Category: Publishing Journeys

2009 RITA and Golden Heart Finalists

Congratulations to all our RITA and Golden Heart finalists! If you’ve finaled or know someone who has, please either leave a note in the Comment trail or email me with your name, contest entered, category entered, and title of manuscript. I’ll update the finalists throughout the day as the news comes in.

**UPDATED 12: 15 p.m. Pacific Standard Time**

****I think the final listings are up on the RWA website now. If I’ve missed anyone, or misspelled your name, or linked to the wrong website, please let me know. My eyes are toast!

RITA FINALISTS – Published Romance Novels

Best First Book:

Kerry Connor, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

Elise Chidley, YOUR ROOTS ARE SHOWING

Tera Lynn Childs, OH. MY. GODS.

Anthea Lawson, PASSIONATE

Jennifer Morey, THE SECRET SOLDIER

Jean Marie Pierson, NO GOOD GIRLS

Sherry Thomas, PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS

Contemporary Series Romance:

Lillian Darcy, THE CHILDREN’S DOCTOR AND THE SINGLE MOM

Crystal Green, FALLING FOR THE LONE WOLF

Barbara Hannay, ADOPTED: OUTBACK BABY

Jessica Hart, LAST-MINUTE PROPOSAL

Anne McAllister, ANTONIDES’ FORBIDDEN WIFE

Cindi Myers, THE RIGHT MR. WRONG

Karen Temptleton, A MOTHER’S WISH

RaeAnne Thayne, THE COWBOY’S CHRISTMAS MIRACLE

Linda Warren, TEXAS HEIR

Contemporary Series Romance, Suspense/Adventure:

Jessica Anderson, TWIN TARGETS

Kerry Connor, STRANGERS IN THE NIGHT

Kathleen Creighton, DANGER SIGNALS

Diana Duncan, LETHAL ATTRACTION

Janice Kay Johnson, THE MAN BEHIND THE COP

Kathleen Long, COLD CASE CONNECTION

Dana Marton, TALL, DARK AND LETHAL

Jennifer Morey, THE SECRET SOLDIER

Cara Summers, A SEXY TIME OF IT

Contemporary Single Title:

Elise Chidley, YOUR ROOTS ARE SHOWING

Rachel Gibson, NOT ANOTHER BAD DATE

Jane Graves, TALL TALES AND WEDDING VEILS

Samantha Graves, OUT OF TIME

Debbie Macomber, TWENTY WISHES

Susan Mallery, SWEET TALK

Jean Marie Pierson, NO GOOD GIRLS

Susan Wiggs, SNOWFALL AT WILLOW LAKE

Historical Romance:

Joanna Bourne, THE SPYMASTER’S LADY

Lorraine Heath, IN BED WITH THE DEVIL

Elizabeth Hoyt, TO SEDUCE A SINNER

Eloisa James, DUCHESS BY NIGHT

Lisa Kleypas, SEDUCE ME AT SUNRISE

Stephanie Laurens, WHERE THE HEART LEADS

Pam Rosenthal, THE EDGE OF IMPROPRIETY

Sherry Thomas, PRIVATE ARRANGEMENTS

Inspirational Romance:

Judy Duarte, MULBERRY PARK

Deeanne Gist, DEEP IN THE HEART OF TROUBLE

Irene Hannon, WHERE LOVE ABIDES

Robin Lee Hatcher, THE PERFECT LIFE

Rachel Hauck, LOVE STARTS WITH ELLE

Denise Hunter, THE CONVENIENT GROOM

Tamara Leigh, FAKING GRACE

Susan May Warren, FINDING STEFANIE

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements:

C.S. Harris, WHERE SERPENTS SLEEP

Susanna Kearsely, THE WINTER SEA

Susan K. Law, THE PAPER MARRIAGE

Susan Meissner, THE SHAPE OF MERCY

Pamela Morsi, LAST DANCE AT JITTERBUG LOUNGE

Nora Roberts, TRIBUTE

Karen White, THE HOUSE ON TRADD STREET

Paranormal Romance:

Gwen Cready, SEDUCING MR. DARCY

Yasmine Galenorn, DRAGON WYTCH

Susan Grant, MOONSTRUCK

Lori Handeland, THUNDER MOON

Sharon Sala, THE HEALER

Gena Showalter, THE DARKEST NIGHT

Nalini Singh, MINE TO POSSESS

Kerrelyn Sparks, THE UNDEAD NEXT DOOR

Regency Historical Romance:

Joanna Bourne, MY LORD AND SPYMASTER

Celeste Bradley, DUKE MOST WANTED

Stephanie Laurens, THE EDGE OF DESIRE

Anne Mallory, THREE NIGHTS OF SIN

Julia Quinn, MR. CAVENDISH, I PRESUME

Christine Wells, THE DANGEROUS DUKE

Romance Novella:

Jean Brashear, “Our Day” in THE VALENTINE GIFT

Terri Brisbin, “Blame it on the Mistletoe” in ONE CANDLELIT CHRISTMAS

Meljean Brooke, “Thicker than Blood” in FIRST BLOOD

Jacquie D’Alessandro, “Only You” in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

Stephanie Laurens, “The Fall of Rogue Gerard” in IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT

Julia London, “Snowy Night with a Highlander” in SNOWY NIGHT WITH A STRANGER

Sharon Sala, “Penance” in AFTERSHOCK

Jill Shalvis, “All He Wants for Christmas” in HEATING UP THE HOLIDAYS

Romantic Suspense:

Cherry Adair, NIGHT SECRETS

Allison Brennan, KILLING FEAR

Cindy Gerard, TAKE NO PRISONERS

Carla Neggers, THE ANGEL

Brenda Novak, STOP ME

Karen Rose, SCREAM FOR ME

Roxanne St. Claire, NOW YOU DIE

Colleen Thompson, TRIPLE EXPOSURE

Young Adult:

Tera Lynn Childs, OH. MY. GODS.

Rosemary Clement-Moore, HELL WEEK

Tina Ferraro, HOW TO HOOK A HOTTIE

GOLDEN HEART FINALITS – Unpublished Romance Manuscripts

Contemporary Series:

Melissa Jackson Brister, INTO THE NIGHT

Lindsey Brookes, ANGEL IN TRAINING

Laurie DeSalvo, FOR LOVE OR RAVIOLI

Jacqueline M. Floyd, MEET YOUR MATE

Kim Grooms w/a Kim Law, SECOND CHANCE FOR A FAMILY

Anastasia Huff, THE GREEK’S MISTRESS REVENGE

Laurie Kellogg, THE GREAT BEDROOM WAR

Katherine Worsham, BENEATH THE SURFACE

Contemporary Series, Suspense/Adventure:

Dianne Gerber w/a Autumn Jordan, HIS WITNESS

Jamie Michele, ROMANCE OR RETRIBUTION

Kim Howe, BREATHLESS

Contemporary Single Title:

Vivi Andrews, EASY MONEY

Elizabeth Bemis, LIGHTS…CAMERA…MARRIAGE!

Elizabeth Bemis, LOVE & OREOS

Lindsey Brookes, OPERATION: DATE ESCAPE

Kathryn Graykowski, SUMMER IN AUSTIN

Robin Lanier, FOR LOVE OR MONEY

June Love, TEXAS HOLD’ER

Virginia McCullough, ISLAND HEALING

Historical Romance:

Jennifer Bray-Weber, UPON A MOONLIT SEA

CJ Eernisse Chase, THE OTHER BROTHER

Pat Detweiler, FORFEIT’S LADY

Jeannie Lin, BUTTERFLY SWORDS

Kate Parker, THE ART OF A LADY

Jenna Stuart, HIGHLAND HONOR

Tatia Talbot, LILY’S OUTLAW

Inspirational Romance:

Yvonne L. Harris, MONTANA RAINBOW

Kelly Ann Riley, KITTY’S FIRE

Cara Slaughter, LOVE ON A DIME

Kayla Lynn Westra, KASEY’S SECRET

Novel with Strong Romantic Elements:

Sherri Buerkle, DARK SECRETS

Elizabeth Devlin, HOME WATERS

Kelly Fitzpatrick, PLEASANT LAKE P.D.

Diane O’Brien Kelly, DEATH, TAXES AND A FRENCH MANICURE

Kim Howe, ONE SHOT, TWO KILLS

L.A. Mitchell, UNTIL MIDNIGHT

Bev Petterson, COLOR MY HORSE

Julie Whitby, CALL SIGN SCARLETT

Paranormal Romance:

Sharon Fisher, GHOST PLANET

Jacquie Jacoby, MAGIC MAN

Darynda Jones, FIRST GRAVE ON THE RIGHT

Tammy Hoganson, UNDERBELLY

Morgan Karpiel, HEART OF THE DRAGON

Nancy Litzau, JUST IN TIME

Heather McCollum, MAGICK

Cate Rowan, KISMET’S KISS

Regency Historical Romance:

Elizabeth Baldwin, DEFIANT

Anne Barton, MIDNIGHT PROMISES

Elisa Griffith Beatty, SHAMELESS

Pamela Bolton-Holifield w/a Louisa Cornell, THE RAVEN’S HEART

Amy Talley, NO SHRINKING VIOLET

Sara Wampler, AN INCONVENIENT MARRIAGE

Romantic Suspense:

Ann Marie Becker, ONLY FEAR

Tina Joyce Butts, THE SURROGATE

Shelley Corriell, THE BROKEN

Sandy Randel Eggert, TRUST FALL

Rita O. Henuber, GUARDIAN ANGEL

Diane Maggiora, TRUST NO ONE

Cynthia Mealer, INTRUSION

Joan Swan, SAFE IN ENEMY ARMS

Young Adult Romance:

Vanessa Barneveld, CALL ME CRAZY

Amanda Brice, CODENAME: DANCER

Shoshana Brown, STAGE FRIGHT

Addison Fox, MY BIG FAT ROCKIN’ REALITY

Elizabeth Langston, I WISHED

 ****

Congratulations, everyone!

Will You Sleep?

Tomorrow announcements for the Romance Writers of America’s Golden Heart and RITA finalists go out! How many of you who entered will get any sleep tonight?

Ah, I remember the days of entering the GH. I found it very difficult to sleep the night before. Would I get the call? (No, no, no, no, no, no). Would the phone even ring to allow me the thrill of the possibility of the call? (Some years, no, no, no, no; other years, once or twice).

I don’t know about you, but even if I’m not finaling, I WANT the phone to ring a few times just to give me that thrill right before I pick it up. Two years ago, I was down in the basement doing laundry, bemoaning that if I didn’t get a call SOON (taking into account that I knew from the listservs that calls were going out), I wouldn’t get a call at all. Then the phone rang. Upstairs. Don’t ask me why I didn’t take a portable down to the laundry with me. So up the stairs I ran and picked up. As soon as my caller ID’ed herself as being with RWA, I knew. Finally, I’d finaled in the Golden Heart!

This is my second year entering the RITA as Penny and I totally do not expect to final. I don’t know what the stats say, but I personally felt I had a higher chance of finaling in the GH than the RITA, and I entered the GH several times before I did final. I mean, when people with many more books out than I are also entering the RITA, what chance do I stand? And then there’s the fact that Penny writes erotic romance, which doesn’t set well with a portion of the judging population. I’m not whining about that, but it is a fact. However, all contests are subjective and you just never know, right?

Anyway, this is my convoluted way of saying that I’m holding a blog party all day tomorrow to honor and congratulate and cheer on all the Golden Heart and RITA finalists. So if you final, send me an email at cindy AT cindyprocter HYPHEN king DOT com and let me know, and I’ll get your info up lickety-spit. (Visit my Contacts page for a proper email addy). Or drop a note in the Comments trail, and, again, I’ll revise the post to reflect your finalist slot.

Feel free to spread the news.

Okay, now go drink some warm milk and TRY to get some rest, heh, heh.

Good News for Penny

I had a full manuscript request for Penny yesterday. Yipseedoo! I spent the day re-reading the story, a single title, before emailing it to the editor. The full manu request was the result of a query from less than an hour earlier, which made me feel great. Okay, so maybe this editor always requests fulls instead of asking to read just the partial first. I don’t know, and I don’t care. I’m thrilled. 🙂

Cross your fingers for Penny!

American Title V, Round 2

I’m going Christmas crazy trying to organize gifts and menus and getting my son home yesterday (which was a 10 hour disaster instead of the short 1 hour trip it was supposed to be, due to the huge snowfalls over the past few days), so thank you to Edie Ramer for alerting me that the voting for Round 2 of the American Title V contest just got underway. Visit the Romantic Times website to read the hero and heroine descriptions and then vote for your favorite through email. I just did, so I’m no American Title grinch. What about you?

Okay, I’m on hold with my credit card company (don’t ask) and my neck is aching from typing with the phone squished against my shoulder, so that’s it for today and maybe the rest of the week. I have a feeling I might declare a blogiday soon.

Wanna Sweat?

First, CONGRATULATIONS to my buddy and two-time Golden Heart finalist, Avery Beck, who just sold her first book to Samhain Publishing! Way to go, Avery. I’m so proud of you!

I’m sure Avery didn’t accomplish her wonderful achievement without losing a bit of sweat (note the clever segue to my previously scheduled blog post?)…

Not cut out for NaNoWriMo? Want to suffer for 70 days instead of one wimpy month? Check out The Seventy Days of Sweat Writing Challenge. Round 4 starts November 10th. Ends January 26th. In the ’09.

No, I’m not sweating with Sven. But I do like the concept of Seventy Days of Sweat better than NaNoWriMo. For NaNo, you’re supposed to just write, write, write. Write whatever dreck comes into your head. Yes, you’re allowed to plan out your novel beforehand, but the idea is to pound 50,000 words of whatever comes out of your fingers and then fix it later.

I’ve participated in NaNoWriMo, and I guess it’s great for first-draft writers. But those of us who edit, revise and polish as we go along? How are we supposed to plan out our NaNo manuscript beforehand and then just write, write, write when we need to plan AS we’re writing?

That’s my excuse, anyway. (Hmmm, what’s Avery’s?)

For Seventy Days of Sweat, the word length goal is between 60,000 – 100,000. MUCH more manageable, IMNSHO. Were I participating, I would be much more likely to succeed. So why not participate? Because. That should be enough explanation for you, my lovelies!

I might participate in the next round of 70 Days. For now, I know what I’m up against in various facets of my life over the next couple of months, and I also know I have less than 60,000 words to write on the WIP, so I’d be participating under false pretenses. I really know that once I’m finished the WIP, I’ll need a break. I call it December. Or at least 2 weeks at Christmas. And I plan to enjoy it.

Not to mention that my birthday falls during the current challenge. What sort of fool wants to sweat on her birthday?

If you want to sweat, you can sign up here. Then drop into my blog every once in a while and brag. I want to hear your achievements!

And, once again, CONGRATULATIONS Avery Beck!!!

Monday Musings

Welcome to my first post of November! What makes this day even more special? It’s my first ever first post of November! What would have made it even MORE special? If I’d posted my first ever first day of November post on November 1st! But I didn’t. So I guess this day isn’t as special as I’d thought. And here I got all excited for nothing. Hmph.

I hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween weekend. Did you attend any parties? Kid or grown-up? Accompany kidlets trick-or-treating?

I had an eventful week in my writing world last week that reminded me what a front-car-of-the-rollercoaster experience writing and publishing can feel like. I received one bad piece of news followed by three good pieces of news.

Early in the week, I received a rejection from an Industry Professional I was eager to connect with (note how I am not admitting in public if the I.P. was an editor or agent? This is to keep I.P.s who might read my blog guessing/in the dark/curious/scrambling to snatch me up—snarf!). The rejection hit me a little harder than usual, not so much for the rejection itself, I realized later, but because of an Act of Ungracious Behavior on the part of someone from whom I’d expected better. Yes, life is strange when someone else’s reaction to your rejection hits you harder than the rejection…but no one ever said writers weren’t neurotic (honestly, NO ONE has ever said that, and if they have, they should be shot).

Thank God for the good news. And guess what? The first piece of good news was the rejection itself. I realized when I read the rejection what an excellent rejection it was. Personalized, specific, basically saying only good things about my writing followed by a comment about worries about the tight market. And it was very, very bad of Moi to allow the Act of Ungracious Behavior to overshadow that.

The publishing gods must have decided to take pity on me and force me to get over my bout of blues, because the next day I received my second piece of validating news—a thank you note from an unpublished writer I’d judged in a contest. What a smile it brought to my face. To hear that the writer greatly appreciated my comments and input, to hear that I’d mentioned points she felt she should have caught herself, to hear that my critique was the best she’d ever received from a contest judge…okay, maybe she wrote the same note to all her judges, but I don’t think so, and I don’t care. I needed that. Thank you, contest entrant. Honestly, unpublished writers out there who enter contests, yes, we judges need our thank you’s!

Number three good news came the day following the thank you note—a manuscript request from another Industry Professional I’m just as eager to connect with (I’m not playing favorites at this point, Moi, and, even if I were, I wouldn’t announce it here). So I had to put aside the writing of the Work in Progress to feel great, re-read the requested material yet again, and submit it. No matter what happens with this submission, I needed the request to come when it did. I needed the thank you note. And I needed the wonderful compliments in the <insert bad word that starts with a R that should not be spoken aloud> letter.

I think there’s a lesson in there somewhere…