Join me at Lady Jane’s Salon®

Hope signing Twelve Nights & Vanquished at Lady Jane's Salon. I’m so, so, so excited!!!

This Tuesday, July 21st 7-9:30pm at Madame X, we at Lady Jane’s Salon® will welcome the 35th annual Romance Writers of America® national conference back to New York City. I say “back” because we’ve helped kick off the conference before, in 2011. Then we drew more than 125 attendees, including surprise guest, Eloisa James, and Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker, Laurie Kahn. Laurie and her crew from Blueberry Hill Productions filmed the Salon for her “Love Between the Covers” feature-length documentary film on the romance community. Check out the (less than four minute) footage from that crazy-fun night here.

Floor_Red_2But there’s more…

Along with co-hosting the event, I’ll be reading a never before released sneak peek from  Irish Eyes, my very first foray into Women’s Historical Fiction. Set in Gilded Age through Jazz Age New York City, the manuscript has been a true Labor of Love. I can’t wait to share the first chapter with everyone!

Or to help roll out our stellar lineup of guests: Sonali Dev, Dahlia Adler, Carrie Lomax, Laura K. Curtis, Nancy Scanlon, and Regina Kyle. The service staff at our ever fab venue, Madame X, stands at the ready to serve with $5-$6 drink specials (including super yummy “mocktails”). We also have terrific raffle prizes donated by some of the romance industry’s brightest established and rising stars.

Best of all, your $5 admission supports our annual donation to our house charity, Win, helping real-life NYC families find their own Happily Ever After. It doesn’t get any better than that. If you’re in town for #RWA15 or simply in town, please plan to be our guest!

 

 

Announcing Scribbling Women & the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them

Scribbling Women_FC_300Last summer I got the idea to celebrate this Valentine’s 2014 with a nonfiction anthology of romance authors, a sort of “Chocolate for a Woman’s Soul” for the post-Millennium to benefit one of my favorite charities: Win. I floated the idea by some of my favorite fellow authors and, voila, what began as a seed of an idea blossomed into an actual book.

In Scribbling Women and the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them, twenty-eight romance fiction writers, one for each day of February 2014, reveal their real-life stories of how they met, wed and love—and are loved and supported by—their spouses and life partners. At times whimsical and laugh-out-loud funny, at others poignant and bittersweet, all unfailingly inspiring, each essay celebrates that most powerful and sacred of human bonds: love.

If readers take away just one message from our anthology, I hope it will be this: Happily Ever After isn’t only the stuff of romance novels and fairy tales.

It is every woman’s birthright.

ALL net proceeds from sales of the anthology support Win. Founded on February 14, 1983—yes, Valentine’s Day—Win works to transform the lives of NYC’s homeless women and their children.

Contributors include May McGoldrick. Katharine Ashe, Deanna Raybourn, Jacquie D’Alessandro, Leanna Renee Hieber and Lisa Renée Jones.  For a full list of contributors, visit our website.

Buy the book digitally from Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Smashwords for just $2.99. Or order a commemorative print edition for under $10.

The official Scribbling Women & the Real-Life Romance Heroes Who Love Them book launch will take place at the fifth anniversary celebration of Lady Jane’s Salon, Monday, February 3, 2014 7-9 PM at Madame X.

Huzzah & Happy Valentine’s Month,

Hope

Happy Birthday, Lady Jane Video

The February 7th Lady Jane’s Salon celebrated a big milestone for our girl. She turned two! Fittingly, Salon attendance reached an all time peak with not only sitting but also standing (and breathing) space at premium.

Guest emcee, Andrew Shaffer had us all rolling in what little aisle space was left with hilarious snippets from his nonfiction release, Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love, demonstrating that really brainy people failing in matters of the heart may be tragic but it’s also really funny.

Guest authors Courtney Milan, Caridad Ferrer & Lauren Willig treated us to readings from their latest releases.

For those of you who weren’t able to join us in the flesh, please enjoy the video of our founders toast and donation presentation to our 2010 recipient charity, Women-In-Need.

LJ2_Donation and Toast from raj moorjani on Vimeo.

Happy Second Birthday, Lady Jane!

LADY-jane-logoOn Monday, February 7th, 7-9 PM my fellow co-founders (Leanna Renee Hieber, Ron Hogan, Maya Rodale), and I celebrate the second anniversary of Lady Jane’s Salon at our beloved Madame X. It’s hard to believe!

Joining us in ringing in the Big 0-2 are guest authors Courtney Milan, Lauren Willig, and Caridad Ferrer. Guest emcee, Andrew Shaffer, will read from his historical nonfiction debut, GREAT PHILOSOPHERS WHO FAILED AT LOVE.

Signed copies of the authors’ books will be available for purchase on site.

The festivities will include a champagne toast and presentation of an end-of-year donation check to Women In Need.

Launched in February ’09, Lady Jane’s remains New York City’s first (and so far only) reading series for romance fiction. Admission is $5 or one gently-used paperback romance novel. Book donations and net proceeds benefit New York City groups assisting women in need.

Subsequently Salons meet on the first Monday of the month unless otherwise noted. Visit us here at www.LadyJaneSalon.com, on FaceBook at http://tinyurl.com/ladyjanefb or follow us on Twitter@LadyJanesSalon.

Happy Birthday, Lady Jane, and Happy Valentine’s Month!