RT Newbie!!

Since this is my very first year as a published author, it's also going to be my first year attending Romantic Times Booklover's Convention. I supposed I could've attended as an unpub, but to be frank, I couldn't justify the expenditure then. At least now I'll get to sell some books. :-D

The convention's still some months away (April, to be exact), but I'm wondering if those of you who've previously attended could share your experiences and perhaps be so kind as to provide some "tips?" This newbie would be eternally grateful!!!

Oh, and btw:

Hopping into the Convertible - DARA

I'm blogging today at Riding With The Top Down about the "Salon Phenomenon." Please come on over and wave at me as I ride by with some fabulous authors.

Happy Thanksgiving

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I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving filled with family, friends and good food.

New Book-- New Newsie--New Party!

Because I missed my day to post, Dara was kind enough to give me her day...(thanks, Dara!)

I have a new release coming out soon! Suni’s Gift is due to be released on November 26th...I”m really excited about this one. I haven’t been this excited since Haley’s Cabin was released. It’s my first Phaze story and my first REAL ménage story.

Here’s a blurb:

High School English Teacher, Suni Buchanan married the man of her dreams and has a job she loves. As a firefighter, Ross sees his fair share of heartache and performs heroic acts every day. So, why does she fantasize about being with two men? It's wicked and selfish of her to even consider something so scandalous. But then Ross shocks her when he announces that he's read her journal and knows her secret desire. He goes one further when he surprises her with a special present for Christmas. A threesome that includes their mutual friend, Alex Boggs. But will the passion-filled night change their marriage for better or worse?

***And for an exciting excerpt go here: Excerpt

Also, I have a brand spankin’ new newsletter! To sign up go here: Anne's Newsie This is not a chat group. I will only be sending out one or two newsletters a month, so don’t worry, you WILL NOT get overloaded by chatter!

If you’d like to chat with me and other authors and readers, feel free to sign up to my chat group here: Anne’s Chat Group

NOTE: To celebrate my Phaze release, there will be a bunch of us Phaze authors chatting it up over at at my chat group (see link above) on November 26th...prizes, excerpts, and our hunky waiter, Dax! Come join the fun!

Sexy Phaze Authors attending:

Victoria Blisse
Aurora Black
Jamie Hill
Sapphire Phelan
Derek Musgrave
Brenna Lyons
&
Anne Rainey

2007 Sexiest Man Alive

I'm deviating from the norm and devoting this week's blog to my second favorite topic after writing: MEN!!

More specifically, hot men!

Picked up the latest issue of People. I always read on the subway on my way to work (books, for the most part). But every now and again, I capitulate to this guilty pleasure, especially with titles like Sexiest Man Alive. Who can resist? So, it turns out that Matt Damon is People Magazine's 2007 Sexiest Man Alive. Okay, so I like Matt's movies and all, but I don't know. He's never ruffled any of my feathers. I look at him and think "ehhhh" and that pretty much sums it up.

Runner-up was Patrick Dempsey (aka Dr. Dreamy) who I must admit just gets sexier as he ages.

#3 spot went to the ultra-sexy, double-delish Ryan Reynolds. I had no idea he was so tall (6'2" according to People). Drool factor for him just increased exponentially. Is this man hot or what?!?

Good Lord, this is exactly how I want him (handcuffs and all...) and a bottle of Hersheys chocolate syrup.

#4 was Brad Pitt (no surprise there), he's been a permanent fixture of People's Sexiest Man's list for over a decade now (though, imho his age is starting to show).

#5 James McAvoy. I've never heard of him before and his picture did nothing for me, either. Of course, we're all entitled to our opinions, but moving right along...

#6 Johnny Depp! WTH?!!? A travesty if I ever heard one. At the very least he should've made the Top 3. Just look at that face and tell me this man isn't to-die-for sexy!??!

#7-Dave Annable. Never heard of him before either. But hey, he's hot. Sure didn't mind reading about him (you never know when you'll learn something new).

#8-Will Smith. Love his movies and he's a great actor, but like Matt, he's never set my pulse aspiking.

#9-Javier Bardem. The only reason I know of him is because he hails from my mother's homeland: Spain. But I think he's largely an unknown in mainstream America. Personally, I don't think he's attractive at all. But again, beauty's in the eye of the beholder.

#10-Shemar Moore. Now this man is S-E-X-Y. Wow. He was the only reason I watched the Young & the Restless for as long as I did.



If you don't want to fork over the $5+ for this double issue, just go to People's web site. Although, they don't have the complete 100 on there. I believe they only show the top 15. Some of the men on the list, however, left me scratching my head. For example, I'm a huge fan of The Office, but having Rainn Wilson (aka Dwight Schrute) on there? Come on, now.



My top 5 would've read like this:



1)Ryan Reynolds

2)Johnny Depp

3)Christian Bale

4)Jonathan Rhys Meyer

5)Matthew McConaughey




Who are your top 5?

Ups and Downs

Writing through the peaks and valleys of life is a challenge. But I'm ususally pretty good at rolling with the punches. This weekend was one of those high and low times - first really high, then pretty low. I helped organize and then participated in a huge holiday kick-off signing at a local mall - yes - right out there in the mall. There were more than 20 authors from all over the state and I did something I've never done before - I sold every single copy of my books. What a high. I was on cloud nine. I left the signing and went to a big party with loads of my friends, drank, danced and had a terrific time. A good friend even shared some great news. Wonderful Saturday.
Then Sunday came. My daughter returned home from a sleepover with a terrible stomach flu. She hurled and cried and generally felt awful. Add to this my cramps from hell and my poor DH didn't know who to comfort first. He was amazing. Thanks to the doctor across the street and some serious meds, we're both a bit better this morning.
Believe it or not, I signed up for NaNoWriMo and was somehow able to write more than 2,000 words this weekend.
So what about you? Do you write when you're feeling bad? Get the meaty, emotional scenes cranked out when you're blue? Or must everything be on the upswing for your muse to show up?

The Virgin Mystique

I’m working on two Erotica romances at the moment—a drastic departure from my comfort realm of historical romance. Although, my historicals are quite spicy themselves. Still, there’s a marked different between romance and erotic romance. I’m thoroughly enjoying my dip into this foray. What I like the most? My heroine is not, but most importantly, does not have to be a virgin.

Of course, one of my stories is a contemporary erotic romance and the heroine is over 30. The chances of a 30-something professional woman in NYC being a virgin nowadays are slim. My heroine is experienced (much more so than her 23-year-old lover.) A part of me cringed as I wrote each chapter. I kept thinking: Will my editor hate it? Will she think my heroine’s a slut?

Then I remembered this is an erotic romance, the traditional rules do not apply. Which got me thinking just what is the appeal of the ‘virgin heroine?’ Sometimes I’m annoyed by them. I recently read a contemporary romance by a NYT best-selling author (who shall remain nameless for obvious reasons). The heroine in this story was a 30-something attorney who was still a virgin. Of course, she meets said alpha-male hero and he teaches her all the joys of sex…blah, blah, blah. I hated the story because I hated the heroine. What I hated most was the absurd reason why this woman was still a virgin: she simply never had time for it. Apparently, all through college she did nothing but study, and afterward, well, she was consumed by her existing job. So no sex for her. No sexual thoughts, feelings, curiosity…nothing. Nada. Zilch. Until she meets the hero. Then her dormant libido suddenly goes into a crank-like frenzy.

Wouldn’t it have been easier (not to mention far more believable) to not make the heroine such a monolith of chastity and virtue? I wondered if perhaps this author was pressured by her editor to abide by the unwritten heroine-must-be-a-virgin credo. And this heroine wasn’t merely a virgin, she had absolutely no sexual experience whatsoever. She’d never pleasured herself or even gone to first base before in her life. She’d never even dated! Was this woman completely asexual? Frigid? It simply wasn’t believable.

This formulaic heroine, anachronistic as she is, continues to appear—assembly-line style—in many bestsellers. Of course, when writing historicals, you have to stick with the social norms of the times. In my historical westerns, my heroines are virgins. That’s expected and consistent with the time period, though. When writing contemporary romances, you are (or should be) at liberty to choose. To me it’s all about making the story and characters believable. So I’m wondering which you prefer and why. Virgin or not?