RWA National: The Contemporary Romance Market

Posted by on Jul 1, 2011 in dish | 0 comments Authors Susan Andersen, Robyn Carr, and Kristan Higgins, joined by agent Maria Carvainis and ably moderated by Jill Shalvis, conducted this panel discussion on the state of the contemporary romance market. Here are some highlights from their talk:•Readers are engaged by the intimate worlds that have been created by the author, to the extent that the locale itself is practically a...
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RWA National: The Quick-Release Trilogy

Posted by on Jun 30, 2011 in dish | 0 comments Authors Zoe Archer, Tessa Dare, Monica McCarty, Christy Reece, and Stefanie Sloane all know what releasing a trilogy of books can do for a career (launch a debut author, facilitate a change in direction, or take it to the next level), and they were kind enough to share it. Some highlights:• Trilogies are a way to get an author’s name out faster. They also keep books in the stores longer.•Readers...
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RWA National: RWA-WF Mini-Conference

Posted by on Jun 28, 2011 in dish | 0 comments Wow! I started off this year’s RWA National Conference with the first-ever mini-conference hosted by the Women’s Fiction chapter of RWA. RWA-WF is an amazing chapter in itself, and the mini-con did not disappoint. We opened with a two-hour session from Michael Hauge (no details here; you’ll need to visit his website for those since the material is copyrighted). Hauge has melded the inner...
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Road Warrior

Posted by on Jun 24, 2011 in dish | 0 comments Today, mimi flies home after two full weeks on the road. The days have been a blur of essay reading and presentation, first as a reader for the AP English Language and Comp exam, then as a trainer for AVID. Now, 1,981 essays (yes, you read that right) and four days of workshops later, I am packing my trusty sapphire Lands’ End lighthouse rolly suitcase for the last time.At first, the travel was...
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Color Him Father

Posted by on Jun 19, 2011 in dish | 0 comments This photo is courtesy of the Wayback Machine–Christmas, 1982 to be exact. I made my social debut at the Chester Assembly in the small South Carolina town where my Daddy grew up. That’s me with the handmade silk dress (thanks, Mama!), my graduation pearls, and my grandmother’s kid gloves. The handsome man on my arm is my father, John N. Gaston, III.There’s no denying I’m my father’s...
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Fixin’ the World

Posted by on Jun 12, 2011 in dish | 0 comments Tonight at dinner, mimi and her companions got an ugly reminder that there are some folks out there who just don’t get it. The three of us were enjoying some gorgeous Kentucky weather at a sidewalk table of a Louisville pub. Next to us were two nicely-dressed women about our age doing the same. Later in the evening, our server, a darling law student at the U of L, came to us with a puzzled face,...
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