Santa's Younger Brother

Ho
Ho
Ho
Holy smokes...

Priceless

RWA - Same old song and dance...

Recently the Romance Writers of America (www.rwanational.org) announced rule changes for their most coveted award...the RITA. The rule change is this, all books entered must be published by a non-vanity (author didn't self-publish), non-subsidy (author did not financially assist in said publishing) and the book must be mass-produced.

According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, the definition of mass-produced is: to produce in quantity usually by machinery.

Personally I don't care that they threw in the 'mass-produced' qualification - my issue is that once again, RWA is using non-quantitative terms for a rule that clearly has an undisclosed quantity attached. What is RWA's definition of mass-produced?

I've heard the random sum of a minimum print run of 500 books being bandied about. Okay - if that is the rule they are using, why not just fess up? Print it and there can be No Question as to the number of books produced at one time (ie mass-produced) rather then forcing the publishers to 'hope' they meet the mark?

After this declaration came out I spoke to management of some of the small presses, the same publishing houses that would possibly be excluded with this ruling, and this is what they told me:

- RWA has requested copies of distribution agreements - distribution agreements are the contracts between publishing houses and distributors like Ingrams and Baker & Taylor. In most cases, these contracts are confidential.

- They have also requested sales records - once again, proprietary information.

- They have also requested copies of discount schedules - I believe these are the discount levels given for either purchase amounts (meaning if Ingrams purchases 1000 copies they receive X amount off or if they purchase 5000 copies they receive xy) once again, this information is confidential and different for every publisher.

WTF?

For those of us old broads, doesn't this smack of the nonsense that went on in 2000 and 2001? Back then it was the discussion of what constituted a published book - the first number was 1500 copies sold (in which RWA requested sales records and distribution agreements - see above) and then it was magically changed to 5000 copies sold.

What is it with RWA that they feel they should be privy to information that no publisher would ever think of turning over to them? If a publisher were to give them a copy of the distribution agreement (which is negotiated with each publisher) it is well within the distributors right to either sue or negate the contract. So basically RWA is asking the small presses to put their professional relationships on the line in order to enter a contest that most readers don't know about anyway.

Uh...how about no?

A message to RWA:

When are you going to become inclusive rather than exclusive? Over the years the board has wasted a great deal of time (and money) coming up with rules that are ultimately thrown out or altered later when they realize the error of their ways.

If 500 mass-produced books is the magical, unwritten target - what is to stop a POD publisher from ordering 500 copies of each title for authors who want to enter the RITA?

If the publishers buy a super-fancy copier that can bind books and they create 500 books at one time - don't they qualify?

I am so deathly sick and tired, tired and sick, weak and weary of all the crap the board comes up with to try and keep 'those books' out of the reindeer games. At this point I honestly have to ask myself - what are they afraid of? Are they scared that a small press title will win the RITA and then (gasp) all sorts of small press authors will want to enter?

I've got news for you - a small press book already finaled in the RITAs years ago - Oracle from Lionhearted Publishing - a publisher that would not be allowed to enter today...

RWA's attitude toward small presses is so 1970's - are they ever going to see the error of their ways and quit trying to disenfranchise a growing segment of their membership.

Or maybe the bigger question is, when are the small press authors going to wise up and tell RWA to piss off instead of getting their panties in a twist over a ruling that will have no impact on their careers?

I'm Bloggin'

Come on over to:

http://www.romancejunkies.com/rjblog

WLW - Just keeps getting better and better!

Yes, it's scale time - I've lost (drumroll) 3.8 lbs this week. WOOT!

Of course I want a Snickers to celebrate. :)

WLW - Victory is mine!

Greetings Readers - yes, it's Wednesday again. I know it's painful and I feel for you. So put down your Snickers bar and strip down to your bare skin - it's scale time. Since I started up WLW again, I've lost a total of six pounds.

Well - I think it should be 6.2 pounds because I was wearing my socks on the scale. :)

It's been a struggle - no lying here. And we're heading into the most calorie laden time of the year. Some of my tricks to keep my butt from taking over my zip code are:
- Water, it's all about the water. The more you drink, the more you'll lose. It keeps you hydrated and it helps you to feel full sooner.
- Going to a friend's for dinner? Volunteer to bring a fruit or veggie plate.
- Don't deprive yourself. I'm not a fan of stuffing so I'm safe there, but I do love mashed potatoes and gravy. My trick is to take a smaller portion and for every bite of that decadent dish, take two bites of veggies and big water.
- Desserts - did you know pumpkin pie has the least amount of calories of all pies? 1/8 of a pie sans whipped cream, is about 300 calories. Light whipped cream (in a moderate amount!) can add 25 - 50 extra calories.
- Snacking - think raw and avoid processed. Veggies w/ cream cheese are tasty and filling.

What are your strategies for watching the calories?

WLW: Where I Am Now

The Numbers - 6 :)

Yes ma'am - I've lost a total of six pounds and let me say, each pound has been a struggle. I admit, I'm having a really difficult time just keeping myself on my program. I accept full responsibility for what I put in my mouth - and I realize that willpower alone will accomplish nothing - but I feel like every meal is an uphill battle lately.

What's really frustrating for me is that in general, I eat pretty healthy. I love veggies, salad, fruit and while I have a weakness for carbs, it's already ingrained in me to eat the bulk of my carbs by lunchtime. I just seem to be HUNGRY all the time! GRRR....

I am an emotional eater and it doesn't help that it is abnormally cold here in Ohio. I have a tendency to hibernate when the weather is really cold so I'm fighting against staying inside and being warm and getting my chubby butt outside in the cold for some exercise. Lame excuse - I know. The good news is that I have been hitting the pool three times a week and that is helping out a lot.

So my goal for the week is get back on track, stay on track and have a good week. What's your goal?

My blog has won an award!

The oh-so-fabulous Tilly Greene has nominated my blog - this very page that you're reading, for the I heart your blog award. The award originated from The Romance Studio - Tilly won then nominated me.

Thanks, doll!

Okay so the things I'm suppose to do are:

Add the logo of your award to your blog - There it is, all nice and shiny

Add a link to the person who awarded it to you - She's up above.

Nominate at least 7 other blogs - its going to be tough!

Add links to those blogs on your blog - I can do that.

Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs - I can do that too - I love to hit blogs and add comments. :)

My Nominees:

http://www.smartbitchestrashybooks.com/ - You can't love romance and not appreciate these bitch-divas.

http://www.goodbadandunread.com/ - I'm always looking for something good to read.

http://www.karenknowsbest.com/ - Love her or hate her, she always tells it like it is.

http://www.dearauthor.com/ - book reviews and more

http://ladiesoftheclub.blogspot.com/ - a group of wildly talented authors who share their work and their lives.

http://projectrungay.blogspot.com/ - I loves me some Tom and Lorenzo - that are just FAB.

http://www.topmodelgossip.com/ - I can't help it, I'm an Americas Next Top Model Junkie

Corporate Bad Guys

Small Publisher's Feel the Power of Amazon's BUY Button

This story began earlier in the year when Amazon demanded a deeper discount from some publisher's than is the norm which is 50%. This time around it is Hachette Publishing - a larger publisher in the UK.

The publisher’s chief executive, Tim Hely Hutchinson, sent a defiant letter to many of his authors explaining the “oddities” of vanishing buy buttons. The online retailer, he said, was demanding a bigger slice. Publishers traditionally sell books to retailers at a discount off the recommended retail price, but Amazon was demanding more than its existing 50 percent.

The dispute with Hachette is not the first in which Amazon has resorted to removing the “buy now” buttons for certain books. In the spring it started disabling the icons for some small publishers in the United States that resisted Amazon’s demand that they use an Amazon-owned company, BookSurge, for print-on-demand services. Amazon is the dominant seller of such titles.

I used to love Amazon when it was the new kid on the block. They were so cutting edge and offered the best discounts...then they turned into a corporate monolith intent upon screwing those of whom their income is dependent. As an author, I applaud Hachette for standing up to the suck-tastic bully that Amazon has become.

Amazon - you suck.

Book Recommendation: Hot, Wicked and Wild: Desiree Holt

Blurb: Tracie Hill is having a bad day. Her boss has sold the investment company to a much larger corporation, a new boss with a reputation as a tyrant is arriving tomorrow morning, and she's just torn her last pair of pantyhose. As she's stripping them off to toss in the trash, she sees the most gorgeous man ever standing in her doorway. Then the power goes out, locking them inside.

It is a wild beginning for Tracie and sexy Pete Montgomery, but as they move in together and he introduces her to the erotic delights of a BDSM relationship and the excitement of an occasional ménage, she learns what she's been missing all these years. It isn't, however, until she accompanies Pete to a secluded island in the Caribbean, to a house party where the theme is "anything goes" that she learns just how uninhibited she can be. And whether Pete will finally claim her as his forever.

Excerpt:
She looked at him helplessly.
Then he burst out laughing.
“I’m glad you think this is so funny,” she spat at him.
“It’s priceless, is what it is.” He took off his blue blazer and dropped it and his tie on an armchair. “Do you know how many men would love to be marooned like this with a gorgeous female?”
Gorgeous? He thought she was gorgeous?
“I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me.” He moved closer to her.
She backed up until the desk hit her ass. “W-What do you have in mind?”
He flashed his wicked grin at her. “Well, let’s see. It appears we’re liable to be here for a while so we need to do something to pass the time.”
“Pass the time?” She sounded like a parrot.
“Mm-hmm. I’m not much of a card player. Chess, maybe but only an idiot would waste time alone with a beautiful woman playing chess.” He rubbed his jaw. “There’s always word games.”
She stared at him as if he’d lost his mind. “You want to play word games?”
“Nope. I want to do this.” He was right up against her, his obviously swollen cock pressing into her belly, his face not more than an inch from hers. Then his arms came around her, pulling her tight against him and his mouth came down on hers.
Too shocked to even move, she opened her mouth to protest and his tongue swept in like a marauding bandit, tasting, touching stroking the lining of her mouth. His hands slid down to her ass, gripping it and pulling her closer. She couldn’t believe her own hands actually crept around his neck and her fingers threaded through his hair. This was a kiss beyond belief. He tasted of mint and fresh air and smelled of something delightfully spicy.
I’m kissing a man and I don’t even know who he is. My god! Well, wasn’t this her fantasy? Hadn’t she dreamed of this after the last fiasco with Rex? Meeting a gorgeous, sexy man, totally unknown and having wild, uncontrollable sex with him?
She pulled her head away a fraction. He hadn’t given her much room to maneuver.
“I don’t even know your name,” she gasped.
He flashed his magic grin. “Pete. Just call me Pete.”
“Tracie.” She was surprised she could even get out the word.
“What?” He stared at her with those hot emerald eyes, his face co close she could count his eyelashes. “What did you say?”
“Tracie,” she gasped. “My name is Tracie.”
“Oh. Well. Hi, Tracie, nice to meet you.”
Then his mouth came down on hers again, his tongue invading the inside of her mouth like a candle lighting the sensitive tissues and she felt herself melting again. What was left of her brain kicked in and she found the strength to pull back from him. She tried to push him away but he held her too close for any movement. His hands moved up and down her back, creating friction under the cloth of her dress.
“We can’t do this.” Her breath fell in uneven pants as she pushed at his chest again.
“I don’t know why not. Here we are, trapped in these offices, no idea when we’ll get out of this place. I’ve had a hard-on since the minute I laid eyes on you. And if the way you returned that kiss is any indication, you don’t exactly find me unappealing.”
“B-But we don’t even know each other.”
“Sure we do,” he grinned. “We just introduced ourselves. And we’re about to get to know each other a whole lot better. Right?”
While they were talking, he slid one hand down over her hip and ever so lightly eased up her skirt until his palm touched bare flesh.
Tracie jerked. What the hell does he think he’s doing?
“Touching that ass that looked so appealing when you were doing your mini-strip tease before.” He grinned at her.
She hadn’t realized she’d spoken aloud and her face flooded with embarrassment. But she couldn’t make herself move away from him. His hand was like a burning coal on her ass, leaving traces of fire wherever he touched. Her mind shrieked Stop! but her body said, Don’t stop, you damn fool.
Pete dropped his mouth to her shoulders and began biting gently at the place where her neck and shoulder met. She felt liquid begin to seep from her body and wished she had panties on to absorb the moisture. This was nuts! She was creaming over a man she’d known for five minutes and letting him feel her bare ass.
And loving it! His presence somehow surrounded her and his male essence drugged her, put her off guard. All she had to do was look at him and she was wet, soaking, dripping.
“I… We… That is…” She couldn’t figure out what to say. He made her mind foggy with just the lightest of touches.
“Look at it this way.” He was still nipping her shoulder, sending feathers of sensation skittering along her spine. “Haven’t you ever wondered what it would be like to have hot, sweaty sex with a stranger? Someone you didn’t even know but who made you hotter than a burning log? Someone you could do anything with because you didn’t think you’d ever have to face them again?”

Hero: Lucy Burns

Lucy Burns was a pivotal figure in the National Woman's Party. With her distinctive flame red hair, she is characterized as charming and a firebrand - she was crucial in supporting Alice Paul (the figurehead of the NWP) in the fight for the right to vote.

Born in Brooklyn, she attended Vassar College, Yale, Oxford and the University of Berlin in Germany. While at Oxford, Burns witnessed the British suffragist movement which was far more militant than the American movement.

In 1909, Burns became an activist and she perfected the art of street speaking. During her work for the Women's Social and Political Union, she was arrested multiple times and imprisoned four times.

Burns met Alice Paul in a London police station after both were arrested during a suffrage demonstration outside Parliament (London). Their alliance was powerful and ultimately changed our nation forever.

Burns returned to the US in 1912 (Paul in 1910) and they began to work with the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) as leaders of its Congressional Committee. In April 1913 they founded the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (CU), which later evolved into the NWP. Burns organized campaigns in the western states (1914, 1916), served as NWP legislative chairman in Washington, D.C., and, beginning in April 1914, edited the organization's weekly journal, The Suffragist .

Burns was a driving force behind the picketing of President Woodrow Wilson's administration in Washington, D.C. in early 1917. Six months later, she and other NWP members erected banners outside the White House declaring that America was not a free democracy as long as women were denied the vote. Later that month, Burns (and others) were arrested for obstructing traffic.

Burns was arrested and imprisoned six times during this time. She declared suffragists were political prisoners and she was among those in the Occoquan Workhouse who instigated hunger strikes in October 1917. Ultimately they were placed in solitary confinement.

She was jailed again while protesting the treatment of the imprisoned Alice Paul, Burns and others joined Paul and others in another round of Occoquan hunger strikes. Burns was present in Occoquan for what became known as the “Night of Terror” on November 15, 1917, during which she was beaten and handcuffed with her arms above her head in her cell. Brutal force feedings followed and the public outcry ultimately forced the President to release all of the suffragist from the workhouse.

After her release, Burns commenced nationwide speaking tours. After the success of the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote, Burns retired from public campaigns and spent the rest of her life working with the Catholic Church.

JC's Comment - Who said civil disobedience was a bad thing? If it wasn't for the NWP and their willingness to be arrested for their convictions - how long would women have had to wait for the right to vote? The suffragist movement began before the Civil War and the woman who'd started it all - Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were long dead.

Sometimes you have to be willing to take one for the team in order to accomplish what is best for many others. I think we forget that when it becomes crunch time.

Go, Vote.

Michael Moore - Free movie!

Michael Moore has released his new movie online for FREE. Yes, free. You can download the entire movie here: http://slackeruprising.com/

Guest Blogger: Mechele Armstrong

Title: Getting it right

It used to be to research things, you had to find a book and read it. Go talk to an expert on the subject. Read journals and papers.

Now we have Google. And Yahoo and several other Internet search engines that provide a myriad of results on a variety of subjects. We have International Movie Database (a show biz roster of who’s who and what’s what), many question and answer forums, and Wikipedia. And there are still books and experts out there to read and write to. Email makes conversations with experts even easier when you can jot off something to someone a half a world away.

When I write something, either set in a place I don’t know as well as I know where I live or in a different time period, I’m terrified I’m going to get something wrong. And unfortunately, I did get something wrong. I didn’t double check a fact and…busted, though it’s now fixed.
It taught me the importance of checking about three times from several different sources whatever I research.

But oddly enough, I’m not the only one who gets things wrong. I was amazed that Night at the Museum has a few facts wrong. The little monkey, for example, was in the wrong exhibit. He’s a Capuchin but is in the African Wing. Capuchins live in South America. I was quite shocked to find that out, especially as the museum is based on the Museum of Natural History in New York City.
But them I remember my mistake. And how we are all human. My father used to say, "Nobody’s perfect. That’s why they put erasers on pencils." And he was right. We all do slip up from time to time.

But, with all the resources available, I really don’t want to screw up a factoid in my books. I definitely try to minimize my errors.

A few my favorite links to research:
http://www.wikipedia.org/
http://www.imdb.com/
http://www.etymonline.com/
http://thesaurus.reference.com
http://dictionary.reference.com/
http://www.squidge.org/~minotaur/classic/eroc.html (guide for writing slash fanfiction *not work safe*)

Feel free to list any good reference sites in comments.

I usually try and verify facts with a number of different sites. And read a book if I can on the subject. There is a lot of misinformation on the Internet.

A good rule of thumb to follow: Check your sources. Check your facts. And most of all, try to get it as right as you can.

Mechele Armstrong aka Lany of Melany Logen
http://www.mechelearmstrong.com
http://www.melanylogen.com

New Paperback Release!

Winter's Daughter is now available in Trade Paperback. I am OVER the moon.

Latest Reviews for Winter's Daughter

"I can not wait for the rest of the Coven series. It is an absolute keeper!" Enchanting Reviews

"I read Winter's Daughter one Saturday, totally ignoring everything around me. Engaging, gripping, and page-turning are a few terms I would use to describe Matt and Syn and their path to the truth and lasting love. I will be keeping a close eye on Ms. Wilder's site to see when the next sister's book is going to come out. For all of these reasons and some I can't seem to put words to, I Joyfully Recommend Winter's Daughter." - Joyfully Reviewed

"Winter's Daughter is an excellent tale that is well balanced and one of those rare finds that you will want to revisit again." eMuse Mag

"The depths of J.C. Wilder's story drew me in immediately. Her characters walked right off the page and engaged me, as real as any person I know. Intrigue, magic, romance--Winter's Daughter captivated me and left me wanting more." ~Cheyenne McCray, USA Today bestselling author of SEDUCED BY MAGIC

"If you buy no other book this month you have to get this one" - Fallen Angel Reviews, Recommended Read

Hero: Inez Milholland-Boissevain

Inez Milholland-Boissevain (1886-1916) was born a child of privlege in 1886. The daughter of John Milholland, a newspaper editorialist and a reformer with the NAACP. She graduated from Vassar in 1909 and earned her law degree from New York University - a very gutsy move for a young woman in the early twentieth century.

After college, Inez joined a Greenwich Village group of progressives and socialists who created The Masses - the first magazine to fuse radical art, political commentary and graphic satire. She also protested the US entering into WWI, going so far as to travel to Europe to spread her message.

After meeting Alice Paul, Inez was recruited to join NAWSA Congressional Committee's. She soon revealed a powerful ability to move crowds at rallies on behalf of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage (CU).

In 1913, Inez led the first woman's sufferage parade in Washington DC on the same day Woodrow Wilson was sworn into office. Dressed as a warrior on a white horse, Inez became the icon of the sufferagist movement.

By 1916 Milholland had become one of the highest-profile leaders of the CU. She traveled all over the US making speeches, gathering women to join the cause. Despite warnings from her physician she persisted in touring despite pronounced ill health. While speaking in Los Angeles, Inez collapsed at the podium while delivering a suffrage speech. She was rushed to the hospital and, despite treatment for pernicious anemia, she died weeks later on November 25, 1916.

Her dedication, iconic idealism, and tragic death made her a martyr of the suffrage movement. Her last public words were, “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?”

In January 1917, Woodrow Wilson spurned a delegation that attempted to present him with resolutions crafted in Milholland's honor. The National Women's Party (formerly the Congressional Union) changed tactics from a focus on lobbying to more direct action. Within days the NWP began a new campaign of picketing the White House and three and half years later, women received the right to vote.

Those we honor...

Next Tuesday is election day. It is on that day that we, as citizens of the United States, have a chance to have input into our government. It was only 88 years ago that women, after many years of sacrifice by thousands of women, received the right to vote.

88 years.

That really isn't that long ago. And if you think about it, it's only been 31 years since the Equal Rights Amendment was passed. Remember the ERA? The amendment that was added to the constitution stating women should be paid and treated as equals to men. Its such an antiquated idea in my mind that people would presume that because we have breasts that we must not have brains...or ability....or talent.

It wasn't that long ago John McCain was quoted as saying the reason women don't make the same amount of money as men is that we don't have the training to do so...

Screw you McCain - bet mine is bigger than yours.

So anyway - in an effort to honor those who fought for the right, nay, obligation to vote, I'm going to post a few profiles of the women who put their lives on the line to stand up and demand democracy for citizens of this country. These are my heros.

Ship goes down in the Bering Sea.

Four were rescued, five are dead and two are missing. I can't help but think of my friends fishing on the Bering Sea right now.

http://www.adn.com/news/alaska/story/565157.html

It's time to celebrate!!

Winter's Daughter will be released on Tuesday! To celebrate, I'm holding a free-for-all on my chat list, The Wilder Side. Post a message from now until Tuesday and you will be entered into a drawing for a free paperback or ebook.

New drawings every day!

Run, don't walk to join the fun!

WLW - Victory is MINE!

Yes, it's that time again. Time to hop on the bathroom scales and wish you'd weighed yourself before chugging a 32 ounce glass of water. The bill is now due for that one little cookie you snitched from your kid's lunch.

No, I haven't been looking in your windows. LOL!

My total for the week is...two pounds. Yes, I actually LOST this week. LOL. I wish it had been more but then again, I always wish it was more. I have to admit that I haven't been on my best behavior either so I'll take my two pounds and run with it.

Some of you have emailed me to ask what I'm doing to lose weight and my answer is simple - eat well and exercise. I know - not nearly as exciting as you'd hoped...but there it is.

Exercise - I have some physical limitations that prohibit me from doing standard exercises. Thanks to my craptastic knees, I can't run (wouldn't want to) and my walking is limited. So instead I go to the pool.

First off - I would live in the water if I could. It is the best thing you can do exercise if you have joint pain - the arthritis foundation recommends water aerobics.

I took a few classes then figured out I'm not a team player. So now I go to the gym (its pricey but you have to ask yourself - aren't you worth x number of dollars a year?) three days a week and I do my workout for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Basically my goal is to be in the water and move all of my limbs for that length of time without stopping.

According to my weight calculator (www.keyoe.com) it burns about 400 calories.

I think the trick to exercise is to find something you really enjoy that doesn't include having a couch strapped to your butt. I love to walk and years ago I would walk every morning. Now with my knee degenerating - if I walk then I pretty much have to take it easy the rest of the day. And if I overdo it, I run the risk of not being able to walk for a couple of days - so its the water for me.

How did you do this week?

And the award goes to...

For some reason, Maxim magazine has started sending me issues even though I've never read the mag nor requested it. Seeing that I'm female - that hasn't deterred them from wasting more trees in order to give me a good laugh.

Out of curiosity, I opened one and scanned the pages. It is a nice, glossy magazine that would appeal to the hormones of young men as its designed to do. Should it surprise me that every photo of a woman, with the exception of an unflattering Photo of Hillary Clinton - was naked or in lingerie?

Women on their backs with their legs in the air - high heels of course because no one could walk in those things so you'd have to be on your back in order to not fall off and get hurt - nude with only a towel - sexy tousled hair - noisy lipstick - sprawled on a bed - in lingerie stretched out on the floor - mouths open...you get the picture.

And they say romance is soft-core porn?

Any photo of a woman with clothing on was unflattering and usually an advertisement. One was a housewife in the cliched terry cloth robe, curlers in the hair, green face mask - next to a woman in lingerie.

On the other hand there were the men. All dressed in suits with women in skimpy night-out attire hanging on their arms...that's what draws us ya know. Suits and enough hair product to dent steel - that REALLY turns us on.

Men...you want to know how to impress the ladies? Read a romance novel - that will get you much farther than Maxim will.