Category Archives: Conferences

Cover Reveal: Project Pandora by Aden Polydoros

Hello lagoon! I am so thrilled to share with you the cover reveal of Project Pandora by Aden Polydoros today! This looks like such an interesting read…

Project Pandora

 

Title: Project Pandora (The Olympus Experiment, #1)
Author: Aden Polydoros
Release Date: August 1, 2017

Description:
Olympus is rising…

Tyler hasn’t been feeling like himself lately, his dreams are full of violence and death, and there are days where he can’t remember where he’s been.

Miles away, Shannon finds herself haunted by similar nightmares. She is afraid that she has done something terrible.

As the daughter of a state senator, Elizabeth has everything she could ever hope for. But when an uninvited guest interrupts a fundraising gala and stirs up painful memories, everything goes downhill fast.

Murder is what Hades is good at. So when two of his comrades go AWOL, he is rewarded with the most exhilarating hunt of his lifetime. For him, the game has just begun.

Aden PolypodorosAuthor Bio:
Aden Polydoros grew up in Long Grove, Illinois, the youngest of three children. Aden’s family moved to Arizona when he was in second grade. As a kid, he spent much of his time exploring the desert near his home. When he wasn’t searching for snakes and lizards, he was raiding the bookshelves of the local library.

As a teenager, Aden decided that he wanted to be a writer. He spent his free time writing short stories. He was encourage by his English teacher to try his hand at writing a novel, which inspired him to begin Project Pandora. The YA thriller is set for publication with Entangled Publishing in Summer of 2017. He is represented by Mallory Brown of Triada US.

Link to Exclusive Cover Reveal on YA Books Central

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Mikky Ekko on Writing (And a Wild Wicked Shout Out)

Hello fishy friends,

Fun shots for all con attendees by photographer Taria Reed. A big thank you to Kelii, Blake, Charles, Axl and Taylor the great picture.

Fun shots for all con attendees by photographer Taria Reed. A big thank you to Kelii, Blake, Charles, Axl and Taylor for the great picture.

Just a quick shout out to start things off. I’m back from a nice time at the Wild Wicked Weekend romance readers conference, aka Ultimate Girls Weekend Out, which is held annually, each February, in San Antonio, Texas. It is put on by five wonderful women–Dalton Diaz, Brenna Zinn, Samantha Cayto, Desiree Holt and Cerise Deland. These ladies are the heart and soul of the con and make it a special and unique experience for all. Where else can you learn to lap dance, body paint cover models and enjoy one of the finest drag queen pageants in the country while spending time with friends and making new ones, all in a haunted hotel? Keep on the lookout for information on next year’s festivities and start convincing your girlfriends now that you need to go. THIS IS WHERE I INSERT A GIANT HINT TO MY MERMAID SISTERS…WWW FIELD TRIP? WINK WINK. Whether you’re a reader, writer, blogger or reviewer, you’ll have a blast.

And now for my short and sweet post.

Have you heard of Mikky Ekko? He’s one of my all-time favorite artists. When I heard some of the cool things he had to say in this interview with Pavlina, I knew I wanted to share with my fellow writers. And I don’t mean just book writers. If you’ve ever sat down at a keyboard or pulled out a pen and paper even to simply write a letter, this is for you.

I love Mikky’s advice for writers. In a world where speedy production schedules and constant updates have become the norm, I am reminded that we should not forget the timing of the heart and soul. Whether it’s a letter, a song, a blog post, an article, a journal entry, a status update, a novel. Whatever your medium may be, it’s okay to slow down until you have something to say. I’m here. You’re here. We’re all here until we’re not. What’s the rush?

“It’s not going to be a great song if you don’t have anything to say.” ~Mikky Ekko

I hope you enjoyed Mikky. He’s the best!

Have a wonderful month, fishy friends. My best to you and yours.

Fishy kisses,

Carlene Mermaid

My Weekend in A Bigger Pond

SusanMermaid

Greetings on a lovely Tuesday morning!  With all the rain behind us for the moment, I can calm down and think again about my fabulous weekend at WRWDC’s annual retreat, In the Company of Writers.

This is one of my favorite retreats. It’s small and relaxed, but still has the energy that comes from friends meeting for two full days to talk about writing and publishing, in every possible format.

What were my favorite parts of the retreat?

A serious moment - the Magic Crystal service award.

A serious moment – the Magic Crystal service award.

  • The food. Seriously. It just kept coming – although the Saturday night desserts caused a near stampede. One poor waiter saw his tray of cheesecake slices vanished before he could get them to the serving table.
  • The seminars – My favorites: Bella Andre’s Ten Tips to Indie Success, Elaine English on Copyright (yes, it really was interesting) and the Keynote speeches. I know I’m leaving something out, but everyone put on such a great presentation, and I couldn’t be everywhere at once!
  • The bar. Yes. Seriously. We all were given a ticket for a free drink to start the weekend off. Need I say more?
  • The Editor/Agent appointments – where we are ushered into a private room with our editors and have a chance to chat. I had a request!
  • RAFFLE2

    Mermaid Kerri’s first author basket – I won it!

    Raffle baskets. This is a big deal with WRW – the drawings took nearly an hour on Sunday afternoon. I won two baskets!

  • Camaraderie – Should I have listed this first? The dynamics of the retreat is that of meeting old friends, rekindling friendships, and making new friends. For me, it was my first retreat under my new pseudonym.  On one level, I expected someone to tell me, “Who are you kidding? That’s not your name!” Didn’t happen.

Last, the Elvis Romance Jeopardy game. Imagine 100 women, many dressed in varying degrees of Elvis-ness. You had to be there. You really did.

elvislives

Wild and Crazy at Elvis Romance Jeopardy – at least we didn’t lose!

Seriously. You had to be there.

susan

 

 

Packing for Nationals – NOW? Why not?

 

Susan-Mermaid-avatarI know, I know – the RWA National Conference is in July. So, why am I getting all het up about packing already?

Because the finalists for the Golden Heart and RITA awards are being announced on March 26th. And I am pretty sure there are some writers who, after jumping up and down, screaming, crying, calling everyone they know

and some they don’t, will suddenly have that dull, ugly lump of dread blooming in their innards: WHAT IN THE WORLD AM I GOING TO WEAR?

Back in the day (1986, to be specific) this finalist/winner wore a chic white cocktail dress she found in a bridal shop, and some very nifty gold-and-black jewelry. The dress is long gone – thank goodness shoulder pads went out of style – but the necklace still lives in my jewelry box, a beloved and respected treasure. The medal has changed since I received mine, and the Modess rose is replaced with the organization’s pensive author.

goldenheart86Nice change, huh?  And, no, I can’t find the photograph.

Do folks still wear cocktail dresses when they final? I wouldn’t know, since that hasn’t been a blessing for me since re-activating my membership in 2009. What I do know is, you’d better get your Oscar vibe going as a finalist! You’ll be expected to be wearing some serious flash when you’re at the awards – and before! Still, let’s not forget: New York is a shopping capitol of the world (if not THE shopping capital). I know it’ll be late, late, late to be thinking of which dress to wear. But we can dream, can’t we? Which is why you want to browse this list before you land in the Big Apple.

New York Magazine lists the drool-worthy shopping destinations. I know you’re going to be super busy chasing down editors and agents and making appointments, and maybe you can fit in one more session (thank goodness for Starbucks!), but seriously: make time to hit just one of these icons. Personal favorites: Saks Fifth Avenue and Tiffany. Not like I go buying things there all the time, people. I mean, really? I can look, though. And you can, too! (Another FYI I heard from a cabbie: New Yorkers take cabs. Tourists walk. Don’t be shy, take a cab.)

 

Now that you’ve had to stop off in some going-out-of-business dive somewhere off Broadway to buy a second suitcase, let’s not forget the ultimate Mecca of all that is good in the pursuit of loveliness: Sephora After all, you’ve been selected as a finalist – stop doubting me! I know you will. So, hie thee to this website when we are closer to your magnificent appearance in the GH/RITA pre-awards reception: http://www.sephora.com/stores/new-york-times-square

And make youself an appointment for a glamming up. Or just head over at some odd moment to admire the wonders of everything that is promised – to make you a sultry vixen or a stylish know-it-all or just… you, but better. And, just an FYI, makeup with SPF doesn’t photograph well, as all my RWA Atlanta photos include happy people and one ghost.

Finally, what do I *wear* at Nationals?

Good question! I’ll leave you with this list – an incredibly kind post on www.makeupalley.com by a kind and organized (and fashionable!) member named Asphalt. Her words:
Makeup  Board Bath & Body Board Fragrance Board Skin Care Board Hair Care Board Fitness Board Nail Care Board FOTD Photo Board Cosmetic Procedures Board Cafe Board Fashion Board Wedding Food & Nutrition Home & Garden Board Entertainment Board Travel Board Work & Money Board Go Green Board Pet Board Family Board 40+ Board Technical Support Board Testing Board

i would bring +

  • bright pencil skirt
  • white jeans
  • pretty silk blouse
  • nice t-shirt graphic t-shirt
  • button down (chambray, cotton, whatever)
  • cocktail dress (2 of them)
  • linen blazer
  • scarf
  • sandals
  • neutral heels (or flats)
  • evening heels
  • and whatever fun jewelry you have

then you could wear:

  • day 1: bright pencil skirt, pretty silk blouse, scarf, neutral heels
  •  day 2: bright pencil skirt, nice t-shirt, linen blazer, neutral heels
  • day 3: white jeans, button down, neutral heels
  • bar: white jeans, pretty silk blouse, neutral heels or sandals
  • party 1: cocktail dress 1, evening heels
  • party 2/dinner: cocktail dress 2, evening heels
  • bar: white jeans, pretty silk blouse, neutral heels or sandals
  • playtime 1: white jeans, nice t-shirt, scarf, sandals
  • playtime 2: bright pencil skirt, graphic t-shirt, sandals
  • playtime 3: white jeans, button down, sandals
There. Change out one of the cocktail dresses for an evening gown, and you’d good to go. PS, I used this list for Anaheim and Atlanta, and had a blast. Only, in Anaheim, I broke down and visited a Skechers shop to replace some incredibly impractical sandals. On the big day, after all, we want to still be fresh enough to look like this:
In another post closer to Nationals, I’ll share the rest of my suitcase. I have lists of lists for conference packing!
(Share your rules, mores, shibboleths, must-haves and DoNotPlays for Nationals – we want to know!)
susan

 

 

Conference Magic: MerSisters, New Friends, and life altering moments

SusanMermaidI will confess: I live via nega-talk too often. The devil on my shoulder whispers, “Why do you even bother going to the gym? You never get anywhere, and then you cop out. Save yourself the trouble: stay home.”  She says, “Why do you keep banging your head against writing? You start and stop, change your mind, and doubts are your best friend.  Nobody will miss you…” And “Why in God’s name are you going to a conference? You spend so much money and you spend too much time being I didn’t know that last Friday and Saturday were days to change a life:  getting up early, driving with The Man down the New Jersey Turnpike and over to Iselin for the NJRWA Put Your Heart in a Book conference

put-your-heart-in-a-book Nor did I realize Sister Mermaid Denny S. Bryce, fresh off her Golden Heart win, would stroll into the hotel lobby around noon and we would get to be MerSisters for the next 36 hours. SoFreakinFine!

NJRWA DENNY I hadn’t realized Roxanne St. Claire would offer such an amazing pre-conference workshop. She didn’t realize she would talk herself into laryngitis and have to hire/persuade/inveigle a substitute reader/speaker for Sunday’s Novelists, Inc. engagement. Poor dear! She has my heartfelt sympathy and thanks.

More than anything, I learned that a small conference can be a hidden trail to change your life. The National conference is a tremendous opportunity, to be sure. But these small conferences are a little more casual, a little less intense, and a lot of fun. I saw people I’ve known for years and made new friends (a special shout-out to Kathleen Ann Gallagher – yes, it was meant to be!). The pubbed author’s roundtables offered in-depth insight into the challenges we’re facing today, with the changes in publication formats, the shrinking market, the possibilities, the challenges, and the JOY of a career in writing a romance.

Have you been to a conference you felt changed your life? Share!

 

johannes-vermeer-dutch-1632-1675-a-lady-writing-c-1665-1349363744_b

What Are You Doing This Weekend? – Baltimore Book Festival!

imgresThe next four weeks are going to be CRAZY busy — just the way I like it.

The past two months have been insane. I’ve been buried in the writer’s cave with the occasional ‘break’ to attend events like the Writers’ Police Academy, and this weekend the Baltimore Book Festival, and week after that, PhauxCon (visit website for details:), and then the New Jersey Romance Writers Conference (RWA Chapter) — but in between the travel I am writing, plotting, researching — but it’s what I want to do (and love to do:).

But this weekend you should join me.

I’m a special events kind of gal. I like when people gather to talk about a common interest, to share what they know and care about with people who know and care about similar things, to me that is the heart of a conference – a gathering of people who want to learn, share, and meet! Well, if you’re into books – reading them, writing them, talking about them – you must leave your house this weekend and head to Baltimore, Maryland. The annual Baltimore Book Festival begins this Friday, September 26, and I’m going to be there all weekend! And yes, finding me is the main reason to come to the festival:). Okay, not really, but I am doing more than hanging out, I’m also going to be on two panels (and I’m really excited!).

Let’s begin with some highlights:

Location, location, location – New in 2014. This year the BBF is taking place in and around the Baltimore Inner Harbor (a part of the city I ADORE!). You’ll love it.

Maryland Romance Writers, RWA Chapter, has a full schedule of activities, panel discussions, reader events, and have invited special guest authors from all over. Spend a day or spend the weekend:).

There’s lots more than romance, too! And to make it easy to find EVERYTHING! They have a freaking app! I love tech stuff!

So please take a moment and check it out! But if you want to see me:)…you can find me Friday and Saturday – see blurb below!

Reflecting the World: Writing Diverse Characters

September 26, 2014

TIME
3PM
LOCATION
Maryland Romance Writers Stage
Fostering tolerance and exploring multiculturalism is one of the finest traditions in literature and may be more important now than ever before. Join six authors whose characters reflect a spectrum of race, ethnicity, gender, class, and sexual orientation.

Panelists: Denny S. Bryce; Robin Covington, Temptation; Ginger Jamison; Laura Kaye, Hard to Hold Onto; Lea Nolan, Allure; Damon Suede, Bad Idea

Page-Turning Suspense

September 27, 2014
TIME
3PM
LOCATION
Maryland Romance Writers Stage
Love thrills and chills? Meet authors whose books keep you turning pages at night and leave you a little bit afraid to turn out the light.

Panelists: Denny S. Bryce; Joya Fields; Avery Flynn, Enemies on Tap; Shelley N. Greene; Laura Kaye, Hard to Hold Onto; Nancy Weeks, In the Shadow of Pride; Rebecca York, Betrayed

Okay, there are TONS of panels, and LOTS of authors to see and if you want to indulge your inner romance author fan-girl (like me), this is the weekend to be in Baltimore!

So, will I see you this weekend? Hope so!

Denny S. Bryce

Is it Christmas yet?

SusanMermaidFriends, I have a confession to make today.  And a story to tell.

Confession: After a summer of industrious writing almost every single day, my writing urge came to a screeching halt.  Sometime in August, I believe. Definitely about a month ago.  Maybe more. I didn’t panic, because I was sure the root cause would be discovered eventually, and we’d get our little writing choo-choo back on track.  And, with the school year started, I’m not exactly eager to strain my back getting pages out. I have Freshmen to train, and Seniors to tame, and a library to run – that is the priority now, until next May. If the writing waits, it waits. I’ll live.

At least, after the CTRWA Cherry Adair workshop last weekend, I do know more about why my story is stalled. Gang, it’s not pretty. Ms. Adair diagnosed my story as “thin”. She had ideas, and my chapter mates backed me up with suggestions for an intriguing bad guy and a twist. Once I get her plot board out of the car, I’ll clean off the dining room table and get my butt back in chair.  And that’s my confession.  Which brings me to my story, which is about a much earlier stall in my writing career.

Where I write these days.

Where I write these days.

Story: A long time ago (about 1992), I hung up my keyboard and quit writing. I’d moved to New York two years before, and I was so homesick I really wanted to quit everything – family, home, marriage, kids, all of it. Sitting at the keyboard was an anxiety-riddled exercise. I was an award-winning author with a book out, and I needed to produce, but I was stressing myself out of it.  I’d been writing for ten years, and I couldn’t think of a thing to say. There had to be some peace, somewhere.  I was desperate to escape my disappointment and self-hatred, so I killed it, my writing, that part of me.  Writing couldn’t fight back, because it was in me, and my struggles with it were damaging me.  I announced I was done with writing, refused to think about writing, and said I was moving on. Done, Dead, Fini.

Except it wasn’t dead. Part of me knew I was able to write, just that I couldn’t or wouldn’t make a story happen at that point. I wasn’t going to write a book, but I would write letters. I wrote looooong letters to friends (in the days when people still wrote letters, before the internet killed written correspondence). I wrote notes to my mother and sister.  I wrote directions to patterns for the sewing classes I was teaching.  And I wrote Christmas letters.

My Christmas letters eventually became the highlight of my year.  I started them by mid-November, knowing I would need a month to create and polish what I wanted The World to know about Our Life This Year.  Each character would get his/her own summary of the year’s ups and downs. I chose a theme each year, opened with a question, wound up with an answer, and a recommendation for calming down, loving everyone and eating another slice of pie. I wrote, trimmed, condensed, and molded my story to fit a single typed page. I reduced margins, added my own illustrations and signed all our names.

    I wrote every letter to a friend I had in mind as I wrote, as if I were telling the story to her.  And I wrote the ending until I cried. It was probably my favorite part of the process, because if I could write something that made me cry, I could be pretty sure my readers would feel my depth of emotion for the topic, and maybe they’d be moved, too.

Not all of the letters are in my Christmas closet, the cubby where we keep all the trimmings. Somehow I don’t worry about this much, because another friend has kept all of them, and I know she’ll send copies if I ask. It’s not so important that I have the record of them.  Writing those letters made me happy, and made other people happy. That was enough.  And yet…

Going back to my lack of interest in the summer’s writing this past month, I was wondering just this week – would I be able to kick start my writing a little bit, if I started my Christmas letter early?  I feel better, knowing I could have fun, writing another. Maybe it’ll start the juices flowing. And, since I’m wondering about it, I’ll also ask you the question:

How do you get yourself back in a butt-chair-write mood?

Life on the Wild Side: My 2014 Summer PicSpam!

I take pictures, and during the past six months I’ve been on the road! From the WRW-DC Retreat in April, to RT Booklovers Convention in May, to RWA National Conference in July and then onto Las Vegas and then LA (GladiatorsUnite!). So for my post today, it’s a PicSpam!

Thanks to all of the folks I met for the first time, and for all of the friends I met again. And please feel free to “tag” yourself or others in comments. Or if you see a photo you must have, let me know, and I’ll email it!

I know most of the people in these photos, but see how many you can recognize! (And yes, there are a few repeats, I got lost in the maze of iPhotos:).

IMG_0196IMG_1299IMG_1252IMG_1253DSC_0110 DSC_0156DSC_0081DSC_0089 DSC_0184 DSC_0185IMG_1456 IMG_1444 DSC_0193DSC_0194DSC_0352IMG_1508IMG_1546DSC_0333IMG_1520 IMG_1527 IMG_1528 IMG_1532DSC_0322 IMG_1536 IMG_1544IMG_1545 DSC_0178 DSC_0316IMG_1559IMG_0366 IMG_1562 IMG_1563 IMG_1564 IMG_1565 IMG_1334IMG_1574 IMG_1575 DSC_0372 DSC_0373 IMG_1763IMG_1519IMG_1520IMG_1508DSC_0349IMG_0397 IMG_1573 IMG_0396 IMG_1444DSC_0321DSC_0316 DSC_0178 IMG_1545 IMG_1544 IMG_1536 IMG_1528 IMG_1520 IMG_1519 DSC_0193 DSC_0185 DSC_0184 IMG_1444 DSC_0110 DSC_0089

Time Suck of Scheduling

I just spent a good two hours trying to get my conference app up and running for RWA 2014. This was a colossal waste of my time and energy. All it managed to do was make me swear at my computer and threaten to throw it off my deck.

For the last five years I’ve made up my schedule for the conference in a regular document. Each year, I “Save As” that year’s location and start replacing. It seemed to work for me.

I try to add some humor into them as well. “Mingle at a bar” or “Find a buttertart” (that’s for you, Holly). At one conference, I put “Have Sex with Husband” right after my return flight landed. Well, said husband took advantage of my conference time to throw stuff away at home. My youngest called in tears that he had thrown away her American Girl dolls. Another was crying that he was making them get rid of half of the contents of their rooms. I’m a pack rat by nature. This was the worst thing that could happen. My heart was pounding. I could feel my blood pressure going through the roof, and I usually have blood pressure so low I’m practically a corpse. So, I immediately pulled out my schedule and drew a very thick line through that particular event.

On my Golden Heart® loop, the discussion about the conference app made me believe it’s necessary to my life. Now that I’ve tried to make the thing work for me—downloading onto my phone, opening on the web page and trying to make sense of HOW to insert all my wonderful workshops—I tend to disagree.

I’m not sure when conferences became so confusing and why we have to make them even more stressful by adding unnecessary things into the mix.  Why do we have to tweet in order to meet up? Why do we have to hashtag stuff? Why, oh, why are people making this conference so stressful? First of all, half the strangers you’re arranging to meet for multiple dinners and drinks will undoubtedly get on your nerves after the first scheduled event. Or you’ll get on theirs. Now you’re both stuck. Be flexible. Don’t schedule yourself so completely that you don’t have downtime. That downtime is essential. Take a breather. Go to your room and paint your toenails if things become too much on the main floor.

Here’s the thing. Every year I make up a schedule. Every year I look at that printed personal schedule after the conference ended, and—without fail—I didn’t follow it at all. At all! With the conference set up the way it is, people get up and leave one workshop to go to another. To be perfectly honest, I’ll ditch a workshop for anyone who wants to grab a drink. Sometimes you make a new friend, and that friend wants to go to a workshop about costumes of the Regency period, and you write contemporary YA, but you go anyway. Why? Because you don’t want to lose your shiny new friend. What if she manages to find a better one in that workshop? It’s like high school all over again. ☺

I have some key workshops in my Word document and some events that can’t be skipped in my schedule, but for the most part I’m flexible. I’m free as a bird. So, if you catch this bird looking conflicted between two workshops—one on her schedule and one completely out of her genre or interests—please offer a third option.

“Wanna grab a drink?”

GH 2014 photo

It’s Retreat Time!

Dana MermaidIt’s Thursday. How did it get to be Thursday already!?! Tomorrow morning I leave for Washington Romance Writers Retreat and I haven’t even begun to pack. My CDO (my OCD is alphabetized) is kicking in. I must make a list!

Let’s see, what’s important?
1. Clothes (Yep, I’m betting that it’ll be too cold to be naked, so clothes would be good. Plus, probably no one needs to see that. ☺ )
2. Make Up and Toiletries (Definitely important! And might even hide the under-eye luggage after a wild night singing karaoke or playing romance jeopardy with this rowdy crew.)
3. WINE (Which will make me brave enough to sing karaoke and hang out with all of these crazy women… and Tim. ☺ )
4. Chocolate (Because one must eat.)
5. Costume Stuff for Karaoke and Romance Jeopardy (Like anyone needs a reason for fun.)
6. Notebook and Pens (To write down those pearls of wisdom from all of those fabulous workshops!)
7. Gift Basket Donations (Hmm… must go shopping. I’m thinking more wine and chocolate, maybe some yummy smelling lotion.)
8. Book Donations (One must give back, after all… Especially when ones bookshelves are overflowing into multiple boxes and bags.)
9. Money and return address labels for Raffle Tickets (I don’t know how I’m going to win without Carlene—our luckiest mermaid and perhaps the luckiest person on the planet based on how much that girl wins—to rub my raffle tickets on before tossing them into each bag. (You will be missed this year, sweetie!)
10. And Friends! (Because what would retreat be without catching up with old friends and making new ones?)

It’s been a busy week full of that darn day job, cello rehearsals, lacrosse games and a crew dry walling my basement. I feel like I’ve run a marathon and its not even 8:00am, but now that I have my list—all is right with the world. I can hardly wait to pack and get on the road. WRW Retreat here I come!

So now that I’ve told you what’s on my list, what do you pack for a writing conference?