HelenKay Dimon's Blog, page 41
July 19, 2011
Kindle Giveaway
A few Intrigue authors got together and are running a contest. We all write for Intrigue and write other books that are available digitally. We want to introduce you to our digital books, so we're giving you an opportunity to try them or to just try ebooks, in general, by winning a Kindle. The rules are simple. You sign up and are entered to win your choice of a Kindle or $100 worth of ebooks. The contest runs through July 31st.
July 17, 2011
Wedding Photos
If you follow me on twitter, you know I was at a wedding last night. One of my hubby's counsins got married and his mom flew in from Hawaii. The wedding was outside at a tennis club in Orange Co (CA), less than an hour from where we live. It was just lovely. Here are two of my favorite pics (you can click on the to make them bigger):
The hubby with his mom:
The hubby and two of his cousins, the one in the middle is the mother of the groom. Yes, the groom's mother. She looks amazing:
Love weddings…
July 14, 2011
Movie News
I blogged about the book THE LUXE by Anna Godbersen when it came out. I saw the cover and fell in love with it. Here it is:
The covers for the other books in the series are equally lovely. I remember the series being pitched as "Gossip Girl meets the Gilded Age" when the first one came out. Looks like the Gossip Girl folks took that seriously because according to Perez Hilton:
Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage, the creative minds behind the hit CW series, have reportedly signed to produce a film adaptation of the Anna Godbersen-written young adult novel The Luxe, a 19th century class drama which focuses on four teens in New York which "features conflicts between old money and new money, the upper and lower class, and star-crossed lovers."
Awesome.
Love when books get optioned for movies. I hate the whole thing where Hollywood is re-purposing movies from my youth – The Karate Kid, Footloose, etc – and much prefer new ideas. Also love when authors make money and optioning a book can be a big moneymaker.
July 13, 2011
Intrigue Pitch
If you've looked around my website you probably know I write for Harlequin Intrigue. Honestly, I love writing for Intrigue. My editor, Denise Zaza, makes the process pretty easy. With the last contract we talked about what I write and how that fits in with the "hooks" Harlequin readers look for – ex, amnesia, secret babies, cowboys, etc. You'll notice I don't really write any of those hooks. But, knowing what I write and my strengths (as well as which of my Intrigues sold best so far), my editor had an idea of what type of book she wanted me to propose to her (mistaken identity/girl next door heroine types), so I came up with three plot ideas that fit into those categories, pitched them, and she bought them. It's a good partnership.
If you're thinking about writing for Intrigue – and you definitely should if you like writing romantic suspense or romantic thrillers – you now have an opportunity to pitch directly to my editor. Here is the information from the Harlequin website about the pitches: HERE. Good luck!
July 12, 2011
Anticipated Reads
Huffington Post has an article on the 20 Most Anticipated Books of Summer 2011. I checked the list and wasn't actually anticipating any of them, but I did find two interesting:
THE LEFTOVERS by Tom Perrota – I've read three of his previous books and liked his writing. This one is about something called the Sudden Departure. I'm in!
What if—whoosh, right now, with no explanation—a number of us simply vanished? Would some of us collapse? Would others of us go on, one foot in front of the other, as we did before the world turned upside down?
That's what the bewildered citizens of Mapleton, who lost many of their neighbors, friends and lovers in the event known as the Sudden Departure, have to figure out. Because nothing has been the same since it happened—not marriages, not friendships, not even the relationships between parents and children.
Kevin Garvey, Mapleton's new mayor, wants to speed up the healing process, to bring a sense of renewed hope and purpose to his traumatized community. Kevin's own family has fallen apart in the wake of the disaster: his wife, Laurie, has left to join the Guilty Remnant, a homegrown cult whose members take a vow of silence; his son, Tom, is gone, too, dropping out of college to follow a sketchy prophet named Holy Wayne. Only Kevin's teenaged daughter, Jill, remains, and she's definitely not the sweet "A" student she used to be. Kevin wants to help her, but he's distracted by his growing relationship with Nora Durst, a woman who lost her entire family on October 14th and is still reeling from the tragedy, even as she struggles to move beyond it and make a new start.
___________
THE MAN IN THE ROCKEFELLER SUIT by Mark Seal – I'll read this one simply because I read a lot – and I mean a lot – of true crime and I find this guy oddly fascinating.
The story of Clark Rockefeller is a stranger-than-fiction twist on the classic American success story of the self-made man-because Clark Rockefeller was totally made up. The career con man who convincingly passed himself off as Rockefeller was born in a small village in Germany. At seventeen, obsessed with getting to America, he flew into the country on dubious student visa documents and his journey of deception began.
Over the next thirty years, boldly assuming a series of false identities, he moved up the social ladder through exclusive enclaves on both coasts-culminating in a stunning twelve-year marriage to a rising star businesswoman with a Harvard MBA who believed she'd wed a Rockefeller.
The imposter charmed his way into exclusive clubs and financial institutions-working on Wall Street, showing off an extraordinary art collection-until his marriage ended and he was arrested for kidnapping his daughter, which exposed his past of astounding deceptions as well as a connection to the bizarre disappearance of a California couple in the mid-1980s.
______________
I'll likely skip the rest on the list.
July 11, 2011
Contest Winner
We have a winner for the June contest. It's…[imagine a drumroll here]… Robin (comment #8 on the June 23rd blog "No Longer Tpo Secret"). Congratulations!!!! Email me so I can get your prize to you.
July 6, 2011
At RWA
I had a great time in NYC this year. Before the conference started the hubby and I spent a few days touring the city, eating too much and generally having a lovely few days together. Then he left and the work began. Not work in the sense of writing. Work in the sense of doing writerly stuff. I went to exactly one workshop. That's one more than usual, in case you're counting. The rest of the time I met with editors and my agent, talked with authors friends, reader and bloggers, and met new friends. Sounds like work, doesn't it? Yeah, it was tiring but not difficult at all.
I got to meet Blogger/reviewer Pearl and chat with Limecello and Joy from Joyfully Reviewed. Totally fun.
The highlight? My dear friend and roomie, Jill Shalvis, won the RITA for single contemporary romance. Yay for Jill! This was much deserved. She is an incredible writer. Here's a photo (apologies for the phone camera quality) of her with the RITA and fellow awesome author Robyn Carr (left) and Jill with her editor, Alex Logan (right):
I heard about some "author behaving badly" moments and witnessed one – interestingly, this was all the same author – but for the most part I thought there was very little drama this year in that direction.
Heard a lot about editors looking for contemporary cowboy stories and more small-town contemporaries with a big community feel. The latter is not a surprise. That's been a request for more than a year now. Many authors are writing those. My concern is publishers will flood the market and give us too many covers with lawn chairs. I'm a big proponent of diversity in the publishing program and not a huge fan of the sweet contemporary romance covers.., but that's just me.
The Harlequin party was a blast. I danced. I drank. I ate some chocolate thing that tasted a little funky. My Harlequin editor also had a separate party for the Intigue authors on a different night. It was great fun.
One author told me that last year people thought she was nuts for publishing with a digital publisher (she makes a very confortable living doing so, by the way) and this year people told her she was nuts for not self-publishing. There was a lot of that sort of thing. The "your choice should be the same as my choice" thing. I really think people should do what's right for them. Seems to me the prospect of more publishing options is a good thing. My only complaint is with those who have chosen to publish a certain way and look down on those who choose another. We all have different strengths and goals and abilities. Doesn't make any sense to insist we all do the same thing.
The author panic of last year subsided. I'm guessing the rise of self-publishing played a role in that. Many authors now have the freedom that comes with knowing (or at least believing) they could self-publish and potentially flourish if traditional print publishers cut them.
The market for romantic suspense still seems tight. I want to whine about this but won't.
Every year there are a few authors I see over and over, while there are others I never see. This year I saw Beth Williamson and Vivian Arend everywhere. Since I like them both very much this was a good thing!
My roomie, Jill (see above), didn't walk into a men's bathroom this year like last year. In fact, she was totally put together. I, on the other had, was a bit of a mess. Lost my glasses for a few hours (they were in the Goody Room), lost my key (it was at the bottom of my bag) and missed a breakfast with author Leigh Court because I set my alarm incorrectly (sorry Leigh!!!). Yes, I was scary this conference, but somehow I got where I needed to be (sort of) and functioned.
July 5, 2011
A List…Not That One
Will be back tomorrow with some thoughts about the RWA Conference. Still recuperating today. Despite my absence (continued absence?), thought I'd let you know about something pretty cool. My digital short RISQUE BUSINESS is on the 12 Terrific Indie Titles Under $1.00 list at All Romance ebooks. It's a nice list to be on. Thank you, ARe!
June 27, 2011
In NYC
I am in NYC for the annual RWA conference. It's 2000 romance writers, some published and some not, gathered in a hotel talking about writing and books. It's also a time to connect with friends, which is my favorite part. Before I was published I went to the conference to attend workshops and learn. Now I rarely attend workshops but my schedule is packed!
The most interesting thing so far has been the "getting here" part. I had three flights cancelled and got stuck overnight in Chicago. My luggage was lost for 27 hours. Honestly, my airline karma sucks. But I'm here and having a great time. Will update the blog…so long as the hotel internet service allows.
June 23, 2011
No Longer Top Secret!
I've been involved in a super seekrit project…and I can now divulge it:
SEAL of My Dreams is a charity anthology with all procceds pledged to the Veterans Medical Research Foundation. This is the brainchild of amazing authors Christie Ridgway and Alison Kent. Alison writes about the "birth" of the idea here.
Did you get a look at that author list? I am truly honored to be included in this book. I live in San Diego, which is a HUGE military town. My hubby is an attorney for the Navy and my father-in-law is a retired colonel in the Army. I have great respect for those who serve. If this book can give a little bit back to those who sacrifice so much, I will be thrilled.
The anthology comes out in November. I'll remind you when we get closer!
