Reading Tomorrow’s Destiny at Lady Jane’s Salon

Victorian Christmas Goodness!

This month, I read my Victorian Christmas novella, Tomorrow’s Destiny at Lady Jane’s Salon, the Manhattan, NYC reading series I co-founded back in ((gulp)) 2009. Like the Dickens’ classic from which it draws inspo, Tomorrow’s Destiny is a paranormal Christmas story. Only instead of ghosts, I have guardian angels. Guardian angels masquerading as the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future. One in particular, Fern, needs to score a h-u-g-e HEA for her human ASAP — or wait another hundred years for a shot at winning her wings. And in lieu of a mean-spirited, bent-back miser hoarding gold, I have my Scrooge-like heroine hoarding the best thing ever — books!

Yes, you read that right. My heroine, bookshop proprietress Fiona MacPherson, IS the Scrooge character. ‘Tis almost 2021, after all.

Watch my reading here on Youtube along with those of Salon guests Rose Lerner, Stacey Agdern, Harper Miller, Cara Bastone and Piper Huguley.

My intro and reading start at 38:10 minutes into the video.

You can get the Tomorrow’s Destiny novella as an ebook and audiobook, the latter voiced by my uber talented Salon co-founder, author Leanna Renee Hieber.

Scribd ebook
Scribd audiobook

This December’s Lady Jane’s Holiday Salon program is both deeply special and bittersweet. After twelve magical years as NYC’s first and only regular reading series devoted to romance fiction, we’re drawing the curtain on our beloved naughty red room at Madame X.

All our virtual Salon programs will continue to live online on Youtube and on the Lady Jane’s website. Please remember our wonderful house charity, Win (Women in Need, Inc.) in your end-of-year charitable giving.

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy and safe holiday season.

XO Hope

TEMPTING Coming Soon… In Spanish!

Tempting_SpanishXCvrIf my travels to England, France, Italy and Peru have taught me anything (and here’s hoping they have), it’s that the romance fandom is ever so much bigger and broader than the borders of these United States. Thanks to my wonderful overseas publishers, on any given day I’m as likely to receive an email or Facebook ping from a romance blogger in Honduras as I am one in my own backyard of NYC.

And now my wonderful Barcelona-based publisher, Libros de Seda is bringing out a FOURTH book of mine. This fall 2016, TEMPTING will release as No se puede vivir sin amorliterally, You Cannot Live Without Love. ((Truth!)) Finally romance fans in Spain, Mexico, Colombia, Uruguay,  Chile, and Peru as well as the U.S. will have the opportunity to read Simon and Christine’s unconventional Victorian set love story in their native language. For now, sit back and savor the stunning cover! Read the FREE (English) excerpt here. Treat yourself to the digital and audio book versions!

And if you’re in NYC or thereabouts, join me at Lady Jane’s Salon® on Monday, February 1st, 7-9pm at Madame X when I’ll kick off the Month of Candy Hearts & Papier Mâché Posies by reading a sneak snippet from my new historical women’s fiction novel–and giving away some cool prizes, too!

Feliz año nuevo! Feliz San Valentín!

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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!

 

 

Reading OPERATION CINDERELLA at Lady Jane’s Salon®

On January 5th, I had the pleasure (and honor!) of reading from OPERATION CINDERELLA at Lady Jane’s Salon®, the NYC-based romance reading series (the city’s first and still only!), which I co-founded…((gulp!))…six years ago. As always, the crimson clad venue, Madame X, was superb, our audience of dedicated romance readers, writers, and publishing professionals generous and supportive. Below is the short video. Please feel free to share it online with other readers. And if you haven’t yet, please download your FREE copy of Operation Cinderella from the e-tailer of your choice–Kindle, Nook, Kobo, iTunes, Google Play etc. We’ve had MORE THAN 250,000 downloads since the promo began in mid-December, with many of you going on to download the other Suddenly Cinderella series books as well. But, like all things, the giveaway won’t go on forever. The freebie ends 12 midnight, January 12th. Blessings & Happy 2015! Hope

Hope Tarr Reading Operation Cinderella from raj moorjani on Vimeo.

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

Last Night’s GAAs & Author of the Year!

Hope Accepting Award_9-12-13Last night was the Golden Apple Awards, the annual industry awards event sponsored by the New York City chapter of The Romance Writers of America. I was–and am–thrilled and honored to have been chosen by the membership as its 2013 Author of the Year. Below are the notes for my acceptance speech, which I managed to complete dry-eyed albeit verklempt.

A career of twenty years, thirteen as a published author, means there are many people to be thanked, so I may not be exactly brief  but I will be as succinct as these two pages permit.

First and foremost, I would like to thank my trio of fabulous agents:

To Louise Fury with whom I’ve been blessed to work since 2010. As some of you know, I first met Louise when she started coming to Lady Jane’s Salon® in our early days and at the time I had no idea she was even agenting. It took me a while but I finally cottoned on. Elizabeth Mahon and I took her out for “a” drink to celebrate a significant deal she’d made, one drink turned into many drinks, and then next thing I knew she was asking me about my books. I’ll never forget her saying, “I don’t know if I can sell it—but I’ll try.” By 1:00 AM I was back home emailing her the files.

Louise has done considerably better than “try.” She has since sold THREE series for me, including my hard cover debut, SUGAR, co-written with Jenna Jameson, which releases from Skyhorse Publishing this October 21st. And that’s not even counting the foreign and audio deals she’s made—all while fielding my many, MANY daily emails, on which I usually forget to change the subject header. Honestly, Louise, I can’t imagine being in this business without you.

To Lori Perkins who wears many hats—make that tiaras—not only as the founder and owner of the enduringly successful L. Perkins Agency but also as a writer and publisher. As you know, Lori launched Riverdale Avenue Books last December and she hasn’t stilled since. I don’t use the word “maverick” often or lightly but Lori is truly that. Lori doesn’t follow publishing trends, she forecasts them. She has brought so many publishing opportunities my way these past years, including but in no way limited to a place in her 50 Writers on 50 Shades of Grey anthology and for those and her friendship, I thank her.

To Jenny Bent, our Agent of the Year, who launched my career back in ’99 by selling my Regency-set historical to Berkley. A Rogue’s Pleasure was a first romance sale for both of us—and as they say you never forget you first. I was with Jenny through three agencies, and was so proud of her when she went out on her own and founded The Bent Agency, which has added a London office to its home base of Brooklyn.   

To the talented editors with whom I’ve had the pleasure of working over the past 13 years and counting: Cindy Hwang at Berkley, Brenda Chin at Harlequin, Helen Rosburg at Medallion Media Group, Angela James at Carina Press, Stacy Cantor Abrams at Entangled, and now Jenn McCartney at Skyhorse Publishing. I’ve done 25 books and each has been made inestimably better for your talented input.

Hope_Acceptance Speech_9-12-13To the uber talented former O Magazine senior editor, memoirist and now romance author, Suzan Colon for being my friend, supporter, and creative sounding board. Our lunches are not only a treat to which I look forward but a grounding point for me personally and professionally. I am so looking forward to you reading BEACH GLASS at the February Lady Jane’s Salon.

To RWA NYC for your enduring support, friendship, and encouragement. When I moved to New York in the winter of 2008, I knew ABSOLUTELY NO ONE. Attending that first Saturday chapter meeting was akin to grabbing hold of a lifeline. I met both my Lady Jane’s co-founder, Leanna Renee Hieber and past president, Elizabeth Mahon at a chapter outing to Coney Island. Others of you I’ve gotten to know through additional chapter events such as the winter holiday and spring brunches, the online loop, and of course your glorious and enduring support of Lady Jane’s Salon. To Maria Ferrer and Lise Horton and Sarah Tormey and Kwana Jackson…well, I don’t have time or breath to name each one of you but please know that your support, of me, my books, and m/our Lady Jane’s Salon these past five years means more than I can say.
GAA Trophy & Plaque
Last but in no way least, to my wonderful and always supportive partner, Raj Moorjani, who daily affirms that Happily Ever After isn’t only the stuff of romance novels—we can have it in Real Life, too.

This is an enormous honor. Thank you!

Reading from SUGAR at the July 1st Lady Jane’s Salon

SUGAR_Final_CvrIf the Slipper Fitssoul-strippersmallAs many of you know, I co-founded and curate Lady Jane’s Salon, New York City’s first–and still only–monthly romance reading series now in our fifth year with six Salon satellites nationwide!

But  enough of bragging on m/our “baby.”

The July Salon promises to be special indeed. I am not only co-hosting along with partners, Leanna Renee Hieber and Ron Hogan, but I am also  guesting. I will share a snippet from SUGAR (Skyhorse, October 2013), my hard cover debut co-written with NYT bestseller Jenna Jameson. You can read a bit about the book in my previous post here. Former internationally famous adult entertainment actress, “Sugar” AKA Sarah Halliday leaves LA behind and returns to her native New York City to reinvent herself, creating a splash of sizzle and pop with the help of fun ex-AE friends and a certain sexy war hero turned CEO keen to explore his kinkier side.

Adding a paranormal twist to our unofficial theme of “bad” girls with hearts of gold, Kensington author Katana Collins will read from her sizzling debut, SOUL STRIPPER. Exotic dancer, Monica, doesn’t just break hearts–she sucks souls–but can this sexy succubus resist the lure of true love?

Megan Mulry will carry us to modern day England with her second novel, IF THE SHOE FITS. “Glass slippers were meant to broken”–huzzah and here here!

Join us on Monday, July 1st, 7-9 PM at Madame X. Admission is $5 or one gently used romance novel. Net monetary proceeds support an end-of-year donation to Women In Need.

Cash bar.

Author books will be available for purchase and autographing onsite courtesy of Posman Books.

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Lady Jane’s Salon & Press Goodness from USA TODAY

The Monday, June 4th Lady Jane’s Salon (7-9PM at Madame X) is proud to welcome the attendees of this year’s Book Expo America (#BEA12) held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center here in Manhattan.

In town for BEA or just plain in town? Please put Lady Jane’s on your after-party roster. Click here for deets on the Salon night program including our four great guest readers. Hint: they include regular Salon attendee and now fully minted author, Beatriz Williams!

Earlier this week I chatted about the Salon to Joyce Lamb of USA TODAY’S Happily Ever After blog. Please check out my interview and, if you can, take two ticks to Like it and/or leave a comment here.

Hope

The Joy of Being Popular: Lady Jane’s & The Popular Romance Project

Last June ’11, we at Lady Jane’s had a very special group of visitors, Emmy Award winning documentary filmmaker, Laurie Kahn and her crew with The Popular Romance Project.

With grants from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Mass Humanities, Romance Writers of America, and the Tavris Fund at Brandeis University/Women’s Studies Research Center, The Popular Romance Project seeks to “explore the fascinating, often contradictory origins and influences of popular romance as told in novels, films, comics, advice books, songs, and internet fan fiction, taking a global perspective—while looking back across time as far as the ancient Greeks.” The website, mere months old, has already received hits from 80 countries!

Please take two ticks to watch (and hopefully “Like”) the video short of Lady Jane’s Salon. The less than four minute video is packed with interviews and readings from our guest authors that night: Sarah MacLean, Karen Rose, Carrie Lofty, Dianna Love, Leanna Renee Hieber (Salon co-founder), and Eloisa James as well as brief behind-the-scenes interviews with the Lady Jane’s Salon Team including Yours Truly. 🙂

http://popularromanceproject.org/behind-scenes/1997

Sherry Jones, author of THE JEWEL OF MEDINA and THE SWORD OF MEDINA guesting at Lady Jane's Salon in May.

Lastly, if you’re in the New York City area, please join us for our next Salon on Monday, May 7th, 7-9PM at Madame X. Guests are Suleikha Snyder, Zoraida Cordova, Kate Cross, Alethea Kontis, and Sherry Jones!

Admission is $5 or one romance novel. Net proceeds to benefit a New York City based women’s charity.

Hope

 

March Lady Jane’s Salon

Join me for this Monday’s Lady Jane’s Salon on Monday, March 5th, 7-9PM at Madame X. Along with hosting, I’ll be reading from Tempting and sharing the Salon stage with three great guest readers Lisa Dale, Kate McMurray, and Sarah MacLean.

Admission: $5 or one gently used paperback romance novel to benefit a NYC women’s charity.

Cash bar with $5 drink specials.

Salon ends at 9PM.