You all know NaNoWriMo in November. Well, this is just like it, but in July! I can do July much easier without the Thanksgiving holiday interruption. Check it out at http://julnowrimo.thewrigro.com/ They have forums and a community on LJ.
Link up with me over there. Oh, and my JulNoWriMo blog is at http://mariannelacroix.livejournal.com/
Why?
This from Sydney Somers:
“25.06.08 - First I want to apologize for having to take a publisher grievance public. Unfortunately New Concepts Publishing has recently released a book I did not write, or I should say that I did not complete. I only wrote three chapters of a proposed full length novel entitled HOWL FOR ME a year and a half ago and was contracted by NCP last summer. Today NCP has released a novella of my full length story as an anthology of somekind with two authors I don’t know and never worked with. I have no idea what these authors did with my story and characters and implore my readers not to buy this release assuming it to be a finished project of mine. I encourage anyone who may have already purchased the book because they enjoy my stories to complain to NCP for intentionally misleading their customers. I will have more information on this very frustrating situation in my next newsletter.”
Read even more: http://www.erecsite.com/2008/06/ncp-howler-veinglory.html
Read the NCP shit list here: http://www.erecsite.com/2008/06/ncp-howler-veinglory.html
I’m not on it….damn it.
I love my local chapter of the RWA in Jacksonville, Florida. The gals there rock. But with the rising cost of gas, it isn’t economical to drive 3 hours to Jacksonville for a meeting–and then back home 3 hours. So, I am looking in to starting a RWA chapter here in the Tallahassee, Florida area. Published and unpublished writers are welcome.
A local RWA chapter would meet once a month, usually one Saturday a month. We may start out at every other month. Right now I am looking at the Leon County Library system to be the place where we would meet. Each meeting we would present a workshop in the morning and have a chapter meeting where members vote on issues pertaining to the chapter like holding contests, fund raising, etc. We can also do critiques for each other, or whatever the members need to advance their writing skills. Basically, the chapter is a support group for writers serious about the craft and paving the way towards publication.
Be aware that members of a RWA chapter must also be members of the RWA national organization. Visit their website at http://www.rwanational.org/
If you are interested in helping start a local romance writer chapter, please contact me at mariannelacroix (at) gmail.com
What do golf, a fearful Saint Bernard, and a recent divorcee have in common? You’ll find the answer in my latest book, IN FOR A PENNY, a cozy mystery with a romantic subplot.
About the book. Cleopatra Jones got dumped for a trophy wife. It never occurred to her that Charlie would be unfaithful to her, until it happened. Her kids seem to be coping with having a step-mom but Cleo can’t seem to catch her breath. She’s moved back in with Mama because she couldn’t stand to be in the house where he’d cheated on her. The story opens with Cleo and her best friend Jonette playing a therapeutic round of golf. When Cleo skulls her ball over the green, they find it stuck in a dead banker’s inseam. The dead man is Jonette’s worst nemesis. Sure enough, the cops think she did it. Cleo rallies to defend her friend and takes on a murderer. Romance enters when the sexy golf pro falls for her, and then her ex-husband decides he wants her back.
Don’t forget the dog! My granddog Missie is the inspiration behind the co-star of IN FOR A PENNY. Missie is an adorable short-haired Saint Bernard. I was oblivious to the breed before my daughter brought Missie in our lives. She’s a sweet dog with a very docile temperament. However, when she decides she’s going in a certain direction, it’s like trying to turn a supertanker. To give the dog in the book a character arc, I made her afraid of everything. Our Missie isn’t nearly so fearful. Her biggest flaw is that she won’t eat if you look at her. So we put down her food and pretend she isn’t there. I bet the Dog Whisperer would have a hey-day with us, LOL.
Researching the book. I had a lot of fun researching this book. I played golf with a nine-hole Ladies League in Maryland for a number of years, and I highly recommend the experience to anyone. I came along when there weren’t many opportunities for women in high school sports so I was late to learning hand-eye coordination. Plus there’s the whole part about so many moving hinges in your body. Seems like when you get your hips right, your knees or elbows start misbehaving. Or at least that’s how it is for me. In my heyday, I could hit the ball far, often far out of bounds, but the veterans of the circuit, the older ladies who hit the ball a hundred yards at a time, they beat me every time. Apparently being able to chip and putt is more important than killing the ball.
About me. I’m multi-published, but the road to publication was convoluted. I’m not so good at navigation in real life, so I shouldn’t be surprised by the many turns I took along the way to publication. However, after many years of struggling to break in, I signed with three publishers in a few months of each other in late 2006. This has made for some hectic times in the last two years. I now have four books out, three romances and this brand new mystery. Be sure and visit my website at www.maggietoussaint.com to read reviews and excerpts.
Thanks for inviting me over to blog, Mari. I love the professional feel of your blogsite.
Happy summer, everyone!
Maggie Toussaint
romance.danger.mystery