Laura K. Curtis's Blog, page 11

Conference Tiffs and the Polite Lie

I love conferences. Love them. But every year, I hear about someone who is no longer speaking to someone else because person 2 insulted person 1—or possibly insulted person 3 who is a friend of person 1—or because person 2 felt as if person 1 ignored them in favor of a more “important” author or editor.

“She looked right at me, and pretended she didn’t know me,” said one of my friends of another.

Well, yeah, that’s possible. It’s equally possible my other friend was simply on conference overload with a buzzing head and tired eyes, thinking about how much her feet hurt.

And then there are the room-mate dilemmas. “OMG,” one of my friends bemoaned in an instant message, “so-and-so asked me if I have a room-mate for RT and I don’t, but I sure as hell don’t want to room with her. What am I supposed to say?”

Well, under normal circumstances, honesty is the best policy. But there are also appropriate times for the polite lie, and this is one of them.

“You tell her you yes, you already have one,” I advised.

“And what if she finds out I don’t?”

Well, if so-and-so finds out at the conference that you don’t have a room-mate and confronts you, you have two choices. First, say your roomie fell through (which happens all the time) or you can tell her the truth. Chances are, however, that even if she does find out, she won’t say anything to you. Most people aren’t that confrontational.

And if you’re on the receiving end of “sorry, I already have a room-mate” and then later finding out that person is alone in her room? My advice is to leave it alone and assume her roomie fell through. And if you think someone’s ignoring you in favor of a more popular author or a better agent or bigger editor or whatever…make a decision about how important that is to you. I’ve been ignored numerous times at conferences. I’m a nobody. I basically expect it. I understand that people are there to network and I cannot do anything for them. The ones who want to chat with me because we are actually friends will seek me out. And if my friends are currying favor with someone else for a few minutes, well, they’ll find me later or they won’t.

Let me put this another way: RWA and Sleuthfest (and to a certain extent RT and Bouchercon) are professional conferences. People are there to do business. If you treat it as a business conference, you’re a lot less likely to get hurt than if you treat it as a social gathering. Remember that even while people are drinking and dressing up in costumes, they’re also there trying to get ahead in their careers. You may not approve of the way they do it, and that may mean cutting them out of your life, but don’t assume that just because they look past you in their search for someone at a con that they don’t like you or care about you. They’re simply wearing a business hat and not good at blending the business and social.

The post Conference Tiffs and the Polite Lie appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

These Are a Few of My Favorite (Self-Published) Things

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: It takes far more to interest me in a self-published work than in a traditionally published one. I know that my own self-pub work, Toying with his Affections, which came out today (woohoo!) will face the same struggle for eyes and for legitimacy. Even authors whose traditionally-published work I enjoy have to start over when they begin self pubbing because I’ve been burned too often by going “Oh, so-and-so has a new book out!” and then finding out it’s poorly edited or has no discernible plot or whatever.

There are gazillions of self-pubbed books out there. Seriously. I couldn’t begin to try them all. And there are a lot of subgenres I don’t read, so for those you’ll have to find another place to recommend books to you. Even books by some of my friends I have bought and have sitting on my Kindle or iPad and have not yet read (so sorry, Lexxi Callahan and Penny Watson, I promise I will get to them before the end of the summer, but things have been madness)!

So first off, I don’t read much historical at all. I know there are some great self-pubbed historical romance authors, but I just don’t read it, so I can’t help you out. Likewise paranormal. But here are some things I have read and do like:

ROMANTIC SUSPENSE:

You know that would be first, right? There are two authors in this genre I think do a great job with their self-pubbed work.

1. Carolyn Crane

Crane has several books ranging from short stories and novellas to category length fiction to single-title. I am always happy to see a new one…like today!

2. Rachel Grant

Rachel Grant’s Concrete Evidence was probably the first romantic suspense self-pub I read strictly on recommendation (that is, I hadn’t read something she traditionally published or met her at a conference or anything). I still think it’s the best of her books, but I’d recommend any of her first three.

 

CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE

Laura Florand

Oh, these are beautiful. I wouldn’t glom, because the themes can get a bit repetitive (hero falls first, chases heroine) but the writing is lovely. The Chocolate Kiss is my favorite because of the hint of magical realism, which is always something that tends to draw me in.

 

 

 

 

 

ODDS AND ENDS

And then there are the books in genres I normally don’t read that I’ve picked up because they were written by people I knew from their traditional publishing careers or because I met them at a conference and liked what they had to say about the world.

1. Bria Quinlan: YA

I picked up Quinlan’s Wreckless for my niece. People sometimes mistake these books for being NA, but they’re definitely not. They’re YA and totally suitable for my 12-year-old niece to read. I haven’t read her other books, but I did read this one before I gave it to Leyla and it was sweet, well-written, with enough humor to make it good for a kid who’s still figuring stuff out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2. K.M. Jackson‘s Bounce: Women’s Fiction

I don’t read women’s fiction. I especially don’t read women’s fiction with infidelity. It’s a giant line in the sand for me having less to do with how well stories are written than with my own personal history. But reading is an intensely personal experience, so everyone has lines in different places and no one will like everything. I admit that I did not read Bounce too carefully for precisely these reasons—I did not want to get overly involved with the characters. But I know Kwana, so I skimmed through it and I liked what I read. It got excellent reviews, so I feel certain that if those are no your particular issues, you’ll enjoy it!

 

 

And, finally, two westerns, one historical and one contemporary, both of which I bought because I like the authors’ traditionally published work:

Molly O’Keefe‘s Seduced & Sarah M. Anderson‘s Nobody

 

I am absolutely sure I have left people out, but you have to start somewhere! So what about you? Do you have favorites in the indie publishing world?

The post These Are a Few of My Favorite (Self-Published) Things appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

Giveaway: Sexy Fun and Games

In Toying With His Affections, the heroine, Evie, sells sex toys for a living. She works for a fictional company called Goody’s Goodies that has both retail outlets and a home party arm. Now, before I started writing this book, I knew very little about sex toys. I knew the basics, but not how wide a variety there were, nor that home parties for such a thing even existed.

So, naturally, once I’d decided to write a sex toy story, I had to do research. Which meant hosting a party of my own and conning my friends into inviting my friends to attend. We had a great time. I highly recommend the Passion Parties folks to give you a bunch of good laughs, even if you think sex toys aren’t your thing.

Anyway, I bought several things at the party, some just for me and some to give away as promotional items. Today, I am giving away “31 Sexual Favors for Him.” It’s a set of cards that you can give to someone (or several someones, if that’s what you are into) like little coupons to brighten his day.

As usual with Rafflecopter raffles, don’t forget to CLICK THE BUTTON showing that you’re a member of the mailing list or that you’ve left a comment, or the entry won’t count!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Giveaway: Sexy Fun and Games appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

Personal Update

Many of you already know this, but some of you may not. (You may also not care—feel free to move right along if you’re here for the freebies; there’ll be another of those tomorrow.) The past month or so has been exceedingly tough, but things are looking up and I have time and energy again to let you know what’s going on.

First and most importantly, my crazy younger dog, Philomena, was diagnosed with kidney disease. She stopped eating and dropped from 32 pounds to 23. I was an utter wreck. We thought for a little bit that she might not live. We were force-feeding her day and night, shoving pills down her throat coated in yogurt to keep her from choking them back up, running her back and forth from the vet constantly. After her first five day stay in the hospital, she came home, and then went back in for another two days. We were scrambling to re-arrange schedules, etc. so that we could maintain some control. But then, after the second stay, they found a new medication for nausea and she popped back up, started eating again, and yesterday’s blood results were excellent. She’ll likely be on drugs and a special kidney-friendly, low-protein diet for the rest of her life, but she’s back to getting into trouble and generally making a pain of herself.

In fact, just today, Mike said to her “you’re so cute, I just want to strangle you.” Which is a good sign that everything is getting back to normal.

My own issues have been brewing since at least last July, though actually longer. The first time I remember losing my grip (literally) and sensation in my right pinkie finger was probably 20 years ago. But it went away. It’s come and gone over the years without me paying it a whole lot of mind, but when I ruptured the C6-C7 disc last July and my whole arm went numb and useless, it was time to start paying attention.

At RWA last year, I was on a lot of painkillers. I’ve been on and off them ever since and once I got my insurance straightened out, I set up surgery. They went in, pulled out two discs (a second had gone bad because of the instability caused by the first one) and then found bone spurs pressing on the nerve that they had to shave off. They put in two small plastic “spacers” instead of discs, that were then screwed in. After a while, the bone should grow around them, “fusing” the vertebrae. Both of my doctors were excellent and when I woke up, the pain in my mid-back that beat like demon wings beneath my shoulder blades had already begun to dissipate.

But neck surgery is…not easy. I am wearing a neck brace which is uncomfortable, especially in the heat. The surgery was July 3, and today is the first day I managed to sit up in bed without lifting my head in my hands as if it were a bowling ball, not something physically attached to me.  Yesterday was the first day I managed to eat anything more solid than soup and eggs. (And yesterday it was rice and toast—my stomach is completely destroyed from the number of painkillers I’ve taken since the surgery.)

So, that’s where we are. Yes, I am still planning on going to RWA. Today I feel much better about that choice. Even 48 hours ago, I was thinking I must have been out of my mind. But I’ve only taken one pain pill today and I did the dishes and walked around and, as I said, didn’t have to lift my head as a separate object. So things are looking up. On Monday I go see one of my docs, and on Wednesday I see the other. I suspect I will be required to wear the neck brace at RWA, and I will probably spend most of the con in the bar hanging out instead of walking from place to place.

The post Personal Update appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

Another Nail Art Giveaway! Nailed It by Espionage Cosmetics

The 24 individual manicure pods were won, but the nail art fabulousness doesn’t stop there! Since a manicure even gets a mention in Toying With His Affections, today I am giving away three sets of nail strips from Espionage Cosmetics. Evie wears plain red nail polish, these are a wee bit more exotic. Once again, perfect for conferences, conventions, and the unconventional party! The set includes wild sparkling octopus tentacles, comic book craziness, and Tim Burton-inspired wackiness!

I’ve worn these in the past and had mixed results. I would recommend putting them on as close to the event as possible, since one night they lasted for only a few hours. Other people have worn then for more than a week without any problem, however, so I cannot say that they will peel off your nails the way they did off mine! Be sure to wipe your nails with rubbing alcohol before putting them on to keep the sticky stuff…well…sticky for as long as possible!

As usual with Rafflecopter raffles, don’t forget to CLICK THE BUTTON showing that you’re a member of the mailing list or that you’ve left a comment, or the entry won’t count!

Worldwide entries accepted!

 

 

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Here’s a video tutorial telling you how to use the nail wraps:

 

ÈB;_

The post Another Nail Art Giveaway! Nailed It by Espionage Cosmetics appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

Trailer Time! LOST Goes Lego!

The post Trailer Time! LOST Goes Lego! appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

Literary Romance and Romantic Literature

Last night I posed a question on Twitter. I wanted some recommendations for books that had romances in them but had a literary fiction tone. There was some back and forth on what literary fiction is, as one would expect, but I thought I would post the list of recommendations I received. In no particular order, here they are (links are Amazon affiliate links):

The Blades of the Rose quartet by Zoe Archer (SFF)
The Thief books by Megan Whalen Turner (SFF)
Gaudy Night by Dorothy Sayers (Mystery)
Glitterland by Alexis Hall (LGBT)
A Woman Entangled by Cecila Grant (Historical)
Nowhere But Home by Liza Palmer
Possession by A.S. Byatt
The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif
Swann by Carol Shields
Black Silk by Judith Ivory (Historical)
The Stone Carvers by Jane Urquhart
Fallen Angel by Charlotte Louise Dolan (Historical)
The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington
Then She Found Me by Elinor Lipman
The Inn at Lake Devine by Elinor Lipman
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Alternate Universe)
The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough (it’s been said this is not at all like her other work)

Authors whose works were recommended but without specifying which works:

Pam Rosenthal
Julia Ross
Susanna Kearsley
Mary Wesley
Sherry Thomas
Old Signet Regency romances (authors are republishing their own backlists, plus Belgrave House is repubbing several)

 

 

The post Literary Romance and Romantic Literature appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

Firehouse Cookies

I originally published this recipe in 2012 on my now-defunct TorchSongs GlassWorks blog.

As anyone who knows me knows, I make cookies all the time for the guys at the the local firehouse. These seem to be the favorites. Because one of the guys (hi, Matt!) asked for the recipe, this one has copious notes on it.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda*
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup salted butter (put this into mixer bowl and let sit until softened)
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar
1 teaspoon water
1.5 teaspoons vanilla
2 large eggs
1.5 cups bittersweet or semi-sweet chocolate chips**
1/2 bag Heath Bar bits

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Either grease two cookie sheets, or use Silpat mats on them. (I am a huge fan of the Silpat mat/sheet, so if you’re a big baker, I highly, highly recommend them. Don’t bother with cheaper versions – they don’t hold up.)

In medium-sized mixing bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and salt.

In bowl of electric mixer (or in a large mixing bowl), cream together butter and sugars. Add the water and vanilla and mix until just combined. Add eggs and mix lightly. Stir in flour mixture. Fold in chocolate chips and Heath Bar bits. Do not over mix dough,

Drop cookies by heaping teaspoon 2 inches apart using 2 tablespoons or an ice cream scoop/melon baller (like this one: cookie scoop). THESE COOKIES SPREAD! You will want to go with two cookies per row, five rows per sheet, offset. No more than ten cookies will fit on a cookie sheet.

Bake for 12 minutes or until edges and centers are brown. Cool on sheet itself for at least 5 minutes before moving to rack to cool completely.

Yield: ~4 dozen

* Cooking may be an art, but baking is a science. Be sure your baking soda doesn’t get old or damp. If you keep one in the fridge open to soak up odors the way many people do, don’t use it for baking.

** Quality is key, here. Never, ever use Tollhouse chips. I have a big bin of chocolate chips/chunks/drops so what ends up in my cookies is usually a mix of bittersweet and semi-sweet, along with chunks… Semi-sweet is sweeter, but I prefer bittersweet which is richer and deeper.

If you’re at the supermarket, go with Ghirardelli chips. Again, I like the bittersweet (brown package).
If you ever get to Trader Joe’s, their brand of chips are excellent, too. I have a strong suspicion that they are just Ghirardelli packaged with TJ’s brand name.
I order from King Arthur Flour with alarming regularity, and pretty much all their chips, chunks, etc, are worth tasting.

The post Firehouse Cookies appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

Giveaway: Nails Galore!

Conference season is upon us and when I was at RT recently, I spent a great deal of time talking about manicures with people. I have never had a manicure except when one of my friends insisted that everyone in her wedding party have one. I hated it. I bit my nails right into my twenties, so I never got the hang of the whole thing. And even now I keep them short and very rounded because if there’s a corner anywhere, I’ll pick at it. Also, if I get nervous, my nails break right at the fingertip. (As a side note, my mother’s manicurist says this is because you have a lot of nerves in your fingertips, and when you’re stressed, they throb. True? Not true? I have no idea.)

Anyway, I thought it might be fun—since the in my forthcoming book, Toying With His Affections, the heroine is a bit more of a girly-girl than I am—to do some fun girly giveaways in celebration of the new book. And, naturally, given the multiple manicure conversations at RT, I figured I would start with nails.

This giveaway is for a set of Formula X “Press Pods.” Each of these tiny bottles works sort of like those pens that you shake and then squeeze. You break the cap off, then squeeze a drop of polish out onto the brush (which is revealed when the cap breaks off), then do up a manicure. Each color is good for only one manicure since they cannot be closed again after they’ve been opened, but it comes with 24 different “pods.”

As usual with Rafflecopter raffles, don’t forget to CLICK THE BUTTON showing that you’re a member of the mailing list or that you’ve left a comment, or the entry won’t count!

This entry is U.S. only due to the contents of the package, but keep an eye out for more that will be overseas-friendly!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Giveaway: Nails Galore! appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.

The Summer of Self-Pub: How to Get My Next Book Half Off

Many of you know I will be publishing my first contemporary romance this summer. This is my cover. Isn’t it pretty? And here’s the cover copy:

Good girl gone bad…

Evie Bell left behind the stifling town of Fairview and her reputation as a goodie two-shoes when she moved to Vegas to become a showgirl and sex toy saleswoman. When she returns to her small hometown in Tennessee to help her ailing aunt, she doesn’t plan to remain in a town that’s disappointed in her transformation.

Bad boy gone good…

Griffin Barstow was given a choice at eighteen: jail or the military. He chose the military. Now he’s come home to Fairview to run for sheriff. But small towns have long memories and the last thing he needs while trying to convince voters he’s turned his life around is an attraction to a completely inappropriate woman.

The thing about self-pub is that you get to experiment with a wide variety of things like pricing, sales outlets, advertising…you get the idea. One of the things I want to do with Toying with his Affections is to try some different ways of selling it. Yes, it will be available in all the standard places and in all the standard formats. Yes, you’ll be able to get it in paperback as well as e. Yes, I hope to be able to get it into library systems so that you’ll be able to get it free.

But it will also be available on my Storenvy store, which gives me the ability to send coupons. So my intention is to send out a coupon to everyone who signs up for my newsletter which will allow them to buy the book in the format of their choice for half off the cover price ($3.99 in either epub or mobi, $11.99 in print) for the first two weeks the book is on sale. The only way to get the coupon is to sign up for my newsletter, which I ONLY send out when I have books coming out, big news, or freebies I think my readers would like.

So sign up today, and be the first to get the new book…and get it at half price!

The post The Summer of Self-Pub: How to Get My Next Book Half Off appeared first on Laura K. Curtis.