NRCA Finalist List

The official list is available on the NRCA site.

2010 National Readers' Choice Award Finalists

Paranormal:
ERIS by D. Renee Bagby
IN THE DARKEST NIGHT by Patti O'Shea
DON'T KILL THE MESSENGER by Eileen Rendahl
FORBIDDEN HIGHLANDER by Donna Grant
DANGEROUS HIGHLANDER by Donna Grant
MOONLIGHT BLEU by Renee Reardon


Traditional Series:
ON THE CREST OF A WAVE by Fran McNabb
KILLER HEADLINE by Debby Giusti
LOVE 'EM OR LEAVE 'EM by Angie Tyler
A TASTE OF ROMANCE by Roni Denholts
OH-SO SENSIBLE SECRETARY by Jessica Hart


Romantic Suspense:
A RANCHER'S BRAND OF JUSTICE by Ann Voss Peterson
NO TURNING BACK by Kaylea Cross
DESPERATE DEEDS by Dee Davis
EDGE OF SIGHT by Roxanne St. Claire
COLD SIGHT by Leslie Parrish
KILLER HEAT by Brenda Novak


Long Contemporary:
THE FAMILY PLAN by Susan Gable
SKYLAR'S OUTLAW by Linda Warren
MELTDOWN by Gail Barrett
THE ROYAL AFFAIR by Gail Barrett
HIS BEST MISTAKE by Kristi Gold


Short Contemporary:
THE MAGNATE'S PREGNANCY PROPOSAL by Sandra Hyatt
SINGLE DAD SHERIFF by Lisa Childs
BRIDLETON by Becky Barker
SEDUCE AND RESCUE by Jillian Burns
EXPECTING THE RANCHER'S HEIR by Kathie DeNosky
FOR BUSINESS... OR MARRIAGE? by Jules Bennet
SWEET SURRENDER, BABY SURPRISE by Kate Carlisle


Mainstream with Romantic Elements:
THE WINTER SEA by Susanna Kearsley
SHE'S GONE COUNTRY by Jane Porter
MAGNOLIA WEDNESDAYS by Wendy Wax
ON FOLLY BEACH by Karen White
WELCOME TO HARMONY by Jodi Thomas


Erotic Romance:
MINE UNTIL MORNING by Jasmine Haynes
HERS FOR THE EVENING by Jasmine Haynes
RIDING THE NIGHT by Jaci Burton
BLISS by Opal Carew
PRIMAL HEAT by Crystal Jordan


Historical:
THE RANGER by Monica McCarty
THE UNMASKING OF A LADY by Emily May
TO SURRENDER TO A ROGUE by Cara Elliot
IN PURSUIT OF A SCANDALOUS LADY by Gayle Callen
WHISPER OF SCANDAL by Nicola Cornick


Single Title:
SEALED WITH A RING by Mary Margaret Daughtridge
ON SHADOW BEACH by Barbara Freethy
SUGAR CREEK by Toni Blake
STRANGE NEIGHBORS by Ashlyn Chase
A PLACE TO CALL HOME by Christina James


Inspirational:
THE HEALER'S APPRENTICE by Melanie Dickerson
WITHIN MY HEART by Tamera Alexander
HEALER by Linda Windsor
TOO CLOSE TO HOME by Lynette Eason
MAID TO MATCH by Deeanne Gist
PLAIN PARADISE by Beth Wiseman


Novella:
UNDERTAKING TEXAS by Linda L. Broday (Give Me a Texas Ranger)
SAVING BRIE by Cara Summers (Twice the Temptation)
HOT ARCTIC NIGHTS by Janice Maynard (Wicked Wonderland)
THE WRONG BROTHER by Maureen Child (Under the Millionaire's Mistletoe)
A PRINCE OF A GUY by Leslie Kelly (Blazing Bedtime Stories)
THE DROWNING SEA by Veronica Wolff (Ladies Prefer Rogues)


Young Adult:
PULL by B.A. Binns
THE KARMA CLUB by Jessica Brody
THE CINDERELLA SOCIETY by Kay Cassidy


Best First Book:
A TAYLOR-MADE BRIDE by Karen Witemeyer
MOONLIGHT BLEU by Renee Reardon
LOVE 'EM OR LEAVE 'EM by Angie Stanton
PIECES OF SKY by Kaki Warner
THE HEALER'S APPRENTICE by Melanie Dickerson

2010 NRCA Finalist - ERIS

You read the image right. ERIS is a finalist in the 2010 National Readers' Choice Award (NRCA) in the Paranormal category!

Winners are announced in June.

I shall post the full finalist list to this blog as soon as it is posted to the NRCA site.

Happy Easter!!

I've never been one for Easter. I wasn't that kid. I never wanted to hunt eggs, and I wasn't that fond of the candy. But, it's still a holiday and I wanted to do something for it.

So....




and





You can blame Flash for both of those. :P

Golden Quill -- Nope

I just got an email from the coordinator of the Golden Quill Contest hosted by the Desert Rose RWA Chapter.

ERIS didn't final. The finalists and winners will be announced in the July issue of RWR. I'll try to remember to post them here when the time comes.

The sad thing is, I had totally forgotten that I entered this contest. I did enter it. I just entered so many contests around the same time that I missed this one when I wrote them all down. I mean I have the countdown list on the side of this blog and I thought I included everyone. Good thing they emailed me.

I still have hopes for the other contests I entered.

At the moment, I'm waiting to find out the finalists for the National Readers' Choice Awards (NRCA) hosted by the Oklahoma Romance Writers RWA Chapter.

Newsletter Contest Winner #2 (April)

I've started a monthly contest on my newsletter. You have to be subscribed in order to play (hint hint).

April 2011 Newsletter

Contest Winner

Marie Wignall (UK)

She has won a box of books from my personal collection. I'm weeding out my duplicates and books that I just will never get around to reading so I want them to go to someone who will read them.

CONGRATS!

Join me next month on my newsletter for another box of books and another winner.

TRS Review: Charmed Lover

Hot on the heels of my review for Harley on the Rocks, The Romance Studio gives Caveat Emptor 1: Charmed Lover 4 Hearts!!

"This was a fun short story to read. The premise of owning your vampire is great. The writing style is light and fun."
~ Kathy F., Read Full Review

Monday Blog Winners

Congrats to Robin (winner at D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters) and Anne (winner at Cyber Launch Party). Both are winners of a PDF copy of Charmed Lover by Zenobia Renquist.

Last Blurb Party

Sadly, Dee Julian is closing out her Blurb Party site. Join me for the last Blurb Party and send off this great promotion with a bang.

Two Chances to Win!!

Monday ONLY (18 April) you have TWO chances to win a PDF copy of Charmed Lover by Zenobia Renquist.

#1
Stop by D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters and leave a comment on the first chapter of Charmed Lover. That's right. The entire FIRST chapter is posted for your reading pleasure. Not just my first chapter, but the first chapters of titles from over 500 authors around the internet.

#2
Stop by the Cyber Launch Party and leave a comment. Be sure to follow the rules of the site.

Both contests run through Monday only. Winners are announced Tuesday (19 April).

Good Luck!!

Six Sentence Sunday - 17 April

I'm on post five of the Six Sentence Sunday.

I give you a snippet of my latest release from Changeling Press...

Charmed Lover by Zenobia Renquist (Caveat Emptor, Book 1):

Theron said, “I like seeing you sated, Ryver. You should be sated daily. I wholeheartedly volunteer for that task.” He kissed her breasts one at a time. “Alas, I cannot do so at this moment. My time is at an end.”

He laid a final kiss on her lips before he stood and left the room.

Saturday Funny

Flash sent these to me. They were too funny not to share. :D

Paul Hunt lightening the mood before the real competition starts.

Uneven Bars


Balance Beam


Floor Show 1


Floor Show 2

Random Writing Updates

Some quick updates in lieu of a real post. :D

#1 - Best of Year one at D. Renee Bagby Presents First Chapters is OPEN. VOTE NOW. Come out an vote on the best of the best. The winners of Best First Line, Best Last Line, Best Cover, and Best Overall First Chapter are kicking it Highlander-style -- there can be only one... winner of the best of Year One. Voting ends 30 April at 12:01 AM EST.

Oh, Eris by D. Renee Bagby and Rite Men for Maya by Zenobia Renquist are part of the competition. *hint hint*


#2 - More voting!! The Romance Studio Party Friday Night Vote starts tonight (15 April) at 6pm EST. Head on over to vote for Caveat Emptor 1: Charmed Lover by Zenobia Renquist. Voting ends 16 April at noon.


#3 - Gale Stanley gave Charmed Lover a nod on her Books & Blurbs blog. She also gave it a glowing review on Goodreads. :D


#4 - I've got my treadmill desk up and running (actually walking, but you know what I mean). I put in one mile today. Took me 44 minutes. Man, I'm out of shape. I have to learn to control the mouse better, too. I was a bit shaky. My makeshift desk works great, so I'm happy. I plan to be on it often. I've got clothes I want to wear again because I refuse to buy new ones. :P

New Release: Charmed Lover

Save 5% off your entire order with coupon code SISpring. Expires 30 April. Only for use on Changeling Press site once per account.

Caveat Emptor 1: Charmed Lover
by Zenobia Renquist

Changeling Press

eBook ISBN: 978-1-60521-615-7
Genre: Paranormal Erotic
Themes: Interracial, Vampire, Magic
Length: Novella
Price: $3.49

BUY NOW 

Ryver is one of the many humans who owns a vampire. She purchased Theron for home security. When the magic charms keeping the vampires docile and subservient suddenly start failing, Theron goes from protector to threat. A nationwide, mandatory recall of all vampires is in effect. Ryver is ready to comply, but a night of passion spent in Theron's arms changes her mind.

It's only a matter of time before someone figures out Ryver and Theron's secret. With the threat of mages bearing down on them, Ryver has to decide if she's willing to give up her lover or her freedom.

Thursday Author Blog Hop - Software

Thursday Author Blog Hop Question 14 April 2011:
What software and applications help you write your masterpieces? What do you wish you could afford? What do you regret buying? And what ebook reader do you use? Why/why not?


I'm firmly entrenched in MSWord 2003. I finally figured out how to use most of it. I refuse to switch to 2007 until they make me. (Note - I still use XP as well.) I don't want to waste the money when this one works just fine. Yes, I'm cheap like that. :P Even if I did have the money to spare on 2007, I probably still wouldn't get it, not after all of the complaining I've heard. I'm waiting for all the bugs to be gone. They'll be releasing another office by the time that happens.

I don't think I regret buying anything that I've purchased for my writing career. I even plunked down a sizable amount of change to get Adobe Acrobat Standard. I definitely don't regret that. Having the ability to create my own PDFs comes in handy.

For ebook reading, I use my computer or my smartphone. I usually read PDFs or PRCs (mobipocket). My hubby has an ipad with the popular ereader apps loaded, but I don't use it. I'd rather play games on the ipad than use it for reading. :P

TRS Review: Harley On the Rocks

The Romance Studio gave Harley on the Rocks 5 Hearts!!

"This is a very warm and loving story and the sex is hot, hot, hot... The story is well written and I was not able to put it down... The depth of emotion used to portray Harley was fabulous..."
~ Camilla, The Romance Studio -- Full Review

Also, for a limited time receive 5% off Harley on the Rocks at All Romance eBooks.

Movie Review: Hop

Hop



Basic Premise
EB is in line to be the next Easter Bunny. He would rather be a rock superstar. EB runs away from home to fulfill his dreams, leaving behind more trouble back home than the issue of succession.

Sigh... Taxes

I sat down to input my info into a spreadsheet in preparation for my appointment with the tax preparer.

I was so happy when I finished...

3 HOURS LATER!!

It took me three whole friggin' hours!! All I was doing was inputting numbers. This is how much crap I've accumulated over the course of the year. AND this is why I've been procrastinating on this particular task all of this time. I knew it would take a huge chunk of time to finish and it did.

That said, I am happy to report that I didn't spend nearly as much this year as I did last year. I hope to spend even less in 2011. Instead of jumping at every opportunity that crosses my path, I want to focus on things that actually might work.

The worst is over. All that's left is going to my tax appointment later today (Tuesday). That's the easy part. :D

Now that it's mostly over I'm left with the same vow I make every year -- that I'll keep up with the data entry so I don't have so much to do at the beginning of the year. We'll see how that works out for me. :P

Six Sentence Sunday - 10 April

Looks like I'm on a roll. Here's installment number four of the Six Sentence Sunday.

Harley on the Rocks by Zenobia Renquist:

“Please.” Harley was begging and didn’t care. She was going to explode.

“Wait for it,” Davis said in a raspy voice.

Harley didn’t know what “it” was but she was sick of waiting. She clenched all of her lower muscles, squeezing the men for all she was worth. It paid off.

Thursday Author Blog Hop - Plot/Pants

On time but late in the day.

Thursday Author Blog Hop Question 07 April 2011:
Are you a plotter or a panster? Do you plot your stories ahead of writing? Or do you write and see what happens? (Writing “by the seat of your pants”.) Why do you work that way? What are the benefits ...and drawbacks?


I am a panster who plots out the general path. I have no clue where I'm going, BUT I know the stops I want to make on the way. :D

That's the best way to describe my style of writing. I cannot outline the entire book and then write it. Half the time, my characters decide to go a different route and then outline is obsolete. Rather than waste the energy, I just don't do an outline.

I usually write out scenes of character interaction or climactic moments as they come to me. I put them in order as I write them, though sometimes I'll move a scene to an earlier or later position depending on the pacing of the story. Later, as I'm finishing the book, I string all of the scenes together into a cohesive whole story.

The benefit to writing this way is that I get the scenes written. I'm not forgetting a scene or making myself wait to write a scene just so I can go in order. I'm also the type who will eat dessert with dinner just so I won't have to wait for dessert. :P

The only drawback to this is not knowing where the story will go until I write it. This is equal parts fun and frustrating. I like the voyage of discovery, as it were. However, that voyage sometimes takes a lot longer than it should.

Is that enough of a drawback to make me change? Nope. Not at all. I tried it the other way. I prefer to pants it. :D

Busy Week

Okay. I gave up the coding. The thing I thought was simple became oh-so complicated once dumped into Website Tonight. I truly hate that interface. I'll be happy to be rid of it in a few months when I move my site.

Anyway. I dropped the coding and went on to a puzzle I knew I could solve -- my treadmill. It's assembled. I haven't tried it out yet, but it's out of the box and waiting for me to walk all over it. :P

On to the topic of the post. I have a busy week ahead of me. Just because I didn't go to the Romantic Times Convention doesn't mean I get to relax. Both The Romance Studio and Romance Junkies are throwing parties for those who stayed home.

Join me 07 April at noon EST until whenever the party stops on the Romance Junkies chat loop for fun, games, and tons of prizes. To find out what I'm giving away, you have to show up and play.

The Romance Studio is hosting a stay at home event on their party site. Again, more prizes to be had along with excerpts from all of the participating authors. That's 06 April and 08-10 April. (Note: Festivities are on hold on the 7th for a release day event.)

Don't miss out!

Coding Has Hijacked Me

So suddenly I feel the need to redo the look of my book page. I will eventually be redoing the whole site, but the book page is my immediate concern.

Thankfully, this looks like a quick code-hijacking as opposed to my usual where I spend all day fighting with HTML and CSS in order to do something that seemed extremely simple when I first started. To be fair, all of this probably would be simple if I actually knew how to write CSS, PHP, and javascript instead of only looking up what I need at the time. :P

Six Sentence Sunday - 03 April

This is my third installment of the Six Sentence Sunday. Time to mix things up and bring my alter-ego into the fray and fun.

Here's Rite Men for Maya by Zenobia Renquist:

Embarrassment, suffocating and hot, overruled all other emotions. Maya struggled to get out from between Kessen and Tam but they were still connected.

The men removed themselves, and she pushed away from them.

“Maya, what’s wrong?” Kessen moved closer and reached for her.

She jerked back. “Don’t touch me.” She looked back at her parents and shook her head.

Movie Review: Sucker Punch

Sucker Punch



Basic Premise
Baby Boll is on a mission to bust out of her unlawful imprisonment, and she's taking her friends with her.

Check List (Writing Update)

Avoided April Fool's Day -- CHECK

Organized Tax Paperwork -- CHECK

Cleaned Batcave -- not even close but I still have until Monday to get it done. :P

I need to clean out a spot for my new treadmill, which means cleaning pretty much the entire batcave. Not an issue. It needs to be cleaned. I just couldn't get to it yesterday. I had a ton of paperwork and old mail to go through for tax preparation.

On the up side (and somewhat down side), I finished Book 2 of the Caveat Emptor series. I still need to do the final read through to make sure I didn't forget anything, but it is finished at 10,665 words (22 pages single-spaced). That's a nice up side.

The down side is that I didn't finish it until this morning, AND I didn't get to Book 3 and Book 6. I meant to have the whole series done by April so I could move on to a DRB novel. As it got closer to the end of the month, I knew that wasn't going to happen. So I figured I would finish off Book 2, Book 3, and Book 6 since all three were very near completion.

I didn't count on getting hung up on something as simple as a sex scene in Book 2, so that slowed me down. That leaves me with 6000 words left before I finish Book 3 and Book 6. Not that much. Book 4 and Book 7 aren't even started yet, just plotted. That'll be 20k-22k to finish off those two.

I'm still sticking with my original plan of jumping into a DRB novel. It's 90k written already. Yeah, I know that sounds like a lot but it's scenes scattered through out. I need to connect them all and write the story climax. I'll bounce between that and the Caveat Emptor series and hopefully finish both before the month is out.

I know. I know.

I do not make life easy on myself. :P

Sidenote: Even though I keep referring to the books as Book 2, Book 3, and so on, I do have titles for them all. I just don't want to confuse anyone by suddenly referring to them by the titles.