Category: New York Scene

Behind the Scenes at the Soaps

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Hi All,

The Novelist Inc. Conference held at the Affinia Hotel in Midtown Manhattan a few weeks ago was great fun. In addition to schmoozing agents and editors at the various events, I got to catch up with one of my very favorite author pals, Young Adult author, Niki Burnham. As it happened, both Nik and I were raffle winners for a deluxe behind-the-scenes tour of our favorite soap, THE GUIDING LIGHT at CBS Broadcast on Manhattan’s Upper West Side.

Thrill Moment–Yours Truly got to meet (as in actually touch the hands of) uber hunks, actors Robert Newman (“Josh Lewis”), Frank Dicopoulos (“Frank Cooper”). Frank’s real life daughter will be joining the cast very soon. We also spotted Beth Ehlers, the actor who plays Harley, and got to ramble around her house set.

The above photos show me bellying up to the fictional on-set bar, “Company,” as well as cruising one of the kitchen sets. I haven’t had so much fun in the “kitchen” since my Susie Bake Oven bit the dust. 😉

While at the conference, I also met Monica McCarty, bestselling author of the Macleod trilogy. FYI, I’ll be giving away book #1, Highlander Untamed, as a future contest grand prize to celebrate the roll-out of my next steamy historical, Bound to Please. Bound to Please, due out this July 1st, also features the MacLeods only more than a century earlier.

Hope

(Almost) springtime in the city…

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Well, I finally up and did “it,” made the move from Small Town, Virginia to Big City Manhattan–as in The Big Apple. On 2/14, yes, Valentine’s Day, my best friend, nickname of “Suz,” helped me drive my (sedated) cats the five hours or so north to our new home. The cats did great. I on the other hand, was a wreck.

But now we’re all here, unpacked (well, mostly), and settling in (well, more than mostly). I’ve traded in my SUV for a new set of wheels, a shopping cart courtesy of The Container Store. My routines, like regular sleep, have fallen by the wayside, but now that things are settling down, I’m determined to get back on track. So far I’ve only gone running once in two weeks, but in my defense, I’ve been getting organized, which burns a bunch of calories, I’m sure. And it’s been cold here, really cold and windy, too.

Still, things are settling down, settling in, slowly but surely shifting into place, not the old place or an entirely new place but, I hope, some happy melding of the two. Yesterday I attended my first RWA-NYC chapter meeting. What a nice group of not only women but men, too. Once chapter business was cleared away, Regency author Megan Frampton gave a talk on Plotting by the Seat of Your Pants. (Really, is there any other way?) Along with having a music industry background, funky cool glasses, and a wardrobe of all-black sweaters I would kill for, Megan had a lot of very helpful things to say about plotting a book. She will be one tough act to follow.

But follow I will. RWA-NYC has invited me to be their May brunch speaker, which is really super nice considering the treasurer took me aside during the break and tactfully reminded me I apparently am late with my renewal dues. I can’t say what my topic is (no, I really can’t, I haven’t a clue), but there will be food and drink and friendly faces. And May means spring in the city, so I’m sure I’ll come up with something.

In the meantime, I’m on deadline. Yeppers, Every Breath You Take, my super sexy Harlequin Blaze due out this October 1st was actually due in to my editor yesterday–as in Saturday. While I don’t flatter myself that she made a special trip into the office just to read my book, still, I really need to wrap things up so I can leave the apartment and go play. (Oh yeah, and getting paid would really help with those chapter dues). 😉

Spring really is close. The little quadrant of park space I can glimpse from my window is dappled with sunshine and though the people walking through that park and around it are bundled to the gills, still, there’s this feeling of anticipation, new beginnings on the horizon, of well, spring.

Springtime isn’t just a season. It’s a state of being, a way of looking at life–and not just looking on from the sidelines but stepping into the thick of things to savor, embrace. Yes, it’s still cold here and windy, and I’m guessing most of March will be spent wearing winter coats.

But in my soul, it’s 75 degrees and yes, spring.

Hope

The holidays: all pumped up

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Foremost, to all of you who’ve called “time out” from the holiday bustle to email me nice notes on my December holiday book, Strokes of Midnight, thank you! Your kind words mean more to me than any critical praise. For those of you who missed my previous Christmas book for Harlequin Blaze, It’s A Wonderfully Sexy Life. “Don’t worry, be happy.” 😉 It may be long gone from brick-and-mortar bookstores, but you can still order the book online, including trusty ole amazon.com.

Fortunately Strokes of Midnight is a two-day read, leaving oodles of time for tackling all those other great books waiting to be read. (Christmas started out as Twelve Days, remember). My personal pick is Claire Cook’s Life’s A Beach. Claire is the talented author of Must Love Dogs as well as several other books celebrating not only romance but the quirky beauty of all our relationships. Life’s A Beach is chockful of romance, to be sure, but there’s also plenty of sister love-hate to go ’round as well as pets–you gotta love a heroine who names her cat “Boyfriend.”

You can read my “review” of Life’s A Beach at a wonderful new site/ezine: Writersarereaders.com.

P.S. Don’t forget…My special holiday co-contest with fabulous fellow Harlequin Blaze author, Cathy Yardley draws to a close this Monday, December 17th, so please check back for the announcement of winners. In the spirit of celebrating the charms of giving *and* receiving, each winner will receive two extra sets of books to give as gifts.

PPS. I can’t believe I left this out of my NYC posts. Check out the above photo of Strokes of Midnight (center), my New York-over-the-holidays book taken, yes, in New York over the holidays!

Back from the Big Apple

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Yes, I’m back from New York and though the impetus for the trip was work-related, you guessed it–I had a fabulous time. Following in the (spiked heeled) footsteps of my romance writer heroine of Strokes of Midnight Becky Stone (AKA Rebecca St. Claire) I took an off-Broadway detour to Rosie O’Grady’s for a drink and a nosh. Unlike Becky, I was spared the confrontational encounter with any “Elliot”-like bad boys though I definitely checked out the bar’s dark-suited “inventory.”

As to that dreaded “work” stuff, it wasn’t dreaded at all but totally fun. Morgan Doremus and her hubby, Nick, owners of Pacific TV, graciously opened their Murray Hill filming studio to interview me. Prior to me sitting down with Morgan to dish on the book, they indulged me with a behind-the-scenes tour of the facility. The equipment room alone had more buttons and knobs and blinking lights than the console of the Starship Enterprise! Sitting down in front of the camera in the celebrity hot seat, my nose dusted with shine guarding powder and my posterior warming the same seat occupied by Jerry Seinfeld the month before when he stopped by to promote his blockbuster, “Bee Movie” was…well, pretty heady stuff.

My fifteen minutes of fame, winnowed down to ten, will “air” from the newly launched Romance Writers of America-NY website later this month. In addition to a few juicy not-yet-released Behind the Scenes details on the book, I include some hopefully helpful tips for aspiring writers on how to best use the Internet as a research tool to “keep it real” in our books. As they say, stay tuned…

I also hope you’ll join me on Thursday, December 20th when I “sit down” with LifetimeTV.com “Romance Buy the Book” host, Michelle Buonfiglio, to dish on Enslaved and the future of unusual historicals. Visit my Media & Events page for details on how to sign up and participate.

Live from New York…!!!

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Hi All,

The famous Snow Flake on Fifth Avenue, the annual Christmas tree lighting at Rockefeller Center (breathtaking!), the 75th year anniversary of the legendary Rockets, and Jack Frost nipping at…well, everything I “own”…Yes, you guessed it. I’m in the Big Apple soaking up the holiday vibe and walking the walk albeit in slightly more comfie shoes of my Strokes of Midnight heroine, romance novelist Becky Stone. So far I’ve skipped: a) the not so nice editorial news Becky receives at the book’s beginning (whew!), b) the totally medicinal martini she understandably quaffs afterward (replaced with a very good glass of shiraz), and c) the shoe-shopping splurge at Saks (drats!). I also haven’t managed to collide with any 6″4 blue-eyed blond-haired Max-like hunks on Avenue of the Americas–but hey, the trip’s not over yet. 😉

I hope you’ll stay tuned for the next update on my self-guided tour of the city at this most magical time of the year and please do look for Strokes of Midnight in brick-and-mortar and online bookstores.

Happy (Shoe) Shopping,

Hope

Back from Book Expo America…

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Hi Everyone,

I’m back from Book Expo America. For those of you not familiar with BEA, it’s the U.S. answer to the London and Frankfurt Bookfairs and I do believe it’s even bigger — around 30,000 participants at this year’s event held at the Jacob Javits Center in Manhattan.

Big clue to the incredible vibe of this year’s event: the Expo was in New York City — now, can that *ever* be bad? 😉

I went up on trusty ole Amtrak the night before expecting to have a good trip, a productive trip, a pleasant trip…

What I had was a *great* trip.

I launched my venture on Thursday evening with dinner a-deux with my good buddy, uber talented historical romance novelist, Kathryn Caskie. We chose Zagat top pic, Gotham Bar & Grill on 12th in The Village. Determined not to be idle, we mapped out our Expo plans over a lovely bottle of shriraz and top tier (aka yummy) fare of hard shell crabs (me) and filet (Kathy).

Friday was a “work” day. After a short waiting stint sipping designer H20 in the Green Room (and no, I didn’t see anyone terribly famous, more’s the pity), I kicked off with a traditonal autographing for my new historical romance release, Enslaved (Medallion press). Later, I had midday coffee talk with talented historical fiction author, Will Hutchison, and then an in-booth signing at the Harlequin booth during “Sexy Hour” with Cara Summers and bestselling author, Carly Phillips.

But there’s more…

That night, Kathryn Caskie (Kathy to me) and our good buddy, historical romance author, Sophia Nash, met up at New York’s famous Webster Hall for The Rock Bottom Remainders “Still Younger than Keith” charity concert. At the VIP reception to kick off the concert, we clinked glasses with literati heavyweights Mitch Albom, Frank McCourt, Amy Tan, Stephen King, and my personal fav, humor columnist turned children’s author, Dave Barry. If you have two ticks, check out our candid pics on my Snapshots page. And yes, consider the rumor confirmed, Dave Barry really did pronounce the three of us “hot.” I believe the word “babes” was also used,” but well, I don’t want to get anyone in trouble at home. 😉

As you may expect, all this autographing and gladhanding can really wear a woman down. Fortunately, I got to unwind on Saturday evening at the Harlequin party held at a swank Midtown club. Harlequin always does it right and this year’s fete was no exception. Guests were greeted at the door with champagne and chocolates and the night got even better from there. Over canapes and champagne (yes, more), I caught up with authors Jane Porter (“Flirting with Forty”), Candice Poarch, and Rebecca York as well as had the opportunity to say thank you to Harlequin’s talented and hardworking editorial, marketing and sales staff.

Come Sunday, all this nose-to-the-grindstone hard work was really taking its toll. The chocolate consumption alone had me at “sixes and sevens” as Sophia might say in one of her Regency-set historicals. I wound down with a signing of The Haunting in the Romance Writers of America booth at BEA along with Niki Burnham (“Goddess Games”) and Silhouette author, Anna DePalo.

A few days of post-Expo R&R in the West Village set me to rights. Come mid-week, I was homebound on that Amtrak train, maybe not exactly fresh as a daisy but certainly touting a big ole smile.

Okay, so enuf about me. Anybody else go to BEA? As they say, inquiring minds…

Hope