Quirky Romantic Mysteries and Regency Romances

For those asking what in the heck is going on, I’m product testing Neutrogena UltraSheer® Liquid Daily Sunblock. It includes posting reviews and this is my first! This also means you’re getting pics of me with no makeup, no touch ups–nothing but my face.

Today I used the Neutrogena UltraSheer® Liquid Daily Sunblock for the first time. I was fresh out of the shower with a scrubbed clean face.

The bottle design itself was interesting. I was pleased when I took the cap off, the lotion did not ‘vomit’ out of the bottle as some are known to do.

The scent was soft, but the natural smell of sunblock was there, making that aspect a touch disappointing as I don’t want to smell like I’m heading to the beach all the time.

The lotion itself was somewhat watery. I was worried this would be greasy on my face. And it was. Not giving up on it, I patted my face with a towel and it came out just right for my normal skin. In fact, after toweling off, I couldn’t get over how soft my cheeks were.

Would you like to review UltraSheer®, too? Then go to http://www.giantwavepool.com/ultrasheer!

Or get $2 off your UltraSheer® purchase at http://www.neutrogena.com/suncoupon.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received the product mentioned above for free for review purposes from Tidal Labs. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

At Lori Foster’s Readers and Authors Get Together 2010, I sat through a Q&A editor panel with Monique Patterson from S. Martin’s Press, Margo Lipschult from HQN and then Laura Bradford from Bradford Literary Agency joined us!

Here’s my notes on that session. Beware—any misspellings or confusion you might get from this are mine and mine alone. The questions were firing off in this workshop and I was just barely keeping up! So let’s get started:

Monique Patterson (St.Martin’s Press): MP
Margo Lipschultz (HQN): ML
Laura Bradford (Agent): LB

MP: editorat SMP. Wide range bks, commercial, thriller, romance, diet bks, mem. anything. No-acadm. 650titles per year. women’s fic: suspense, paranormal. No inspy/sweeter–Other SMP editors do those. Select amount of literary fiction and nonfict new voices. Next star.

ML: editor HQN. Singletitle line. Mira, Luna, HQTeen. Diverse amt of books. New stuff: Hqnnonfiction, hqteen: ages 12-19. RS-short on those. Hist:fab authors there. Looking for any romance: upmarket women’s fiction such as: WEIGHT OF SILENCE (MIRA), YAprojects

-Do you work through agents?

MP: both. Signed some non-agents, but they usually get one soon. Recommended.
ML: Recommended. Series (category) editors will work directly w/authors. Accept queries, but when she’s seriously ready to work w/authors they find an agent, or are already talking w/on.

-What’s your work load? Meetings vs. email vs. reading?

MP/ML: in office: no reading. Instead, meeting, phone calls, email. Mngment of everything outside of editing. Nights and weekends is when the editing gets done.

-How many edits does a book usually go through? How long will you keep working w/author on that book?

ML: it can vary. 5 or 6 revisions on one author in one book. Next book same author, one. On their current authors, they’ll turn in proposals and chapter outline for upcoming booksthose early stages are most collaborative.

MP: ditto

What do you look for in a synopsis?
ML: over arching, main points, internal/external conflicts

-Do you monitor other houses? What about when there are 2 similar ideas?

MP: kind of know of various things other publishers are doing through publisher’s lunch. Market can bear…any number of Scottish historical at once. On things like nonfiction, then it becomes a race to get to the market first. People are not likely to buy the same topic of nonfiction book like they will in fiction.

ML: we also monitor (or are aware) of things like covers. Not only of what’s coming up but what’s been out. I can see an author at SMP and wonder, how can we find someone like for us at LUNA? Identify trends, why they’re working and how can we tap into them?

-What about trends? And how much longer do you think it’ll work?

MP: paranormal, YA, historical are in. Contemp romance (contemp comedies) market to come back. Bubbling about steam punk romance. Post apoplectic.

ML: ANGELS are huge right now w/JR Ward’s new series. Vampires not going anywhere. Steampunk YA. Steampunk: less sophisticated, more mainstream it’s becoming–can make for bigger potential.

-Will steampunk last?

MP: don’t really know. Everybody’s just watching. Lots of interest. 10years ago? Couldn’t give away paranormal. Now it’s everything anybody wants. It’s all on timing and hoping it’ll happen.

-What about YA steampunk authors?

ML: 2011 at HQTeen.

LB: just sold steampunk due out in 1012. Not very sciency. Mash-up of fairy and steampunk. Set in California/San Fran around earthquake. Has steampunk mood/sensibility. Author: Suzanne Lazer.

-WHAT IS STEAMPUNK???

Short definition: historical setting, sometimes w/historical fantasy, but with technology beyond their standard means. Airships, computer like machines—but clockwork base or steambase. Example: WILD WILD WEST (will smith)

-Women’s fiction. Definition, commercial, others?

ML: Jodie Picoult. …there you go. Can be romance, but more about one/multiple women’s character arcs and how they change. Marriage breakup, health issue. Relevant topics people like to discuss. Emily Griffen (SMP author)—she’s good about asking ‘what if’ LOVE THE ONE YOU’RE WITH (couple happily married. One didn’t want children and convinced the other not to. And then one morning wakes up and realizes that kid is wanted.). Many are 1st pov and telling the story of how they do it. Community oriented books.

-Professional Editor? Recommended for debut?

ML: can’t make blanket statement due to the different kind of editors. Likes to say yes, since she used to be one don’t think it can hurt, but do your research before you agree.

-What authors you work with?

MP: Sherrilyn Kenyon, Kristen Warren, Cheyenne McCray, Francis Ray, Susan Donovan, Celeste Bradley, Lora Lee.

-Does HQN have series that stretches as far as Kenyon (she’s at 12-14books?)

ML: Gina Showalter put HQN on the map for paranormal. LORDS of Underworld: 6 more next year and hopefully more. Probably their longest going. Suzannah Mallory tends to write tril. Lori Foster. And Victoria Dahl doing back-to-back tril. (caters to instant gratification)

-Any cool new creatures?

ML: banshees in HQTeen. Girl realizes she is one and she’s learning to predict death.

MP: depends on your imagination and what you can do.

-How do you decide deadlines?

MP: decided at contract stage: such as when 1st draft due. It comes in and it all depends. Likes to take about a month w/the mss. Sometimes quicker or longer, depending on what else is due.

-Ebooks?

MP: loves them. Got a sonye-reader before they started giving them to editors. Very exciting. Nobody knows how it’ll all look when the dust settles. No idea of end result. We know ebook sales are on the rise.

-When are you ebooks released?

MP: no windowing. Ebook released the same as print. *most of the time if there is a delay, there’s a glitch.

ML: HQN is the same. Sometimes there’s a gap of few days or week of when HQN ebooks are available and kindle. At HQN: doing ebook prequels to get the buzz going. Mini novella’s to be linked to first book.

-What format do you edit?

MP: Printed page. If she knows the author is clean, then she might do an electronic.

ML: Printed page. Houses are going to all electronic, so she doesn’t know how much longer it will last.

-Any new contemp authors?

MP: Susan Donovan. Looking for smart, sexy, funny.

ML: Lori Foster, Suzanne Mallory (series, small town. Family/group of friends), readers love a sense of community. Kristen Higgins (stand-alones describe as rom. Comedies/cute sweet, but feels they’re so much more).

-Small town or big for contemporary?

MP/ML: either one.

LB: I don’t get a ton of contemp submissions. (would like something like Suzanne Elizabeth Phillips)

-On settings. Main town is fictional. Is it all right if I mention real towns?

ML/MP: yes. You can base your fiction town on a real place and give it a spin.

-Is it better for real or fictional?

ML: depends. A lot depends on what the name sounds like. Sometimes, just the name of a town will draw her in.

-Any new authors you’re excited about?

MP: new to SMP Donna grant. Writing historical/Scottish. Historical romance authors: Tiffany Claire (oct, nov) THE SURRENDER OF A LADY. Very bold, set in a harem. Husband gambles her away and she’s sold into a harem. Hero is her 1st love, but neither families supported it and they went separate ways. Sees her again at this harem. He bids and gets her for 6months. Julie Anne McQueen: Scottish historical series back-to-back CLAIMED BY THE HIGHLANDER. Suzanne Enoch tentatively called HUSBAND HUNTER.

ML: Eve Silver. New to HQN. Back-to-back tril in oct. gods/goddess, sexy, lot of fun. DEBUT paranormal: Lori London in sweet blood series BONDED BY BLOOD (Feb 2011). Good vampires and not so good ones. Good ones in a guardian. Guardians protect vampires existence. Taking vampires and making them her own. They never launch too many new authors at once to test the market on taking new voices.

Contest to win a copy of Jinxed is going on NOW! Two ways to enter!

1-Leave a comment on the blog, I wanna be Jinxed by Inez Kelley!

OR

2-Tweet me: @KeriFord I want to be #Jinxed by @Inez_Kelley

Contest closes at 9:30CST 4-7-2010

Good luck!

My good friend, Inez Kelley has her first print release today: Jinxed —a contemporary romantic comedy!

But…she’s having to move across the country! Seriously, some 600 miles, last minute and she doesn’t have Internet access to celebrate her release. Is that not sad? Make her feel better by picking up a copy. I promise, you won’t regret it!

I’ll have a Twitter contest later this evening, so be sure you’re following me on Twitter to get in on the action!

When opposites attract, they are screwed three ways from Sunday.

Frannie learned the hard way that a McHottie doesn’t always equal marriage material. Besides, she’s happy with her vanilla life. She has friends, a career and a double-D-powered vibrator. Then Fate shoves her, literally, into Prince Charming’s lap. His declaration of love at first sight is cute—and spikes her bullcrap meter into the red zone.

She’s more than willing to give in with her body. But she’s barricaded her heart behind castle walls—and permanently welded the gates shut.

Tragedy taught Jinx that time is too precious to waste, so when a series of uncanny coincidences thrusts Frannie into his life, he holds on tight. He knows she thinks he’s several fries short of a Happy Meal, but he’s determined to breach the fortress around her heart and give her a Happily Ever After.

Even if he has to carry her fanny-first into his kingdom.

WARNING: Includes jelly shoes, a narcoleptic cat, and meatloaf. The steamy sex scenes may lead to fogged windows and wet panties, so proceed at your own risk. Do not attempt to read without the following items: tissues, napkins for spewed beverages, and a booty call on speed dial.

RWA Nationals is coming up in July! Wa-hoo! Every year at Nationals there’s an annual PRO-Retreat for RWA’s PRO Members. This year, each member will get a ticket for a chance to win a door prize–free when you show up! There’s no money exchange, nothing like that. Like I said, free when you show up!

But….but what are the door prizes? That’s where hopefully YOU come in! Agents, Editors, Published Authors —Please, if any of you can donate a critique, we’d have some serious love for you. Query letters, synopsis, manuscript pages, whatever you’d like and feel comfortable with, we want! (we’re greedy. not picky.)

If you’re interested, drop me an email:

keriford @ hotmail. com (no spaces)

Or my good buddy, Cynthia D’Alba (ArkansasCyndi), AKA POWERHOUSE behind everything RWA PRO at:

cynthiadalba @ sbcglobal. net (no spaces)

Thanks so much for the generosity I just know you’re wanting to dish out!

Welcome to the official launch of my website and blog.

I’m happy to announce the new re-design of my website is finally implemented and I can start posting regularly! In the coming days my webmistress will be adding data and doing the final touches.

Thanks for stopping in for a look. While you’re here, be sure to pick up a copy of my free Valentine Read!

I hope you come back soon to see what I’m up to.