Pop Quiz!

How well do you pamper your inner writer?

Head over to Seekerville to test your knowledge! Seriously, here's a hall pass. Grab your number 2 pencil and go.

How Well Do You Pamper Your Inner Writer? The Unscientific Quiz.

Cry, Baby!

When was the last time you had a good, hard cry?

All my favorite books make me cry, and I'm blogging about the phenomemon at the Ruby Slippered Sisterhood. Come on over. I've got tissues!

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 through 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!

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

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.

Friends, Buddies, and Sidekicks . . .

. . . is the name of my guest blog over at Seekerville. In it, I reveal my secret superhero power. (Hint: Wonder Woman has nothing to worry about.)

A Writing Update

I've been pretty quiet of late, but here's what's happening in my writing world.

• Midnight Promises won this cute necklace in the MMRWA Happily Ever After Contest. I was thrilled to have someone (besides my mom and sister) read the end of the story . . . and like it. The necklace is made of Petoskey Stone, the state stone of Michigan. (See kids, you learn something new every day.)
• By the way, I'm officially retiring this manuscript from the contest circuit. But, my fingers are crossed that you haven't heard the last of it yet.
• In other good news, my CP, Keli Gwyn, finaled in the prestigious Maggie contest sponsored by the Georgia Romance Writers. But that's not all! The same manuscript also finaled in the Lone Star and Heart of the Rockies contests. Woo-hoo, Keli!
• The Ruby Sister Slipperhood (2009 Golden Heart Finalist Group) is getting set to launch our blog. I don't want to say too much, but there will be lots of GH chatter, heel clicking, and chances to win cool prizes. More info to come.
• On September 28, I'll be a guest at Seekerville. I'm very excited about this! It took me a while to come up with a topic, but since those ladies are incredibly nice and fun to hang with, I settled on "Friends, Buddies, and Sidekicks." If you've ever thought Robin (the masked guy with the yellow cape and tights) was vastly underrated, then this is the article for you.
• I'm busy writing the sequel to The Pursuit of Patience, called How to Reform a Rake. You may have noticed I added a progress meter to the blog sidebar. It makes me feel good each time it nudges up a percent or two. My goal is to finish the draft by Halloween, . . . but I'll be secretly pleased if it's done by Thanksgiving.

That's all for now. Thanks for stopping by, and have a great Labor Day weekend!

Making Sense of Contest Results

Ever feel bewildered after getting your scores back from a writing contest? You're not alone! Please stop by Romance Writers on the Journey, where we're making sense of contest results. At least we're doing our best.

--Anne

Coming Up this Month . . .

On March 5th I'm visiting with Keli Gwyn, my friend and critique partner extraordinaire, at Romance Writers on the Journey. My article, "Making Sense of Contest Results," explains how to interpret those bewildering contest score sheets by breaking down the numbers. Remember the required statistics course that screwed up everyone's college GPA? I promise it won't be anything like that.

Then on March 8th, please come back here to help me celebrate . . . the one year anniversary of this blog! I'm not going to a lot of trouble--just cocktails and a few hors d'oeuvres. It'll be casual, so you can come in your writing pants if you like. :) I'll share interesting facts about my blog, including some of the weirdest Google searches that have led people here. Prepare to be amazed--and perhaps disturbed!