SBTB/DA Bestsellers - 23-30 April 2013
by SB Sarah | May 05, 2013 | Sunday at 5:28 am | 0 Comments 
This week's top ten is brought to you by the many many awesome books we all bought, and by the number 12.
Bitchin' Blog Posts : General Bitching
Self Publishing and Restarting a Series: A Q&A with Delilah Marvelle
by SB Sarah | May 04, 2013 | Saturday at 3:08 am | 12 CommentsIn 2009, Delilah Marvelle won the author interview I donated to the Brenda Novak auction, and in that interview, we talked about marketing, and about her School of Gallantry series that she wanted to finish. At that time, she said of RT that it was one of the most effective tools for branding herself as a first-time author, as it allowed her to contact readers directly.
Now, four years later, Marvelle has published more than ten historical romances. Recently she contacted me because she's self-publishing the rest of her series after trying to sell it - and after turning down a contract for a new series. She agreed to answer some of my nosy questions, so here we are.
Tell me about what you're self publishing?
Delilah Marvelle: I'm excited to say that I've self-published a historical romance, Lady of Pleasure, which continues the School of Gallantry series which New York had turned its back on, despite its popularity with readers. It's a cheeky series about… read more »
Jude Deveraux and Julie Garwood at RT: Storified Tweets, Pictures and Gifs
by SB Sarah | May 03, 2013 | Friday at 4:02 pm | 25 CommentsToday at RT, I attended a candid Q&A with Julie Garwood and Jude Deveraux. On the outside, I looked like my normal self. I'd had coffee, I was dressed, my shoes matched, and I was fully charged and ready to tweet.
But y'all, these are two of the first authors I read who made my brain jump up and say, "A hip hop the hippie the hippie to the hip hip hop" ("a you dont stop the rock it to the bang bang boogie say up jumped the boogie to the rhythm of the boogie, the beat").
So on the outside I was trying to be chill. On the inside, my inner 13 year old looked a lot like this:
I tweeted the hell out of this panel, and even managed to arrange my in breaths and out breaths enough to ask a question. I've used Storify to gather my tweets into three groups, and I'm publishing them here. Plus I have pictures of the signing and the people who… read more »
Friday Videos Love New Zealand, and Rhode Island
by SB Sarah | May 03, 2013 | Friday at 1:38 am | 5 CommentsLast night, news broke on Twitter that Rhode Island's house of representatives had approved a bill in favor of gay marriage, and sent that bill to the governor for signature. Governor Lincoln Chafee signed the bill into law hours later. Yay Rhode Island! High fives!
Jocelyn emailed me the following two videos, which are from mid-April, so you may have already seen them. But they are beautiful.
First, New Zealand MP Maurice Williamson (representing Pakuranga, a suburb of Auckland) has a very funny and eloquent defense of gay marriage:
Link!
Then the bill was passed, and my heart squeezed six or seven times watching this video. The public gallery above the parliamentary chamber began to sing a Maori folk song, Pokarekare Ana.
Link!
Jocelyn writes, "The lyrics roughly translate as:
The waves are breaking, against the shores of Waiapu, My heart is aching, for your return my love. Oh my beloved, come back to me, my heart is breaking of love for you. I have written you a letter, and enclosed with it my ring, If your people should see it, then the trouble will begin. Oh… read more »
Romantic Times: The Bag! The Books! The Swag!
by SB Sarah | May 02, 2013 | Thursday at 4:50 pm | 180 CommentsOne thing I love to do is a giveaway for the swag bag at RT. Each attendee receives a conference bag stuffed with promotional items, plus a choice of some books from the goody room. I have the bag, some books, plus an extra treat.
Here's a picture of the contents of the bag:
Here are the books that I got from the goody room and from authors to include:
If you can't see all the titles, the books include two samplers of erotic romance and YA romance, plus the following titles:
Plus, I have a coupon for up to $25.00 off… read more »
EL James at Romantic Times: What Happened vs The Reactions
by SB Sarah | May 02, 2013 | Thursday at 10:57 am | 50 Comments 
Twitter was afire yesterday with news that EL James stood up during a YA panel and….said something. Accounts varied as to what was said - can you believe that? Inconsistent reports on the INTERNETS?
I went out and spoke with some RT staffers, and some folks who were present at the session, and really, what actually happened is not that interesting or dramatic, except for the fact that James is, in fact, at RT. According to the kind sources I spoke to, who asked that I not identify them, it seems that Ms. James is here, and the RT staff had no idea it was her - she registered for RT under a different name. After she stood up and identified herself, she went to RT's staff desk and asked for a new badge. She's is now registered officially as EL James.
I asked whether James was going to be signing at the book fair, and as of right now, the answer is no. RT is hoping she'll participate, but currently, James is not part of any official panels… read more »
Classic Romance - Which One First? Carla Kelly Edition
by SB Sarah | May 02, 2013 | Thursday at 2:18 am | 37 Comments 
Last week I reviewed The Wedding Journey by Carla Kelly - which I loved reading - after highlighting a few of Kelly's books that have been digitally re-published at $2.99. Susan, a guest reviewer, reviewed My Loving Vigil Keeping last year, also. Susan is a reader who followed Kelly as she started writing inspirational romances.
After the discussion in the sale post and in my review for The Wedding Journey, Susan contacted me with a suggestion:
Most (if not all—I have lost track) of Carla Kelly’s books are out or coming out as ebooks, including the new inspirationals. With Her Hesitant Heart ( A | BN | K | S | ARe | iB ) being released this week it would be cool to do a reader recommends/where to start for her books. There are about 30, including an ebook collection of short stories that appeared in themed anthologies. Almost all are good but I am sure everyone has their favorites.
This is a very good idea! So of… read more »
Dispatches from Romantic Times 2013
by SB Sarah | May 01, 2013 | Wednesday at 3:11 pm | 22 CommentsIf you've ever thought about going to RT, my goal here is to try to show you what it's like. It's crowded, happy, eager, and jubilant. It's a four-day party focused on romance reading, which is completely awesome in my opinion. The readers who attend are taking time off work, time away from home and caring for family members, dropping everything and taking a four-day vacation at a hotel to party about…books. Excellent, right?
And, it is a truth universally acknowledged (by me) that there are few groups as friendly as romance readers. You wait in line, you make friends. You go to the ladies' room, you make friends. You go to an event, you make friends. And at every other moment, there are books to receive. Books as prizes, books as giveaways, books to share. Book recommendations, book suggestions, books books books.
While talking with Angela James and Lauren Dane, Lauren remarked that she loves the first day of RT, because it's so exciting. People haven't seen each other for months, we're all just-arrived and eager to say hi. It's a really happy atmosphere.
I think it's kind of like the first event of our… read more »
Books on Sale: Contemporary Romance from Ruthie Knox & Rachel Gibson
by SB Sarah | April 30, 2013 | Tuesday at 10:42 pm | 6 Comments 
Along Came Trouble is Ruthie Knox's second book in her Camelot series. Knox is a tremendously talented writer of contemporary romance. This book is usually $2.99, but is available right now for .99c.
An accomplished lawyer and driven single mother, Ellen Callahan isn’t looking for any help. She’s doing just fine on her own. So Ellen’s more than a little peeved when her brother, an international pop star, hires a security guard to protect her from a prying press that will stop at nothing to dig up dirt on him. But when the tanned and toned Caleb Clark shows up at her door, Ellen might just have to plead the fifth.
Back home after a deployment in Iraq and looking for work as a civilian, Caleb signs on as Ellen’s bodyguard. After combat in the hot desert sun, this job should be a breeze. But guarding the willful beauty is harder than he imagined—and Caleb can’t resist the temptation to mix business with pleasure.
With their desires growing more… read more »
Cards and Caravans by Cindy Spencer Pape
by CarrieS | April 30, 2013 | Tuesday at 2:58 am | 2 Comments
The best way to describe Cards and Caravans is "comfortable". This book is neither terribly exciting, nor thought provoking, and despite being part of a steampunk series, there's very little steampunk in it.
Still, I rather enjoyed this book in which two people who have outgrown their first loves move from friendship and attraction to love. I was in the mood for a very light, affectionate book, and this fit the bill, although in another mood I would have found it to be unbearably dull.
Cards is part of the Gaslight Chronicles series and I think it would work best for those who are fans of the series, as almost all of its charms involve resolving loose ends from other stories, setting up arcs for future stories, and basically just hanging out with the extended family that comprises the Order of the Round Table.
read more »T’was the Night before RT: Signage!
by SB Sarah | April 29, 2013 | Monday at 10:04 pm | 7 CommentsRT hasn't officially started yet, but I was here today to speak at the Mid-American Library Alliance conference on romance. Today, after having breakfast, I noticed the preparations had begun in the Sheraton lobby: EPIC SIGNAGE. Everywhere!
And these signs are not easy to put up, either. Have a look:
Everywhere, there are signs going up. Walls, elevator doors, windows. Seriously, everywhere. If it's not moving, you can stick a sign on it.
read more »
Sizzling Book Club Pick for May: Austenland by Shannon Hale
by SB Sarah | April 29, 2013 | Monday at 12:15 pm | 14 Comments 
Time to announce the May Book Club Pick! I know, it's not May yet, but it's close enough, right?
The May book club pick is: Austenland by Shannon Hale!
Summary? But of course;
Jane is a young New York woman who can never seem to find the right man-perhaps because of her secret obsession with Mr. Darcy, as played by Colin Firth in the BBC adaptation of Pride and Predjudice. When a wealthy relative bequeaths her a trip to an English resort catering to Austen-obsessed women, however, Jane's fantasies of meeting the perfect Regency-era gentleman suddenly become more real than she ever could have imagined. Is this total immersion in a fake Austenland enough to make Jane kick the Austen obsession for good, or could all her dreams actually culminate in a Mr. Darcy of her own?
I honestly thought this book was not going to work for me, but after listening to it then reading parts of it, I SO enjoyed it. It's a curious combination of a comfort read and a contemporary/historical romp, and I… read more »
Fixing a Reading Slump
by SB Sarah | April 29, 2013 | Monday at 4:30 am | 52 Comments 
In the open Whatcha Reading? thread last weekend, many of you said you were in a reading slump - which sucks. I hate when that happens.
Bryn emailed me and asked:
Reading today’s postings made me think: wouldn’t it be nice to have a list of books from my fellow readers that helped them break out of their reading slump?
If you are ever so inclined I’d love to see the titles that helped my fellow Bitches get their swing back.
Oh, hell, yeah. Of course!
If I'm in a reading slump, I do one of two things. I either go back and re-read something I know I loved and know I'll really enjoy reading again, like the Alpha & Omega series by Patricia Briggs, starting with Cry Wolf ( A | BN | K | S | ARe | iB ). Or, I'll read a little bit of a whole slew of things until I find something that grabs me. Sometimes I take a break and read nonfiction, and when I come back to the fiction, my brain is… read more »
SBTB/DA Bestsellers: 16-23 April 2013
by SB Sarah | April 28, 2013 | Sunday at 2:20 am | 0 Comments This week, if you bought a Tessa Dare book on sale, you are in good company! This week's Top Ten is brought to you by Spindle Cove.
Deep Deception by Cathy Pegau
by CarrieS | April 27, 2013 | Saturday at 8:38 pm | 3 CommentsThis review went live prematurely, which meant it hit everyone's RSS feeds. Our apologies! This book is out May 27, and normally we'd review it closer to that date, but since the RSS folks got a sneak peek, we're posting it for everyone to enjoy. Sorry for the confusion! - Sarah
Deep Deception is a f/f science fiction romance from Cathy Pegau, who is rapidly becoming an auto-buy author for me. This story has two delightful leads, a compelling plot, strong sense of place, and a tough but nurturing romance. The only thing that stood in my way of losing myself in the story is that the last book I read by Pegau, Caught in Amber, kept getting in the way.
Deep Deception is about Natalia, who is basically undercover cop, and Gennie, who is on the run from her in-laws who are the heads of the powerful Reyes Corporation. Natalia finds herself with time on her hands when she is placed on leave after being accused of corruption. This turns out to be handy, because Gennie has evidence that the… read more »
