This past week, I realized how lucky I am to be part of the romance community. Kimberly from Book Obsessed Chicks (link) nominated me as a romance "cheerleader". I lunched with Kati from Romancing Rakes for the Love of Romance (link) - we enjoyed Polynesian food at the Taste of Aloha (link). I made lunch plans for next week in Washington, DC, with Melissa, a librarian extraordinaire.
I also received confirmation the Romance Writers of America (RWA) accepted two proposals I submitted for this year's national conference in San Diego (link):
Romance publishing offers exciting opportunities for self publishing, small press, traditional publishers, and a combination thereof to cater to the individual author. The romance industry can also be a cut throat business from negative reviews, stalled sales, and an oversaturated market. Three author stand out as perpetually positive by focusing on the Joy of Writing. Bestselling and award winning writers Cathy Maxwell, Anne Elizabeth, and Julie Rowe share how they focus on their passion for romance while drowning out the negativity which creeps into every author’s life. Each author came to romance publishing by a different road yet they share the same appreciation of the Joy of Writing. Moderated by book blogger Kim Lowe, the authors will engage in a round table discussion of looking beyond book sales as a measure of success and celebrating the creativity process that is the Joy of Writing.
Reporting for Duty - An Intimate Chat with the RomVets: Grace Adams, Tamara Argyle, Heather Ashby, Elizabeth Langston, Caroline Lingaitis, Kim Lowe, and Anna Richland
Military characters dominate romance novels. They have stormed romantic suspense, moved into small towns, battled paranormal creatures, and defined history from Medieval Times to Victorian Era to WWII. A group of women veterans have turned their swords to pens to write romance novels – the RomVets, www.romvets.com. Three Air Force veterans, two Navy veterans, one active duty Navy surgeon, and one Army veteran/Rita winner will share our military experience to ensure military characters are accurately portrayed in any genre. RomVets are also military spouses, brats, and parents, so we offer an extra dimension into the lives of those who serve – airman, marine, sailor, seaman, and sailor. We will teach writers to how to decipher the military’s acronyms, identify ranks from the five services, and safely carry a weapon.
As the Pointer Sisters sang, "I'm so excited". I am truly blessed to be a romance reader! If you met any of the above bloggers or authors, what would you ask them? One randomly selected commenter wins a book choice from my convention stash. Comments are open through Saturday, February 13, 10 pm in Baltimore. I'll post the winner on Sunday, February 14.
Mahalo,
Kim in Baltimore
Celebrating Romance Every Day
Lucky guards my convention stash
