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Lady Jane’s Salon Recap & Coming Attractions

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The November 2nd Lady Jane’s Salon was the usual lovely time. Guest readers New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Caridad Pineiro (“Sins of the Flesh”) and local author and Huffington Post contributor, Joanne Rendell (“Crossing Washington Square”) were delightful.

NYT and USA Today Bestseller, Caridad Pineiro read from her latest release, "Sins of the Flesh."
NYT and USA Today Bestseller, Caridad Pineiro read from her latest release, "Sins of the Flesh."
From left to right, Ron Hogan, Maya Rodale, Joanne Rendell, Tony Haile and Leanna Renee Hieber take the stage to read a scene from Joanne's "Crossing Washington Square."
From left to right, Ron Hogan (off stage), Maya Rodale, Joanne Rendell, Tony Haile and Leanna Renee Hieber take the stage to read a scene from Joanne's "Crossing Washington Square."

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Joanne had the cool idea to make her reading an ensemble act. As you can see from the photo, the cast mates enjoyed themselves as did the audience.

It's good to be queen...Award-winning blogger and author, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon as Marie Antoinette takes the cake--and the crown--as guest emcee.
It's good to be queen...Award-winning blogger and author, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon as Marie Antoinette takes the cake--and the crown--as guest emcee.

“Well-behaved women rarely make history” has become as much credo as quote for we “modern day” women and our special guest emcee, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon has spun that (high) concept into first an award-winning blog, “Scandalous Women” and now a soon to be released non-fiction book.

Elizabeth and the late Queen of France, Marie Antoinette share not only fashionista status but the same November 2nd birthday. Fittingly, Elizabeth read the profile of Marie she wrote for her blog and book.

And then of course we ate cake. 🙂

A rapt audience, including Yours Truly (foreground) looks on.
A rapt audience, including Yours Truly (foreground) looks on.

On tap for the December Special Winter Holiday Salon, Monday, December 7th are romance novel reviewer and writer, Stacey Agdern reading from her Hanukkah novella and Yours Truly reading from my Christmas Harlequin Blaze release, Twelve Nights. As a special dash of goodness, we’ll close out Harlequin Entreprises’s 60th Anniversary Year with a very special presentation by Senior Editor, Brenda Chin, coming to us direct from HQ headquarters in Toronto.

If you live in New York or plan a trip here to take in the holiday decorations, please put Lady Jane’s on your calender. We meet 7-9 PM at Madame X. Admission is $5 or one gently-used paperback romance novel with proceeds supporting programs serving women-in-need.

Hope

Lady Jane’s Salon, Monday, November 2nd

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November’s Lady Jane’s Salon promises to be full o’ treats. Our guest readers are New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Caridad Pineiro (“Sins of the Flesh”) and local author and Huffington Post contributor, Joanne Rendell (“Crossing Washington Square.”).

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Scandalous Woman Elizabeth Kerri Mahon will be November's guest emcee.

Special guest emcee will be blogger and author, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon. Elizabeth will be reading from her upcoming nonfiction book, “Scandalous Women,” based on her award-winning blog of like name.

Otherwise, details remain the same: 7-9 PM chez Madame X. Admission is $5 at the door or one gently-used paperback romance novel with proceeds to benefit Share-the-Love.

Cast Your Ballot for…Romance

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Sometimes a woman, even a romance writer living in one of the world’s most exciting cities, can get stuck in a bit of a rut. In search of a new adventure, I entered THE ULTIMATE THAILAND EXPLORERS Contest with fellow romance novelist Liz Maverick. Imagine our surprise when what started out as a little promo lark hit pay dirt.

Yes, good people, we’ve made the semi-finals!

To go from finalist to winners, we need your vote, and the other four competing teams in our chosen destination of PATTAYA are some pretty tough competition. Our competitors’ occupations include corporate trainer, physical therapist, architect, wellness manager, advertising exec, and a coupla singers/song writers.

rebels-of-romance
Click the image to go to the Ultimate Thailand Explorers website. Once there, you can watch the video, but you have to register to vote.

And our main heat is packing a seriously cute baby!

That said, Liz and I are no slackers. We stand proud of our genre and yes, proud of the twenty-four books we’ve collectively written. If we get to go to Thailand, we mean to use the opportunity to put a positive public–dare we say worldwide–spin on romance.

Our video, Liz & Hope, is parked under the PATTAYA section at www.ultimatethailandexplorers.com. The poll closes November 11th. Once you register, you can vote up to every 24 hours–I’m just sayin’.

Help us show not only Thailand but the world that romance writers rock!

Congratulations Contest Winners

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Belated congratulations to my three September contest winners: Cathy N of Manassas, VA; Carol L of West Orange, NJ; and Linda P of Island Park, Penang. Ladies, your prizes: one signed copy of Bound to Please and one signed copy of Strokes of Midnight will be mailed to you…anon. (My new favorite word, which sounds ever so much nicer than er…late).

Many thanks to all who took the time to visit the site and enter. Didn’t win this time ’round? No worries. October’s contest is accepting entries through 11/30, so please don’t be a stranger.

Hope

Last Night at Lady Jane’s

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Last night’s Lady Jane’s Salon was the usual slam dunk success.

Read all about it on the Lady Jane’s web site, reportage courtesy of guest author, Mari Mancusi.

Hope

PS Converting to the latest version of Word Press has resulted in a few weeks of radio silence, but I’ll be resuming my regular weekly blogging… “anon.”

Hope

Nekkid Truth, Part III: Getting the…Biz-ness

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With hair and makeup out of the way, we sally forth to our third and final essential ingredient of a winning publicity photo.

The retouch.

“But I want to look like myself,” you say.

Coiffed, buffed--and retouched. Photo by BizUrban.com.
Coiffed, buffed--and retouched. Photo by BizUrban.com.

And good for you. You should. In a recent Vanity Fair interview, 51-year-old film star and legendary beauty, Michelle Pfeiffer was asked to comment on the preponderance of plastic surgery among celebrities. To paraphrase the presumably unaltered Pfeiffer, as we grow older we should still be recognizable to our friends.

Candid shots are great for family and friends, the people who already know and yes, love us. But when a photo is intended for wider, public distribution, we want to put our best…face forward.

Arguably those smile lines and crow’s feet are badges of honor. And our faces are mobile, ever changing landscapes. A photographic portrait, however, is a static freeze frame capture of a set of sub-seconds. With unlimited time to look, viewers invariably hone in on the flaws.

In publishing we say, “the writing is in the rewriting.” Similarly, the “art” of photo editing/refinishing is every bit as essential to a great final product as capturing the winning shot.

A good photographer knows how to steer clear of overly plasticized perfection while conveying a polished yet natural look. 

In the before/after photos shown here, notice how photographer, Biz Urban manages to “disappear” not only the puffy dark circles beneath my eyes and the small scar on my left cheek but also a good part of the last decade!

Before: A perfectly nice photo for family and friends but for promo not so much.
After: note how the puffy circles disappear from beneath my eyes. Ditto for the scar and freckle on my cheek.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Voila, publicity photos that look like me–currently–with the photo retouching equivalent of a few light (and pain free) nips and tucks.

For more information on Biz Urban, including samples of her work, visit her website.

Photographer Biz Urban.
Photographer Biz Urban.

Hope

Lady Jane’s Salon, Oh What a Night!

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Last night’s Lady Jane’s Salon celebrating co-founder Leanna Renee Hieber’s debut novel, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker was quite possibly our biggest crush yet.

The upper room of Madame X was crammed with attendees. Even before the program began, seating was once again standing room only–and barely that.

Leanna Renee Hieber. Photo by Morgan Doremus.
Leanna Renee Hieber. Photo by Morgan Doremus.

PRISM award winner, special guest Isabo Kelly kicked off the program by telling the story of how she and Leanna Renee first met in a New York law office followed by a wonderful reading of her work.

PRISM Award winner, Isabo Kelly. Photo by Morgan Doremus.
PRISM Award winner, Isabo Kelly. Photo by Morgan Doremus.

Leanna Renee was pretty as the proverbial picture in an authentic Victorian gown and bonnet done up in what we’re fast coming to think of as “Strangely Beautiful” blue.

The Salon and signing ended at 9:00 PM but guests lingered afterward including we four founders who took time out to mug for the camera–and yes, congratulate ourselves on yet another successful salon night.

Lady Jane’s Salon meets on the first Monday of each month from 7-9 PM at Madame X. Proceeds ($5 at the door or one gently used paperback romance novel) support Share the Love.

Founders Syndrome...From left to right, Maya Rodale, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ron Hogan & Hope.
Founders Syndrome...From left to right, Maya Rodale, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ron Hogan & Hope. Photo by Morgan Doremus.

Guest authors for October are USA Today Bestseller, Kathryn Smith and award-winning young adult author, Marianne Mancusi. As they say, stay tuned…

Hope

The Strangely Beautiful Tale of…Miss Leanna Renee Hieber

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As little girls, lots of us played at dress-up, even imagined ourselves as fairytale princesses a la the Walt Disney storybook tales. I know I did.

Some of us took the fantasy well…a wee bit farther.

(L to R) Leanna Renee with photographer, Biz Urban at the August Lady Jane's.
(L to R) Leanna Renee with photographer, Biz Urban at the August Lady Jane's.

My dear friend, Lady Jane Salon co-founder, and newly minted Dorchester author, Leanna Renee Hieber took the game up a notch, make that several notches. Parading about her parents’ living room in rural Ohio speaking in a British accent and quoting the likes of Edgar Allen Poe, it was clear Leanna Renee was doing more than playing a part.

She was living a dream and quite possibly a past life.

And so was born Percy Parker, the heroine of Leanna Renee’s Victorian set fantasy romance, The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker.

Percy is a most unusual romance heroine just as Strangely Beautiful…, the first in a quartet series, is a most unusual romance-think Victorian Ghost Busters. Delicious!

But there’s more. Lady Jane’s Salon has joined forced with our friends at Romance Novel TV to bring you Lady Jane’s Book Club at RNTV. Now those of you who aren’t able to attend the physical salon (as well as those of you who do) can participate monthly. The book club offers videotaped interviews with the featured salon authors as well as the ability to interact with the author and other readers via an online discussion of the book complete with a list of suggested topics.

So much goodness…

Madame X in Soho, New York City's sexiest lounge.
Madame X in Soho, New York City's sexiest lounge, the perfect setting for Lady Jane's. Photo by BizUrban.com.

Leanna Renee will be reading and signing at this Monday’s (September 7th) Lady Jane’s Salon from 7-9 PM and yes, books will be available for purchase onsite at our beloved venue, Madame X. Special guest reader: award winning author, Isabo Kelly. A special Strangely Beautiful cocktail is being… concocted for the event for the recession busting price of $5.

As always, proceeds from the door ($5 or one gently-used romance novel) will go to support Share the Love.

In the meantime, please do visit RNTV for the book club questions and a videotaped interview with Leanna Renee.

Happy Labor Day Weekend,

Hope

PS The third and final installment of Nekkid Truth: La Touche Finale will be posted here this week, so please check back for the final unveiling: before/after publicity photos of Yours Truly by the uber talented Biz Urban.

Congratulations Contest Winner!

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Congratulations to Linda Henderson, the latest and last ((sniff, sniff)) of my Sizzlin’ Summer Contest winners.

Sad as I am to see summer go, I’m also super excited for fall and yes, my new contest.

To ramp up for the release of Twelve Nights, this time ’round we’ll have double the winners and double the prize. Two winners will each receive a signed copy of Bound to Please (in which we briefly meet the hero and heroine of Twelve Nights) and a signed copy of my New Year’s theme release, Strokes of Midnight. Visit my contest page and enter to win. Hope 

The Nekkid Truth, Part II: Gilding the Lily

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Some people put on makeup like they brush their teeth or put on clothes, which is to say every day. Some people never go near the stuff. Me, I fall somewhere in between. I wouldn’t go out for the evening without mascara, lip gloss and a smattering of powder, but I would and do frequently roll out of bed and head out for coffee with bed head and pillow creases.

Photo by BizUrban.com.
Girl in the mirror--and yes, those taped up reminder notes are mine a la "Romancing the Stone." Photo by BizUrban.com.

But having publicity photos taken isn’t just an excuse to play princess for a day. It’s also an investment. You want to be able to use those photos for some time, perhaps years to come on your web site, press materials, social networking profiles and yes, your book jacket. If there was ever a time to put your best face forward, to strut your stuff, and to well, Work It, that time is now.

While I’m hopeless with my hair, fortunately I’m a decent hand with the war paint, as our mothers, mine at least, called cosmetics Back in The Day.

Unlike me, Jane doesn't really need cosmetic improvement.

Like almost everything, when it comes to makeup, moderation is key, less is more. We still want to look like ourselves…albeit a really, really hawt version.

Next and final stop on the Princess Train: the photo retouch. Thankfully, along with the actual shooting, photo editing is your photographer’s job. A good thing, too.

All this prepping, preening and posing has worn me to a nub.

Voila! Off to "wardrobe" I go...Photo by BizUrban.com.
Voila! Off to "wardrobe" I go...Photo by BizUrban.com.

Hope