Julia London is a Bestseller Again
Hooray for Julia London! Her newest book, The Perils of Pursuing a Prince, hit several bestseller lists during it’s debut week, including:
#22 New York Times!!
#50 USAToday
#9 mass market BN
#9 mass market Borders, #2 romance
#4 mass market Waldens, # 2 romance
# 11 Anderson News
[4/25/07]
We have a new PRO - Diana Castilleja
ARWA has a new PRO! Congratulations to Diana Castilleja for achieving PRO status — just in time for Nationals! [4/13/07]
Three ARWA Finalists in “Great Expectations”
Congratulations to Marjorie Allen — her manuscript, A Deeper Blue, placed third in the Romantic Suspense category of Great Expectations contest, judged by Allison Lyons of Harlequin Intrigue.
Deb Yates placed fourth in the Historical category with her manuscript A Secret Heart. The category was judged by Tessa Woodward of Avon Books.
Jane Myers Perrine placed fourth in the Mainstream with Romantic Elements category with her manuscript Life, Love and Maggie Baldovino. The category was judged byAdam Wilson, replacement editor for Rebecca Soukis, Red Dress Ink. [4/11/07]
My Five Greatest Fears
By Christina J. Riggan
I wish I could offer sage advice about how to be a successful writer, author, wordsmith, or anything relating to those fields. But I feel I am best suited to writing about the fears that grab hold of me and shake me like a terrier on some days.
Actually on many days, since I am trying to be truthful here. So what follows is a lament of worries.
1. The thing I fear the most is that I am a faker, fake, charlatan, and imposter.
“Faaaaker!” The face whispers to me on mornings when I look in the mirror reassuring myself I can do this—like so many “cheer up and get some guts” programs out there. I argue with myself a lot about this.
“I am not a faker,” I mumble. “I can do this.”
“Liar,” she hisses back. “Then you would already be finished and published, and on the New York Times bestseller list. You think you’re a Nora Roberts?”
She sneers gleefully at me. If you doubt my sanity, you are not alone. That specter of fear sits on my shoulder every day when I try to write, contemptibly laughing at my choice of words, my purple prose, my clichéd or hackneyed phrasing. She wonders why I drink…or eat chocolate to block her out.
And curses when I keep writing anyway.
2. The second fear is paralysis. Not physical, but on second thought that would be even more horrific.
No, my fear is the evil identical twin sister of “Faaaaker!” She prances with vile glee around me every time I face a lank computer screen and eats all the words in my brain, freezes my fingertips over the keyboard, and halts the pen or pencil before it touches the paper.
I decide she likes it, thrives on it, gets nourishment from it like a parasite attached to a great white shark’s eye. Along for the ride…just to grab morsels when she can, always out for herself. She has a close cousin—Narcissus—who works alone of course, and spends a lot of time and money on mirrors.
I walk vigorously every morning shaking off paralysis. When I can’t walk, I work out on the Total Gym, mentally houting at her to go away…bother someone else. Begrudgingly, she snickers at me and leaves for a while, returning s regular as clockwork for an early fight the next day. Sometimes when she has a hold of me so vigorously that I can’t write, I read, smell flowers, plant bulbs, or work in my garden. But often she lingers anyway, twining around my heart until the sun shakes her loose. Like a wraith, she disappears for a time only to return when she wishes.
3. The third thing I fear is rejection. The parent of faker, she is hissingly insidious, a snake in the Garden of Eden.
“No one will ever buy your work. Who are you kidding? Only your mother thinks you’re “gifted”, she sneers, contempt sliding over her face.
Faker and rejection work in concert with paralysis to create a deadly cocktail of do nothingness. Rejection assures me I can’t write a query letter, a synopsis, acquire an agent, or…anything good.
“No one wants to read your ##%&*. Look at real writers around you. You’ll never be a James Joyce, a Nora Roberts. Give up now. Don’t wait until someone says something hateful and nasty.”
She sidles up and taunts me in my left ear—my good one.
4. The fourth thing I fear is acceptance. It is like the unacknowledged “white elephant” in the addict’s or dysfunctional’s home. I am afraid I might stumble over it and fall into it on my way trudging sleepily to the kitchen for my morning java.
Would I recognize her, him, it—when I saw it? Is it even real? Maybe it is all an illusion, a mirage, a trick.
What form shall acceptance swirl into? Will her shape be recognizable to me? Enough to beat back, faker, paralysis, and rejection, sending them to their closets of my mind to hide in the dark. Would she draw a sword shiny enough for even me to see it? Will I have sense enough to see acceptance as a reward enough, or must I have more to stoke my ego?
5. The fifth thing I fear is success. I claim to want it, need it, strive for it, but when she arrives knocking on my mind, my door, in my inbox, or mailbox–what will I think? Will she change my life?
“Maybe I won’t like what happens after success arrives,” I mumble to myself. “What if I lose my family and friends, r worse gain new ones that are suckups and I can’t recognize them because they are so good at what they do?”
Maybe I will become arrogant, forgetting to be humble and grateful for what I have. What if I can’t ever write again?
“I’ll be a one-book wonder!” I cringe.
Maybe that book was the only one I had in me. Fingers of self-doubt slither into my spine.
My God. What if I have to write six novels a year? I can’t do it. Already imagining myself, hair askew, papers sliding off desks, folders crashing to the floor, hard drives crashing and me losing everything, and drinking heavily.
So friends and acquaintances, if you have any fears like mine. I assure you, you are not alone.
These fears haunt me and if they ever leave me alone, I hope they don’t come knocking at your door, demanding to be let in, winding themselves around your heart and mind, invading your soul, ruffling your courage and determination.
In the meantime, just be glad they have such a good home.
—————————————————————–
Christina J. Riggan, twenty-five year veteran of public schools, turns writer in old age.
Currently she has a published nonfiction book How To Be A Great Teacher and is searching for an agent for her finished manuscript In A Single Breath - a spicy historical fiction.
Four Girls Publishing seeks short stories
Four Girls Publishing is seeking short stories of 10,000 words or less in the following sub-genres: romance, erotic romance, mystery, general fiction and young adult. Guidelines are available on their website. Submit the complete manuscript as an email attachment in either .rtf or Word format. Four Girls is an electronic publisher established in 2005. They publish a wide variety of books and pay a 50% royalty.
[Information gathered from Cindi Myers enewsletter]
AuthorScene looking for short articles
AuthorScene is a fiction lovers’ ezine with each issue focusing on a different genre. The editor, DeNita, is looking for articles about books, authors, allure of certain genres, etc. for the ezine, but they must be something of interest to fiction readers more so than writers. She’s looking for word count right around 1,000, but she is flexible. No payment, but AuthorScene will promote an author’s upcoming work and link to the author’s website. AuthorScene.com is affiliated with AuthorsLand.com, an author promotion website. [Information gathered from Cindi Myers enewsletter]
Black Lace and Cheek seek new authors
Virgin Books is seeking to add U.S. authors to its Black Lace and Cheek imprints. For Black Lace, they’re interested in paranormal/cross-genre, contemporary and exceptional historical erotica and erotic romance. Stories for Cheek should be contemporary erotica or erotic romance set in the U.S. A good way to break in here is by contributing a short story to one of their themed anthologies. Several new authors have progressed to full-length novels after selling short stories. The editors are currently looking for short stories for three new collections: paranormal erotica, sex in public, and sex with strangers. Novels should be 70,000 - 75,000 words. The website is http://www.black-lace-books.com/. Send submissions to Adam Nevill, erotica editor, at Virgin Books, Black Lace/Cheek , Thames Wharf Studios, Rainville Road, London, W6 9HA, United Kingdom.
[Information gathered from Cindi Myers enewsletter]
Deb Yates finals in the “Mary Reade”
Deb Yates’ historical manuscript, Heaven Sent, has finaled in another contest - the Mary Reade. Wow!! [4/4/07]
Marian Stevens wins first place in the “Linda Howard”
A big congratulations to our own Marian Stevens who’s manuscript, Single in the City, won first place in the Single Title category of the 2007 Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest. The category was judged by Abby Zidle, Executive Editor, Pocket Books.
Clare Wood takes fourth in the “Linda Howard”
Bravo to Clare Wood who took fouth place in the Historical category of the 2007 Linda Howard Award of Excellence contest! Her manuscript, Warrior’s Revenge, was judged by Alicia Condon, VP, Editorial Director, Dorchester.