I managed to get my Brava entry off and entered in time, which I’m quietly pleased about. Now all I have to do is chew my fingernails along with the other 300 plus entrants.
If you’re in a writing competition mood check out Dorchester’s latest contest. They’re looking for SHOMI books and contest details are here along with a forum and details about the books, both current releases and those coming in the next few months. I have Wired by Liz Maverick on my to-read pile. I must hurry up and read it because this sounds like a great line combining romance, thriller, science fiction and fantasy all together in one book.
Our weekend was a busy one. On Sunday we visited family and invaded my father’s house. Hubby took his brothers whitebaiting and in the afternoon they went pig hunting. It was a bloodthirsty type of weekend. The whitebaiting wasn’t that successful. I think they caught about nine fish and since they’re really tiny that’s not even enough for a meal for one person. You’re probably wondering what whitebait are - I did a post on my bravejournal somewhere about another expedition but I’m in a hurry so here’s a link to whitebait - catching them and the photo at the bottom is what they look like. We generally eat them in fritters, and I’m not a fan. When I was a kid I used to drown my fritters in tomato sauce (ketchup to you guys) so I couldn’t see the eyes.
Mr. Munro found a Maori adze while he was wandering around searching for pigs and he’s proudly showing it off to everyone. They’re actually quite common on my father’s farm as well as middens (old garbage dumps) full of shells from shellfish feasts.
And finally, I’ve been reading Lauren Dane’s Reading Between the Lines, which I think releases today. If you read my blog you’ll already know I’m a Lauren fan and I really enjoyed reading this one. It’s set in Ireland and the hero and heroine are both Fae. The story starts out with the hero Conall under a curse. Hayley the heroine releases him from the curse and the fun begins. As with most of Lauren’s books there are family secondary characters who are both a delight and a challenge to our hero and heroine, plus there’s a threat and lots of adjustment needed before our couple find their happy ending. I really loved these characters. Really, go and check it out at Samhain Publishing today.
Good luck on the entry, Shelley! Yahoo, that was a great contest. Can’t wait to read the finalists. And I just LOVED Lauren’s READING BETWEEN THE LINES. Everyone should read it.
by Red October 2nd, 2007 at 11:58 amGood luck at Brava Shelley. I’m doing the Shomi thing, that’s what I have been working on lately. I have to check out Lauren Dane, I haven’t yet … I haven’t had time; but I will most definitely.
by Amy Ruttan October 2nd, 2007 at 12:55 pmAww, thanks for the booklove!
And I LOVE Shomi! I’ve read the first two and I’ve got Driven on tap for my upcoming road trip.
by Lauren Dane October 2nd, 2007 at 1:18 pmRed - I totally agree. Reading Between the Lines is a great read
Good luck with the Shomi entry, Amy. You definitely need to check out Lauren’s books.
Aw, Lauren. You’re very welcome!
by Shelley Munro October 2nd, 2007 at 3:32 pmI’ve heard that Driven is really good. As I said, I really must get a move on. So many great books…
I wish some Historical Fiction or Fantasy publisher would come up with a nice contest. I just can’t write category romance. Or mystery, for that matter, though mysteries in historical settings seem to sell quite well these days.
by Gabriele October 2nd, 2007 at 4:06 pmGabriele - it’s not a category contest. Shomi is single title. You could probably use your battle scenes and fantasy in a Shomi. Check out the site and you can read about the books and get an idea of the type of thing they’re looking for. They have blurbs for the existing titles.
by Shelley Munro October 2nd, 2007 at 9:23 pmSince I don’t like manga, I didn’t realize these were romance novels until I overheard some manga fans dissing the books as not true manga books and being totally misleading. Personally I didn’t blame them. Anyway, I still wouldn’t buy those manga cover romance novels. I dislike the covers; and I don’t want to be reading them in public and having to explain to every person who asks me if I like manga that I don’t and why someone chose to put manga covers in non-manga books.
I know some people say you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, but I do. Books whose covers I find totally unappealing end up in the shelves, since I don’t even bother to look at them. As for missing out on great stories, that’s not a problem. The proliferation of romance writers allows to have a vast number of other wonderful stories out there for me to choose from. Like a friend of mine once told me, this isn’t the 80s anymore with a very limited number of romance writers putting out stories once or twice a year.
by Silma October 3rd, 2007 at 6:24 amShelley,
by Gabriele October 3rd, 2007 at 10:20 ammy Fantasy is more traditional Sword and Sorcery, and that’s not what Shomi is looking for.
Good luck with the Brava entry, Shelley. I’m going to be biting my nails on this one. I can’t wait until the finalists are posted.
I was going to try to write a Shomi story, but I’m not sure if I can pull a good one off. I might take a look at it after NaNoWriMo.
by Christine d'Abo October 3rd, 2007 at 11:41 amSilma - It’s fascinating the way we readers choose our books. I never let a bad cover worry me but have been seduced by an attractive cover. On the whole I choose by blurb. You’re right about the great stories out there and never needing to worry about missing out!
Gabriele - just goes to show - I need to hurry up and read that Shomi on my to-read pile
by Shelley Munro October 3rd, 2007 at 12:22 pmI agree that a cover can do a lot to sell a book. With so many authors out there competing for the readers’ attention, its the cover that first pops out of the shelf. Personally, I don’t like the manga covers either. So I’d pass them up for those who are more traditional in look. *shrugs*
by Tempest Knight October 3rd, 2007 at 12:55 pmIf anyone read the spine or the back cover blurbs on the books they’d not be confused. They’re clearly marked as romance, not manga.
I don’t know, perhaps it’s because I know authors have very little say on their cover choices that they don’t make a bit of difference to me. A good story is a good story! I can’t see not buying a book based on a cover especially since the cover has nothing to do with the content. But that’s just me.
by Lauren Dane October 4th, 2007 at 4:53 pm