Pippa's Journal - 8/15/12

Well, I said I wouldn't post over August, but a few things have come up that I'd like to share with you...

Action!

The paperback format of Keir is out! Um, yes, I know I said October and this is August. I'm not entirely sure how it happened. Even my publisher's website still says October, but Amazon, B&N and The Book Depository all have it available, although Amazon says limited stocks. My own copy arrived Monday! Squeee! Much as I love digital and my Kindle, there is still much to be said for holding a print copy of you book - and I finally have one. Of course, the early arrival means I've missed doing any kind of tour or event ready for the release, but it DOES mean that I can celebrate Keir's third anniversary on the 17th (the day I first sat at my computer with an old short story in hand and turned it into a 100K book) with two giveaways of a print copy, open to anywhere in the world. The first giveaway is via Goodreads (check out the widget on the side bar to enter) and is open for a whole month from the 17th August. The second is taking place on my blog here from the 17th August until the 29th, as I'm taking part in the Romancing the Hop Blog Hop on the 31st (with another prize and an interview with Keir himself). All you have to do to be entered into the draw is comment on how you most like to celebrate a special occassion, and let me know if you want it signed. :) As an additional note, Keir is a third off at The Book Depository for an unspecified time, and with free worldwide shipping.

Despite having three children home for the summer and straying hideously from my outline, I'm still on target to complete Campnanowrimo with When Dark Falls. I'm not very happy with the story, and the romance element is pretty weak, but I'm getting the words down. Doing Nanowrimo has taken a completely different discipline and methodology to what I'm used to, which has been both an interesting and a stressful adventure. Overall I'd say it's been a worthwhile experience, and I still hope to succeed, but I'm not sure it will change my normal writing habits. I may outline more and I do need to stick to more regular writing sessions - something that will be easier with all three children in full time school from September - but pantsing is a more natural thing for me than writing to an outline.

In the meantime, I'm pleased to say that I received a request for a full manuscript from a publisher after querying with a partial. I'm not going to say much more than that at the moment, but rest assured I will give you the news as soon as I can. I'm determined to prove (to myself most of all) that I'm not a one-trick pony, and that I can repeat Keir's success.

Discoveries

One discovery I made in the last couple of weeks was one I could live without. It seemed that Keir had been pirated. However, it appears there was some doubt over whether the site in question was legitimate or not, but it went down before I could find any definitive answer. I'm not going to name the site - merely tweeting the site name in the hope of trying to learn whether the site was illegal or not resulted in me getting my first piece of hate mail via Twitter. The discussions since have been vitriolic, with the authors supposedly responsible for the site's demise being publically listed and abused. I have no idea which side is 'right' as regards the legitimacy of the site in question, but the aftermath is horrible and, in my view, unnecessary. Well-founded arguments are all well and good, but when it descends into poisonous and personal attacks, and a general campaign of hate on both sides, nothing good can come of it. In the meantime, it seems Keir has been pirated for real and I'm in the process of crafting my first DMCA. The dark side of publication. :(

On the subject of piracy, the fabulous Allie Ritch did a post on some legal alternatives to pirating here. One of the major reasons that some people admit to using pirate copies is that they can't afford things otherwise. So Allie put together some suggestions of completely legal ways to fill your bookshelves or your ereader AND help out your favourite authors at the same time. Pop over and see what you think, and if you can add any other suggestions to the post. I'm thinking of doing a post on the SFR Brigade blog in the near future with a suggestion on how we can at least provide readers with some legal options for free books. It won't stop pirating, but if we can at least guide a handful of readers toward legitimate sites, it's got to be worth doing.

I saw this on Twitter this week - a plot scenario generator. One of those fun little gadgets for sparking inspiration if you're struggling. Having deviated from my outline for the nanowrimo too far to return to it, the idea of a plot generator quite appealed to me.

  
Also, as I continue to tweak my website as prevarication not to launch it, here are two posts by Greta Van der Rol on what not to put on your website if you want people to bookmark it, and also five things you should have.
Five steps to help you build a better website
Five things I hate about websites

Happenings

This week I've had debut sfr author Angela Renee visiting my blog to celebrate the release of her novel YOU ARE MINE. And of course I've already mentioned the upcoming giveaway to celebrate three years since writing Keir. On the 21st voting opens at You Gotta Read for the August book trailers, and my video for Keir is up for the vote! I'd love for you to stop by to leave a comment, and I hope you'll take a moment to vote - even if not for me. 

The monthly Amazon tagging list will open on the SFR Brigade blog here on the 27th for the party on the 30th. I've adjusted the times on the list after several people said it had closed before the end of Wednesday - apologies! I hadn't taken into account the time difference between the US and the UK, assuming since the inlinkz site was US that it would automatically be US times. Wrong! 

There will also be another additional note to the tagging party itself, so please read the instructions. Liana Brooks tweeted recently that 'malicious' tags are being added to books, such at 'too expensive' and 'boycott'. I also saw another author tweet that the tag 'DELETE' had been added to her books. Please keep your eyes open for any of these kind of tags. Apparently you can remove them on your own books, but if you could leave a comment on the SFR Brigade site should you notice any on other members' books so that we can see about their removal. What a sad state of affairs.

On a happier note, it's the Romancing the Hop blog hop from the 31st August, run by the fabulous Carrie Ann Ryan. Check out her blog here for the participants list and the grand prizes. All those taking part will also be offering up goodies - mine's a $10 Amazon or B&N gift card.

 

Ping Pong

At Donna and Laurie - it's eye-opening for me hearing about the conference. I have to say I'm slightly disheartened about the changes to the RWA and to the contests, just as I'm considering both. To be honest, I'd classify myself foremost as a science fiction author (or at least speculative fiction) rather than a romance author. I'm pretty sure the romance aspect of Keir wouldn't be strong enough under the new guidelines. It will be interesting to see how it all pans out, but I'm sure it's disheartening for a lot of authors, particularly those who may now be designated as associates rather than full members. I feel like it's put a GH forever beyond my reach just as I felt the aspiration to try.

RWA CHANGES: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE ROMANCE

Science fiction romance has always had a bit of an identity crisis. As a community, we agonize over whether we “belong” in the tech-oriented, science-driven world of SF, or in the emotional, relation-and character-driven world of romance. Individually, as authors making decisions over our unique stories, we fall closer to one line or another, more SF or more R, more head than heart, more heart than head, as we choose. But this balance is never far from our minds as we write, no matter how we have calculated the outcome.

So the uproar caused by the latest rule changes announced by the Romance Writers of America should be no surprise to those of us that write SFR. It is really no more than an attempt by RWA to be clear about what it is that they mean when, as an organization, they say “romance”. The organization has eliminated certain categories of competition in the Golden Heart® and RITA® contests, changed the contest judging rules to give the romance in the story more weight and sent the word out to chapters to ensure that members are actively engaged somehow in writing romance. All of this is in an effort to reaffirm RWA’s primary focus on romance, which is, after all, the organization’s mission.

In this era of “branding”, I can’t fault RWA for wanting to reassert its brand (though I might fault the method it has chosen to do so). The Romance Writers of America is not the Women’s Fiction Writers of America or the Young Adult Writers of America or even, though we may have thought so over the last fifteen years, the Paranormal Writers of America. If the story you are writing does not have a central love story (defined as having hero, heroine, relationship arc and HEA), it is not a romance. It may be a great story. It may be the Great American Novel. But it is not a romance and should not be recognized officially by RWA, officially being the key word.

Yes, that leaves a lot of great stories outside the purview of RWA—young adult stories without romances, urban fantasy, the entire category of Novels with Strong Romantic Elements, women’s fiction, much of our own science fiction with romantic elements. But of course it also leaves out much of the rest of fiction—and rightly so. Just because these stories have a strong female lead, they don’t necessarily belong in RWA. We have confused those strong heroines with the heroines of romance. Understandable, but they are not the same thing.

One of the reasons this is such a wrenching separation is that RWA is the only professional writers’ organization that allows the membership of unpublished writers. The Science Fiction Writers of America doesn’t; the Mystery Writers of America doesn’t; journalists must be sponsored by a news organization to be credentialed. No one else does so much for writers learning their craft. Apparently at the chapter level, writers of all types recognize this and take advantage, to the point where large numbers of non-romance writers are members. This is what led to the rule change offering “associate” membership for writers “not actively engaged in writing romance”. As a member who is actively seeking publication in romance, I would prefer not to have those “non-romantics” voting on issues of concern to me in an organization dedicated to romance.

Now, there are a few flaws in all this logic. The first problem comes when we attempt to define “romance”. It seems simple enough at first: hero, heroine, romantic arc, happily ever after. But then people will complicate things. I recently got contest feedback from a multi-published romance writer who was generally very complementary, but worried that I strayed into SF thriller territory, rather than romance because the romance was not more than 50 percent of the story and wasn’t resolved last. Huh? Where did those rules come from? (Granted, she was judging from the synopsis, but still.)

I assume judges for the Golden Heart® and RITA® will be given some direction for the new rules. Otherwise determining 20 points for “romance” will be subjective at best and erratic at worst. The best solution would be to insist on mandatory training for these judges, to be done at National or at local chapters. These contests are too important to leave to just anybody. We’ve all experienced the infamous indecipherable “East German” judge. (Not really from East Germany, a country that no longer exists, but from “Hunger”, as my mom used to say, a fictional place of unimaginable cultural depravity.) Training would help eliminate that possibility.

The second problem is where that leaves all the writers who have found such a comfortable home in RWA, particularly the non-romance YA, women’s fiction/NSRE and urban fantasy writers. I have no solution for them. I truly don’t believe RWA is the place for them if they don’t write romance, but there seem to be few places to go. Perhaps this will be an incentive for them to form smaller groups that better meet their unique needs. After all, RWA itself had a beginning thirty years ago because romance had nowhere else to go.

As for those of us who write SFR, we have decisions to make every time we sit down at the computer—whether to set the story in outer space, on another planet, in a laboratory here on Earth, in another dimension, in the future or wherever. Deciding whether to include a romance—and how much time to devote to it—is up to us as storytellers. As long as we devote an equal amount of time to the romance—hero, heroine, romantic arc—and give our lovers a happy ending, then we will always have a home in RWA, an organization that is all about the romance.

Cheers, Donna

ROCKET LAUNCHES, SPACE SICKNESS ENSUES

Or What Happens the Day After Golden Heart®

Laurie, oh-Yoda-of-the-Golden-Heart (as Sharon was before her), told me I would feel like I had been hit by a truck in a few days. I didn’t realize it would happen so fast. No sooner had I wound down from my happy dance (for both myself as a double finalist for Unchained Memory and Trouble in Mind and for Laurie for Draxis) than I was hit with the viral equivalent of an 18-wheeler on Monday night. I don’t think that's what she meant.

In what I’m sure my Appalachian ancestors would explain as a form of karmic balancing, I’ve been completely flattened by a stomach virus all week, unable to participate in the heady social whirl of post-nomination giddiness. I was able to send and respond to a few emails before things hit on Monday, then to all intents and purposes I dropped from sight. People must think I was abducted by my own aliens. Not a bad promotional gag, but going a bit far, really.

I kept thinking I have the best opportunity for PR of my life and I can’t lift a finger to my keyboard! ARRGGHH!! Then, of course, I have to have a photo taken within a week, and I’ll look like one of my alien villains. Lovely.

Okay. But all this is just the stuff you say to focus attention elsewhere when you’re embarrassed to be in the spotlight. I am delighted and very proud to be named a double finalist in the 2012 RWA® Golden Heart® contest. I’m even more delighted that Laurie is right there with me again this year. You all know the ups and downs we’ve both experienced on the road to this particular turning point. And I know I wouldn’t have made it this far without the support of Laurie and Sharon and all you folks who consistently read and comment on our musings here as we struggle to find our way.

So thank you all. You make all the difference. Keep reading, keep commenting, help us keep our heads on straight. As Bette Davis once said, “Fasten your seat belts, it’s going to be a bumpy night!” as our rocket takes off.

Cheers, Donna

Happy Golden Heart Announcement Day! Par-tay!

(This would be the perfect image if the coffee cup was gold instead of red, yes?)

The BIG DAY hath come. This is as close as it gets to a national holiday for Romance writers.

In case you're baffled by the title and clueless what this is all about, check out our previous post GOLD FEVER for an explanation of the frenzy surrounding this event. We'll also re-post the three RWA Golden Heart/RITA Award hot spots to track the news at the bottom of this post.

Here on Spacefreighters, we'll be zeroing in on just the Paranormal category (which includes SFR) and celebrating and congratulating our various peers that make the finals.

We've been very fortunate here on Spacefreighters to have at least one finalist in every one of the last three years. Sharon Lynn Fisher is our veteran Golden Heart competitor who has finaled in every GH competition she entered--2009, 2010 and 2011. In fact, Sharon was a finalist before she even became a co-blogger, and her final was the catalyst that helped this blog evolve into a joint blog for Science Fiction Romance writers. [Click to read the story.] 

So, yes, very special day here.

This year, Sharon is ineligible due to her two-time Golden Heart finalist manuscript, GHOST PLANET, now manifesting as a novel coming from Tor on December 1, 2012. (Take a gander at the shiny new cover just unveiled just this week over on our right sidebar.)

Also ineligible is Pippa Jay, who's novel, KEIR, is coming from Lyrical Press on May 7, 2012. You can see her cover over yonder, too.  --->

Authors who are published or under contract aren't eligible for the Golden Heart Awards, so their GH days are now prologue. But in this industry, that's a GOOD thing. I witnessed Sharon's Boot Ceremony last year, where she was kicked out of Golden Heart writers-in-waiting status as a "graduate" who earned her author's wings. If Donna and I are so lucky, some day we'll get "the boot" too. Pippa has already earned her wings. :)

If the internet gods are kind to us, we'll be tracking Paranormal category and peer finalists as they're announced and sharing news and other chatter in comments below. Please join in and share your thoughts, congratulations, questions or comments because this day only comes once a year! [Oh, and say "Happy Birthday" to Sharon, too!]

You can also check out three of the big Golden Heart Announcement Parties here:

RWA Golden Heart/RITA Finalist Announcements
The official web site of Romance Writers of America where the finalists go up on the lists as they're notified. The entire list should be posted by 2 PM EST on March 26th.

Judi Fennell's Golden Heart/RITA Squee Party
Author Judi Fennell has the stage all set for another big GH/RITA bash (it even comes with its own video introduction). She'll be posting the unofficial finalist announcements as the news comes in.

The Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood Announcement Party

The 2009 RWA Golden Heart Finalists are the most active former class on the internet. Each year they hold a big online party to share the excitement. They've been busy posting about the Golden Heart experience all week.

Gold Fever! (T-Minus 48 Hours & Counting)

It's that time of year again! The RWA Golden Heart® and RITA® Award finalist announcements happen in just a couple of days, Monday, March 26th. There's a certain synergy in the air, a low level buzz that will build to a major hum, followed by virutal fanfares as the finalists' names are announced...all 60+ in 10 categories!

What are the Golden Heart® Awards?

For unpublished writers, the Golden Heart Awards are HUGE! This is the Academy Awards for romance writers (if the Academy Awards were held for the finished screenplays before the actual movies came out.) Just to be a finalist is a career-altering accomplishment. And it comes with a ticket to all the events, perks and festivities leading up to the awards ceremony.

What's So Great About it?

In a word, opportunity. Does it guarantee you'll get an agent or a sale? No. But when you put together a well-executed query letter that says "I'm a Golden Heart finalist" chances are you'll get a request. Works almost every time. (Sometimes agents even query you.)

There's also a special benefit package.

- Your name and photo goes up in lights on the RWA site.

- RWA prepares a press package that goes to local papers you identify.

- You receive first shot at editor and agent pitch appointments at national conference.

- You become eligible to join The Golden Network--a chapter exclusively for past and present Golden Heart finalists--and sign up for TGN retreat to rub elbows with some of the top editors and agents in the industry.

- You're invited to a champagne reception during Nationals (to be held in late July at Disneyland) where you receive your Golden Heart certificate and meet your peers face-to-face.

- You get a Golden Heart badge ribbon identifying you as a Golden Heart finalist (kudos, congrats and being treated like a rock star ensues).

- Best of all, you get to add a nifty little tag to your signature line that says: 2012 RWA Golden Heart Finalist.

And then there's the side perks--networking with your "class" which each year establishes its own identity (The 2011 Starcatchers, The 2010 Unsinkables, The 2009 Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood, etc.) and a Yahoo group to swap intel, war stories, advice and successes.

What Else is Good About it?

The RWA Golden Heart is one of the few contests where you don't need to win to get the bennies above. The point is to final. To be considered one of the top contenders to the next crop of authors. An heir apparent to the next generation of romance stars.

Winning is the icing on the cake, but for the most part, if you final you've caught the Golden Goose.

Where Can I Tune In?

The finalists will be notified beginning Monday morning. There will be much buzz on Twitter, Facebook and various blogs as the news is unleashed, but these are my three favorite sites to follow the news:

RWA Golden Heart/RITA Finalist Announcements
The official web site of Romance Writers of America where the finalists go up on the lists as they're notified. The entire list should be posted by 2 PM EST on March 26th.

Judi Fennell Golden Heart/RITA Squee Party
Author Judi Fennell has the stage all set for another big GH/RITA bash (it even comes with its own video introduction). She'll be posting the unofficial finalist announcements as the news comes in.

The Ruby-Slippered Sisterhood Announcement Party
The 2009 RWA Golden Heart Finalists are the most active former class on the internet. Each year they hold a big online party to share the excitement. They've been busy posting about the Golden Heart experience all week.

We'll also be celebrating the announcements for peers and Paranormal category (which includes SFR) finalists right here, beginning Monday morning. See you then!