West Houston RWA

Juggling Life and Writing (Time Management) with Shana Galen

When Shana Galen was five months pregnant, she signed a contract for three new historical romances, all due before her baby would turn one year of age. She very quickly learned to balance a marriage, friendships, a new baby and her writing career. If you have trouble finding time to write, if life continually gets in the way of your career plans, or if you just want some tips on time management, join Shana as she takes you through the GMC of juggling life and writing.

Shana Galen is the author of five Regency historicals, including the Rita-nominated Blackthorne’s Bride. Her books have been sold in Brazil , Russia , and the Netherlands and featured in the Rhapsody and Doubleday Book Clubs. A former English teacher in Houston ’s inner city, Shana now writes full time. She is a happily married wife and mother of a daughter and a spoiled cat.

RWA FAQ: Everything You Need to Know About RWA Contests and Conferences (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Sharie Kohler and Christie Craig will be sharing with you their takes on entering contests and going to conferences. Come learn and listen to what they wish they had known about making the most of these experiences when they first began their writing journeys.

Christie Craig is an award-winning, multi-published writer whose non-fiction and photography have appeared in almost three thousand national magazines. A Golden Heart finalist, and a finalist in more than fifty RWA-sponsored contests, she has gained a well-deserved reputation for writing romance fiction that has both witty humor and a suspenseful, sexy tone. Published by Silhouette in the 90s, she recently broke back into fiction in a big way, making four book sales in one day. Her first single title romance novel, Divorced, Desperate, and Delicious, published by Dorchester, hit the stands in December 07, and five more titles followed.  She has since sold YA to St. Martin’s Press and a new series of Romantic Suspense to Grand Central.  Her upcoming non-fiction book, co-authored by Faye Hughes, is to be released June 2010, is Wild, Wicked & Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You’re in a Romance Novel through Adams Media.

Sharie Kohler, aka Sophie Jordan, is a former high school English teacher and the New York Times bestselling author of several historical romances for Avon, paranormal romances for Pocket, and a forthcoming young adult series with HarperTeen.

We start off April with fabulous news from WHRWA members.

First up, sales. Gerry Bartlett is happy to know that the REAL VAMPIRES series will go on. She just got a contract from Berkley for book 7 to be released the summer of 2011.

Shane Bolks Axcell reports that Sourcebooks sold Turkish and Spanish rights for Shana Galen’s June 2010 release THE MAKING OF A DUCHESS.

In award news, Linda Barrett is delighted that her book, SUMMER AT THE LAKE, is a finalist in the CRW’s Award of Excellence contest.

Linda Warren’s MADISON’S CHILDREN is a finalist in Category Contemporary for The Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence. Also, Madison’s Children is a finalist in Long Contemporary for The Colorado Award of Excellence.

In release news, we couldn’t be more thrilled for Kerrelyn Sparks, whose latest release, THE VAMPIRE AND THE VIRGIN, zoomed out of the bat cave and landed at # 5 on the New York Times and Publisher’s Weekly bestseller lists. It also hit # 25 on the USAToday list and # 1 on  Border’s bestselling romance list.

Teri Thackston’s latest book HIDDEN TREASURE is an erotic paranormal romance written under her Téa Trelawny pseudonym. Can “intimacy” give a spirit the energy to manifest? This short book is available at  http://www.jasminejade.com/ps-8182-138-hidden-treasure.aspx.

Sophie Jordan’s (aka Sharie Kohler) newest historical romance, IN SCANDAL THEY WED, received a TOP PICK from Romantic Times Book Reviews. She also recently returned from NYC where she filmed two videos — one about her debut YA series for HarperTeen and the other for her adult paranormal romance series for Pocket. Sophie has been selected to speak on the YA Buzz panel this May at Book Expo of America in NYC (and sign arcs while she’s there). Her editor, Farrin Jacobs, will also attend and feature Sophie’s YA debut, FIRELIGHT, on an editor YA buzz panel (Publisher Weekly link: http://www.publishersweekly.com/article/453492- March_18_In_Brief.php)

In addition, Sophie Jordan and Tera Lynn Childs will be attending the TLA conference in San Antonio this April where they will be signing ARCs of their upcoming YAs.

Character Motivation: Blame it on Their Parents and Other Ways to Explain Why Our Characters Do What They Do Craft

• *Why motivation matters (Your character did what?)
• *How to find the motivation that fits your characters
• *Understanding your characters (Explaining why they do what they do)

Why does your hero refuse to make a commitment? Why is he afraid of career-driven women? Why can’t your heroine trust men? Why does your heroine refuse to wear perfume? Without the proper motivation, our characters not only come across unbelievable and flat, but unsympathetic and sometimes just plain weird. Christie Craig, multi-published author, will help you find the skeletons in your character’s closet and bring them out for a dance. Christie will show how a character’s background is the key to a character’s motivation. She’ll explain the difference between the deadly back story that warrants rejections and the much-needed character-building scenes that make our heroes and heroines leap off the pages and into the hearts of our readers.

Christie Craig is an award-winning, multi-published writer whose non-fiction and photography have appeared in almost three thousand national magazines. A Golden Heart finalist, and a finalist in more than fifty RWA-sponsored contests, she has gained a well-deserved reputation for writing romance fiction that has both witty humor and a suspenseful, sexy tone. Published by Silhouette in the 90s, she recently broke back into fiction in a big way, making four book sales in one day. Her first single title romance novel, DIVORCED, DESPERATE & DELICIOUS published by Dorchester , hit the stands in December 07, and five more titles followed.  She has since sold YA to St. Martin’s Press and a new series of Romantic Suspense to Grand Central.  Her upcoming non-fiction book, co-authored by Faye Hughes, is to be released June 2010, is Wild, Wicked & Wanton: 101 Ways to Love Like You’re in a Romance Novel through Adams Media