Smart Bitches, Trashy Books

Rogue Digital Seminar Details

2009-07-09T18:59:46+00:00

We’ve got a time: 8:30 AM
On a date: July 16
And a Room: The Harding Room

While we have some great sponsors including: Books on Board, Red Sage Publishing, Samhain Publishing, Quartet Press, and Smart Bitches, this is a streamlined event and we would ask you to bring your own tea, coffee, hashbrowns or donuts. That’s right, it’s BYOTCH-D.

For the Rogue Digital Conference

Kassia Krozser of Booksquare.com and a frequent speaker on the publishing circuit and the head of a new romance epublisher, Quartet Press, will start us off by focusing on digital issues, particularly the contrasts between traditional print publishers and digital publishers. She will be highlighting the efficiencies of the latter, challenges (and strengths) for the former, and questions authors (and maybe readers) should be asking. Kassia will touch on timing of reversion of rights, territorial rights in the worldwide digital audience, chunked content, and the spectre of being paid on the net.

I will discuss digital promotion and some self publishing numbers shared by authors as well as the …

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Putting Here and Now in Contemporary Romance

2009-07-09T09:43:17+00:00

Question: how much does close alignment with contemporary cultural icons catch your attention in a romance novel? For example, I am reading Greek Doctor, Cinderella Bride, and I’ve noticed several direct parallels, or nods perhaps, to a contemporary tv show. See if you can guess which one:

Heroine: former model who left her career to go back to school and pursue science career. Full name, Isobelle, but answers to Izzy.

Hero: former surgeon, now science researcher, known for being Greek and sending the heroine’s twitchy bits into rumble-strip mode at the sound of his hoarse, gravelly voice. Heroines sister has nicknamed him: McHusky.

Batter up! A Double Play Giveaway

2009-07-08T08:44:50+00:00

These days, anyone can be a baseball announcer. Except women. And I take exception to that. It's time to storm the announcer's booth - and we can start getting ready now. How? We can come up with our own home run signature phrase!

A what now?

Some of the best and funniest broadcasters had catchphrases (no pun intended) and signature lines when a home run is hit. Bob Uecker of the ~~Minnesota~~ Milwaukee Brewers: "Get up, Get outta here, Gone!" Harry Caray and Phil Rizzuto: "A home run! Holy cow!" Chris Berman from ESPN: "Back back back back back back...GONE!" Bob Prince, from the old-school days of the Pirates: "Kiss it goodbye!" See? Nothing to it.

So let's get creative. Enter your parts o' speech below, and come up with your own home run signature phrase. Practice it at little league. Use it in mixed groups of sports fans. Either you'll look like you're exceptionally knowledgeable, or people will ask to share what you're smoking. Either way- fun for all!

And HELL YES there are prizes. I'll pick five winners - and each winner will receive a paper …

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Commence Happy Dance! Sony eBook Software to be Mac Compatible

2009-07-07T17:06:41+00:00

Sony’s eBook Library software, according to a Mobile Read report, will be compatible with Mac computers by end of summer 2009:

Dear Fellow Reader,

Attention Mac users! We’ve received many requests to make the eBook Store work with Apple® Macintosh® computers, and we wanted to share with you our progress on this front.

An updated version of the eBook Library Software compatible with Mac OS X operating systems will be available by the end of Summer 2009 for download to your computer to enable you to purchase, organization and download content to your PRS505 and PRS700.

Send us your email address, and we will notify you when the update is available.

Thank you,

Your Friends at The eBook Store

Oh, let there be great joy and rejoicing. While I’m a firm and ardor-filled lover of Calibre, I am so glad to hear that at last, Sony has awoken from the daze of the Hur? Wut? and made their bookstore software Mac-compatible. THANK THE DIGITAL FAIRIES.

Now, we have more options. I’m a big fan of lots of options. I can’t wait to see the new software and test it out.

ETA: I have confirmed …

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Romance Positive Press Hits USA Today

2009-07-07T13:50:16+00:00

Deirdre Donahue of USA Today profiled romance novelists Eloisa James and Julia Quinn, and feature some random bloggers (us!) in an article about how smart women read and write romance.

Oh holy crap, I can’t tell you how proud I am to be part of romance-positive coverage.

Looking at the intelligent and fierce women who write and read our favorite genre, Donahue’s piece lets James, Quinn, and Harlequin CEO Donna Hayes speak for themselves. Their quotes are frank and supportive of the genre - and reveal what we’ve known all along: that we’re clever, savvy, and so damn intelligent. The print version includes even more pictures - including us! Woo hoo!

My very favorite quote illustrates and completely smacks the hell out of all those insults we deal with as romance fans:

“When I saw the invitation to speak at Princeton, I said, ‘Holy crap, we have arrived,’ ” says Regis, 56, an English professor at McDaniel College in Westminster, Md., and author of the seminal text, A Natural History of the Romance Novel….

Today, in addition to his poetry classes, [DePaul University English professor …

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Marjorie M. Liu Picks Winners

2009-07-07T08:10:07+00:00

The winners of the Darkness Calls Teaser contest are:

heathero & AnziaC

Both winners receive an iTunes gift card - woo hoo! Please contact me with your email address for iTunes gift-o-lation.

And, if you’re curious about how that epic letter from Grant to his unborn daughter ended, you can see the finale and the full letter at BN.com and ACE/Penguin. If you want to learn more about the Hunter Kiss series, visit Marjorie’s website.

Thanks Marjorie!

My Soul to Lose, Your Prequel to Gain

2009-07-07T08:03:04+00:00

Rachel Vincent’s My Soul to Take hits stores on 1 August, kicking off Harlequins new Teen line of books. If you’d like to read a prequel to the series, Harlequin has a PDF for you - 87 pages of free reading to holler at your curiosity. You can download a copy of My Soul to Lose from this here Hot Pink site, and read more about the book at Harlequin Teen.

I have to say, I love prequels, ancillary stories or even really well-constructed chapter samples available as free downloads to promote a book. I think digital promotions like that are so effective, and so interesting. It’s easy for reader to tell if s/he likes the voice or the style of the book, and there’s no risk to trying out the free material.

Do they work for you? And specifically, do you like this prequel and does it make you interested in the book?

Links, Books, Rooms, and Ebooks for $2 or Less

2009-07-06T21:49:10+00:00

First up, if you’re looking for a room for RWA, Alyssa may be able to help you, or, you might be able to hook her up with some help. She can’t attend RWA but her plans changed too late to cancel her reservation. Details at her site.

Second: Cake Wrecks gives you another hero possibility, those of you who are looking for heroes and plots and really erect inspiration.

Hell, why not a romance hero who loves cupcake cakes and works in a bakery with crazy cake orders that require scaffolding? Hot men plus buttercream icing plus knowledge of pastry? WIN!

[Thanks to Janet Mullany for the link.]

Third, I’m a tad late on this one, but Hachette is offering a set of five books, including two new releases, for $1.99 for July 2009. At sites like Books on Board, with discount they’re often a little less than $1.99 - which is just crazypants, right?

Images are to Amazon Kindle, and individual links are to Books on Board.

Me and My Twitter

2009-07-06T09:18:13+00:00

My name is Sarah, and I have a Twitter problem.

I actually think Twitter is freaking awesome, and love it and love using it - to the point where sometimes I have to say to myself, “Step away from the Twitter.” It’s almost a default for me - email, Twitter, web.

I can think of a few dozen of examples of how Twitter has connected me to people and information I never would have known about if I hadn’t been signed on, and I haven’t been using it that long, either. I can remember when I first signed up and had NO IDEA what to do with it. The whole “What are you doing?” question gave me the chuckles: “I’m watching the market recap, and drinking an import!” Heh. What are YOU doing, Twitter?

Holy crapdamnhell, Twitter is doing a lot. I prefer Twitter to Facebook because while Facebook is an enclosure, Twitter is a platform. In Facebook, you communicate through Facebook. Facebook is the destination and the confinement: the conduits are all Facebook, and while you can link to other stuff, most of the time, you’re following links to other parts of Facebook. You don’t …

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Free Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning for Kindle

2009-07-05T18:22:46+00:00

Heads up - thanks to alert reader Sandia - there’s a free Karen Marie Moning title available for the Kindle.

Oh, how I wish more free titles were available for all devices. But if you’re a Kindler, and you have a interest in trying Moning’s series, it’s free, cheezy bread, free.