writers. The purpose of the RITA award is to promote excellence in the romance genre by recognizing outstanding published romance novels and novellas. A primary strategic goal for RWA is and has been to raise the awareness and status of the RITA awards. I can assure you the board makes every decision in light of RWA’s mission and strategic plan. The board and staff spend countless hours every year compiling and analyzing RITA-specific data and industry trends with the goal of ensuring the RITA award continues to meet its purpose and remains viable.
In an effort to discover and recognize outstanding novels and novellas that best exemplify excellence in the romance genre, RWA’s board approved a contest score sheet reflecting the stated judging guidelines that “the love story is the main focus of the novel” or novella. The board also agreed that any contest entry earning a score of at least ninety percent—an “A”—would advance to the final round.
The goal was for the new score sheet and system of selecting finalists to work in tandem to best meet the purpose of the RITA contest. In the first round, works are not placed in competition with each other or within each category; instead, each entry is judged against a uniform standard and is considered on its own merits. Each entry, regardless of how many other entries share its category, has an equal chance of finaling.
The board viewed this as an improvement over the former system that often reduced first-round competition in smaller categories and sometimes, because of the limit on category finalists, granted finalist status to entries with lower first-round scores than those of non-finaling entries in other categories. With the new system, every entry judged as excellent in the first round is automatically a finalist.
The board is aware of members’ concerns. As always, any decisions made regarding future contest rules will be in keeping with RWA’s mission, the purpose of the RITA, and the goal of raising awareness of the award among readers and industry professionals.
Terry McLaughlin
RWA President
My response:
Of course I understand that the board’s intentions were good. I’m not sure why so much time in this response needed to be devoted to that point, since I’ve seen no one question the board’s intentions in any of the countless posts regarding the contest. Not to mention, the board’s intentions are beside the point. It’s the results that matter here. And this response still does not respond to the concerns I and many other authors have expressed regarding this year’s results. Personally, it leaves me with the feeling that those concerns were either not heard or are being ignored.
In response to this paragraph:
The board viewed this as an improvement over the former system that often reduced first-round competition in smaller categories and sometimes, because of the limit on category finalists, granted finalist status to entries with lower first-round scores than those of non-finaling entries in other categories. With the new system, every entry judged as excellent in the first round is automatically a finalist.
Please clarify if I am understanding correctly that the board is intentionally de-prioritizing categories in the first round of the contest. If so, what is the purpose of the categories in the RITA contest? Why must entrants enter in a specific category at all? Please note: I would be entirely against any scenario in which categories were done away with and think this is the most disturbing and problematic part of the board’s response.
Moreover, the following two quotes from the above board letter seem to indicate that the board knew certain categories scored lower historically and therefore must have known that they would score lower under the new 90%-of-points cut-off rule: “The board and staff spend countless hours every year compiling and analyzing RITA-specific data and industry trends” and “The board viewed this as an improvement over the former system that often reduced first-round competition in smaller categories and sometimes, because of the limit on category finalists, granted finalist status to entries with lower first-round scores than those of non-finaling entries in other categories.” I don’t know how to read this other than to assume the board made a conscious decision to de-prioritize the categories, as well as the books in certain categories (in general, those with plots in addition to the romance), in the first round.
Please clarify if the board recognizes that in giving extra weight to the romance component that the contest is making it more difficult for books with plots in addition to the romance to be recognized as excellent.
And, finally, please clarify if the board truly believes that some whole categories of romance books were significantly more excellent than other whole categories in 2013. Or, rather, please clarify if the board truly believes that some whole categories of romance books had almost no excellent books in 2013.
Also, does the board not recognize the role that judging deficiencies played in this year’s contest results? As I said in my initial response to the board, opening the judging to ALL RWA members – all of whom should be viewed as peers – would alleviate the lack of judges available to evaluate certain categories. It almost has to be more difficult to get as excellent of scores from judges reading books in categories they generally don’t like to read.
Fairness to categories and all books that receive the 90% score could easily be achieved by a rule which mandated that the top 8 points earners in each category will final PLUS everyone whose books earn a first-round score of 90% or above.
I am also greatly concerned that the current RWA board seems to think that narrowing our definition of romance and excellence in published romance best serves our collective interests. Given that many of us don’t operate within those narrow definitions and that most readers do not conceive of the books they love that way, this does not seem to best serve the interests of career-focused romance writers.
Already, so much conversation on this response has happened this morning. I hope the board understands how distressed many in the RWA community are over the contest and people’s feeling that the board is not hearing our concerns.
Sincerely,
Laura Kaye
I encourage everyone – even if you disagree with my point of view here – to contact the board directly with your thoughts. Because the contest is intimately wrapped up with the question of what is romance?, this topic is too important to all of us to remain disinterested and silent. Email addresses are available here.
March 27, 2014
#HonorReclaimed Cover Reveal! #RomanticSuspense
I’m super excited to be celebrating the cover reveal for Tonya Burrows’s Honor Reclaimed, the second book in her awesome new romantic suspense HORNET series, coming out on May 27! Isn’t this awesome (click on image to enlarge):
Synopsis: Former Marine scout sniper Seth Harlan is new to HORNET and anxious to prove he can still do his job despite an ongoing battle with PTSD. He remembers all too well what it’s like to sit inside an enemy camp, praying for rescue and waiting for death. So when a black ops soldier contacts HORNET to rescue a buddy who was left behind, all sorts of nasty memories strain his newfound stability.
When an interview with a runaway Afghan child bride leads photojournalist Phoebe Leighton to an arms deal involving a suitcase bomb powerful enough to wipe out a mid-sized town, she realizes this is one battle she can’t win on her own. Forming an unlikely alliance with a ragtag team of military and government delinquents, she meets Seth, a sniper carrying as many emotional scars as physical, who impresses her with his steely will and ignites passions within her she thought long dead.
Suddenly this mission is about a lot more than an abandoned soldier. Racing against the clock, Seth, Phoebe, and the rest of HORNET struggle to stop that bomb before it reaches it’s final destination: The United States.
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Author Bio: Writing has always been my one true love. I wrote my first novel-length story in 8th grade and haven’t put down my pen since. I received a B.A. in creative writing from SUNY Oswego and I’m now working on a MFA in popular fiction at Seton Hill University.
When I’m not writing, I spend my time reading, painting (badly), exploring new places, and enjoying time with my family. Give me a good horror movie over a chick flick any day. (And, let’s be honest, I’ll take a bad horror movie too!) I’m a geek at heart and pledge my avid TV fandom to Supernatural and Doctor Who. I’m also a big fan of The Voice. What can I say? Guilty pleasure.
I share my life with two dogs and a ginormous cat. I’m from a small town in Western New York, but I suffer from a bad case of wanderlust and usually end up moving someplace new every few years. Luckily, my animals are all excellent travel buddies.
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So, what do you think?
Thanks for visiting!
Laura
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