Interview at The Lovestruck Novice

Sarah Simas interviewed me at The Lovestruck Novice. (Isn't that a great name for a romance-writing blog?) She asked me to describe my voice in 3 words. Thankfully, she caught me on a good day. :)

Coming up . . . (the Valentine's Edition)

As you might imagine, Valentine's Day is big holiday for romance writers, and there's lots of fun stuff coming up in the next week or so.

• Now thorugh February 11: My good friend and critique partner, Keli Gwyn, is hosting a contest at Romance Writers on the Journey. It's easy! All you have to do is explain what love is . . . in 14 words or less. Okay, maybe that's not so easy. But she has great prizes, like gift cards for Barnes & Noble, See's Candy, Baskin Robbins and, Keli's personal favorite, Taco Bell. I'm on the esteemed panel of judges and I promise to be even nicer than Paula. (Idol just isn't the same without her. *sigh*)


• Wednesday, February 10: I'll be a guest at The Lovestruck Novice, a great blog by romance writer Sarah Simas. She asked some thought-provoking questions, like, "If you were a book, what would your blurb be?" I thought briefly about using the blurb from The Princess Bride. But then I decided to go with the truth. Or some version of it. I'll post the link for the interview here on Wednesday.


• Friday, February 12: I'm giving my first ever talk on romance writing, here in the DC area. I am very excited about this, and a tad nervous. I have attempted to compensate by (1) creating an elaborate Powerpoint presentation and (2) filling up 21 index cards with highly-detailed, completely illegible notes. If you're in the area and would like more details, please email me at anne@annebarton.com.


• Monday, February 15: I'm interviewing Keli Gwyn, epistolary-style. (Yes! I learned that word last week and was determined to find an occasion to use it.) Take a peek inside my email inbox and learn the secrets of this newly-agented, seven-time contest winner. Come back Monday and leave a comment for a chance to win a Starbucks gift card!

Where did the year go?

Wow, 2009 is almost over! As I've mentioned in other posts, I belong to a goals group, and every January each of us sets writing-related goals for the year. Since I haven't actually looked at my goals since January, I thought it might be a good idea to dig them out and check on my progress.

Here's the list (in green) and my progress (in red):

1st Quarter:

Revise The Trouble with Twilight from beginning to end.

Did it! With my CP's help, I finished revising this story, now called The Pursuit of Patience, in the first three months of 2009.

2nd Quarter:

Research and query agents. Begin outlining next story.

Check! I used querytracker.net to help me organize my search and make a list of agents to query. But before I began querying in earnest, I met a wonderful agent at a local conference and pitched to her. She requested the full and a few days later (on my birthday!) offered representation. I'm thrilled to be working with her.

3rd & 4th Quarters:

Draft either the sequel to TTWT OR complete The Kissable Companion.

Done! My agent recommended that I write the sequel to The Pursuit of Patience, and I was excited to be able to tell Georgette's story, a.k.a. How to Reform a Rake. I finished the draft shortly before Thanksgiving.

Ongoing:

--Enter and judge at least 4 RWA contests.

--Attend at least 4 WRW (Washington Romance Writers) meetings/workshops.

--Read at least 4 books on craft.

--Attend the WRW Spring Retreat and the RWA National Conference.

Hmm. I did most of this. I entered exactly 4 contests, if you count the 2010 Golden Heart, and I also judged 4. I only attended 2 chapter meetings, so I'll have to do a better job next year. I read 3 books on craft: Donald Maas' Writing the Breakout Novel and The Breakout Novel Workbook, and How I Write by Janet Evanovich. I also re-read Stephen King's On Writing and re-watched my DVD of The Hero's Two Journeys by Michael Hauge and Christopher Vogler. And I was fortunate to be able to attend both the WRW Retreat and Nationals, since Nationals was in DC this year.

Phew! I have to say that when I set those goals they seemed really ambitious, but splitting them into weekly chunks helped make them more manageable. Er, don't be fooled. There were plenty of setbacks and heartbreaks mixed in with the successes, but I'm choosing not to dwell on them! Onward.

So . . . what's next? For now, I'm just enjoying a couple of snow days. But I'm looking forward to diving into revisions for How to Reform a Rake. It earned a couple of awards in December!

First, RaR won the Golden Rose for highest total score in the Rose City Romance Writers Golden Rose Contest. (The prize is a real rose dipped in gold!) It placed second in the historical category.

Then, just last weekend I learned that RaR won first place in historical category of the Southern Heat Contest. This was especially sweet because my CP, Keli Gwyn, took first place in the inspirational category also. Yay, Keli!

I am so thankful to the judges from both contests. They were extremely encouraging but also gave me great suggestions for improving the story.

Pretty soon I'll be setting my writing goals for 2010. But for the next ten days I'm going to clean up my desk and get myself organized. And definitely read a few romance novels. :)

What a Girl Wants

Last year, I posted my Christmas list and got two of the three items I wished for--not too shabby! Hoping to build on that success, I've enhanced and, ahem, expanded the list for 2009. I hope you'll drop by the Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood and tell me what you want from Santa.

Dear Santa: A Writer's Wish List

Signs your Golden Heart Entry is Ready

1. You decide you need to revise the opening paragraph. Again. You send the new opening to your critique partner, and she tells you--in the nicest possible way--"STOP playing with it!" And she's totally right.
2. You realize you've deleted and inserted the same comma 7 times.
3. Your thoughts turn to binder clips, CDs, and colorful jewel cases.
4. The mere sight of the FedEx logo on a truck, sign, or package gives you heart palpitations.
5. The calendar says it's time.

The deadline for receipt of entries at the RWA office is Wednesday, December 2 at 5:00 p.m. Central Time.

Good luck to everyone who's entering, and Happy Thanksgiving!

Setting the Record Straight: They're not all Pajama Pants

There's been some confusion in my household of late, and the issue at hand is my wardrobe. It seems my family is unable to distinguish between pajamas and other types of attire. If I only had a nickel for each time I heard a neighborhood kid whisper, "Why's your mom wearing pajama pants in the middle of the day?"

This is my attempt to clarify matters.

When one gets home from one's day job and is ready to plop down in front of the computer for some quality writing time, one dons Writing Pants (please see photo). Note that it is generally still light out and dinner has not been made, nor even thought of, at this point.

A bit later, after at least three separate parties have inquired as to the whereabouts of dinner, it's recommended that one change into one's Driving Pants (please see photo) before hopping into the car and heading to the nearest drive-through.

After dinner, when one's tummy is full and the house starts to turn a bit chilly, one generally opts for Comfy Pants (please see photo). It's worth mentioning that comfy pants, though clearly distinguishable from writing pants, are also entirely acceptable attire for writing.

Finally, when the rest of the house is asleep and one intends to be at the keyboard into the wee hours of the morning, it's the time to slip into one's Pajama Pants (please see photo). In case there were any doubt, these should never be worn out of doors (although a quick trip to the mailbox is fine) or when it's light out (an exception is made for snow days) or when company is expected (unless they live within a 15 mile radius).

So there you have it--a definitive, illustrated guide. Multiple choice quiz on Friday.

You CAN Finish Your Manuscript in Time for the Golden Heart

I just know you can! But, if you feel like you need a kick in the pants, check out my post at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood.

You know the tough-as-nails, evil cheerleading coach from the show Glee? I think I sound a little like her. At least I hope I do.