Way Down Yonder in New Orleans…..

The May Author Interview…3 In One… wi... It’s Girl Friday

Way Down Yonder in New Orleans…..

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A Special Pre Release Anne Lange and Shehanne Giveaway

Oh, do quit banging your hamster gums. Who says you ain’t getting to welcome Anne? After all, surprise is the essence of writing…. Especially as today she’s hot off the plane from the….

which was way down yonder in New Orleans.

What’s more, she ain’t just hot off the plane, she’s gonna answer us some very important questions on just how she survived meeting cover models, how cover models survived meeting her and how New Orleans survived her and author RENEA MASON getting together.

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All the important things I know we’re dying to find out about. So can it and let’s hear from her.

So Anne, you was way down yonder in New Orleans at the RT Booklovers convention, how was it for you?

Hi Shehanne! Well, the trip was fantastic! It was my first time to New Orleans AND my first time to RT. I was pumped.

I believe you had supper with Renea Mason–my Gawwwd!.

And New Orleans survived?

I did. And yes, NOLA survived us. Renea, myself and Valerie Twombly had dinner together that very first night in the bar. What did we have? ooh yes, hamster …

I mean crab cakes, chicken quesadilla, and the local recommended drink to wash it down with. A hurricane, of course…

All of this took place in the very noisy bar in the hotel’s lobby. This was THE meeting place. Just imagine a whole pile of extremely excited women in one place.You get the picture.

I’m sure I don’t Anne… That is was perfectly quiet, especially after these non alcoholic cocktails. Now, given the serious literary heaviness of this conference w hat events did you attend?

Hmm…let’s see. Cover model party.

This would be all to do with book jackets, I suppose. Choosing your next one?

Abso.the pub crawl….

Yes. I can see you were definitely studying your art.

Yes. At the Vampire Ball, Saints & Sinners (I only stopped in there for a moment – for a saint like me…amongst all those sinners….shiver.) Umm…oh, and few workshops too. J

Can you spill beans on your fav moment?

Favorite moment? I don’t think I have a moment per say, other than probably meeting a few of my all-time favorite authors.

But I must say, one of the things I truly liked best was finally meeting some of the many people I speak with on line all the time – putting a face to the image and discovering they’re as awesome in person as they are in this virtual world we work in.

People like Renea, Valerie, Teri Anne Stanley, Nancy Cassidy,

Yes, I noticed Nancy also studying the cover models….as befits a Managing Editor. Catching up with you and Renea too. To check out your WIPS, of course. Now folks that’s Works in Progress okay? Nothing to do with Anne’s steamy books.

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Erin Moore, Katya (pictured below)

Well I hope it’s not above, Anne and she ain’t moonlighting.

and Rhonda, Theresa, Brinda, and all the other Etopia authors (there were lots of us there ) and making new friends like and Kishan and Paige.

Yay. Well, that’s a nice bunch of folks from what I see of them online. Did you meet up with any famous dudes?

Dudes? Hmm…Cover models. A few.

And this is Stumpy. Poor guy’s missing an arm.

Oh, and there were a just a few authors there too. Let’s see. My favorites were Lorelei James, Suzanne Brockmann and Maya Banks. I’ve read their books for years. Oh, and Laura Kaye, Jaci Burton, Cherry Adair (she was sitting behind me one night so I tapped her on the shoulder and asked for her autograph). Who else? Oh, Kit Rocha, Shayla Black, Christina Lauren, there were sooooo many.

As an author how do you feel the convention benefitted you?

Good question. Definitely the networking. I’m very shy.

and don’t like to network, so I didn’t do lots at RT either, but I did force myself to take that hard step a few times to say hi and speak with somebody, usually while standing in line J. And everyone was so nice and welcoming.

The biggest thing for me, personally, was the pitching. I had no plans to pitch. I only decided to go just days before I went after I’d pitched successfully to a NY agent at home. And it worked out for me at RT too. I received requests from three agents and three publishers.

OOH! Congrats lady. Looks like we will be hearing a ton more from you. So, tell us, an aspiring author makes it, would you advise them to go?

Absolutely! It’s a great way to meet people doing the same thing as you are and to learn from them. It’s nice to hear some of the more established authors talk about their routines, their approach to writing and their struggles. You can go to publisher spotlights and learn about the company, the types of stories they’re accepting and their submission process. I found the whole event, the atmosphere of it, truly inspires everyone, aspiring and published authors alike.

Was it as hectic as they say?

it was a tough crowd to get through. The lineups for the bigger events were long. The book fair was insane, but exciting. The parties were awesome.

There’s so much to do, you have absolutely no hope of doing it all. So you really have to have a plan. Actually a couple of plans in case the first one doesn’t work out for you. It also helps to be guided by somebody who’d been there before. I was fortunate to have that happen for me on my second day, and found a group of wonderful ladies who took me under their wing for a few hours.

It was definitely an experience worth repeating!

Author Bio:

Anne Lange grew up with a love for reading. Books are her passion, shoes are an addiction. If you take a close look, she’s got either a book, her Kindle or her Kobo tucked into her bag or a pocket whenever she leaves the house. You know, just in case there’s time to sneak in a chapter or ten. Anne reads many genres of fiction, but prefers to write sexyromance with a touch of humor, and always a happily ever after.

While embarking on this wild journey of becoming a romance author, Anne juggles a full time job and a family. Not always successfully. Who needs a clean house every day? And what’s wrong with cereal for dinner? She grew up in Southern Ontario (Canada), but now makes her home in Eastern Ontario where she lives with her wonderfully supportive husband, three normally awesome kids, and Rocky the bearded dragon.

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