Top Dealmaking Agents in Romance

Publishers Marketplace has put together a list of the top deal-making agents in the romance genre. This list draws on reports since the beginning of 2004. The agent names are organized according to the number of deals reported over the past 12 months.  

1.      Roberta Brown (Brown Literary Agency)

2.     Laura Bradford (Bradford Literary Agency)

3.     Kimberly Whalen (Trident Media Group)

4.     Natasha Kern (Natasha Kern Literary Agency)

5.     Kevan Lyon (Marsal Lyon Literary Agency)

6.     Sandra Bishop (MacGregor Literary)

7.     Chip MacGregor (MacGregor Literary)

8.     Jennifer Schober (Spencerhill Associates)

9.     Holly Root (Waxman Literary Agency)

10.   Melissa Jeglinski (The Knight Agency)

Down to the Wire...

Voting in Round Three of the Kensington Brava/RT Writing with the Stars contest is heating up. Voting ends this Sunday, Jan. 2. 

I am one of six remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner of the online voting contest will be published. But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers.

If you enjoy this blog and would like to see it continue, please consider voting for my entry, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.  

For this challenge, I had to write a back-of-the-book blurb. Agent Kristin Nelson does an indepth critique of each entry that you might find interesting.

Click here to check out all of the entries. I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click here, VOTE and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Kindle is Bestselling Product in Amazon History

Amazon reports that the new model of the Kindle is the bestselling product in Amazon history - surpassing the seventh book in the Harry Potter series, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo was the most downloaded ebook on Christmas, and the most-gifted ebook.

Amazon does not release exact sales numbers but, according to Bloomberg,  unnamed insiders predict 8 million Kindles will be sold this year. That's at least 60 percent more than had been expected.

The newest Kindle launched earlier this year and is smaller, faster and cheaper - which could account for the brisk sales.

And Don't Forget...

Writing With the Stars Voting Continues!

Round Three of the Kensington Brava/RT Writing with the Stars contest is going on right now. Voting continues until January 2.

I am one of six remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner of the online voting contest will be published. But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers.

For this challenge, I had to write a back-of-the-book blurb. Agent Kristin Nelson does an indepth critique of each entry that you might find interesting.

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Top 10 Romance Books of 2010

Amazon has put out its Best 10 Romances for 2010. My personal favorite, Lisa Kleypas' Married by Morning made the list. Two of the selections, Married by Morning and Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick were also on Amazon's list of bestselling romance novels for 2010.

Here's the entire Top 10 as selected by the editors at Amazon:

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashely (tops the list) 

 A Hellion in Her Bed  by Sabrina Jeffries

Burning Up by Susan Anderson

Pleasure of a Dark Prince by Kresley Cole

Finding Perfect by Susan Mallery

Married by Morning by Lisa Kleypas 

Sin Undone by Larissa Ione

Burning Lamp by Amanda Quick

Ten Things I Love About You by Julia Quinn

The Summer Hideaway by Susan Wiggs

And Don't Forget...Writing With the Stars

Round Three of the Kensington Brava/RT Writing with the Stars contest is going on right now. Voting continues until January 2.

I am one of six remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner of the online voting contest will be published. But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers.

For this challenge, I had to write a back-of-the-book blurb. Agent Kristin Nelson does an indepth critique of each entry that you might find interesting.

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Brava Author's Blog

I am visiting over at the Brava Authors Blog today.

My mentor in the Writing with the Stars contest, Mary Wine, is kind enough to host me. Check it out by clicking here!

And remember, if you haven't voted in the Writing with the Stars contest, give it a look. Click here.

Look for my entry, Seducing Charlotte, a Regency set against the backdrop of the Industrial Revolution.  I hope you'll consider voting for me! 

Favorite Book of the Year

It's the end of the year - a time when everyone starts coming up with their "Best of" lists. I toyed with the idea of posting my very own "Best Romances of 2010" list but then decided I have not read widely enough to come up with a credible list.

However, there is one book I read this year that does stand out. It's Lisa Kleypas' Married by Morning. The New York Times Bestseller is Book Four in the Hathaway series. I've enjoyed the entire series but there is something extra special about this one.

Everyone loves governess Catherine Marks, who has become like one of the family.  Except Lord Leo Ramsey, who feels she is not the best influence on his sisters. But Leo's got bigger problems. He must marry and produce an heir or lose the family estate.

The verbal sparring between Leo and Catherine is clever, witty and humorous. It also highlights the sparks raging between these two characters, who have always shared an antagonistic relationship.

As a hero, Leo stands out for his obvious intelligence, devilish wit and devotion to his sisters. He came across as maudlin in some of the earlier Hathaway books but truly comes into his own in Married by Morning.  He's everything a romance hero should be: smart, sexy and charmingly self-deprecating.

Catherine is more than his match. Sharp tongued and quick minded, she is the rare romance heroine who truly cannot see without her glasses -  so much so that the spectacles are almost a minor character in the book. That vulnerability makes Catherine supremely human - and all the more likable because of it.

As with any Lisa Kleypas novel,  Married by Morning is beautiful written and absent of cliches. Kleypas has created memorable characters and a clever book that sparkles and will leave you smiling.    


Writing With the Stars

Round Three of the Kensington Brava/RT Writing with the Stars contest is going on right now.

I am one of six remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner of the online voting contest will be published. But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers.

For this challenge, I had to write a back-of-the-book blurb. Agent Kristin Nelson does an indepth critique of each entry that you might find interesting.

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Crazy for the Kindle - Amazon Sells Millions

Kindle sales are skyrocketing, according to the latest word from Amazon.

In a letter to Kindle customers posted on its discussion boards, Amazon reports it has sold more of the newest version of the e-reader in the last 73 days than in all of 2009.

While not releasing exact numbers, Amazon also reports that the Kindle is far and away its bestselling gift item.

I'm one of those people who purchased a Kindle in the last couple of months. (OK, technically my husband bought it - for my birthday last month.)

I am a fan although I don't think I will ever completely give up "real" books. Instead of replacing the paper books, I see the Kindle as a nice complement to them.

For one thing, I am a little put off by the price of ebooks. They cost about the same price as paper books. As I've noted before, it has got to be cheaper to produce ebooks, doesn' it? I can't bring myself to pay full price for an ebook. If I am going to pay $7 or $8 for a new release, I'll still buy the paper version - at least for now.

The Kindle store is great for buying older books - especially ones you can't find in the bookstores - which often cost about $4 or less. All of the classics are free, so that's nice.

There are sometimes excellent deals on ebooks from debut authors. I just purchased Grace Burrowes new release The Heir  for $2.39. For those of who follow RWA chapter contests, Burrowes finaled in a ton of contests under the name Patricia Patton. It's exciting to see that she is now being published. I look forward to reading her debut novel!

Writing With the Stars

Round Three of the Kensington Brava/RT Writing with the Stars contest is going on right now.

I am one of six remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner of the online voting contest will be published. But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers.

For this challenge, I had to write a back-of-the-book blurb. Agent Kristin Nelson does an indepth critique of each entry that you might find interesting.

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Round 3 - Writing With the Stars

Exciting news! RT Book Reviews magazine officially announced today that I am one of six remaining finalists in Kensington Brava/RT's Writing with the Stars contest.

That means I managed to garner enough online votes to make it through the first two rounds of competition. Thanks to all of you who voted. I could not have made it this far without your support.

Voting is now open for Round Three. For this challenge, I had to write a back-of-the-book blurb. Anyone who has tried it, knows blurbs can be a real challenge. Agent Kristen Nelson is the "celebrity" judge for this round. She gives a detailed, indepth critique of each entry that you might find interesting and instructive. Check it out!

I hope you will consider voting for me. It's super fast and easy. Just CLICK HERE, scroll down to the bottom and vote. It takes less than a minute. Let me know what you think. I'd love to hear from you.

Thanks for your support!  

Lusty Tales and Sizzling Sales - Romance Thrives in Ebook Form

The New York Times reports that romance is now the fastest-growing segment of the e-reading market, ahead of general fiction, mystery and science fiction. That's according to Bowker, a research organization for the publishing industry.
 

Cover too racy? Get the ebook!

The front-page article by Julie Bosman suggests romance readers are partly attracted to the fact that e-books provide an escape from embarrassing racy covers.

I must admit I'm kind of liking that aspect of e-books. I am one of those readers who gets a little red-faced when someone spots the cover of the latest romance I'm devouring on the train or bus.

The good news for readers is that publishing houses are rushing to respond to e-book demand by making backlists more available in electronic form. Since receiving my Kindle in November, I've purchased a number of older books by my favorite authors, titles that I have not seen in the stores. I've noticed the older titles also tend to be cheaper, which is another bonus.

Here's the complete NYT article: Lusty Tales and Hot Sales: Romance Novels Thrive as E-books

The Wild Marquis

I love discovering a new (to me) author. It happened last week when I had the pleasure of reading The Wild Marquis by Miranda Neville.

The book is far more nuanced and intelligent than its cover might suggest. The heroine is truly original, which is not always easy to find in historical romance. In this case, Juliana Merton is a seller of rare books and much of the secondary plot revolves around the buying and selling of the tomes.

The author, who is English, spent several years writing catalogues of rare books and manuscripts for Sotheby's auction house in London and New York. That real-life experience lends authenticity and depth to The Wild Marquis which is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much.

The love story is mature and appealing - while a mystery is resolved in a satisfying way. If you are looking for something to read, you can't go wrong with The Wild Marquis.

The Color Purple

 

What do these three gorgeous covers have in common? 

It must be the season for purple because so many recent releases seem to be donning the color. I like the hue - and happen to have purchased all three of the above - but I do wonder about the recent purple proliferation.

If we approach it from color psychology, purple is the color of royalty and connotes luxury, wealth and sophistication. It can also symbolize magic and mystery. Purple is associated with femininity, sensuality and romance.

Purple, the color of good judgment, is sought by people seeking spiritual fulfillment. It is said if you surround yourself with purple you will have peace of mind. That is why purple is thought to be a good color to use in meditation.

Transformation, wisdom, enlightenment, cruelty, arrogance and mourning all also associated with purple, which is considered an exotic color. 

If one's mood ring turns purple, (They still make those?) it means the sensual, clarity and purpose is known.

Any, some, or all of these interpretations would seem right on target for a romance novel. Or maybe the person behind each cover just likes the shade.

Whatever the reason, the purple trend continues. Sabrina Jeffries' next novel How to Woo a Reluctant Lady  - due out in January - is pretty in purple.

Delightful 'Year of Living Scandalously'

There are many things to like about Julia London's latest offering, The Year of Living Scandalously, starting with its cover.

There seem to be lots of purple covers lately and I, for one, am liking them. Of course, taking a look at the cover, there's lots more to feast one's eyes on besides the color!

Declan O’Connor, Earl of Donnelly, arrives at Hadley Green to find that the new countess of Ashwood is actually an impostor - a woman he knows quite well from back in the day in Ireland.

Snappy repartee keeps this fun story zipping right along from start to finish. The heroine is winningly charming and the hero is easy to fall in love with.

The back story centers on the mystery surrounding the execution of a man for the theft of the Countess of Ashwood's historic jewels.London uses it to set up an intriguing twist at the end of  The Year of Living Scandalously that made me want to run out and buy the next book in the series.

That's where the bad news comes in.

According to London (per her website), the sequel - The Secrets of Hadley Green - will not be out until February of 2012. That's more than a year from now.  London says the long wait was unforeseen when she wrote the ending to The Year of Living Scandalously.

Disappointing yes, but I still plan to be among the first to read The Secrets of Hadley Green.  (I just hope I can remember the story!)


And now for the shameless plug...

Writing with the Stars Voting is Now Open!

Voting is now open in the Kensington Brava/RT Writing With the Stars contest.

Online polling runs until November 28.

I am one of eight remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner will be published. But I can't get there without your support!

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, scroll down to the bottom, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

A Christmas Promise Delivers

Is it too early to read holiday-themed books? Not for me apparently since I just read the last page of Mary Balogh's A Christmas Promise  (on my new Kindle, naturally).  

The novel first appeared as a Signet Regency in 1992. In it, the Earl of Falloden inherits heavy debts along with his title and agrees to marry the daughter of a wealthy coal merchant to have his debts cancelled. Eleanor Transome's father is gravely ill and wants to secure his daughter's future before he dies.

Both agree to the alliance. He thinks she is a grasping cold commoner who hungers to be a countess while she assumes Falloden is a greedy spendthrift.Of course neither is true!

When Eleanor invites her relatives to spend the holiday with them, Falloden is surprised to find himself drawn to the boisterous bunch. Since this is a romance as well as a Christmas story, it does have a happy ending. And the journey to get there is a fulfilling one. 

Balogh is one of my favorites because of her spare, almost poetic, writing style. She deftly manages to evoke deep emotion with fewer words. Her writing brings to mind Willa Cather's sparse yet evocative style.

My only pet peeve is a meaningless one really. The cover shows a couple ice skating. I don't recall that happening in the book. Am I wrong? If you've read A Christmas Promise  and do remember such a scene, let me know!


And now for the shameless plug...

Voting continues in the Kensington Brava/RT Writing With the Stars contest. I am one of eight remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner will be published.

But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers. (Hopefully, one day we'll all be published!)

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Joining the Kindle Wave

It's official. I'm a Kindle-ista. I received the latest generation of the e-reader for my birthday.

I'm still navigating my way through it. Initially, I was surprised to find the Kindle does not have a touch screen. However, my early impressions are definitely on the positive side.

It's easy to use and does feel like you're reading a regular book...only in a much cooler way! While it is strange not to have page numbers, there is a little bar at the bottom that tells me how far along I am in the book.  

I also got the saucy apple green leather cover with built-in book light, which works beautifully. I used it on the bus this morning and the entire "page" was nicely illuminated. (Yes, my commute starts so early even the sun hasn't stirred yet.)  

I have to say the ebook prices are a surprise. I've just started shopping in the Kindle store but I can't help wondering why the latest ebooks are about the same price as the paperbacks I usually pick up in the grocery store. It has got to be cheaper to sell books in e form -  without all the paper, printing and shipping costs.

But what do I know?

Prices on the older books aren't bad, though. I just purchased Mary Jo Putney's Carousel of Hearts in ebook form for just $4!

And a reminder...

Voting continues in the Kensington Brava/RT Writing With the Stars contest. I am one of eight remaining finalists in the national competition. The winner will be published...who knows...maybe in ebook form!

But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers. (Hopefully, one day we'll all be published!)

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!  

 

Ebook Explosion

More and more people seem to be reading ebooks lately but do you ever wonder just how big a piece of the market they are?

Publishers Marketplace puts that figure at about eight percent for 2010. About $304.6 million worth of ebooks have been sold so far this year.

The latest monthly figures from 12 publishers show that ebooks made up about 7.5 percent of overall book sales in September. Total trade print sales for the month were at $489.5 million.

According to the American Association of Publishers, ebook sales continue to grow at what seems to be an astonishing rate, with a 158.1 percent increase over September 2009.

But the experts caution that we should not read too much into these figures. That's because 12 companies report their ebook sales while about 20 companies report trade print sales so these final numbers could be somewhat skewed.
 
And a reminder...

Voting continues in the Kensington Brava/RT Writing With the Stars contest. I am one of eight finalists in the national competition. The winner will be published...who knows...maybe in ebook form! But I can't get there without lots of support because I am up against some very talented writers.

Click here to check out all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, a historical romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution.

I promise voting is super quick and easy. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute. No registration is required. Thank you!

Highland Hellcat is a Must Read

First of all, I think the cover of Mary Wine's Highland Hellcat is gorgeous and the pages in between don't disappoint either.

The highly-engaging plot involves Connor, who arranges to marry Diedre for the strong political alliance it will bring him. However, when he discovers Diedre has slept with the enemy, he steals her sister, Brina, instead. The only problem (aside from the fact that he steals a human being) is that Brina is promised to the church. She's been groomed for the life of a nun although it doesn't take too long for Connor to arouse some unholy feelings in her.

The interplay between the two is so much fun and they have that 'spark'. What I also enjoy about Mary's writing is the little historical tidbits she slips in along the way. I don't know about you, but I enjoy a strong historical component in my historical romances.

I highly recommend this memorable read. It's the most entertaining book I've read in a while.

And I'm not only saying that because Mary Wine is my mentor in Kensington Brava's Writing with the Stars contest. While that is the reason I first picked up one of her books, I bought Highland Hellcat because I was really excited to read it.

Speaking of excited...I'm thrilled to have made it into the second round of the Writing with the Stars contest. Online voting is now open for the category of Best Hero and Heroine.

Initially, 10 finalists were selected by editors Alicia Condon and Megan Records at Kensington. Online voters whittled that number down to eight after the first round. The last writer standing wins a book deal!

Click here to read the passages and then scroll all the way down to the bottom for the menu of author names to vote.

I hope you'll consider voting for me. It's very quick and easy. You can click in, VOTE and be out in under a minute.

Thanks for your support! 

Writing With the Stars - Making it to Round Two!

The exciting news today is that my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte - a Regency romance set against the backdrop of the dawning Industrial Revolution - has made it into the second round of Brava Kensington's Writing With the Stars contest. A big thank you to all who voted for my entry. I could not have done it without you!

If you're new to the blog, here's the deal. Late last summer, Kensington Editors Alicia Condon and Megan Records selected 10 finalists for the competition. The grand prize is every unpublished writer's dream: a publishing contract!

But, first, that person has to make it through five rounds of competition. Two finalists were eliminated after the first round, in which readers of RT Book Reviews voted online for their favorite First Paragraph and Last Sentence.

Round Two begins today!

This time the category is Best Hero and Heroine in 150 words or less - no easy task. We were assigned mentors for this contest. I lucked out with Mary Wine, author of books such as To Conquer a Highlander and Highland Hellcat,  who helped me refine my descriptions to really make them shine.

Check it out for yourself and see what you think. CLICK HERE to read all of the entries. I hope you will consider voting for me! It is very quick. You can click in, vote and be done in under a minute.

I appreciate your support! 

 

Harlequin Digital Sales Skyrocket , While US Sales Weaken

Wondering about the future role of ebooks in the marketplace? Well,   Harlequin just announced that it's digital sales jumped 70 percent in the first nine months of 2010. 

At the same time, according to parent company Torstar, Harlequin also experienced weaker U.S. retail sales in the period between April and June of this year. The company does not break its digital sales down by region so there's no telling how much of their ebook action came from U.S. readers. 

Along with ebook sales, Harlequin's direct sales to consumers as well as its overseas business increased. Overall, its book publishing revenues rose $1.4 million in the third quarter - the period between April 1 and June 30, 2010.

However, Torstar said it expects sales for the entire year to be down compared to 2009, because of diminished U.S. retail sales.

The news comes as Harlequin prepares to shelve its Silhouette and Steeple Hill imprints. The series will now be called Harlequin. Otherwise all of the books series will remain the same. The company believes the stronger Harlequin branding will make it easier for consumers to find their products.

A Hellion in Her Bed

A Hellion in Her Bed is my latest read. It's the second book in Sabrina Jeffries' current Regency series, The Hellions of Halstead Hall.

Hellion's  heroine has the most original occupation I've seen in historical romance in quite a while.  Annabel Lake is a brew mistress trying to save her foundering family brewery. Enter gambler Lord Jarret Sharpe, who has agreed to run his own more successful family brewery for a year. Annabel seeks Jarret out because she wants the two breweries to go into business together.

When he balks, she proposes a card game. If she wins, he must help save her family’s business. But if he wins, she must spend a night in his bed. Mmmhmm. Sexy set up. 

Jeffries' fun and humorous writing style continues to sparkle in this latest book. Annabel is a memorable heroine you can root for. The romance satisfies and the Sharpes continue to be an emotionally-damaged family we care about.

If you're looking for an entertaining read, check out A Hellion in Her Bed.   

Romancing the Recession

At the recent New Jersey Romance Writers' conference, moderator Terri Brisbin asked a panel of editors about the state of romance in these challenging economic times.

According to Kensington Assistant Editor Megan Records, romance is the only genre that's growing right now.

Leah Hultenschmidt, who recently joined Sourcebooks, says she was hired specifically for the romance line because the company wants more of the genre.

As Holly Blanck of St Martin's Press sees it, romance is holding steady while young adult is expanding.

The editors say ebooks sales are growing but the industry is still grappling with how to quantify those sales, which are difficult to pinpoint. However, most seem to agree that romance sells extremely well in ebook form.

They also pointed out that ebook sales don't count towards The New York Times bestseller list.  
 

If my good friend and conference roomie, Angela (right) is any indication, romance is doing just fine.

Here she is in our hotel room surrounded by her loot: freebies and a good number of books she purchased at the conference's Literacy Book Fair.

Doesn't she look like a cover model?

She definitely looks happy!

UPDATE: I''ve taken the plunge and developed an author website that I actually have to pay for! I hope you'll start visiting me there; that's where I'll be blogging from now on! Come along and have a look! Click here.

What an Editor Wants

What do the following editors have in common?

Amanda Bergeron -- Avon/Harper Collins
Holly Blanck -- St Martin's Press
Stacy Boyd -- Silhouette Desire
Lia Brown -- Avalon
Leah Hultenschmidt -- Sourcebooks
Alex Logan -- Grand Central Publishing
Evette Porter -- Kimani, Kimani Tru/Harlequin
Megan Records -- Kensington Books
Patience Smith -- Harlequin/Silhouette

They all have pet peeves about what they do and don't want to see in a query or manuscript submission. This impressive group of publishing industry professionals was on an Editors Panel at the recent New Jersey Romance Writers conference.

Kensington's Megan Records hates poor research. She wants people who submit to her to know her name and how to spell it as well as what line they are targeting. Alex Logan at Grand Central does not want to see anything longer than 80,000 to 85,000 words.

Leah Hultenschmidt of Sourcebooks gets annoyed when people send a manuscript in chapter pieces. She wants to see the entire manuscript in one document.  Avon's Amanda Bergeron says writers should remember to make their query letters professional, because they represent your writing.

They all want to know about contests wins, other manuscripts or books, and anything else that tells them that you are looking at writing as a career and not a lark. The editors prefer that you use your name as your email address and not a family email address, which makes it more difficult for them to find your submission should they go back and look for it.

Oh, and as to whether you need an agent. The editors say they always look at things sent to them by agents first. A good reason to try to land an agent, wouldn't you say?

1st Place 'Put Your Heart in a Book' Contest

Yours truly with the one and only Madeline Hunter!

What an amazing weekend!

Not only did my manuscript, Seducing Charlotte, take first place in the New Jersey Romance Writers' Put Your Heart in a Book contest, but my other Regency romance, Compromising Willa, came in second.

It was my first writer's conference and I don't think I could have picked a better one.

Of course, winning helped!

Truthfully though, the workshops were run by big names in romance and each one I attended had real value. I'll blog about what I learned in the individual workshops in the coming days.

Me with the lovely Jessica Dickstein,
who ran the NJ RWA's
2010 PYHIAB contest. 

A major highlight of the weekend was meeting one of my favorite authors, Madeline Hunter, who served as a final judge in the competition.

 After attending her workshop, I ran into Madeline in the hotel lobby the following morning. She was incredibly generous, spending a good amount of time chatting with me about my work - especially the use of conflict and the value of strong, original openings in my manuscripts.

It was also a treat to speak to her about her books.

How often does a reader get to talk directly to the author about a book? I also had a chance to do so with Meredith Duran and Sherry Thomas, both of whom gave workshops at the conference.

With my DC chapter mate
Marta Bliese, who won in
 the paranormal category.

There were plenty of editors and agents there. They were not so fearsome in the flesh! The industry professionals shared their pet peeves which I'll write more about soon.

The only downside to the weekend was learning far too late that my husband had set the GPS to avoid toll roads (from a previous trip). No problem - at first - since the directions I had googled were simple enough.

That is, until we overshot the exit on the New Jersey Turnpike.

Let's just say we took a scenic drive of New Jersey back roads while trying to find our way back to the conference!