4/2011 Chapter News
Jo Anne Banker had a pretty exciting month. As so often, it happened one-two-three. Jo Anne is proud to announce that as of March 24th, she’s agented, with Robert Brown of Brown Literary Agency. The next morning, Jo Anne got a call, her manuscript, Lost and Found, finaled in the GOLDEN HEART. The very next afternoon, Jo Anne found out that she’d won the contemporary series category of Southern Magic’s Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest. The editor, Susan Litman, who gave her the first place would have requested the
manuscript- but she already has it from another contest final. So for Jo Anne, life is pretty good right now
Kay Hudson was thrilled–and stunned–to learn that her historical manuscript, PAPER HEARTS, is a finalist in the Golden Heart contest. She started Paper Hearts ten or twelve years ago, and the manuscript has passed through three or four computers, at least two word processing programs, several openings and numerous contests (with wildly varying results). Set in 1870s Texas, a little upriver from the Gulf Coast, Paper Hearts may be the only manuscript in its category to feature a javelina pelt, a baby alligator, and a (taxidermied) flying pig in the opening chapters.
In the published author category, Jessica Trapp’s DEFIANT is a finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence contest.
Another finalist in the Gayle Wilson Award of Excellence contest is Christie Craig, whose Shut Up and Kiss Me is a finalist in the Single Title Category. In release news, the first book in the Shadow Falls series, Christie’s new YA series, Born at Midnight, written under the pen name C.C. Hunter, released March 29th.
Georgia Ward, aka Georgia Tribell reports that her Harlequin Nocturne Bites story, Demon Love, will be released May 2011.
Also in release news, Joan Reeves just published her first ebook, JUST ONE LOOK, which was a formerly print published romantic comedy to the Kindle. She’s blogging about the process so others can learn from her adventures — and misadventures. Look for Kindle Progress Report posts on her blog: SlingWords.blogspot.com. On the personal side, she’s thrilled to report that her daughter Adina is able to walk normally, unaided, for the first time since the surgeries began two years ago. Now, that’s even better news than any book sale or publication!
Kerrelyn Sparks’s latest release, Vampire Mine, is # 10 in the Love at Stake series, which is currently contracted for 12 books.!HarperCollins has asked for four more books,!so negotiations are under way to bring!the total to 16!
In additional sale news, Vicky Dreiling sold translation rights for HOW TO MARRY A DUKE to Russia.
Deeanne Gist’s MAID TO MATCH is a RITA final for Inspirational Romance. In personal news, Cheryl Bolen was thrilled to be selected in the first class of inductees for the South Houston High School Hall of Honor. A plaque with her photo and the field in which she made her accomplishments appears on the wall at the school, which opened in 1959. In other news, she just received Japanese copies of her book A DUKE DECEIVED. This is the THIRD time that same title has been published in Japan. (And she was just ready to get her rights back on it.
Now she’s got to wait 10 more years!)
In other personal news, Michele Dunaway received a Gold Key from the Columbia Scholastic Press Association, March 18, at a very moving luncheon ceremony in the Lowe Library rotunda at Columbia University in New York City. This month she’s off to Anaheim, and excited that gets a chance to catch up on reading during the flight. Sometimes being a teacher is a glamorous job.
