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Tonight’s Lady Jane’s Salon features guest authors Miranda Neville, Sarah MacLean, N.K. Jemisin and Kate Nobel. 7-9 PM chez the upper floor of Madame X. For a behind-the-scenes look at Salon goodness, please read Sarah’s pithy post at the Lady Jane’s website.
Toodles,
Hope
As one of the four co-founders of Lady Jane’s Salon I get to play soiree hostess once a month. I love that!
Even better, sometimes I get to be a guest at my very own party. The December ’09 Salon was one such occasion. In the hope that video is indeed the next best thing to being there, click on the Hope\’s December \’09 Lady Jane\’s Salon Reading and yes, join the party.
And if you are planning to be in the New York City area next month, please do join us on Monday, April 5th 7-9 PM at Madame XÂ with guest authors Miranda Neville, Sarah MacLean, N.K. Jemisin and Kate Nobel.
Hope
The March 1st Salon welcomes guest authors Mingmei Yip, Cara Elliott, and Louisa Edwards. Please read Ming Mei’s wonderful pre-salon blog post at the Lady Jane’s web site.
Founded by Maya Rodale, Leanna Renee Hieber, Ron Hogan, and Hope Tarr (yes, that’s me!) Lady Jane’s Salon meets on the first Monday of every month, 7-9 PM, upper floor of Madame X (94 West Houston). See you there!
Lady Jane’s Salon, New York City’s first and so far only monthly romance reading series, turns one-year-old this February 1st and oh, my how our Girl has grown!
Helping us blow out the birthday candle are three fabulous guests: bestseller, Lauren Willig (The Betrayal of the Blood Lily), debut author, Sara Lindsey (Promise Me Tonight), and guest emcee, historical nonfiction author Leslie Carroll (Notorious Royal Marriages). Three very lovely ladies reading from three very different books, all of which will be available for purchase on Salon night. I’m just saying…
Now that we’ve come up on the one year mark, it seems a fitting time to both reflect on the past year and look forward to the new year ahead. When Maya, Leanna, Ron and I came up with the concept for Lady Jane’s, we anticipated having ten or so attendees each month. In a very short time, we found ourselves filling up the house to the point where many Salon nights are now standing room only. Feature articles in TIME OUT NEW YORK and THE NEW YORK POST swiftly followed along with tremendous support from the romance fiction community. RT BOOK Reviews, Barbara Vey at Publishers Weekly, Romance Novel TV, the chapter members of Romance Writers of America/NYC, and “Smart Bitch” Sarah Wendell are just a few of our wonderful friends who’ve given us both early and consistent loyalty and support. To them and all the individuals too numerous to name in a mere blog post, thank you!
A big sloppy birthday buss to Amy McCloskey, owner of our wonderful host venue, Madame X, and also to her manager, Karen and bartender, Alex. Without your support, the Salon couldn’t happen. It just couldn’t.
We started the series to provide a home for the books we love to both read and write. The four of us also felt strongly that in addition to the fun and frolic, it was important to broaden our mission to include a service component. Share the Love, Maya’s charitable organization co-founded with Ann Bleakley, has been the recipient of Salon proceeds for the past year, and we look forward to continuing our outreach to groups serving women in need in 2010.
As a Co-Founder, the time and energy I’ve expended have been returned to me tenfold–in the friendships both old and new, the collegiality with publishing professionals representing all aspects of the industry, and the opportunity to build, sustain and now grow something needed and yes, beautiful with three other amazing and creative individuals. Leanna, Maya and Ron, I heart you.
It’s both heartening and humbling to hear how the love we feel for our Brain Child/Baby is reciprocated by the romance community. Salon regular and February guest, Lauren Willig will teach a class on romance fiction this spring at Yale–yes, Y-A-L-E–along with fellow bestseller and Salon regular, Andrea Pickens also W/A Cara Elliott. A recent New Hampshire Register article covering the upcoming class had this to say:
Part of the impetus for the course also came from Willig’s membership in Lady Jane’s Salon, a Manhattan group of writers and readers which meets monthly for readings “and to hang out and drink. It’s become in a very short time an institution and a way for various people from various parts of the industry to share their love of romance novels,” says Willig.
Thank you, Lauren, and thanks to all of you whose unswerving commitment and enthusiasm, loyalty and yes, love have made Lady Jane’s Salon a rousing success.
Hope
Happy Birthday, Lady Jane
Monday, February 1st, 7-9 PM
Madame X (94 W Houston St)
Admission: $5 or one ppb romance novel
Happy holidays and happy birthday, Harlequin!
The December 7th Lady Jane’s Salon heralds the winter holiday season and celebrates the final month of Harlequin Enterprises 60th anniversary year with a very special salon event.
I’ll be reading from Twelve Nights, my Christmas Scottish Medieval for Harlequin Blaze as well as my twelfth published book. Twelve Nights is the sequel to Bound to Please, the novel that launched the super popular Historical Blaze Miniseries. To win a signed copy of Bound to Please, check out my current 
Contest.
Joining me will be romance fiction reviewer, bookseller, and author, Stacey Agdern reading from her Hanukkah novella, Rededication, and Senior Editor for Harlequin Blaze, Brenda Chin recapping highlights from Harlequin’s 60th Anniversary year.
The Salon meets on Monday, December 7th from 7-9 PM at Madame X (94 West Houston) in Manhattan’s Soho district. (Subsequent salon nights are the first Monday of each month). Admission is $5 or one gently used paperback romance novel to benefit Share-the-Love.
I hope to see you there.
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
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.
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.
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.
Guest authors for October are USA Today Bestseller, Kathryn Smith and award-winning young adult author, Marianne Mancusi. As they say, stay tuned…
Hope
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.
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…
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.
August is typically a Dead Zone month here in Big Apple Landia, but you’d never know it from the turn-out at last night’s Lady Jane’s Salon. Yes, we had another packed house and great, diverse readers as per always.
Boston Globe features writer and author, Johnny Diaz came down from Beantown to read from his latest contemporary release, Boston Boys Club, which he dubbed as a gay version of Sex and the City–think romantic, poignant, and yes, delicious!
Local author Anna DePalo read from her Silhouette Desire, The Billionaire in Penthouse B, showing us that “housework” can be fun but “mistresshood” far “funner”!
Last but never least, the lovely Delilah Marvelle fogged up the windows by reading from her wickedly humorous Lord of Pleasure in a (very authentic sounding) British accent, no less. And FYI, can that lady ever rock white satin and feathers!
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Distinguished attendees included faces both familiar and new including powerhouse literary agent, Donald Maass; Scandalous Women blogger, Elizabeth Kerri Mahon; bookseller and reviewer, Stacey Agdern; blogger, Kwana Jackson; RWA/NYC prez, Karen Cino; and Rob DiCaterino, Web Manager for RT BOOK Reviews.
Up next month at Lady Jane’s: Salon co-founder, Leanna Renee Hieber debuts The Strangely Beautiful Tale of Miss Percy Parker–wearing full Victorian regalia, no less. Don’t miss it!
Hope
PS: You Alert Readers out there may have noticed that our photos for this month’s Salon come courtesy of the uber talented, Biz Urban. In the next month or so, look for updated publicity photos of yes, me, all taken by Biz. And bonus: I’m going to get my courage up and my Jamie Lee Curtis on and pose for before and after shots…emphasis on the before as in before the makeup goes on. Yes, you’ll be treated to a behind the scenes gander at me and just me, as God made me–well, plus a few decades added on. Should be most…revealing.
Tonight’s Lady Jane’s features authors Johnny Diaz, Delilah Marvelle and Anna DePalo. Same time (7-9 PM), same place (Madame X) and bonus: admission is free for this month only! Go to Lady Jane’s Salon and read all about it.
Last but not least, a big thank you to everyone who tuned in to my Saturday interview for Medallion Press on BlogTalk Radio. Heather Graham and Vicki Hinze are two talented and tres savvy ladies. In reference to romance readers being teased for their reading choices, Heather said, “Love is probably one of our finest emotions.” Indeed! Click on over and listen to the recorded program online…
Hope