Romance Novel Sluts

Archive for the ‘announcements’ Category

It has been a while since we’ve had a good scandal in the world of romance.  A large chunk of the time it involves plagiarism.

We’ve had a new one.  But I’m sure it isn’t going to be the last.

So, be careful out there.  People are posting books on Amazon, Smashwords, etc, claiming the books are their own, when they have just copied a published author’s work and changed a few details.

Heck, Bram Stroker has been plagiarized recently… someone publishing Dracula (word for word) as an erotica novel.

While self-publishing sites makes it easier for the aspiring writer to publish their work, it also makes it easier for a rip off artist to flood the market place with plagiarized work.

Smartbitches and Dear Author seem to keep up with better than I do, so just be careful out there.  If something doesn’t seem right, tell someone. I emailed an author recently when I noticed her cover was being used for a self-published work.  She emailed me back telling me that she discovered that the same book had been plagiarized and was up on Smashwords.

In this digital age, plagiarizers are a lot easier to find.  Especially if the content it online.  And it is bad, because I feel much of the time it is the readers in the end that suffer.

If you were wondering how I select the books (free or cheap) that I post on facebook…

It’s complicated.  Cause I look at a lot of things.

Have I read them?  No.  I read pretty slow.  Slower now that I have baby girl.

I do look at reviews.  How many there are.  What the average is.  What they are saying.

And I see if they are available for Kindle and Nook.  Sometimes that is the killer for me.  Kindle will have free items that Nook doesn’t have.  Kindle will have stuff that Nook just doesn’t even have!

I have to weigh those options.  Sometimes I’ll still post things that aren’t available equally on both devices.

I try to post good reads, not like other sites that seem to post ever single free book they find.  Yes, I’ll post lots of deals.   Birdies tweet in my ears, and I’ll post things they tell me.

To let yall know, I fell sad when I share something that not everyone can take apart in.

Okay, so I have the usual -  eat less, move more, lose weight.

But I need a reading resolution!

So I have been thinking, there are books/authors that I have never read.  So hear goes. I have to read at least 12 books by authors I don’t read or have never read and probably SHOULD have read.  My list this thus far:

Jane Austen
Georgette Heyer
Kathleen Woodiwiss
Lavyrle Spencer
Victoria Holt
Sandra Brown
Debbie Macomber
Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Jayne Ann Krentz
Barbara Cartland
Jude Devereaux
Judith McNaught
Tom and Sharon Curtis (specifically The Windflower)

I’m sure everyone is coming up with other authors, but the author has to be in print prior to 1992. My resolution, my list, my rules.

So if you can provide a specific book or specific author and tell me why, I’ll consider reading it.

Don’t get me wrong… I’m a slut for cheap books.  And right now it seems Avon books in pulling me in with $4.99 pre-orders.

So I present… a few titles that have me wanting to hit the pre-order key.

A Secret in Her Kiss by Anna Randol (debut author) (Jan 31, 2012)

Why?  Her debut Regency novel is set in the heart of the Ottoman Empire.

A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean (Feb 28, 2012)

Why? It’s Sarah MacLean, and I loved Nine Rules (and I have the other two – which I need to read!)

Wanted: Undead or Alive by Kerrelyn Sparks (March 27, 2012)

Why?  I love the Love at Stake series, and why not already be prepared for the next one.

And now… a spiffy slide show of $4.99 pre-orders from Avon…

If you couldn’t tell, I’m participating in the Romance at Random Loveswept Blog Hop. So… HOWDY!

Happy Holidays to everyone – Romance At Random is celebrating their Loveswept line with a random e-book Giveaway to 25 winners plus an opportunity to win one Grand Prize from www.romanceatrandom.com. Enter here to be included in the FREE random e-book drawing (25 winners will pick up their FREE book from Net Galley) and then stop on by www.romanceatrandom.com and comment to enter the drawing to be the ”ONE” Grand Prize winner, to win a selection of great books! Good Luck & Happy Holidays to all!
INCREASE your chances to win by visiting all of the participating ‘Loveswept – Holiday Hop’ sites! Winners will be contacted after 1/10/12.

For additional participating sites go to: http://www.romanceatrandom.com/meet-greet-holiday-hop-25-winners-one-grand-prize-winner/

Or look on the left hand side of the blog under the Facebook widget.  Good luck!

Since I kept getting spamage on the groups and boards, I have shut down that area of the site. If you keep wondering about all spinning book widgets… well, I’ve been looking for holiday reads… as I find them, I post them on facebook, and I have been making the widgets in case anyone was interested.

As for the change of look… why not.

I’m going to start blogging again in January… have a nice holiday!

I know… there has been no update here since last summer’s Ritas.  So… what’s been going on?

After the loss of my father last year,  I sank into a rather nasty depression.  Didn’t want to do anything.

And then… five days after the death of my father… I find out I’m pregnant.

If dealing with those two things doesn’t mess with your emotional state… I don’t know what will.

My daughter, referred to as “Pax”, was born in January.  And she totally lives up to her name and is a completely joy.

While I’ve been somewhat active over in Facebook, I’ve been neglectful over here.  Which I apologize for.

My plan is to fire up impluse engines in January when “Pax” is a year old.  So if you have contacted me in the past several months, sorry if I haven’t gotten back with you.  If you are a mom, you know how the first year is.

Keep reading!

In case, you missed them… the 2010 RITA WINNERS!!!!

2010 RITA Winner for Best Young Adult Romance

Perfect Chemistry
by Simone Elkeles
Bloomsbury, Walker Books for Young Readers

2010 RITA Winner for Best Inspirational Romance

The Inheritance
by Tamera Alexander
Thomas Nelson, Inc., Women of Faith Fiction

2010 RITA Winner for Best Novel With Strong Romantic Elements

The Lost Recipe for Happiness
by Barbara O’Neal
Bantam Dell Publishing Group, Discovery

2010 RITA Winner for Best Romance Novella

“The Christmas Eve Promise”
In The Night Before Christmas
by Molly O’Keefe
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Special Releases

2010 RITA Winner for Best Contemporary Series Romance

A Not-So-Perfect Past
by Beth Andrews
Harlequin Enterprises, Harlequin Superromance

2010 RITA Winner for Best Contemporary Series Romance Suspense/Adventure

The Soldier’s Secret Daughter
by Cindy Dees
Harlequin Enterprises, Silhouette Romantic Suspense

2010 RITA Winner for Best Historical Romance

Not Quite A Husband
by Sherry Thomas
Bantam Dell Publishing Group

2010 RITA Winner for Best Regency Historical Romance

What Happens In London
by Julia Quinn
HarperCollins Publishers, Avon Books

2010 RITA Winner for Best Paranormal Romance

Kiss of a Demon King
by Kresley Cole
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Books

2010 RITA Winner for Best Romantic Suspense

Whisper of Warning
by Laura Griffin
Simon & Schuster, Pocket Star

2010 RITA Winner for Best First Book

One Scream Away
by Kate Brady
Grand Central Publishing, Forever

2010 RITA Winner for Best Contemporary Single Title Romance

Too Good To Be True
by Kristan Higgins
Harlequin Enterprises, HQN

This is what I get for slacking off for a week.  Really.  My blog feeds are out of control (1000+ to read).  I haven’t told you about how much I enjoyed Gaelen Foley’s My Dangerous Duke.  I haven’t begun to read Barely A Lady by Eileen Dreyer – which yes, I went and picked up on release day (something I really rarely do).  I didn’t do the Road to the Ritas this week.

It is two days into the second half of the year – and I’m so behind.  The rain in the forecast I’m sure will just make it worse.  The will become a mini jungle before it dries out enough to be mowed.

I am caught up on Burn Notice. Of course, I’m caught up on that.  I’ve been drooling over Jeffery Donovan since The Pretender – (he wasn’t The Pretender, he was his brother).  I’m pretty sure that if my husband were ever to be a spy… he would be like Michael.

So, I think I’m going to have to make a list of five things for the blog I want to accomplish this weekend.  That maybe the only way anything will get done, and I can slowly inch toward not so behindness…

1.  Review My Dangerous Duke.  I really enjoyed it!  I need to go find My Wicked Marquess – which comes before it  -which I couldn’t tell.  Really.  For a mini-review here – she did a great job so that I didn’t feel like I was missing out on something by not reading the first one.

2.  Prep the next two Road to the Ritas – put them out Monday and Wednesday of next week – so I don’t get more behind.

3.  Read Barely a Lady.  Ya know, I’m terrible.  Eileen might strike me down.  I have never read a romance by her.  Seriously.  Not one of her Kathleen Korbel’s have graced my TBR lists.  I have read a couple of her mysteries (which you will find under Eileen Dreyer) – that might be my only saving grace.  Grace… heh…

4.  Email next week’s guest authors, and contact some potential ones.  I’ve been such a slacker in this area.  I think I’ve been lacking a lot of drive since loosing Dad in May.

5.  Bring back Random Books of the week… I’ve kinda missed this.  It is time consuming though.

6.  THE CONTESTS!  Yes, I have some outstanding contests on the site that need winners… best draw those.

Okay, that was actually six things.  I’m crossing my fingers that I get them done.  I don’t have a three day weekend – as some might have. 

Anyone else have a list of things they need to do?  Anyone grumbling that I have been slacking?

Sorry that I was rather quiet last week… and there really wasn’t much going on here…  But I guess I needed a little break.  The last two months have been a little crazy, and I’ve got a lot going on.  Since our only author last week had to postpone to this week – Robyn Dehart – I just totally slacked off.

Any way, Robyn will be in tomorrow and Marie Force will be here on Thursday.  I can’t believe we are already knocking on July’s door.  The year is almost half over – where has it all gone?

A couple of weeks ago – I mentioned that I strayed from my comfort zone and read an Inspirational Romance.  I’ve done it again, except with an author.  In many ways, I’m a tough sell.  I have my comfort authors that I have been reading for years.  And since I don’t read very fast – I tend to stick with those authors.  It is also why I fear starting a new author with an extensive back list – it just seems daunting.

But I did it again… I strayed… and I’m loving it.  I can’t give a full review as of yet – perhaps Wednesday.  So what am I reading?  Gaelen Foley’s My Dangerous Duke.  Even though it is the second in a series, I can’t tell – ie – she does a good job of letting me know what I need to know for the story.  As soon as I can tell you more – I’ll do that.  If you rush out today, you might not find it, it doesn’t officially hit the shelves until tomorrow.  (A friend gave me an early copy.)

Speaking of tomorrow… am I the only one dying to read Barely A Lady by Eileen Dreyer?  Eileen is an five time Rita award winning author who is making her debut as a Historical Romance author with this book.  I read the beginning on her website recently, and I just can’t wait to get my copy tomorrow.

Meanwhile… Holly is acting all sneaky again… I have to wonder if her animal world contacts have gotten her another ARC.  She has also been seen reading Forgive My Fins by Tera Lynn Childs – muttering that she likes it but there was just too much water.