OCTOBER COFW PAN NEWS
by Marcia James

Author promotion is a critical part of the publishing business. In addition to their publishing news, the following is a sampling of the many things COFW authors do to establish their author brand and get their names and books in front of readers.

AUTHOR GROUP EVENTS:

In September, a number of authors—including COFWers Jules Bennett, Dianne Castell, Donna MacMeans, Erin McCarthy, and Kay Stockham—participated in author Lora Leigh's RAW 2008, her annual Reader Appreciation Weekend.

On October 18th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., a group of authors, including COFWers Jules Bennett, Lori Foster, and LuAnn McLane, will participate in the Kentucky Romance Writers Booksigning at the Joseph-Beth Booksellers in Lexington, KY. For more information, contact the store at (859) 273-2911.

AUTHOR NEWS:

Becky Barker's Silhouette Romantic Suspense (formerly Intimate Moments) novel, Undercover Virgin, has been reissued in a Harlequin e-book anthology bundle titled, The Best of Virgin Brides. Since the story is a suspense with no bride, Becky hopes readers won't be annoyed to find it included. In fact, the heroine wasn't even a virgin until she went to New York and Becky's editor thought she needed a “hook” in the title.

Jules Bennett's publisher, Wild Rose Press, moved the print release of her novel, Love in Bloom, from February to December 5th. The novel was up for “Favorite 5-Star Romance” for August at Find a Great Romance blog and won “Reader Pick of the Month” for August on Jennette Green's blog. Jules' sexy story, Bedroom Behavior 101 (written under her Sophia Rae pen name) received a great review from The Romance Studio recently, which stated, “Sophia Rae knows how to write hot and sexy with a good story thrown in. She does a great job building each personality and their thoughts throughout so we understand their actions and reactions. Did I say before that the sex is hot? It's hot, erotic and worked into the story enough to make it just right.”

Dianne Castell's trade paperback, I'm Your Santa, an anthology with Lori Foster and Karen Kelley, is being released in mass-market paperback, according to the “Paperback RoundUp” column in the October issue of Romantic Times BOOKreviews (RT). The book was featured in a Kensington Books' ad in the same issue.

Lisa Cooke was mentioned in an interview of Dorchester editor Leah Hultenschmidt in the (RWA chapter) PASIC newsletter. When Leah was asked if she had acquired any new authors recently, she listed upcoming books by four authors, including “Lisa Cooke's Texas Hold Him, a really hot historical.” The book was also mentioned on the Romantic Reads' Web site: “Lisa Cooke's debut novel, Texas Hold Him, [is] a sizzling story about a riverboat gambler and the Southern belle desperate to learn poker to save her family from ruin. Lori Foster calls it 'mega fun, fast-paced and with a sexy to-die-for hero—my favorite kind of historical romance.'” Dorchester sent her the cover for her debut book. And Lisa's Web site (http://lisahistoricals.com/) went live in September.

Paige Cuccaro extensively revamped her two Web sites (one is for her Alison Paige pen name) with a new look, new tags lines, and more: http://www.alisonpaige.net/ and http://www.paigecuccaro.com/. In addition, Samhain offered her a contract for her 76,000-word romantic erotic suspense, Tame Horses, Wild Hearts, and she had requests from agent Emmanuelle Alspaugh and Sourcebooks editor Deb Werksman for her urban fantasy manuscript, Hellsbane. Paige also received her cover for her upcoming Harlequin Spice Brief, Medusa's Folly.

Jamie Denton was the September “James Gang” interviewee on Marcia James' Web site.

Nell DuVall received a review from Historical Novels Review, which stated, “Train to Yesterday is a good read that those who like time-slip novels will…enjoy.”

Carol Ann Erhardt's publisher, Wild Rose Press, moved the print release of her novel, Joshua's Hope, from February to December 5th. The e-book release was August 29th. The Romance Studio awarded the e-book a 5-Heart review, which included, “This book with its superb storyline has all of the good things that a book can have to keep us reading. Characters, dialogue, suspense all are penned in a way that I think are excellent. The book just naturally flows to a fantastic conclusion. If you need a book to lift you up, this is the one to read.” And Carol's novel, Foxfire, received a 5-Angel review from Fallen Angels, which stated, “From the sizzling chemistry between Grace and Tyler to the nail biting suspense of getting away from a madman Ms. Erhardt took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions… I found myself racing through to the end because if anyone deserves a happy ending it's these two. I just couldn't quite see how Ms. Erhardt was going to pull it off; there were so many things in the way. I needn't have worried. Foxfire is an engaging tale, and Ms. Erhardt should be congratulated on a tale well told. I'll be picking up more of her books in the future.”

Saralee Etter was mentioned in the Cerridwen Press Sept. e-newsletter, along with Paige Cuccaro and Marcia James, as participating in the COFW conference booksigning.

Lori Foster's HQN book, Caught!, which contains two of Lori's Harlequin category books, is being reprinted, according to the “Paperback RoundUp” column in the October issue of RT. The book was one of eight in an HQN ad in the same RT issue. And the RT “Publishers Previews” column listed an upcoming mass-market reprint of Lori's Never Too Much. In August, Kathy's Review Corner reviewed “An Honorable Man”, Lori's novella in the Men of Courage II anthology from Harlequin's Signature Select Collection. Kathy wrote, “'An Honorable Man' is one of my all-time favorite stories. Ham is the perfect hero…[and] Liv is a wonderful heroine. I simply adore this story, and re-read it every time I come across the book.” In addition, Lori was interviewed for two short podcasts by BooksOnBoard.com and a live broadcast on Fangoria Radio, which has the slogan, “If it scares, screams, or startles, it's on Fangoria Radio”. And a photo of Lori and her two dogs is on author Cathy Mann's Pet Page (http://www.catherinemann.com/petpage.htm).

Heather Grothaus joined several other COFW authors for a booksigning at the Florence Mall Waldenbooks on Sept. 6th. She signed copies of the final book of her Medieval Warriors trilogy, The Highlander.

Karen Harper will be the keynote speaker at the Sisters in Crime Columbus, Ohio 1st Annual Holiday Event Luncheon. The event takes place on Dec. 6th from 11:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. at the 94th Aero Squadron Restaurant. Admission is $30 per person, which includes lunch, dessert and non-alcoholic drinks. There will be a raffle that includes prizes such as a 30-page critique and up to 5-page synopsis critique from Karen. For more information, contact siccowriters@gmail.com.

Susan Gee Heino's photo was part of a salute to 2008 Golden Heart winners on the back cover of the September RWA Romance Writers Report.

Marcia James won a caption-writing contest held by The Columbus Dispatch, which offered a chance to mention her romance writing and pen name in the newspaper. The winning caption (co-written with her husband) was featured in the syndicated Moderately Confused comic by Jeff Stahler on August 30th. At the COFW conference, Marcia received requests from an agent and editor for her manuscripts, Sex & the Single Therapist and Southern Exposure. Marcia was asked to present an online class on author promotion for the Mid-Willamette Valley (OR) RWA chapter in Sept. 2009.

Laurie Kingery and Hill Country Christmas, her inspirational romance fall release from Steeple Hill Love Inspired Historical, were featured in a “New Author Spotlight” ad in the Oct. issue of RT. In the same issue, their reviewer awarded Hill Country Christmas four stars, calling the book, “…a tender love story about characters who are not only struggling with their faith, but also with learning how to forgive themselves.” In September, Laurie attended the American Christian Fiction Writers' Conference in Minneapolis, MN.

Rosemary Laurey and Heather Grothaus will speak at the October 11th OVRWA (Cincinnati RWA chapter) meeting on “People and Places: Writing In and Out of Our Time”.

Janie Mason's Samhain novella, Servicing Rafferty, was reviewed by The Good, The Bad, and The Unread, whose reviewer wrote, “Once I started reading this story, I couldn't seem to put it down. Ms. Mason had me hooked from the beginning. A lot of times when I finish a novella or short story, I feel like while the story might be really good, it just wasn't long enough and parts were sacrificed for space…Ms. Mason did a great job keeping the story flowing and I didn't feel like she left anything out. I'm looking forward to reading more from her and hope that she has some longer stories in the future.”

Erin McCarthy contributed a novella, “Christmas Bree”, to the Fall anthology, The Magical Christmas Cat. The Oct. RT awarded Erin and the other authors in the anthology—Linda Winstead Jones, Lora Leigh, and Nalini Singh—4 stars. The reviewer praised Magical Christmas Cat, stating, “Four major talents produce a sexy, exciting holiday anthology. Each of these authors excels at her craft… The combined firepower is outstanding and sure to provide hours of reading delight.” Erin will be on several author panels for the April 2009 RT convention: “Dark Heroes and Why Women Love Them” and “He Sex, She Sex”.

LuAnn McLane did a “Cyber Sit Down” chat-like event with Author Island on August 28th. And she'll be signing copies of her upcoming release, Driven By Desire, at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 17th at the West Chester, OH Barnes & Noble Booksellers near Cincinnati.

Jenna Petersen is featured in a short video Avon shot at the recent RWA conference (http://www.harpercollins.com:80/imprints/avon/video.aspx?vid=140&pg=1). Jenna's Passionate Pen Web site (http://www.passionatepen.com), which includes detailed information about agents, celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2009. Jenna is organizing a year-long event with “editor and agent interviews, testimonials from published authors and aspiring authors, contests with big prizes (including a conference registration for 2009 RWA) and a lot more”.

Anne Rainey received a request from Kensington Aphrodisia for the full manuscript. In September she guest-blogged on the Three Wicked Writers' blog.

Jayne Rylon's Samhain novella, “Nice and Naughty”, was released on Sept. 9th in e-book and will be part of a 2009 print anthology, The Ménage And More, with novellas by authors Jess Dee and Lorelei James. The novella received five stars from Ecataromance, and the review praised, “Jayne Rylon's story is absolute perfection. The intense emotions and evocative imagery captivate the reader. There is so much to appreciate in this novel and it is not over done. This is the way a hot and steamy romance should be written. I definitely can not wait for more from this absolutely phenomenal author.” The novella was also reviewed by the infamous Mrs. Giggles. Jayne created a book video for “Nice and Naughty” that is available on YouTube and Jayne's Web site (http://www.jaynerylon.com).

Patricia Sargeant received a request from Avon assistant editor Esi Sogah for her romantic suspense manuscript, Gut Instinct, in which the heroine is framed in a WVA state delegate's murder. And Kensington Dafina sent the cover for her 2009 contemporary, Sweet Deception.

Deborah Simmons' October Harlequin Historical release, The Dark Viscount, received a 4-star review from RT. The reviewer praised, “Simmons grabs readers with a well-crafted Regency-set romance. A stormy, bleak landscape; a dark, unwelcoming manor house and mysterious goings-on in the overgrown ominous maze lend a chilling gothic flavor.”

Linnea Sinclair presented a workshop titled, “Characterization: Making Strengths and Weaknesses Work For You (or No More Mary Sues!)”, at the Mansfield-Richland County Public Library on August 30th. She also participated in a Romance Divas Forum Law Enforcement/Military Workshop, “Kick A$$ Characters by Authors Who Know How To Kick A$$”, on Sept. 12th and 13th. Her book, Shades Of Dark, has been named one of the ParaNormal Romance (PNR) review site's Top Staff Picks for August 2008. PNR's Leslie Tramposch stated, “If you read one SF romance this year, make it Shades Of Dark. And if you haven't yet read Gabriel's Ghost, run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore and read it first.” Linnea was the featured author for September at Kathy's Review Corner, and she will be the captain on an author panel, “Starships & Sorcery”, for the April 2009 RT convention.

Kay Stockham is featured in one of author Toni Blake's Web site photos of the recent RWA conference. On October 18th – 19th, Kay will be in Kingsport, TN., for the Times News Women's Expo, which includes a booksigning both Saturday and Sunday. For more information, go to http://www.womensexpoauthors.com/index.htm.

Sandra Wickersham-McWhorter's The Winds of Fall was given release dates by Wild Rose Press: September 12th for the e-book and December 19th for the print book. Sandra had several manuscript requests recently: Avon's Esi Sogah requested a partial of The Winter Road and the synopses of the other two books in her trilogy, and Sourcebooks' Deb Werksman wants a full of Orion Comes In Winter and The Winter Road.

Justine Wittich received a request from Avon's Esi Sogah for her romantic suspense manuscript, Switch, in which the hero goes undercover as a gay handyman. Marcia James' debut comic romantic suspense, AT HER COMMAND, was released in trade paperback from Cerridwen Press. In June 2009, she'll have a short story in TAILS OF LOVE, a Berkley anthology. She offers her180+ page file of author promotion options to any RWAer who requests it. Just email her through the “Contact Me” page on her Web site: www.MarciaJames.net.

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A QUICK GUIDE to Book Promotional Opportunities for Authors at COFW
By Jacki Bentley

1) To be included on the monthly new releases column in COFW newsletter, Write from the Heart, (all our member books: print book, e-book or small press books)  -- A call for book details will come from the COFW-PAN liaison once a month, the 10th,  on the COFW-PAN loop.  Deadline is the 20th of each month. This information will then be shared with the web-mistress and also read at the monthly meeting.

2) Upcoming Releases Book News PDF  --  Print books information for our book buyers and booksellers at our Yahoo loop 3-4 months out.  We invite book buyers and sellers to subscribe to the e-newsletter at: COFWbooknews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com   The only loop mail is the PDF.   The call for Upcoming Releases will come on the COFW-PAN loop the first of every other month.  Deadline by the fifteenth. 

3) Every six months, promo printed postcards of our member's newest releases. Contact Patricia Sargeant-Matthews  for details at sargtaz@yahoo.com. A call will come from Patricia on the COFW-PAN loop.

4)  Our Fall Readers and Writers conference book signing.   Contact Toni Leland at   tonileland@romancingthehorse.com

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