West Houston RWA

“Getting the Word Out, with or without a Publicist”

Whether or not authors are fortunate enough to have a professional publicist at their disposal, they’re still responsible for helping alert and attract potential readers. Coming to West Houston RWA to share their knowledge on getting the word out, with or without a publicist, USA Today bestselling, RITA nominated romantic suspense (and now inspirational romantic suspense) author Karen Young teams with CBA bestselling inspirational romance author Kathleen Y’Barbo, who is also an exclusive marketing professional for Books & Such Agency (where Karen Young is currently represented).

About the speakers:

Kathleen Y’Barbo first discovered her love of books when, at the age of four, she stumbled upon her grandmother’s World Book Encyclopedias. Letters became words, and words became stories of far-away places and interesting people. Eventually Kathleen learned that her love of story could carry her off to places far beyond her small Texas Gulf Coast town. Then she hit the road for real, earning a degree in Marketing from Texas A&M before setting off to such locales as Jakarta, Tokyo, Bali, Sydney, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Finally, the road led back to Texas and a career in writing, where within a decade, Kathleen is now a best-selling award-winning author of more than thirty novels, novellas, and young adult books. In all, more than 850,000 copies of her books are currently in print in the US and abroad.

In addition to her skills as a writer, Kathleen is exclusive publicist for Books & Such Literary Agency. Thus, the girl who only dreamed of books now is thrilled to not only write them but also tell the world about other authors.

Kathleen is a member of Authors Guild, Advance Writers and Speakers Association, American Christian Fiction Writers, Romance Writers of America, Words For the Journey Christian Writers Guild, and Public Relations Society of America. She holds a BBA from Texas A&M University’s Mays Business School and a certification in Paralegal Studies. A tenth-generation Texan, Kathleen Y’Barbo has a daughter and three sons.

About Karen Young : Although I’ve written 35 books, I’m convinced that I didn’t choose a career as a writer; it chose me. After numerous long distance moves necessitated by my husband’s career, I realized I would never have enough time in one particular job to develop a career. So, out of sheer desperation after the tenth move, I decided to try writing a book. When a major publisher bought it, I knew that I had found a career! Or, as I mentioned, it had found me.

Writing fulfills something inside me like nothing else. I’m interested in people, in their lives, in who they are,
in their interests, in what makes them tick, in what makes them happy or sad or good or bad. Spinning a tale with characters drawn from whole cloth out of my imagination is just plain fun.

But I want my books to speak to my readers. I’m drawn to explore the problems of contemporary women. With three daughters of my own, I see first hand the ups and downs of relationships, of difficulties women face in balancing career with marriage and motherhood, with the challenge of blended families as a result of divorce and—looking beyond my family—to issues facing society as a whole.

Ten years ago, I lost my husband to a fatal heart attack. Not only was my world changed, but I was changed in ways too numerous to mention. One of the most joyous was that I was drawn back to the faith of my childhood. And, along with that, I began to explore the possibility of writing inspirational fiction. Over the years as I’ve conceived and developed plots relevant to the lives of contemporary women, there is one element that I feel is overlooked. And that is spirituality, faith. My books have always included the tension between right and wrong, but I mostly avoided adding the spiritual tension— those hard questions and struggles when characters inevitably dealt with trouble. Writing good inspirational fiction is not about adding a religious component to a book— it’s so much more. Now I freely explore the presence of a spiritual dimension to my characters. I can flesh out my characters to add the physical, intellectual, emotional and spiritual.

Early Morning Workshop:  “Building your Web Presence: Where your website ends…”

Just because you have a website, doesn’t mean that you are done with the internet.  There so many other ways out on the web to promote yourself and put yourself out there.  Your website is just the beginning, but it is your decision on how far you can go.  Sarah and Steph return to help you learn about the internet beyond your website.

About the speakers:

Stephanie Leary began designing websites professionally around the same time she started writing novels. Her web design work in higher education has garnered several awards, and she serves on the programming committee for the annual conference of the HighEdWeb Association.

A system administrator by day, Sarah Schroeder would rather be writing code or working on her latest romance work-in-progress. A RWA member since 1994, she received her PRO status in 2006, a delay which she blames on her college education.

In 2006, the two teamed up form Paged Media, a website development company for the literary minded and literary organizations.

THE PLEASURES OF SIN
by Jessica Trapp
Reviewed by Vicky Dreiling

Lady Brenna’s refusal to wed led her father to banish her to a lonely tower. Marriage, with a passel of brats and endless duties, would end her secret dream: to journey to Italy where she hopes to freely indulge in her great passion: painting erotic works of art.

When Brenna learns her sister’s fiancé has captured her father, she must save her father and her sister from the King’s enforcer, James Montgomery. Montgomery is said to have killed his late wife. In desperation to save her sweet sister from a cruel marriage, Brenna disguises herself as the bride and hides a knife beneath her clothing. Once the wedding feast ends, she plans to plunge the knife in the blackguard’s cold heart.
James is outraged when his new bride attempts to stab him. Her act amounts to treason against the crown. He saves her from a beheading, but there is one condition. Lady Brenna must come willingly to his bed.

Romantic Times awarded this charming and sensual book a K.I.S.S. Award. All of Ms. Trapp’s books evoke
the classical medieval romances that captured reader’s hearts, but do so in a fresh manner. The Pleasures of Sin is funny, endearing, and highly sensual. I couldn’t stop turning the pages.

BLOOD BAYOU
by Karen Young
Reviewed by Teri Richison

After several years without a new release, Karen Young is back and better than ever.

BLOOD BAYOU is her first Christian fiction novel, but the genre designation is the only thing that has changed. Karen delivers a spell-binding suspense that starts with murder and will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last page.

Camille St. James believes in justice and the law. A professor at Talbot College she heads The Truth Project, an organization dedicated to the exoneration of innocent individuals who have been wrongly convicted and sentenced to death row. Their work on behalf of Chester Pelham is successful, but within hours of his release from prison another woman is dead and Chester is found wearing bloodstained clothes. His arrest lands Chester in the hospital in a coma. The Truth Project is suspended and Camille is forced to take a month’s vacation.

Camille is devastated to learn that the murdered woman is her ex-husband’s sister. A former attorney and recovering alcoholic, Jack spent several years in prison after a tragic drunk driving accident. During his incarceration, Jack found his true calling and his salvation in the word of God. Jack and Camille have been divorced for seven years and he is now a minister.

Camille knows that his sister’s death will devastate Jack and is certain he will blame Camille and The Truth
Project. Still, she feels obligated to tell him how sorry she is for his loss and drives to Blood Bayou so she can do so in person. It won’t be easy to face him after all these years, but it is the right thing to do. Camille is surprised by the changes in her ex-husband and uncomfortable with his religious calling.

As evidence mounts against Chester, Camille is the only person who believes him innocent. She launches her
own investigation, forcing her to stay in Blood Bayou and thus remain close to Jack. But someone doesn’t want Camille nosing into things and several attempts are made to chase her out of town, which quickly escalate to attempted murder. Jack has never stopped loving Camille and is determined to keep her safe.

Can this star-crossed couple rekindle their love, even as she works to free the man accused of killing his sister? Can she accept and ever be comfortable with the changes religion has brought into his life? Will her blood be the next to pollute the waters of Blood Bayou?

Don’t miss this who-done-it that offers all the clues, and still delivers a surprise ending!

GOTCHA!
by Christie Craig
Reviewed by Ane Ryan Walker

Macy Tucker was five years old when her beloved grandfather dropped dead in his spaghetti. At twelve, her father left his family in the dust. At twenty-five, her husband gave his secretary a pre-Christmas bonus in bed, and Macy gave him the boot. To put things lightly, men have been undependable.

That’s why dating’s off the menu. Macy is focused on law school, and putting herself through—which means being the delivery girl for Papa’s Pizza. But cheesier than her job is her pie-eyed brother, who just recently escaped from prison to protect his new girlfriend. And hotter than Texas toast is the investigating detective. Proud, sexy…inflexible—he’s a man who would kiss her just to shut her up. But Jake Baldwin’s a protector as much as a dish. And when he gets his man—or his woman—Macy knows it’s for life.

Christie Craig Strikes again! Another winner from our very own favorite crime writer. Believable characters, even when they are extreme, tight plot and the ever important Happily Ever After. No surprise that Craig is consistent in her delivery and follow through. Don’t start “Gotcha” unless you plan to finish the book in one sitting. Yes folks, the plot is tightly woven and the story compelling enough to spend the afternoon and an
evening in the company of her characters.

BENEATH BONE LAKE
by Colleen Thompson
Reviewed by Jo Anne Banker

Is there anything more chilling, more horror-filled, than a mother’s fear when her child disappears?

After a year in Iraq, widow Ruby Monroe comes home to Dogwood, Texas, eager to reunite with her four-year old daughter, Zoe. The excellent salary she has earned overseas as a contract bus driver for DeserTek, a non-military sub-contractor, will allow her to complete her training as an RN and give Zoe a better life. Ruby’s sister, Misty, took care of home, hearth and Zoe, allowing Ruby take the job.

Ruby gets to the Dallas airport eager for the “the heaven of Spaghetti-Os and storybooks, and Zoe’s endless schemes to drag out tuck-ins.” But rather than experiencing the joy of her daughter’s sticky hugs and kisses, Ruby’s backpack is stolen and Misty and Zoe are no-shows. Things go downhill from there.

Sam McCoy has lived the quiet life the last two years, acting as a fishing guide on Bone Lake with his only true companion a young chocolate lab named Java. His five-year probation for the felony charge of stepping over the line as a computer hacker doesn’t call for an invisibility cloak, but Sam is lying low anyway. He figures he got lucky not having to serve time, and he’s not taking any chances.

At least not until his neighbors go missing and his foster brother’s widow, Ruby Monroe, has no one else to
turn to for help.

What follows is a complex mystery, so suspenseful and action-filled, that the reader can do nothing but grab
onto the pages and hang on for the ride.

Colleen Thompson’s Texas adventures have a reputation for being so descriptive, so powerfully written that the setting itself becomes a living character. From the West Texas desert to the city streets of Houston, Ms. Thompson immerses the reader so completely that one is on the lookout for rattlesnakes or drug dealers. Her latest will not disappoint. The dark bayou, with its stinging insects, its monster gators, and its thick vegetation that can trap like quicksand, will have you gasping for breath and fighting against the feeling of being dragged down, down, down – Beneath Bone Lake.

A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN
by Deeanne Gist
Reviewed by Jody Payne

The worst thing I can say about A Bride in the Bargain is it’s over.

You know what I mean. You pick up a book and scan the first page. It interests you enough to read the second. And the third. Pretty soon, you’re skipping lunch and the laundry piles up. You can’t seem to put it down.

The heroine, Anna Ivey, is someone you get to know and care about. She’s desperate. Her father and her brother were killed in the War Between the States, and her mother died of a broken heart. Anna blames herself.

In the south, we tend to view our own war aftermath of destruction as catastrophic, and it was. But in December of 1865, people in Massachusetts were also destitute. Wives and children of soldiers who would never return were starving and begging in the streets.

Anna found employment as a cook in a boarding house. Unfortunately, the job came with an employer, and she was forced to run for her life or at least her virtue. She makes a deal to travel to Seattle for employment. The procurer swears Joe Denton needs a cook for his logging company, and he will pay her passage.

Sounds good, right? A classic win-win solution. Well, no, not quite. Joe Denton believes he’s getting a bride.

What will happen when they meet? Now you’re hooked. You swear you’ll read just one more page.

I’ll tell you just this much without revealing too much of the plot. When Joe picks her up at the dock, he’s delighted. The girl’s a beauty, and he drives her directly to the church. Although he wasn’t particularly interested in a purchased wife, he needs one to hold onto his land. A bachelor could receive 320 acres, but a married man would get 640 acres of prime timber land. Since he is unable to prove he had been married when he claimed the 640 acres and is now widowed, the judge has given him a deadline to produce a wife.

Even though the attraction is there and growing between these two strong characters, their problems are insurmountable. Anna believes she is sudden death to anyone she loves; everyone in her family told her so just before they died. As she slowly begins to realize this is untrue and she gives the power of life and death back to God, she still resists Joe’s proposal. Believing he only wants her to marry him to keep his land, she refuses.

Joe will have to find a way to convince her he wants her for herself. He must love her more than the land.

Plan to send out for pizza and forget the laundry. You won’t put this book down until the last page and then you’ll cry because it’s over.

GODDESS BOOT CAMP
by Tera Lynn Childs
Reviewed by Nancy Kay Bowden

Last summer, in Oh. My. Gods., Phoebe and her mom moved to the Greek island of Serfopoula, where her Future Step-Dad is headmaster of a prestigious private high school. Feeling extremely mortal among classmates who are descendants of the Greek gods and whose ancestral attributes determine their clique alliances, Phoebe managed to make terrific new friends. Okay, Griffin’s a terrific hot new boyfriend.

Phoebe discovered she’s got godly powers, too, but now they’re seriously out of control. She’s headed to summer camp to learn how to manage them. Goddess Boot Camp. Sigh. Where the rest of the campers are little kids.

To make a bad summer worse, Phoebe and her “evil “ step-sister Stella—a camp counselor (sigh)—are stuck with each other while their newlywed parents are away on their honeymoon. Since Phoebe’s powers come from her dad, a pro football player, she wants to know more. Like, in particular, about his death. Was he smoted by the gods? She needs to do some serious digging.

Q: How long have you been writing?
24 years

Q: How long did it take you to publish?
10 years

Q: How many manuscripts do you have hidden away/under the bed/in storage?
2 complete; probably 6 partials

Q: Do you have a writing schedule and if so, what is it?
Yes, Monday-Friday, 7:30-5:30 (sometimes later if deadlines loom) and Saturday-Sunday as needed.

Q: Do you have a critique group? If yes, how many are in the group?
Yes. I work with several different people, though we’re not part of a group. Generally four people read my
work.

Q: If this is not the only critique group you’ve participated in, how many others did you have before finding the one that worked?
I’ve worked with several different groups. Some just didn’t fit right.

Q: When developing an idea for a new story, which comes first – the plot or the title or the characters?
The characters.

Q: How do you handle new story ideas that pop up when you’re in the middle of a project? (ex: notebook by the bed/separate word file, etc?)
It depends on how strong they hit me. Sometimes I might jot them down. Most of the time, I just file them away in my head. I figure if they are that good, I’ll remember them.

Q: Have you ever gotten to the middle of a project and got bored or lost your momentum? If so, how did you handle it?
I think most writers do this. For me, I go back and reread the earlier chapters. When I start feeling bored, I’ve generally taken a wrong turn. If I can find that oops, I usually can reconnect with the energy of the story.

Q: Finish this sentence: If I could write anything I wanted and knew it would see, it would be…
I love ghost stories. So a good ghost story with romantic elements is really my cup of tea.

Q: What is the best advice you ever received?
Don’t compare yourself to others and follow your heart, no matter what others might say.

Q: What is the worst?
Number 1: Only write in one genre. I know this probably works for many writers, but I found I grew as a
writer as I tried to explore different genres. 4umber 2: Stop entering contests. I sold my first book back in
’94 due to contests. And my second step back into publication happened as a direct result of a contest. And I signed with an agent as a result of contest. I know contests are not for everyone. But for me, they were my path to publication.

Q: What is your favorite part of the writing process?
The last three of or four chapters of a book when I’m tying it all together. I always get so excited.

Q: What is your least favorite part of the writing process?
Rewriting/polishing. The right side of my brain doesn’t work very well.

Q: Which came first for you – the editor or the agent?
I sold my first book in ’94 without an agent. When I sold again in 2006, I had an agent. I had submitted a
manuscript to my agent, but after finaling with four manuscripts in the Golden Pen, a published judge, contacted her agent and told her about me. The agent recognized my name as having a submission in her to-beread stack, so she pulled it out, read it and she signed me.

Q: How many contests did you enter before you sold? How many did you final in?
Oh, lordie! I don’t know the exact number. I think the last years before I sold I was entering one to two contests a month. And I finaled in seven out of ten contest that I entered.

Q: How do you promote your books?
Website, blogging, guest blogging. I do some promotional items, but I target more booksellers and book buyers than just the general public. I also do a lot of workshops for RWA chapters and organizations.

Q: Free Form: Here’s your chance to tell us anything you’d like—tidbits, advice, funny stories, pet peeves, hopes, dreams, etc.
I’m a big believer in what I call the “Make it Happen Process.” The principles are easy. Work your ass off.
Never give up. 4ever, ever stop improving. When you think you know it all, you’re only fooling yourself.
Writing is the entertainment business and it is always changing. Don’t compare yourself to others. We all
have our own paths and schedules. Jealously is a human emotion, and it’s fine to wish you had what others
have, but when you start wishing other’s didn’t have their accomplishments, jealously becomes a an ugly
emotion and can bring on many negative effects. Do what you can do, do it the best you can do it, and don’t let the outcome dishearten you. Just because a book didn’t get bought, doesn’t mean that the editor reading it won’t remember you. Just the opportunity to have been read by this editor may be what leads you to greater things later on. This has happened to me so many times. And it would have been easy to see the outcome as a failure and give up. Reach out to others. I’m a big believer in Karma. Don’t keep working on the
same book. Write it, polish it, and then move on the next one.

As I sit here and write this, it’s hard to believe that we’ve passed Memorial Day weekend and the official start of summer. Where did the time go? Is it me, or does it seem to speed up the older we get and the busier we are?

First off, Teri Thackston will be signing TO THE RESCUE and Christie Craig will be signing GOTCHA at Katy Budget Books on June 6 from 1-3 PM. Drop by and see them.

We’ll start this month’s news with contest finals. Congratulations go to Susan Breeden who has finalled in the Writers’ League of Texas 2009 Manuscript Contest (Romance category).

Next up for a big hooray is Jo Ann Robisheaux, who writes as Claire Sanders. She’s a finalist in the Inspirational category of the Dixie First Chapter Contest.

Kay Hudson’s JIN & TONIC is a finalist in RWA-San Diego’s Spring Into Romance contest (paranormal division). The final judge is LaToya Smith of Grand Central Publishing. Good luck Kay!

Linda Warren continues her contest streak. TEXAS HEIR is a finalist in short contemporary for the Golden Quill given by the Desert Rose Chapter. Also, ALWAYS A MOTHER is a finalist in long contemporary. Also, because I may have missed including this last month, Texas Heir is a Rita finalist in Series Contemporary and it won first place in contemporary romance in The Lories Best Published Contest. Always A Mother won second place in mainstream category in The Lories Best Published Contest. Way to go Linda.

Great reviews keep rolling in for WHRWA authors. Deeanne Gist’s June release, A BRIDE IN THE BARGAIN, received a 4-1/2 star review from RT and is a June Top Pick!

Christie Craig’s news is that GOTCHA! earned Christie her first PW and Booklist review. It got Top Pick 4 1/2 stars from RT, and sold to Rhapsody Book club. Christie reports that she also just turned in her third book in the Divorced & Desperate Series: DIVORCED, DESPERATE AND DECEIVED.

Sharie Kohler/Sophie Jordan officially has a title for the first book in her young adult Harper Teen series—
FIRELIGHT! It has also been decided she will be writing the series under her Sophie Jordan name. She also has a title for her historical romance April 2010 release—IN SCANDAL THEY WED. Sharie’s first book in her paranormal series, MARKED BY MOOLIGHT, has been scheduled for reprint in August for Target’s backlist promotion. Yay!

Kerrelyn Sparks continues her domination of in the world of vampires. Kerrelyn Sparks’ FORBIDDEN NIGHTS
WITH A VAMPIRE has survived a third week on both the 4ew York Times and USAToday bestseller lists. Kerrelyn is currently working on book 8 of the Love at Stake series and has agreed to write four more for HarperCollins. To watch book trailers, read excerpts, and play vampire games, please drop by www.kerrelynsparks.com.

Teri Thackston’s latest erotic romance (written as Tea Trelawny) will be released June 12. WARRIOR’S RELEASE is a paranormal “romantica” from Ellora’s Cave and will be released initially in ebook format. Congrats Teri!

Donna Maloy is very pleased to announce, and we are thrilled as well, that she has signed a contract with Ammi-Joan Plaquette, who is a new agent with the Erin Murphy Literary Agency. Erin is one of the top agents for children’s and young adult books. The first thing Joan is going to be shopping is Donna’s middle grade historical fantasy, LEGEND OF THE FOX (book one in The Shapeshifter Chronicles). Legend won the YA category in North Texas RWA’s Great Expectations contest in 2007. Donna’s new website is www.donnamaloy.com.

Two other authors aside from Kerrelyn have sale news. Shana Galen has accepted a contract with Deb Werksman of Sourcebooks to write 3 historical romances. The first book will be out in June 2010, and Michele Dunaway reports that she’s sold another romance to Harlequin American, her 23rd. UNDER DOCTOR’S ORDERS (w/t) will be out in summer 2010.

Congrats go to Jessica Trapp, whose THE PLEASURES OF SIN received a KISS award from RT!

Saturday, June 20th, from 2:00-4:00 PM, Colleen Thompson and Christie Craig are celebrating their latest releases with a launch party at Read It Again and Again. Fajitas, adult beverages (free to attendees) and, oh, yeah, autographed copies (not free, but such a bargain) will be featured. Come out and help them celebrate!